UPDATED XC Top 25 Teams: Week 7 (10/18)

KEY

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

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the team 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. Eastern Kentucky Colonels (0 / 25)

Some readers may disagree with this pick after seeing the Colonels place 19th at Wisconsin, but we should consider EKU's 5th place finish at Notre Dame where they beat Texas, Cal, Alabama, and NC State. I imagine they'll have better performances at smaller venues like OVC's and Southeast Regionals.

24. Minnesota Golden Gophers (Wasn't Ranked)

Minnesota is such a tricky team to figure out. Some days they will surprise you and other days they will underwhelm. This past weekend, the Gophers decided to surprise fans of the sport with a 12th place team finish at Wisconsin that was led by Obsa Ali (29th) and Evan Ferlic (79th). It wasn't a mind-blowing performance, but it was good enough to crack our top 25 and that's what matters.

23. Iona Gaels (-16 / 7)

One of the potential sleeper teams that a lot of people talked about heading into the Wisconsin Invite was Iona. The team was experienced, had solid low-sticks, and a slew of depth. Unfortunately, lead-man Chartt Miller had a rough day placing 152nd while low-stick Gilbert Kirui didn't even run. The Gaels would end up finishing 17th overall. If Kirui been in the lineup and if Miller had performed up to expectations, then this team would have placed in the top 10.

We could talk about hypotheticals all day, but it doesn't erase the fact that Iona simply had a poor showing. They'll make up for it at conferences and regionals, but just like Boise State, they have a reputation for not being able to all run well on the same day.

22. Iowa State Cyclones (-7 / 15)

Just like Boise State and Iona, the Cyclones simply had a really bad day at Wisconsin by placing 16th overall. The only bright spot of the day was Andrew Jordan who finished in 24th. The only other Cyclone to break into the top 100 was Festus Lagat who was 92nd overall. It would be easy to write this team off after such an awful performance, but don't forget that this was their first race of the season. Iowa State had to pull out of Roy Griak due to a team-wide illness three weeks ago. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these guys were still getting over some of those symptoms when they toed the line.

21. Boise State Broncos (-7 / 14)

There was a lot that went wrong with Boise State this past weekend as the team simply broke down in terms of execution. Their ace, Yusuke Uchikoshi, had a bad day by finishing 218th overall while Michael Vennard finished 146th. Both of these individuals were the team's 1st and 3rd scorers at Louisville a few weekends ago.

Bad days happen. We know the talent that Uchikoshi has and we know that this team can just do better in general. Still, this is a program that has begun to show a trend of inconsistency over the past few seasons and that isn't a good sign as we enter championship season.

20. Texas Longhorns (Wasn't Ranked)

Are the Longhorns back? That has been a question that fans of both football and cross country have been asking for years now. Regardless of the answer for football, many could argue that Texas XC is beginning a rise back into national contention after placing 7th at Pre-Nats. Freshman Sam Worley and mile-stud Alex Rogers have continued to impress me this season while the rest of the team is filling in the final scoring spots. We also didn't get to see freshman Connor O'Neill in the lineup this weekend which is notable when you consider that O'Neill actually placed ahead of Worley at Notre Dame a few weekends ago. If we were to put O'Neill back into the lineup, then the Longhorns may be able to scare Oklahoma State and Iowa State for the BIG 12 title...

19. Utah State Aggies (Wasn't Ranked)

It was tough to get a gauge on just how good this squad was at Paul Short. They beat a Georgetown team that has historically been very strong, but lacks experience this year. At Pre-Nats this past weekend, the Aggies pulled out an impressive 6th place finish, although the drop-off from the 5th place team to the 6th place team (Utah St.) was substantial (119 points). Nonetheless, the Aggies have a great squad with a star leader in Dillon Maggard and a group of sophomores who are slowly maturing with each passing weekend. There is still a lot of work to do, but Utah State might be able to sneak into NCAA's after this weekend.

18. Air Force Falcons (+1 / 19)

I really like Air Force this season. For the past few years, they have been one of the more consistent teams in the NCAA. In 2017, it looks like they have a very strong shot at making it to the Big Dance. This past weekend, we saw the Falcons finish 11th at Wisconsin. They were a good bit off from the top 10 teams, but I think their top two (Johnston and Davey) could've done a little better. Then again, it doesn't help that their 5th man was 143rd. There are definitely some areas to address with this team, but this was still a great result for a program that is hoping to earn enough Kolas points to secure a spot to Nationals.

17. Oklahoma State Cowboys (-1 / 16)

I was expecting the Penn State Open to be as competitive as it was last year, but it appears that most teams opted to race at Pre-Nats and Wisconsin. Nonetheless, Oklahoma State took care of business and earned the win (without Sylvester Barus) over Penn State by 15 points.

16. Michigan State Spartans (+2 / 18)

After an unexciting season opener at the Spartan Invite, the green and white have rallied to show that they are a threat to win the BIG 10 and Great Lakes titles. They finished 10th at Wisconsin and were only two points off from 8th and 9th place Michigan and UCLA. Clark Ruiz has stepped up to become the ace of the team while their middle three scorers kept a tight pack with finishes of 40th, 44th, and 49th. Unfortunately, their final scorer seemed to be their weak link with a finish of 123rd in the team scoring. If they can correct that weakness in the final scoring position, then MSU becomes a very dangerous group.

15. Mississippi Rebels (+6 / 21)

Much like Portland, I expected a large graduating class to take its toll on Ole Miss in 2017. However, Coach Vanhoy has been able to show that he can still keep his guys competitive after a 5th place finish at Pre-Nats. Tobin led the way by finishing 20th overall while the rest of their scorers kept a tight pack with placements of 32nd, 34th, 48th, and 59th. The Rebels may not have the firepower that they did last year, but they at least have the depth to make up for it.

14. UCLA Bruins (+4 / 18)

No Ferdinad Edman, no problem. UCLA finished 9th at Wisconsin this past weekend with a team score of 269 points. They actually tied Michigan for 8th, but lost on the tie-breaker. The addition of Robert Brandt to this squad has been huge and seeing Garrett Reynolds making a jump in fitness is very encouraging. However, much like Michigan, the gap between their 1st and 5th guys wasn't ideal (87 spots).

13. Michigan Wolverines (+7 / 20)

I'll admit that Flanagan, Baumgarten, and Mora haven't been the elite trio that I thought they would be, but this team is still putting up some really solid results. At Wisconsin, we saw Big Blue finish 8th in the team standings (beating out UCLA on the tie-breaker) which was only 21 points off from Southern Utah. Flanagan led the way with a 22nd place finish while Baumgarten was 34th and Mora was 58th. Their final two scorers held their own and no one really hurt Michigan's overall score. Yet, with that in mind, this squad was pretty spread out in this race. It would be nice to see them close some of those gaps.

12. Arkansas Razorbacks (-9 / 3)

Arkansas' performance at Pre-Nats was bad. Not absolutely horrendous, but it was by no means great. 9th place in the team standings is not what anyone expected from such a strong squad. George and Bruce finished in the top 20, but their final three scorers were 74th, 113th, and 153rd. It also didn't help that Austen Dalquist ended the day as a DNF.

Sure, this performance may be concerning, but Arkansas didn't run Andrew Ronoh or Christian Heymsfield. Those are two huge scorers that we will most likely see at SEC's.

11. Virginia Tech Hokies (+2 / 13)

The Hokies continue to impress me. After such a poor performance from the Virginia Cavaliers at Wisconsin (where they placed 30th in the team standings), Virginia Tech looks like a lock to place in the top two at the Southeast Region Championships after placing 4th at Pre-Nats. Peter Seufer's breakout race followed by a 13th place finish from Dan Jaskowak has given the Hokies a strong 1-2 punch that is supported by a tight pack of three. I would like to see those bottom three scorers close the gap a little bit, but when the pace was as fast as it was, I have to imagine that they'll move up in a more tactical race.

10. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (-2 / 8)

After such a big upset at Notre Dame, I expected a little bit more out of the Thunderbirds. Tate had a solid day by placing 18th, but Knevelbaard couldn't quite hang with the top pack and had to settle for 45th. Their final three scorers weren't too far off and there wasn't an obvious weak area (expect after their top five), but SUU gave me the impression that they still had more to give.

9. Colorado State Rams (+3 / 12)

There is something special about this CSU squad. They are hungry for respect and it shows. Not only is Mock a reliable ace, but Rockhold is giving the Rams a solid 1-2 punch. Their bottom three scorers were a bit far off from their top two, but they still kept a close pack and never left Colorado State with an excessive amount of points (their 5th man was 70th overall). It would be nice to have another high-end scorer joining Mock and Rockhold upfront, but now I'm just being picky.

8. Oregon Ducks (+2 / 10)

After such a poor display of depth at the Bill Dellinger Invite, I was concerned as to how the Ducks would handle such a deep field at Pre-Nats. However, that didn't appear to be much of an issue as the Ducks placed 3rd overall and were only 11 points off from Colorado. Oregon had one of the tightest packs in the field with a time-spread of just 19 seconds. Tanner Anderson led the way with a 17th place finish while Prakel followed in 24th place. Haney, Teare, and Brown rounded out the top five by finishing 29th, 30th, and 32nd. However, we have to keep in mind that Matthew Maton didn't run. Unlike Dressel, we have yet to see Maton race this season. Is he injured or just being saved for the post season? If things went perfectly, Oregon could get on to the podium if Maton is in the lineup.

7. Colorado Buffaloes (+2 / 9)

They may have been 77 points behind BYU, but 2nd place at Pre-Nats is no joke. Let's also keep in mind that they didn't even race John Dressel. If we put him back into the lineup, then the Buffaloes could scare for a podium spot.

6. Furman Paladins (0 / 6)

We got another solid performance out of the Paladins this past weekend after they finished 5th overall at Wisconsin to beat out Colorado State and Southern Utah. Templeton and Brickell are looking like competent low-sticks while Lara and Hinkle are staying close behind. They may have a minor gap from their 4th scorer to their 5th scorer, but that isn't a concern when the rest of their pack is continuously improving.

5. Syracuse Orangemen (-3 / 2)

Some may say that it wasn't a great day by Syracuse, but I would argue that they actually ran very well. Justyn Knight took the win while Tooker and Bennie rounded out the top three scoring spots with finishes of 10th and 14th respectively. Philo Germano was reliable as always with his 31st place finish, but the 5th man proved to be their biggest weakness. This team runs very well in the post season, but they have a pretty notable drop after four guys. That could be a potential concern in the future.

4. Portland Pilots (Wasn't Ranked)

My goodness! What a race by the Portland Pilots! I suppose I'll have to start off by apologizing for even doubting them. I questioned what kind of weapons they would have after seeing so many individuals graduate and wondered how competitive they would be this year. Obviously, I wasn't expecting Jeff Thies to be the elite low-stick that he was at Wisconsin and I didn't expect Nick Hauger to have a such a huge day as well. It was also impossible to know about Emmanuel Rouldolff-Levisse, the sophomore recruit from France who was 11th! Their 4th and 5th men had great races as well, but they'll need to close the gap a little bit if they want to secure a podium spot at NCAA's.

3. Stanford Cardinal (+1 / 4)

Wait, didn't Syracuse and Portland beat Stanford at Wisconsin? How did Stanford move up to 3rd in the rankings? Our reasoning is because Stanford didn't run Thomas Ratcliffe, Jack Keelan, or Sam Wharton (who ran in the "B" race) and STILL got 4th at Wisconsin. That is an excellent display of depth and it makes them super dangerous when they add two veterans and a potential breakout star back into the lineup.

2. BYU Cougars (+3 / 5)

After some early-season rust-busters at Bill Dellinger and the BYU Autumn Classic, the Cougars proved that they were title contenders with a dominant performance at Pre-Nats where they scored 41 points and defeated 2nd place Colorado by 77 points. Placing five men in the top 15 is an outstanding accomplishment. NAU is the favorite to win it all in my eyes, but the men from Provo seem like the only legitimate contenders to pull off the upset.

1. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (0 / 1)

There's a lot of debate about who the number one team in the nation is. However, if I'm looking at the firepower NAU has up front, it's tough to argue against them. The Lumberjacks had three individuals fighting Knight and Fisher to the finish while their final two scorers were 17th and 21st. This team is arguably better than last year's championship squad.

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ADDED

#24 Minnesota Golden Gophers

#20 Texas Longhorns

#19 Utah State Aggies

#3 Portland Pilots

KICKED OFF

Virginia Cavaliers (Formerly #11)

Illinois Fighting Illini' (Formerly #22)

Wisconsin Badgers (Formerly #23)

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (Formerly #25)

JUST MISS (in no order)

Campbell Camels

Illinois Fighting Illini'

Alabama Crimson Tide

Washington State Cougars

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders

Purdue Boilermakers

Washington Huskies

NC State Wolfpack

San Francisco Dons

WHO TO WATCH (in no order)

Princeton Tigers

Georgetown Hoyas

Liberty Flames

New Mexico Lobos

Georgia Tech

Indiana Hoosiers

Penn State Nittany Lions

Eastern Michigan Eagles

SURPRISE OF THE WEEK

Portland Pilots: I will openly admit that I did not expect the Pilots to do as well as they did this past weekend. They lost so many key scorers to graduation and I wondered if they would even be competitive in 2017. That, of course, was not my smartest assumption. Thies, Hauger, and ERL are a formidable top three that are supported by a solid group of depth to round of the top five. My apologies Portland, you are now on my radar.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

NAU Lumberjacks: Putting up 50 points, defeating 2nd place by 73 points, and placing three guys in the top five spots is absolutely incredible. The Lumberjacks are the real deal and it's hard to imagine any team beating them right now.

NOTES

- If I could have a 26th team, it would most likely be Campbell. I hate having to keep them off, but that 5th scorer is just too big of liability right now.

- Illinois and Indiana both struggled greatly at Wisconsin. This would make a lot of sense when you consider that it was their 3rd hard effort of the season. Maybe they were trying to secure Kolas points? Whatever the case was, it maybe wasn't their smartest move.

- Despite fielding their seven best runners, Virginia simply got trounced by the talented Wisconsin Invite field (they placed 30th overall). Demarest was the only Cavalier to break into the top 100 with a 55th place finish.

- Side note: Middle Tennessee State tied with Alabama at the Crimson Classic. MTSU was labeled the victor based on tie-breaking rules.

- It appears that Wisconsin is redshirting McDonald, Hacker, and Snyder in preparation for an all-out title run in 2018. Remember that Trust The Process article we published back in the summer? It looks like the Badgers are preparing to use the same formula.

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