13 Teams from within the Top 64 RPI rated NCAA D1 teams won their tournaments and received automatic bids. That means that 19 teams from outside the Top 64 RPI rankings won their tournaments and received automatic bids.
It shouldn't be that tough, anyone who has ever seeded a tournament knows that you follow the criteria you set up to determine the strongest teams. In most cases that is won -loss record, head to head match ups, ect.
In the NCAA Division 1 Baseball Committees case it should also be as simple, they themselves developed the RPI system to determine relative power ratings among all the school based on strength of schedule and wins over ranked opponents. Is this not how they determine the strongest teams in the country?
This
RPI ranking seems to have very little merit and very little foundation
when it comes to selecting the Top 64 D1 teams for the NCAA Baseball
Tournament.
32 teams get automatic bids and have to be let in, Those teams are listed below.
*** with 19 Teams making the tournament from outside the Top 64 RPI Rankings.
It should be very simple, excluding those 19 teams from outside the top 64 RPI rated schools,
64 minus 19 that have to be let in and you have 45 teams.
You now have the exclude the 13 teams within the Top 64 that won their tournaments and received automatic bids.
45 top RPI rated teams should be invited to regional's, of course
Hard job for the committee, but RPI should take the load off them in the decision process.
Schools that play better teams, and win, should be rewarded. A bonus is that with all the mid week match ups that allow smaller conferences to play the more powerful conferences, mid majors to small schools can compete.
How about a system that has mid week games matter, and you will see a better indication of the strength of a program. A staff of 3 weekend starters and 2 relievers would not be enough, teams would need two more quality arms and 2 more guys out of the bullpen.
This scenario maybe better for the overall balance in college baseball. More interest in college baseball at the mid major and small conference level would be a shot in the arm for the whole sport and would really drive ratings and interest in conference tournaments and post season.
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