Tag: USA TODAY Sports coaches poll

Auburn baseball slides in latest USA TODAY Sports coaches poll

A look at where Auburn ranks in this week’s USA TODAY Sports college baseball coaches poll

The Auburn Tigers baseball team is heading into the final two weekends of the season with conference matchups with the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Kentucky Wildcats.

The Tigers are coming off weekend series losses to the No. 1 and No. 4 teams in the polls, Tennesee and Arkansas. While they put up quite a fight in several games they were unable to win either series. This week Auburn will travel to Hoover to take on in-state foe Troy prior to the final SEC series at Plainsman Park this season with rival Alabama.

Despite losing two of three games, Auburn remained in the coaches poll as they checked in at No. 20. The Vols remained at No. 1 and Arkansas fell a spot to No. 4. The next highest-ranked team would be the LSU Tigers at No. 15, just one spot ahead of the Texas A&M Aggies. The Vanderbilt Commodores and Georgia Bulldogs also made an appearance in the top 25. The Florida Gators remain unranked but did receive votes this week.

A look at the full USA TODAY Sports college baseball coaches poll:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Tennessee 42-6 745 (26) –
2 Oregon State 38-9 723 (4) –
3 Oklahoma State 34-13 670 +1
4 Arkansas 36-12 647 -1
5 Miami (Fl) 35-12 600 –
6 Virginia Tech 33-10 567 –
7 Stanford 29-14 485 +4
8 Louisville 33-13 458 +2
9 Virginia 34-12 448 –
10 Connecticut 40-8 405 +3
11 Southern Miss 36-12 379 -4
12 Gonzaga 29-13 346 +3
13 Texas Tech 32-16 343 -1
14 Notre Dame 28-10 333 –
15 LSU 32-15 321 +4
16 Texas A&M 30-16 291 +5
17 Maryland 37-10 279 –
18 Texas 34-17 264 +2
19 Texas State 38-11 263 +3
20 Auburn 32-16 219 -2
21 Vanderbilt 31-15 174 +2
22 Georgia 32-16 168 -6
23 UC-Santa Barbara 33-11 106 +6
24 UCLA 30-17 105 -16
25 Florida State 28-17 78 –

Schools Dropped Out

No. 24 Georgia Tech

Others Receiving Votes

Georgia Southern 77; Rutgers 37; Dallas Baptist 31; Arizona 27; Texas Christian 25; Florida 23; Wake Forest 22; Grand Canyon 19; Oregon 16; Wofford 15; Georgia Tech 13; Clemson 8; San Diego 6; Oklahoma 6; Old Dominion 3; North Carolina State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; East Carolina 1

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Tigers move up in the polls after beating the Gators

LSU won a huge road series last weekend, and the pollsters took notice.

LSU finished last week with a 2-2 record, but it ended on a high note. After a 12-inning loss to Louisiana Tech on Wednesday, the Tigers were able to win their first conference series of the year as they took the weekend series from Florida 2-1.

LSU was led at the plate by designated hitter [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag]. He batted .444 (4-for-9) in two games against the Gators with three home runs, five runs scored, and nine RBI. Freshman right-hander [autotag]Grant Taylor[/autotag] pitched LSU to a series-clinching win on Sunday over No. 7-ranked Florida in Gainesville with the longest outing of his career.

Taylor entered the game in the fourth inning in relief of fellow true freshman [autotag]Samuel Dutton[/autotag] and pitched the rest of the game, limiting the Gators to two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings with two walks and a career-best six strikeouts. LSU will play the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. CT before starting its third SEC series as the Auburn Tigers come to town this weekend.

After winning a huge series against a top-10 team on the road, the Tigers are on the rise in the polls. Here’s where they stand according to the latest national rankings.

Where LSU baseball stands in the latest polls

LSU is falling in the polls after finishing at .500 last week.

Another week, another set of polls.

LSU finished last week 2-2 after winning against Tulane on Tuesday and taking the final game of the series against Texas A&M on Sunday. The Tigers went into last week ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, then proceeded to drop the weekend series to the unranked Aggies.

That dropped LSU all the way down to No. 18, and it dropped out of the Baseball America poll entirely.

Catcher Tyler McManus led the Tigers in hitting last week, batting .444 (4-for-9) with two homers, four RBI, and three runs scored. They have another busy week of games ahead this week as they get a shot at revenge on Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night before starting a weekend series in Gainesville against the No. 7 Florida Gators on Friday.

Here’s how all the latest polls shake out.

Longhorns take top spot in USA TODAY Sports’ preseason baseball poll

Another No. 1 ranking for Texas baseball.

Texas baseball continues to receive tons of preseason respect. The Horns rank No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports’ preseason coaches poll.

The poll is conducted from the votes of 31 head coaches across the country.

Here is a full look at USA TODAY Sports’ college baseball coaches preseason poll:

  1. Texas
  2. Vanderbilt
  3. Missississippi State
  4. Arkansas
  5. Stanford
  6. Mississippi
  7. LSU
  8. Oklahoma State
  9. North Carolina State
  10. Florida
  11. Notre Dame
  12. Texas Tech
  13. East Carolina
  14. Florida State
  15. Arizona
  16. Tennessee
  17. Georgia
  18. TCU
  19. Oregon State
  20. UC Irvine
  21. Virginia
  22. Dallas Baptist
  23. Georgia Tech
  24. UCLA
  25. Duke

David Pierce’s squad will be tested early and often. Texas will play 12 games against the top 25 competition starting off in the Shiner’s Classic against No. 7 LSU, No. 16 Tennesee, and No. 24 UCLA.

The Big 12 is presented well in the poll with two teams in the top 10 and four in the top 25. Baylor and Oklahoma are unranked teams who can potentially make some noise as well.

Texas will open the 2022 season at home against Rice on Feb. 18.

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Texas listed as one of five overrated teams in preseason college football poll

After USA TODAY Sports released their preseason coaches poll on Tuesday, Texas was mentioned as one of the five overrated teams.

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That didn’t take long.

Shortly after the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday, Texas was mentioned as one of the top five overrated teams listed. The Longhorns landed at No. 19 in the poll, which is fairly realistic considering the situation that they’re in.

Texas hasn’t yet accomplished enough to be listed higher, nor do they know who the starting quarterback will be, but the Longhorns certainly have the talent and a promising coaching staff to be mentioned within the Top 25.

Here’s why USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith believes Texas is overrated:

Expectations are always high for the Longhorns, so don’t expect much of a honeymoon for coach Steve Sarkisian. Difficulties come right away.

First, he must figure out his quarterback situation with four-year starter Sam Ehlinger off to the NFL. Neither Casey Thompson nor Hudson Card have seen significant action except for Thompson’s impressive second half of last year’s bowl game. Add to the equation that Sarkisian’s offense isn’t an exact fit for what was run the past four years under Tom Herman and there are some expected growing pains. The problem is that there isn’t much time for that with No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette visiting in the opener and a trip to Arkansas the following week.

New defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has his own challenges. Texas hasn’t broken the top 50 in scoring defense in the past three years. With all the other Big 12 contenders returning starting quarterbacks, more will be expected out of this group to possibly contend in the league. – Erick Smith

Notre Dame, USC, Miami, and Ole Miss were the other four overrated programs mentioned.

While Texas certainly has their work cut out for them this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Longhorns finish the 2021 season ranked higher than No. 19.

Coaches Poll Reaction: LSU underrated, Texas A&M overrated

Barrett Sallee has LSU as an underrated team, Texas A&M overrated in first Coaches Poll of the year.

The first USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll has been released with the LSU Tigers coming in at No. 13. It didn’t take long for the hot takes to start flying off the preseason rankings. Is Ed Orgeron’s squad too high? Are they too low?

CBS Sports national college football analyst Barrett Sallee wasted no time in provided his take on the matter. He has the Tigers as an underrated bunch at No. 13 even after a 5-5 season in 2020.

Can we stop with the narrative that LSU is a hot mess destined for a disaster in 2021? That simply won’t be the case. Coach Ed Orgeron told me at SEC Media Days that he didn’t handle the pressure of defending a national championship well at all. He’s right. To fix things, he canned defensive coordinator Bo Pelini in favor of Daronte Jones, and replaced Steve Ensminger with Jake Peetz, who Orgeron says will incorporate five-man protection schemes almost exclusively. That’s exactly what Joe Brady did during the 2019 national title run.

Let’s not forget he replaced Scott Linehan as the passing game coordinator with DJ Mangas, who also joins Peetz coming over from the Carolina Panthers. Max Johnson seems like the perfect fit in the quarterback room for the Peetz offense that will incorporate a heavy dose of run-pass options (RPO’s). As Sallee states the running back room is loaded with Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery Jr as the two-headed attack. Kayshon Boutte is ready to build off the impressive regular-season finale against Ole Miss.

LSU is Alabama’s primary threat, and it isn’t even close.

The defense should be much improved with the addition by subtraction when Orgeron relieved Bo Pelini of his duties. Daronte Jones should have this defense playing at a higher level. Sallee wasn’t very fond of the Aggies No. 6 ranking in the debut poll.

Look, I get it. Texas A&M was in the College Football Playoff mix all the way up to the final release of the rankings last winter. That has given Aggie fans around the country a false sense of hope that this is the year they break through the glass ceiling and make the CFP. That isn’t going to happen. The No. 6 ranking ignores that coach Jimbo Fisher is breaking in a new quarterback — Haynes King or Zach Calzada — who hasn’t taken a single meaningful snap in FBS football

Everyone is seemingly looking at Alabama then A&M then LSU in the SEC West division standings, but if you listen to the CBS Sports analyst he doesn’t buy into the Aggies.

It will be a fun battle this upcoming season between the three teams expecting to contend for the SEC West crown in 2021.

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Oklahoma softball lands at No. 1 in recent USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

The Oklahoma Sooners are now the No. 1 team in the country according to the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. They are currently 12-0.

There isn’t a hotter team in collegiate softball than the Oklahoma Sooners at this point in the season. They have climbed to the top spot in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll. They are one of four teams in the top 25 that come from the Big 12 Conference.

The Sooners have won 12-straight games to begin the 2021 campaign. In the Miner Invitational in El Paso, Texas, OU allowed just two runs in four games while scoring 70 runs. They have allowed just 14 runs in the eight games that have followed that appearance in the season-opening tournament. In that same stretch, they scored 98 total, including a 33 run outburst against New Mexico. Their second game of the year with at least 29 runs in a game.

On Friday the Sooners will participate in the Courtyard Marriott Tournament in Norman when they face off against Missouri and Sam Houston State in a double-header. There is a lot of excitement about the top softball program in the country.

The Full NFCA-USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll:

  1. Oklahoma
  2. Arizona
  3. Alabama
  4. UCLA
  5. Florida
  6. Oregon
  7. Texas
  8. Washington
  9. Oklahoma State
  10. Kentucky
  11. Arizona State
  12. Louisiana
  13. Louisiana State
  14. Duke
  15. Virginia Tech
  16. Florida State
  17. South Carolina
  18. Missouri
  19. Georgia
  20. Arkansas
  21. Michigan
  22. Central Florida
  23. Iowa State
  24. Auburn
  25. Tennessee

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll: Texas joins three Big 12 teams in top 10

Texas has jumped to No. 10 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. It is the highest the Longhorns has been ranked in the poll this season.

Texas’ Big 12 campaign got off to a positive start on Sunday afternoon with a win over Oklahoma State. True freshman Greg Brown has begun to show how big of a star he cant be, throwing down his second consecutive double-double of the season.

Moving to a 7-1 overall record on the season has seen the Longhorns jump into the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll at No. 10. The ranking makes it the highest Texas has climbed in the poll this season.

Atop the rest of the poll is the Big 12. Three other Big 12 schools rank within the top 10. Baylor (No. 2), continues to be one of the best teams in the country, despite dealing with COVID-19 issues. Kansas (No. 4) will face off against West Virginia (No. 6) on Tuesday night in an early-season clash of the titans.

Texas Tech remains in the top 25 at No. 16. Chris Beard’s team lost a close one to the Jayhawks before the weekend.

Here is the full top 25:

  1. Gonzaga
  2. Baylor
  3. Villanova
  4. Kansas
  5. Iowa
  6. West Virginia
  7. Houston
  8. Tennesee
  9. Wisconsin
  10. Texas
  11. Michigan State
  12. Rutgers
  13. Creighton
  14. Missouri
  15. Virginia
  16. Texas Tech
  17. North Carolina
  18. Illinois
  19. Michigan
  20. Ohio State
  21. Florida State
  22. Xavier
  23. Richmond
  24. Oregon
  25. Duke

Teams that dropped out

No. 20 San Diego St.; No. 22 Louisville.

Others receiving votes

San Diego St. 84; Virginia Tech 42; Arkansas 32; Clemson 26; Indiana 22; Saint Louis 21; UCLA 19; Louisville 17; Colorado 15; Saint Mary’s 9; Florida 9; Connecticut 7; Louisiana State 6; Stanford 5; Southern Methodist 4; Oklahoma State 4; Brigham Young 4; Minnesota 3; Central Florida 3; Purdue 1; Abilene Christian 1.

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Texas jumps 10 spots, new No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports coaches poll

After an impressive Maui Invitational, Texas has moved up 10 spots in the coaches poll. UT is now ranked No. 12, just outside of the top 10.

After an impressive Maui Invitational, Texas has moved up 10 spots in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll. The Longhorns are now ranked No. 12, just outside of the top 10.

Gonzaga is the new No. 1 team in the country, dethroning Baylor. The two teams were scheduled to face each other on Saturday but the matchup had to be canceled due to COVID-19.

With the Bears at No. 2, Kansas and West Virginia make up other Big 12 teams within the top 10, ranked No. 5 and No. 10 respectively. Texas Tech is the only other conference member ranked at No. 17.

Texas will open Big 12 play on Dec. 13, traveling to Waco to face Baylor.

Here is the full top 25:

  1. Gonzaga
  2. Baylor
  3. Iowa
  4. Michigan State
  5. Kansas
  6. Villanova
  7. Creighton
  8. Houston
  9. Illinois
  10. West Virginia
  11. Duke
  12. Texas
  13. Wisconsin
  14. North Carolina
  15. Virginia Tech
  16. Tennessee
  17. Texas Tech
  18. Virginia
  19. Richmond
  20. Ohio State
  21. Florida State
  22. Rutgers
  23. Arizona
  24. Louisville
  25. Florida

Teams that dropped out

No. 9 Kentucky; No. 20 Oregon; No. 21 UCLA; No. 25 Alabama.

Others receiving votes

Michigan 78; San Diego St. 50; Saint Louis 44; UCLA 38; Oregon 34; Oklahoma State 30; Indiana 26; Marquette 16; Missouri 15; Oklahoma 13; Louisiana State 13; Arkansas 11; NC State 10; Clemson 10; Maryland 6; Connecticut 6; Xavier 5; Memphis 2; Drake 2; Western Kentucky 1; Southern Methodist 1; Kentucky 1; Alabama 1; Abilene Christian 1.

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