Behind the Rankings: 2018 Week 3
A new feature to FPN is what we call “Behind the Rankings.” As a staff, we will offer some explanation and reasoning as to where people rank. Our team understands that people have options when it comes to rankings, but what makes our rankings different is that movement will occur on a weekly basis. Those of you who follow the traditional rankings are accustomed to little to no change within those rankings. FPN rankings show more movement than what is out there. Therefore we think that offering some rationale would be appropriate.
Week three of the college season did not disappoint. Although we do not have a new number one, more on that in a minute, there was plenty of movement in the top 10, and several new teams worked their way into the rankings.
Florida: The Gators retain the top spot despite having the one loss. Many will wonder why Washington, who is undefeated, did not overtake them? The simple answer is that Florida did nothing to fall from the top spot this week. Although they played a softer schedule this week, we have to keep in mind, up until this past weekend, Washington had a rather light schedule. Not much if anything separates them at this time, so by the slightest of margins, Florida remains in the top spot. Florida will be put to the test this Saturday when they face No. 3 Baylor.
Washington: As we already mentioned, not much separates the Huskies from the Gators. They faced their first real tests of the season and came out on top. They hammered a decent Notre Dame squad and outlasted a tough Texas A&M team 4-3 in nine innings. They will play two against Alabama this weekend when they host the Husky Classic. If both them and Florida win out this weekend, a sweep of the Tide may be what’s move them up.
Baylor: The Bears remain perfect on the season, albeit just 9-0. The wins over a strong McNeese State team and the win over Alabama keep them in the top five, and let’s be honest they have not lost yet. The game with Florida should be a good one and one that could have a real impact on the rankings. Baylor currently ranks second in the NCAA in batting average (.403) and first in on-base percentage (.472). It will be interesting if they face Barnhill, which we have to assume they will.
UCLA: Being undefeated (15-0) is nothing to take lightly. Thus far they have one win over a current top 25 opponent in No. 10 LSU. The only current top 25 team they will face in the next two weeks, before opening conference play against No. 7 Oregon, is No. 20 Minnesota. Minnesota seems to be still finding their way, but it should be a good test for the Bruins this upcoming weekend.
Tennessee: Things seem to be clicking for the Lady Vols who stand with a 16-1 record. They had four top 25 wins this season and looked sharp beating Oregon this past week at the Mary Nutter Classic. The only thing holding them back is the loss to Florida Atlantic a few weeks ago. They have strong, consistent pitching and a solid line-up. They are a dangerous team for sure.
Texas A&M: The Aggies dropped two games this past week against Nebraska and Washinton. Nebraska is on the cusp of being ranked, so the loss is not terrible. What moved them up the rankings were the wins over Notre Dame, California, and Oregon. All solid wins and the game against Washington was a classic extra inning affair. Cal only has one loss on the season, that being the one to the Aggies.
Oregon: The two losses, albeit to good teams, drops the Ducks five spots right behind the two teams that beat them, Tennessee and Texas A&M. With that said, Oregon is still a real threat to compete for a national championship this season. They have the pitching and offense to do it. They will need their offense to be a bit more consistent than it has been, but if they find their groove, they should be scoring runs in bunches. They will face No. 12 Florida State and No. 25 Florida Gulf Coast this weekend, so stay tuned. FGCU has the lowest ERA in the country currently at .46.
Alabama: The Tide move up four spots after splitting with Florida State and getting a win over No. 18 McNeese State. Alabama has the pitching, and their bats are starting to come around. Neither of their losses is terrible either. After their two games with Washington this weekend, we will know more about where they fit in the national landscape.
Arizona: Currently sitting with a 13-1 record the Wildcats’ look sharp. They may only have one real quality win, but it was a big one over two-time defending champ No.11 Oklahoma. The good news is they also do not have a bad loss, only losing to No. 23 Oklahoma State.
LSU: Coming into the weekend LSU was unbeaten, leaving they had two losses. The good news for the Tigers is that neither were bad losses dropping games to UCLA and Oregon. This Friday they will get tested by McNeese State, keep an eye on that game, it could be a big one for both teams.
Oklahoma: The Sooners appear to be off to a slow start. They did pick up a nice win over No. 14 Arizona State. Although they are just outside the top 10, they are still considered one of the main threats when the WCWS rolls around. They have a pretty light schedule the next 3-4 weeks, so we expect them to get things on track. Remember, and they have already shown us this twice, it is not where you start, it is where you end.
Florida State: Things looked great for the Seminoles a week ago at this time, but the past week did not go as planned. Matter of fact they are just 4-3 since the last ranking dropping games to McNeese State, South Alabama and Alabama. That resulted in a nine-spot plunge. It does not mean they will not have chances to work their way back up. They will face Oregon twice this weekend along with FGCU. If the Seminoles can take all three of those, they could find their way back into the top 10.
Georgia: The Bulldogs continue to edge their way up the rankings. Through the first three weeks of the season, they lead the nation in scoring with 8.86 runs per game. Brittany Gray is 6-0 and has not allowed an earned run yet. What is holding them back is their schedule, they have not faced a tough one outside of the first week, and it appears it will not get tougher until they enter conference play.
Arizona State: Although they have a 13-2 record they only have one ranked win so far. That makes it a little tough to gauge exactly where they fit. The Sun Devils are good and have some quality wins over fringe teams when it comes to the rankings. In two weeks they will host Minnesota for a three-game series, that should help us determine more about both teams.
California: This team has been impressive racing out to a 15-1 record. Their only loss came at the hands of Texas A&M. The issue, which will become a trend as we work down the rankings is the lack of quality wins. Based on their current schedule there is a good chance they could enter conference play with just the one loss. A team to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Auburn: Another team who entered last week without a loss, and another who did not come out of it the same. The Tigers dropped games to Wisconsin and Long Beach State. Neither of which is terrible as both teams have been highly competitive and both currently sit on our watch list. The offense has been the issue for the Tigers thus far. They have solid pitching, and if they can find their bats, they could make some noise later in the season.
Louisiana: They came off a good series with Florida and dropped a game to North Florida, the result was they slide a few spots. They will play in the Judi Garman this week and will face Michigan and Baylor. We will see if they bounce back.
McNeese State: They take over the No. 18 spot with a nice win against Florida State and Arkansas. They only have two losses to Baylor and Alabama. They will face LSU on Friday in a big match-up. If you can, it should be a great game to watch.
Ole Miss: They hold tight at No. 19. The Rebels picked up two wins over the weekend against Murray State and Tennessee Tech. Their schedule is favorable for the next month.
Minnesota: The Gophers move up a few spots bouncing back with five wins after a four-loss weekend the week before. They will face six ranked opponents over the next three weeks. Starting with Oregon State and UCLA this weekend. If this team can get consistency in the circle and their bats come alive, watch out. They should also be getting some players back who have missed some time.
Oregon State: Has some nice wins and has played a tough schedule so far this season. As stated, they will face Minnesota this weekend, and then their schedule takes a bit of a breather. They are not an easy out by any means.
USC Upstate: Still unbeaten at 12-0, yet to have played a ranked team. They will play Arizona twice in two weeks.
Oklahoma State: Coming off a tough weekend, but they have some good wins and have played a brutal schedule to open the season. For that, they stay in the top 25.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks break into the rankings with a 15-1 record. No eye-popping wins yet and a loss to Florida International. In two weeks they will meet up with Oklahoma.
Florida Gulf Coast: The Eagles are 13-0 and head north to Face FSU and Oregon this week.
