Today we release the third of our Skyd Staff Rankings. After some great tournaments, namely the Stanford Invite, Mardi Gras, and the Midwest Throwdown, here’s our collective votes for the Top 20 teams in the nation.
Quick note #1 about the new column USAU (Difference): This column provides the latest ranking by USAU through the use of their Top 25 Algorithm of those teams we voted to rank. The number in parentheses is the difference between our ranking and theirs. An example of how to properly read it would go something like this: Pittsburgh, ranked 5th by USAU (3 places lower than Skyd). We hope this makes the table easier to read when comparing rankings between the two polls.
Quick note #2: We are seeking College Coaches and Captains to vote for their Top 20 college teams in Open and Women’s divisions. If you want to be involved, send an email to kip@skydmagazine.com with the title “Rankings” and a quick blurb about where you go to school/coach and your involvement in College Ultimate. 2-3 sentences should suffice. Voting begins Monday March 14th, so get them emails in ASAP.
Without further ado, the Skyd Power Rankings for March 14th, 2011:
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Movers and Shakers
The top 5 – Can anyone really make this call? CUT has won all the big matchups against the top 5 teams thus far, but many of those games have been really close. The Stanford Invite saw several games between the top 5 go to universe, their other meetings have been games decided by one or two breaks. The verdict at this point: CUT is ahead, but perhaps only slightly. Other than that, the top 5 is too close to call. With these 5 destined to meet at the College Championships somewhere along the way, we can only hope we get a front row seat.
San Diego State University (11) – A strong Stanford Invite, beating Whitman, and playing surprisingly close to a very strong Pitt team (11-15) means San Diego can play big against the big teams. The SW Region is a whole new ball game and it remains to be seen which teams will come out on top. Figure on SDSU being in the mix, along with Santa Cruz.
Whitman (15) – In our last rankings set, Skyd made the call that the Sweets were the real deal before they had any tangible results against top tier teams. They didn’t disappoint. Winning the Stanford Open, then performing very well against the big guns at the Stanford Invite while starting with only 14 players for the weekend, Whitman is a real threat this year to the survival of anyone they face.
We are seeking College Coaches and Captains to vote for their Top 20 college teams in Open and Women’s divisions. If you want to be involved, send an email to kip@skydmagazine.com with the title “Rankings” and a quick blurb about where you go to school/coach and your involvement in College Ultimate. 2-3 sentences should suffice. Voting begins Monday March 14th, so get them emails in asap.
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