BASEBALL RPI: Its never too early to start looking at it!

[CajunSaint]

_ Stick to a sport you know something about. The SBC has traditionally been in the top 10 baseball conferences, and has finished some seasons in recent years as high as 5th. 13th is a major slide. _

why does this guy insist on doing this time after time. sic 'em, vo!

[bballholic]

_ Stick to a sport you know something about. The SBC has traditionally been in the top 10 baseball conferences, and has finished some seasons in recent years as high as 5th. 13th is a major slide. _

Thanks for your kind advice, but I know plenty about baseball. Over the last five years, the Sun Belt's average conference rating is 9.8 During that five year span, they have finished as high as 6th, and as low as 16th. This is solid, good, or whatever adjective you choose to use here. However, it's just not in the same class as the ACC, SEC, etc.. Again, it's a good conference, but they still need to schedule a decent non-conf slate to keep their RPI in a competitive range. And yes, it's still too early to put any major emphasis on either RPI or SOS. For instance, LSU's current SOS is #89. I wonder how different that will look at the end of SEC play? Youngstown State's current SOS is #4 and I'm sure it will tank over the next 6 weeks. Wagner and Bucknell currently boast the nation's two toughest schedules and I'm sure that won't last long. Below are the top 25 RPI teams as of 3/7/09. I'm going to make a point to re-visit this list in mid-late April to see how different it looks. I'm willing to make a friendly wager that 50% of these teams aren't in the top 25 RPI in late April. There's an obvious 5-6 that won't be there in another month or so.

1-Georgia
College Of Charleston
TCU
Oklahoma State
Georgia Tech
Clemson
Cal State Fullerton
Ohio State
North Carolina
UNC Wilmington
Texas
Arkansas
Rice
Cal Poly
Miami
Coastal Carolina
Youngstown State
LSU
Kentucky
California
UC Riverside
Georgia Southern
Arizona State
Elon
25-Cornell

[bballholic]

_ Well... at least LSU lost last night! _

Yep, baseball is a funny sport. Pretty amazing that a team limited to one run last night can turn around to score 22 runs the next day thanks to seven home runs (including three grand slams). Just goes to show you that anything can happen next week when the Cajuns visit Baton Rouge.

[Just1More]

_ When Furman and Elon are in the top 10, it's a little early to put too much stock into RPI ratings in my opinion. In a couple of months, I doubt either school will be in the top 25. That is good news that UL's SOS is pretty high because it will obviously take somewhat of a hit when SBC play rolls around. _

I don't get what you mean? The SOS takes into account everyone we play this season. Why would the upcoming conference stretch put a "hit" on anything? If the aggregate SBC RPI is decent going into our SBC schedule, what "hit" would you be talking about?

[bballholic]

_ I don't get what you mean? The SOS takes into account everyone we play this season. Why would the upcoming conference stretch put a "hit" on anything? If the aggregate SBC RPI is decent going into our SBC schedule, what "hit" would you be talking about? _

Correct me if I'm wrong, but their current SOS only takes into consideration the games they have played so far? For instance, LSU's SOS will continue to rise as they go through conference play. Teams such as Furman and Elon will see their SOS drop significantly once they begin to go through conference play. The current SOS doesn't take into account games that have yet to be played. Baseball is obviously the Sun Belt's most competitive sport and my comment about SOS taking a hit could be incorrect. However, this doesn't take away from the fact that there will be plenty of movers and shakers in the RPI/SOS category over the next 6 weeks.

[Turbine]

_ I don't get what you mean? The SOS takes into account everyone we play this season. Why would the upcoming conference stretch put a "hit" on anything? If the aggregate SBC RPI is decent going into our SBC schedule, what "hit" would you be talking about? _

You know, the hit. The hit that is built into the system.

The BCS brothers can play a weak out of conference schedule and have a weak aggregate RPI but as soon as they take it in house, it all changes. . . . or so it seems.

To my way of thinking a newly closed group should never be able to rise above it's aggregate RPI.

What am I missing?

[bballholic]

To help further my point about it being too early to puch much stock into RPI ratings, look further than your own conference. Just a couple of days ago, the Sun Belt was rated 13th overall. This morning, they are up to #7. That is a lot of fluxuation in a short period of time. If the SBC stays in this area, then the Cajuns could improve their RPI within conference if they win games. Here's the top 10 as of this morning:

ACC
SEC
Big West
Mountain West
Southern 0.5600
Big XII
Sun Belt
Pac 10
West Coast
Conference USA

[Just1More]

_ To help further my point about it being too early to puch much stock into RPI ratings, look further than your own conference. Just a couple of days ago, the Sun Belt was rated 13th overall. This morning, they are up to #7. That is a lot of fluxuation in a short period of time. If the SBC stays in this area, then the Cajuns could improve their RPI within conference if they win games. Here's the top 10 as of this morning:

ACC
SEC
Big West
Mountain West
Southern 0.5600
Big XII
Sun Belt
Pac 10
West Coast
Conference USA _

You are right about the SOS and RPI being in continuous motion... but, for instance, after this weekend LSU has 14 non-conference foes versus 30 conference foes. UL has about the same. But, UL will be facing LSU twice, Houston again, Tulane, and Rice in our mid week games, with a weekend series against East Carolina. LSU plays a lot of the same instate schools, but we actually play a tougher non-conference group once we both hit conference play. I'm only using that as an example of a not-too-accounted-for component of the continuous SOS calculation.

My point isn't about where the shifts generally begin to occur in different programs' SOS and RPI. I was commenting on you saying UL's SOS would take a "hit" once we hit conference play. We are not above the rest of the SBC in pre-conference SOS, we play similar OOC schedules, so I do not expect to "take an SOS hit" once we begin conference play. That was my point.

[bballholic]

_ You are right about the SOS and RPI being in continuous motion... but, for instance, after this weekend LSU has 14 non-conference foes versus 30 conference foes. UL has about the same. But, UL will be facing LSU twice, Houston again, Tulane, and Rice in our mid week games, with a weekend series against East Carolina. LSU plays a lot of the same instate schools, but we actually play a tougher non-conference group once we both hit conference play. I'm only using that as an example of a not-too-accounted-for component of the continuous SOS calculation.

My point isn't about where the shifts generally begin to occur in different programs' SOS and RPI. I was commenting on you saying UL's SOS would take a "hit" once we hit conference play. We are not above the rest of the SBC in pre-conference SOS, we play similar OOC schedules, so I do not expect to "take an SOS hit" once we begin conference play. That was my point. _

Points well taken. Damn, I didn't realize the Cajuns still had so many good non-conference games left on the slate. This will certainly help both their RPI and SOS and hopefully they can win a couple of those games (other than LSU of course, lol). I'm man enough to admit that I probably did underestimate the SBC a little bit. Anyway, good luck today and I hope UL can take their first SBC series of the year.

[Clutch0364]

I'm man enough to admit that I probably did underestimate the SBC a little bit.

Your not the first to do that and won't be the last.

[Turbine]

_ Your not the first to do that and won't be the last. _

He just might be the 1st to admit it though?

[Clutch0364]

_ He just might be the 1st to admit it though? _

Very True, Turbine!