CAT | Rankings
More than one of you has asked about the difference between the two current national soccer polls; the NSCAA weekly national poll, and our D3soccer.com Top 25 poll. Most of us at D3sports.com has explained the differences on a number of occasions, as there is quite a difference in how the polls are built.
In the “Here’s a Better Answer” department, the Sports Information crew at Muhlenberg College has stepped it up with their straightforward rundown on the poll differences in their always interesting sports blog. The well written explanation includes a direct example from Muhlenberg’s position in the poll from September 18.
Check it out in the September 21, 2011 version of The MuhlBox.
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Just days from now will bring another set of national rankings. Those rankings demand an effort from those of us who produce the polls, including the coaches and SIDs that analyze the programs, records, and other intangibles that go into a ballot.
Yet rankings are a funny thing. Rankings offer little to no real value, yet those sought after lists of the “best” programs fit right into our collective competitive nature. Oh yes, we want to win, and we want others to see us win. Seemingly, it isn’t good enough to simply face an opponent in an athletic contest, one has to understand that this opponent is ranked higher than we are and thus the upcoming match carries even more meaning than just a victory. After all, who doesn’t want to read the headline that your program just upset the number three ranked team in the nation or the region.
So the exercise of creating weekly rankings continues in every sport at every level across the country. In soccer, we love our rankings as much as anyone. As fans, we have the Coaches Association with their weekly regional and national rankings, we have the limited but oh so important NCAA regional rankings, and of course the side here at D3soccer.com creates our own weekly national rankings.
Whether you use the rankings to analyze your favorite program within your region, or to position your team nationally, we trust that you will take the whole idea of rankings with a healthy grain of salt. The anticipation and reality of a strong position within the Top 25 brings joy to hearts for every team in every conference. But at the end of the day, what counts most is, of course, the result.
Most programs will never see a position in a national ranking, yet those same programs will compete to win, and strive to play well as student athletes. The pride of accomplishment, the satisfaction of improvement, conference tournament success, and the prized post-season ticket are truly what matter most in our sport.
D3soccer.com will be releasing our first regular season Top 25 poll on Tuesday, September 13. We skipped the first week as there really wasn’t enough data on which to vote as some programs were just getting started over the Labor Day weekend. But this past weekend has provided plenty of information for us to rethink the top teams in the country. There will be some new faces in the Top 25 this week, so stay tuned.
