UPDATED XC Top 25 Teams: Week 3 (9/19)

KEY

(Wasn’t Ranked): Was not ranked the week before.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the individual has moved in the rankings. A plus (with green) means they have improved in the rankings. A minus (with red) means they have regressed in the rankings. Colors may not show on mobile.

The second number indicates where they were ranked the week before.

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25. Michigan State Spartans (-2 / 23)

It wasn't the prettiest win, but Michigan State walked away with first place at the Spartan Invite this past weekend. Ryan Robinson (TSR#50) and Jesse Hersha didn't look great after finishing 16th and 18th overall while the rest of their squad was a bit more spread out than expected. Still, this was a small meet that probably isn't representative of MSU's true talent. We'll get a better idea of what this team is capable of this weekend at Roy Griak.

24. Eastern Kentucky Colonels (+1 / 25)

23. Colorado State Rams (+1 / 24)

22. Princeton Tigers (0 / 22)

21. Tulsa Hurricanes (-1 / 20)

20. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (+1 / 21)

I was very impressed by the Thunderbirds at UC Riverside this past weekend. Knevelbaard, Collins, and Tate took spots 3, 4, and 5 while the rest of their squad wasn't too far behind. They gave me the impression that they could have done more and now I'm excited to see what they are capable of when they race at Notre Dame in two weeks.

19. Georgetown Hoyas (0 / 19)

18. Mid. Tenn. St. Blue Raiders (0 / 18)

The Blue Raiders had their hands full at the Commodore Classic after having to fight off an up-and-coming Butler team that kept things competitive. Still, Middle Tennessee State emerged victorious with a score of 64 points to match Butler's 68 points. Overall, MTSU ran very well by taking spots 2, 3, 8, and 11. However, their fifth man (Amos Cheruiyot), struggled and finished 40th overall.

I'm not expecting Cheruiyot to give the Blue Raiders too many issues throughout the rest of the season, but that final scoring spot does expose a potential weakness that could hurt this team at a larger invitational.

17. Iowa State Cyclones (0 / 17)

16. UCLA Bruins (0 / 16)

15. Washington State Cougars (0 / 15)

14. Boise State Broncos (0 / 14)

13. Alabama Crimson Tide (-2 / 11)

It was interesting to see the Crimson Tide split up their top three guys and the rest of the varsity at the UC Riverside Invite this past weekend. Kiprop, Kigen, and Chelanga easily took the top three spots in the Open race while the rest of their teammates settled for 9th overall in the Invitational portion of the meet. Because Alabama ran four of their projected top seven runners in the Invite race, that team technically becomes an "A" squad that can be scored against for Kolas points*. In this instance, Alabama gave up 8 Kolas points this weekend.

*Potential scorer Josh Short could have had the weekend off. If that's the case, then those Kolas points will be retracted.

So, what would have happened if that 'Bama trio had raced in the Invite section alongside their teammates? If we assume that Kiprop, Kigen, and Chelanga still took the top three spots, then the story becomes very interesting...

Even if they had taken the top three spots in the race (and their other finishers stayed the same), Alabama would have finished the day with a score of 69 points. Southern Utah, on the other hand, would have scored 38 points even after pushing back their scorers from the addition of a new top three. This means one of two things...

1) Alabama has some issues with their depth that they need to address

2) Southern Utah is much better than expected

Because of this theoretical score, I will have to nudge the Crimson Tide back a few spots. However, I want to see how they can race as an entire team before making any flash judgements.

12. Wisconsin Badgers (+1 / 13)

11. Iona Gaels (+1 / 12)

The Gaels didn't have to travel far to race at Van Cortlandt park for the Paddy Doyle Invite this past weekend. However, we didn't get to see top runners like Gilbert Kirui, Chartt Miller, or Jac Hopkins. In addition to that trio, steeplechase star Johannes Motschmann was running unattached for the meet.

Having Motschmann run unattached was actually a sneaky smart move by Iona head coach Ricardo Santos. If Motschmann had run attached, Iona would have been technically running an "A" squad. That would have given Columbia a Kolas point if we assume that Iona places in the top two at Northeast regionals.

10. Oklahoma State Cowboys (0 / 10)

9. Virginia Cavaliers (0 / 9)

8. Oregon Ducks (0 / 8)

7. BYU Cougars (0 / 7)

It was an impressive showing by the Cougars this past weekend with pack-running and times that other teams could only dream of. Rory Linkletter is proving that he is a legitimate low-stick while the rest of his team is giving Coach Eyestone plenty of options when making the lineup.

Still, this was a small meet on their home course without a lot of competition. I'll be patiently waiting to see how this team performs at a larger meet in the future.

6. Furman Paladins (0 / 6)

5. Colorado Buffaloes (0 / 5)

4. Stanford Cardinal (0 / 4)

We didn't get to see the Stanford superstars this weekend at the USD Invite, but they did put together a nice performance overall by taking spots 2 through 6 to secure the team win.

3. Arkansas Razorbacks (0 / 3)

The Razorbacks traveled to Van Cortlandt this past weekend to race at the Iona Paddy Doyle Invite. However, the Razorbacks didn't run their full squad as we only saw three of their projected top seven compete (George, Griffith, Moehn). They ended up placing 2nd overall in what looked like a conservative effort.

2. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (0 / 2)

1. Syracuse Orangemen (0 / 1)

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ADDED

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KICKED OFF

N/A

JUST MISS (in no order)

Virginia Tech Hokies

Ole Miss Rebels

Michigan Wolverines

NC State Wolfpack

Florida State Seminoles

Bradley Braves

WHO TO WATCH (in no order)

Butler Bulldogs

UTEP Miners

Illinois Fighting Illini'

Washington Huskies

Portland Pilots

Columbia Lions

Utah State Aggies

Texas Longhorns

Eastern Michigan Eagles

Georgia Bulldogs

SURPRISE OF THE WEEK

Butler Bulldogs: The Bulldogs have been on the rise for the past few seasons and this past weekend they nearly upset a Top 25 team. They're certainly a team to watch as the season progresses, especially with Euan Makepeace running so well.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Southern Utah Thunderbirds: Even if Alabama had run their top three guys, Southern Utah would have still walked away with the win. Their top guys are running very well and their depth isn't far behind. If they can keep this up throughout the season, then expect them to quickly improve in our rankings.

NOTES

- Arkansas and Iona may not have run their "A" lineups, but Columbia still looked very strong after taking the team title. Ryan Thomas could be a nice low-stick for them in the future.

-Virginia Tech cruised to an easy win over a respectable Florida State team this past Friday. The Hokies packed their top five scorers together in what appeared to be a conservative effort by all five guys. Watch out for this team throughout the 2017 season. They are clearly prepping to qualify for NCAA's by scheduling four different meets at Louisville (if you include Nationals).

-The Michigan Wolverines ran very well at the Adidas XC Challenge by putting up a score of 22 points to defeat a solid NC State squad. Keep in mind that Big Blue did that without Aaron Baumgarten and Connor Mora. This could be a scary good team come October...

#rankings #Top25 #XC #gzatlin #analysis #ncaa