What is Happening at the Bottom of the Poll?
Yes, another (small) rant about the Coaches Poll.
It’s Tuesday, so I guess that means it’s time to talk about the AVCA Coaches Poll again. Here are the latest poll results.
Sure, Long Beach is still #1. Hawaii took a big hit dropping down to #5 while CSUN gained two spots for their upset win. But, that is not what caught my eye. I am interested in the bottom of the poll.
The final spot in the poll currently belongs to UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos were ranked #15 to start the season and they have largely stayed around that range. They have had a tough schedule and their record shows that (7-14). They are one of two teams with a losing record in the poll.
In the Received Votes category, we had three programs this week: Purdue Fort Wayne (11-10), Harvard (11-6), & Saint Francis (14-8). In the latest VBelo Rankings, all three of these teams are above Santa Barbara. Saint Francis is currently 14th in VBelo, and yet they can’t even break the top 20 with the coaches.
There are a lot of factors as to why Saint Francis (and others) can’t break into the poll, but honestly, they all are disappointing. The Red Flash are deserving of being in the top 20 (at a minimum). There are a handful of teams that are not getting any attention in the polls. They tend to come from newer conferences and that is a shame. If not this year, I hope that in the seasons to come, conferences like the NEC and ECC get the results they are due.
I will keep the rant short today. One of the reasons I like the VBelo model is that it gives all programs the chance to climb the ranks, regardless of conference. Keep up the good work Saint Francis ( and others)! You will get your time.
Match Recaps
IVA
Lincoln Memorial (94%) def. Missouri S&T (6%)
3-0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-15)
Match Projections
IVA
Missouri S&T (6%) vs Lincoln Memorial (94%)
SIAC
Central State (58%) vs Kentucky State (42%)
Non-conference
Virginia Wesleyan (11%) vs Barton (89%)
Tusculum (20%) vs North Greenville (80%)
Sacred Heart (89%) vs American International (11%)
Maryville (63%) vs Quincy (37%)
It's best I say less. But, SFU has played a good schedule. PFW has beaten at least one ranked team. It's bias but a few different ones are at work here.
Agree with your commentary on the coaches poll. Just like any sport there’s an inertia bias which takes time to change. https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/psychology/inertia#