Polls 11/01

[Greg Berge]

We should retain our lone first place vote in the USCHO poll. :-)

[KenP]

Big gap in last week's poll between #8 (335 pts), #9 (257 pts) and #10 (198 pts).  I'm guessing we'll jump to #10.  All we need is a net increase of 21 ranking points, and my guess is a 4-point weekend, coupled with our being the only unbeaten team left, should cover that.  

If we sweep MSU convincingly we'll be 6, 7, 8 or 9 in the 11/15 poll.  Maybe even #5 if someone falters.

[billhoward]

After looking at the weekend results of the half-dozen teams above us, the same depressing conclusion came to me last night: It will be hard to crack the top ten and maybe even to move up much. The ones just above Cornell either won, or lost to teams well above them, so losses were to be expected. And with MSU coming up and MSU not currently in the top 15, we're expected to beat MSU. So we've got to be 6-0 after next weekend to move into the top ten. Still and all, playing MSU beats playing a bunch of other CCHA teams.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

It's hard to expect much movement even if we do take two from MSU.  

The top four schools are all off.  Of the 6 WCHA teams above us, two are off, and the other four (the four closest to us) are all playing each other.  Unless there's two absolute routs, it's hard to see those WCHA voters demoting them significantly.  Maine and UNH are playing weaker HEA teams.  The only hope for any movement is if Ohio State takes two from NMU, and in that case, the CCHA voters will probably pole vault them over us.

[ugarte]

[Q]Jeff Hopkins '82 Wrote:

 It's hard to expect much movement even if we do take two from MSU.  [/q] I think if we take a pair of road games from MSU the voters will give us more credit than you think. Probably won't pass the defending NCAA champs, but we will be a solid 10 with room to keep moving up.

[Greenberg \'97]

[Q]Greg Berge Wrote:

 We should retain our lone first place vote in the USCHO poll.  [/q]

Reminds me of when I was covering football, probably in 1995.  For one week , we cracked the Top 25 Division I-AA Coaches' Poll based on Hofher's lone first-place vote.

[KenP]

[Q]ugarte Wrote:

I think if we take a pair of road games from MSU the voters will give us more credit than you think. Probably won't pass the defending NCAA champs, but we will be a solid 10 with room to keep moving up.[/q]

Agreed.  On 11/1 we received 177 points.  I'm guessing a 50-point increase this week (maybe more).  A strong showing next week could realistically earn us up to 100 points.  We could be in the 300's next week, which, by 11/1 rankings, is right around #8.

For a historical perspective, in consecutive weeks Cornell received an 84-point raise on 11/25/2002 (after sweeping Harvard and Brown), a 42-point raise on 12/2/2002 (after sweeping BU), and a 76-point raise on 12/9/2002 (after sweeping Western Michigan).

[BCrespi]

Yes, but Harvard and Brown were both much stronger teams then than they are currently.  

Hey, BU was on Sportscenter this morning.  Damn Borque.