[ColoradoTree]

If baseball can live up to that #24 ranking, that's basically like last year--losing in the regional final, which would net 50 points.  With a first-year head coach (feels weird not to call him a manager) and losing some key contributors, I wouldn't call that too disappointing (but then again, I only really start following that team when it's close to tournament time, so I'm a pretty bad barometer of whether baseball is living up to expectations or not).  As long as we have a 51-point lead over Florida going into baseball, making the regional final would clinch it.  (Also, I realize there's a baseball breakdown right on the NACDA site which I overlooked, so, uh, whoopsie.)

Losing in the women's volleyball semis to Florida hurt, but since Florida turned around and lost the final to Nebraska, they only net seven points over us (90 to 83), so not bad at all.  I didn't realize Florida's women's basketball team was as bad as they are, but they look like they could miss the tournament, which would mitigate the damage to our cause from our men's team possibly missing the tournament.  I'm starting to feel a bit more sanguine about our chances this year.

Of course, I'm assuming Florida ends up being the primary challenger, which may not prove wise, since Florida's 90 points from women's volleyball will be its first points of the year, and football not being bowl eligible means the Gators will be well behind their 177-point haul from the fall season last year (when they made a terrific run in the spring to get up to 3rd place).  Could also be Michigan (currently second place, but will drop to fourth in Thursday's next update by getting only 25 points from WVB), Penn State (whose 83 points in WVB will put it into second place), or UCLA (whose 64 points from WVB will keep it in third place, narrowly behind Penn State).  Or somebody else!  Ohio State could still get major points in football, but its goose egg in volleyball means it won't hit last year's fall mark (which still required a big comeback in the winter and spring sports to take second place). 

We had a lead of 156.5 points at the end of the fall season last year.  This year, if football wins and we finish, say, #12, we'd have 64.5 more points for a fall total of 532.5, 28 points more than last year.  Penn State's WVB points will put it at 315.50, and if things go its way with football (beat UW handily, Miami beats Wisconsin in the Orange, and UCF beats Auburn in the Peach), it could get as high as 6th, which would be 73.5 points for a fall total of 389, making our fall lead 143.5 points.  All the more reason to Back the Pac and root for UW in the Fiesta Bowl--every point counts!

[ColoradoTree]

If baseball can live up to that #24 ranking, that's basically like last year--losing in the regional final, which would net 50 points.  With a first-year head coach (feels weird not to call him a manager) and losing some key contributors, I wouldn't call that too disappointing (but then again, I only really start following that team when it's close to tournament time, so I'm a pretty bad barometer of whether baseball is living up to expectations or not).  As long as we have a 51-point lead over Florida going into baseball, making the regional final would clinch it.  (Also, I realize there's a baseball breakdown right on the NACDA site which I overlooked, so, uh, whoopsie.)

Losing in the women's volleyball semis to Florida hurt, but since Florida turned around and lost the final to Nebraska, they only net seven points over us (90 to 83), so not bad at all.  I didn't realize Florida's women's basketball team was as bad as they are, but they look like they could miss the tournament, which would mitigate the damage to our cause from our men's team possibly missing the tournament.  I'm starting to feel a bit more sanguine about our chances this year.

Of course, I'm assuming Florida ends up being the primary challenger, which may not prove wise, since Florida's 90 points from women's volleyball will be its first points of the year, and football not being bowl eligible means the Gators will be well behind their 177-point haul from the fall season last year (when they made a terrific run in the spring to get up to 3rd place).  Could also be Michigan (currently second place, but will drop to fourth in Thursday's next update by getting only 25 points from WVB), Penn State (whose 83 points in WVB will put it into second place), or UCLA (whose 64 points from WVB will keep it in third place, narrowly behind Penn State).  Or somebody else!  Ohio State could still get major points in football, but its goose egg in volleyball means it won't hit last year's fall mark (which still required a big comeback in the winter and spring sports to take second place). 

We had a lead of 156.5 points at the end of the fall season last year.  This year, if football wins and we finish, say, #12, we'd have 64.5 more points for a fall total of 532.5, 28 points more than last year.  Penn State's WVB points will put it at 315.50, and if things go its way with football (beat UW handily, Miami beats Wisconsin in the Orange, and UCF beats Auburn in the Peach), it could get as high as 6th, which would be 73.5 points for a fall total of 389, making our fall lead 143.5 points.  All the more reason to Back the Pac and root for UW in the Fiesta Bowl--every point counts!