G2: Louisiana - USM

[wcd35]

These are all pretty big RPI games this week. NW St was top 75 last year and can probably start to climb back up from where they are now, SLU just outside top 50 last year and top 5 now early on, Cal is top 100 and will be a challenge, USF and UCSB will still be difficult going that far on the road.

Road wins are always helpful at the end of the year.

Brian, if we win Cal tournament games, and those teams finish high enough, do we receive a bonus for a road win or is it considered neutral? I'm thinking there's no bonus.

[GoneGolfin]

_ I think we go on a nice run from here. We get the #14 Cal Bears Friday evening. Cal dropped three of four in the U San Diego tournament this weekend. Cal is dropping baseball due to Title IX next year, I think. Friday is a nice RPI game, as is Wednesday in Hammond. Robeism #1387: "Development isn't pretty." _

Cal is dropping baseball due to substantial budget cuts being required in the university system. Cal baseball boosters, while raising a significant amount of money for all of the programs being cut, were not quite able to raise enough money to save them. I remember $15 million being raised with $25 million being required. Title IX has an indirect effect as always, but this was due to general funding problems (overspending problems) in the state.

Brian

[GoneGolfin]

_ These are all pretty big RPI games this week.

While I know you understand this, I have seen some posts in recent days concerning the need to win high RPI games (home or road). I wanted to reiterate that given a sampling of games and bonuses aside (Base RPI), it makes no difference which games are won and which games are lost. The base RPI calculation will be the same.

Schedule Example:
#10 Texas
#30 California
#15 Rice
#130 McNeese State
#150 Stephen F. Austin
#40 Southern Mississippi
#275 Siena

You can distribute a given W-L record against the above schedule however you like. The Base RPI calculation will be the same. Thus, a 4-3 record can have wins against Siena, SFA, McNeese State, and USM ... and the Base RPI will be the same as if the four wins instead came against Texas, Rice, California, and USM.

NW St was top 75 last year and can probably start to climb back up from where they are now, SLU just outside top 50 last year and top 5 now early on, Cal is top 100 and will be a challenge, USF and UCSB will still be difficult going that far on the road.

Road wins are always helpful at the end of the year.

Brian, if we win Cal tournament games, and those teams finish high enough, do we receive a bonus for a road win or is it considered neutral? I'm thinking there's no bonus. _

Bonuses awarded in the Adjusted RPI are awarded when it is calculated. These bonuses are reevaluated each time the Adjusted RPI is calculated. So, obviously, what was a bonus (or penalty) in March may or may not be a bonus (or penalty) in June ... and vice-versa.

As for tournament games ... this was a hot topic of discussion several years ago and its resolution required some reverse engineering. Even then, it was not completely clear. But I am reasonably sure that someone (Paul or Boyd) verified that in tournament games not at the home field of the host, the host was still considered the home team and the only home team. Thus, only games against the host were considered road games for purposes of the RPI bonus. If there was no home host, then all of the games were neutral. I can do some digging to verify.

Brian

[CajunRebel]

How can a baseball team require 25 million dollars a year to run when our entire athletics budget is about half of that? That's $715,000 per player!!! What a bunch of BS.

igeaux.mobi

[GoneGolfin]

_ How can a baseball team require 25 million dollars a year to run when our entire athletics budget is about half of that? That's $715,000 per player!!! What a bunch of BS.

I did not say that the baseball team required $25 million. I stated that Cal baseball boosters were able to raise a significant amount of money for all of the programs being cut. But that they were not quite able to raise enough money to save them.

Evidently it was an all-or-none deal for a group of athletic programs. It was the Cal baseball boosters that spearheaded the fund raising effort.

Brian

[Dad04]

I read the Cal baseball problem was due to to Title IX and assumed, like everything else I read online, it was true.

[GoneGolfin]

_ I read the Cal baseball problem was due to to Title IX and assumed, like everything else I read online, it was true. _

The Cajuns are going to win the 2011 NCAA Baseball title.

Just remember, you read it online here first.

Brian

[Dad04]

bookmarked!!!