By: Garrett Zatlin
PAST RANKINGS THIS SEASON
Preseason (9/11)
Week 1 (9/20)
Week 2 (9/28)
Week 3 (10/5)
Week 4 (10/12)-- No changes
Week 5 (10/19)
Week 6 (10/26)-- No changes
Week 7 (11/2)
Week 8 (11/9)-- No changes
Week 9 (11/16)
Week 10 (12/5)
KEY
PAST RANKINGS THIS SEASON
Preseason (9/11)
Week 1 (9/20)
Week 2 (9/28)
Week 3 (10/5)
Week 4 (10/12)-- No changes
Week 5 (10/19)
Week 6 (10/26)-- No changes
Week 7 (11/2)
Week 8 (11/9)-- No changes
Week 9 (11/16)
Week 10 (12/5)
KEY
· Bold: Had performance or important piece of news that influenced a strong change in the rankings
· (#/#): 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. The second number indicates where they were ranked the week before
· (Weren’t Ranked): Was not ranked the week before.
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#25 Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (-6/19)
-Tulsa barely hangs on to the rankings after losing to Oklahoma State by 20 points. I can accept that Tulsa lost, but what I'm not crazy about is that they lost by 20 points in a small field with Geberkidane not running. They typically step it up in the post-season, but I want to see a little more.
#24 Oklahoma State Cowboys (-4/20)
-The Cowboys easily handled business at the Cowboy Jamboree, but their assumed number one (Geberkidane) is out with an injury and may not return until conferences. That is a HUGE blow and doesn't make me feel very comfortable about how they'll perform in the future.
#23 Eastern Michigan Eagles (0/23)
#22 Michigan State Spartans (0/22)
-The Spartans placed a respectable 4th place at Roy Griak in super sloppy conditions. Robinson and Hardt are looking like a great 1-2 punch as I had anticipated in my post last week. I really like MSU, but they'll stay where they're at due to other teams simply doing better.
#21 Boise State Broncos (-3/18)
-The Broncos fall in the rankings, but it's more from other teams improving than anything else. Boise State finished 3rd at Roy Griak with neither top runners being Vennard or Rafla. They still kept a close(ish) pack together and made some damage, but Vennard and Rafla have been a touch inconsistent as of late and they'll be relied on more as the season progresses.
#20 Michigan Wolverines (Weren't Ranked)
-What a race by the Wolverines! We saw Aaron Baumgarten step it up and have a big time race for 3rd individually. Cornell transfer Connor Herr also seems to be adjusting to the Michigan program as he placed 13th overall. Big Blue finished 4th as a team behind Boise State, but they are ranked ahead of the Broncos because neither Ben Flanagan nor Chase Barnett ran! Michigan still has weapons and they showed it.
#19 Washington Huskies (-2/17)
#18 Washington State Cougars (-2/16)
#17 Indiana Hoosiers (-2/15)
#16 Iowa State Cyclones (+5/21)
-I raved about the Cyclones in my pre-season prediction and they made me proud at Roy Griak. They swept spots 17 through 20 and tacked on 23rd as their final scorer. That gave them an insane time-spread of 5 seconds. The best part is that the pack is still super young and has a lot of room to grow and develop an ace. Andrew Pollard is a redshirt freshman, Andrew Jordan is a true freshman, and Josef Andrews is a sophomore.
It's also important to note that Syracuse transfer Kevin Hoyos was 23rd as the final scorer for the Cyclone. Had he not been there, the next closest scorer for ISU would've been John Knownes in 47th place.
#15 Eastern Kentucky Colonials (-1/13)
#14 Virginia Cavaliers (-4/10)
- The Cavaliers hosted Panorama Farms this past weekend and although they didn't run Henry Wynne or Thomas Madden, I thought the Cavaliers could've done a bit more.
Virginia didn't place anyone in the top 10 and Chase Weaverling has underwhelmed in the past two races. Maybe that's just my Virginia Tech bias. However, junior Brent Demarest has impressed me recently after he placed 11th this weekend. For me, he is the bright spot on an otherwise questionable team.
#13 Portland Pilots (Weren't Ranked)
-I won't lie, I was NOT sold on Portland at all entering this season. I viewed them as a young and relatively inexperienced team lacking a front runner while also having a large time spread. But after Roy Griak, they corrected all of those issues and it showed.
What I didn't know about Portland was the fact that they gained two huge transfers in Tim Ball (formerly of Notre Dame) and Stephen Mulhrein (formerly of UNC). It also helps that Timo Goehler returns as well and gives the Pilots an additional veteran.
Portland trudged through the muddy and hilly Minnesota course to take spots 5, 11, 12, 16, 25, 28, and 38. All seven runners were in the top 40 with a five man time-spread of 25 seconds. With Jeff Thies looking like a true front-runner, a tighter pack, and a healthy mix of experience and youth, Portland might be the hottest team that no one in the NCAA wants to test. If they can show some consistency, then Portland will easily move into the top 10.
#12 Wisconsin Badgers (0/12)
#11 Furman Paladins (0/11)
-Coach Gary's team finished 14th at Roy Griak, but they didn't run Aaron Templeton, Tanner Hinkle, or Troy Reeder. I'll be curious to see how Furman looks when they do run a full squad.
#10 Colorado State Rams (-1/9)
-CSU certainly didn't hold up to my expectations after placing 7th at Roy Griak, but that was because 2015 champ, Jefferson Abbey, had a really off day and finished 91st. Had Abbey won or finished runner-up to his teammate Jerrell Mock, then the Rams would've finished 4th and pushed up Boise State's score to within 5 points of them.
Cole Rockhold also a had a slightly underwhelming race by placing 58th. He is someone who probably should've been top 30.
I honestly didn't expect CSU to win the meet, but I did want to see them top five. Poor conditions might be an excuse for this week, but I won't be as lenient in the following weeks.
#9 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (-1/8)
#8 Arkansas Razorbacks (-1/7)
#7 Colorado Buffaloes (-1/6)
#6 Iona Gaels (-1/5)
#5 BYU Cougars (+8/13)
-How do they do it? How does BYU lose/not run crucial pieces but STILL manage to be one of the best teams in the country every. single. year? The Cougars took 4 of the top 10 spots at Panorama Farms with freshman Brayden McLelland rounding out the scoring in 13th place.
BYU was able to pull off a massive upset and defeat the defending champs (Syracuse). But how they did it was even more impressive. BYU's ace, Dallin Farnsworth, had an off day and finished 32nd. He was someone that should've been in the top five.
But on top of that? The Cougars didn't run Connor McMillan either! BYU just pulled off what might be the biggest upset of the year without their top two runners!
This is a monumental upset (all things considered). But could BYU do it again? Should they really be considered the top team in the nation? I'm not there quite yet. I want to see them get another big invitational win. Should they win at Wisconsin and beat the Orangemen again, Syracuse's number one spot may easily be gone...
-Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
-Dartmouth Big Green
-NC State Wolfpack
-Providence Friars
Biggest Surprise of the Week
-BYU Cougars
#25 Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (-6/19)
-Tulsa barely hangs on to the rankings after losing to Oklahoma State by 20 points. I can accept that Tulsa lost, but what I'm not crazy about is that they lost by 20 points in a small field with Geberkidane not running. They typically step it up in the post-season, but I want to see a little more.
#24 Oklahoma State Cowboys (-4/20)
-The Cowboys easily handled business at the Cowboy Jamboree, but their assumed number one (Geberkidane) is out with an injury and may not return until conferences. That is a HUGE blow and doesn't make me feel very comfortable about how they'll perform in the future.
#23 Eastern Michigan Eagles (0/23)
#22 Michigan State Spartans (0/22)
-The Spartans placed a respectable 4th place at Roy Griak in super sloppy conditions. Robinson and Hardt are looking like a great 1-2 punch as I had anticipated in my post last week. I really like MSU, but they'll stay where they're at due to other teams simply doing better.
#21 Boise State Broncos (-3/18)
-The Broncos fall in the rankings, but it's more from other teams improving than anything else. Boise State finished 3rd at Roy Griak with neither top runners being Vennard or Rafla. They still kept a close(ish) pack together and made some damage, but Vennard and Rafla have been a touch inconsistent as of late and they'll be relied on more as the season progresses.
#20 Michigan Wolverines (Weren't Ranked)
-What a race by the Wolverines! We saw Aaron Baumgarten step it up and have a big time race for 3rd individually. Cornell transfer Connor Herr also seems to be adjusting to the Michigan program as he placed 13th overall. Big Blue finished 4th as a team behind Boise State, but they are ranked ahead of the Broncos because neither Ben Flanagan nor Chase Barnett ran! Michigan still has weapons and they showed it.
#19 Washington Huskies (-2/17)
#18 Washington State Cougars (-2/16)
#17 Indiana Hoosiers (-2/15)
#16 Iowa State Cyclones (+5/21)
-I raved about the Cyclones in my pre-season prediction and they made me proud at Roy Griak. They swept spots 17 through 20 and tacked on 23rd as their final scorer. That gave them an insane time-spread of 5 seconds. The best part is that the pack is still super young and has a lot of room to grow and develop an ace. Andrew Pollard is a redshirt freshman, Andrew Jordan is a true freshman, and Josef Andrews is a sophomore.
It's also important to note that Syracuse transfer Kevin Hoyos was 23rd as the final scorer for the Cyclone. Had he not been there, the next closest scorer for ISU would've been John Knownes in 47th place.
#15 Eastern Kentucky Colonials (-1/13)
#14 Virginia Cavaliers (-4/10)
- The Cavaliers hosted Panorama Farms this past weekend and although they didn't run Henry Wynne or Thomas Madden, I thought the Cavaliers could've done a bit more.
Virginia didn't place anyone in the top 10 and Chase Weaverling has underwhelmed in the past two races. Maybe that's just my Virginia Tech bias. However, junior Brent Demarest has impressed me recently after he placed 11th this weekend. For me, he is the bright spot on an otherwise questionable team.
#13 Portland Pilots (Weren't Ranked)
-I won't lie, I was NOT sold on Portland at all entering this season. I viewed them as a young and relatively inexperienced team lacking a front runner while also having a large time spread. But after Roy Griak, they corrected all of those issues and it showed.
What I didn't know about Portland was the fact that they gained two huge transfers in Tim Ball (formerly of Notre Dame) and Stephen Mulhrein (formerly of UNC). It also helps that Timo Goehler returns as well and gives the Pilots an additional veteran.
Portland trudged through the muddy and hilly Minnesota course to take spots 5, 11, 12, 16, 25, 28, and 38. All seven runners were in the top 40 with a five man time-spread of 25 seconds. With Jeff Thies looking like a true front-runner, a tighter pack, and a healthy mix of experience and youth, Portland might be the hottest team that no one in the NCAA wants to test. If they can show some consistency, then Portland will easily move into the top 10.
#12 Wisconsin Badgers (0/12)
#11 Furman Paladins (0/11)
-Coach Gary's team finished 14th at Roy Griak, but they didn't run Aaron Templeton, Tanner Hinkle, or Troy Reeder. I'll be curious to see how Furman looks when they do run a full squad.
#10 Colorado State Rams (-1/9)
-CSU certainly didn't hold up to my expectations after placing 7th at Roy Griak, but that was because 2015 champ, Jefferson Abbey, had a really off day and finished 91st. Had Abbey won or finished runner-up to his teammate Jerrell Mock, then the Rams would've finished 4th and pushed up Boise State's score to within 5 points of them.
Cole Rockhold also a had a slightly underwhelming race by placing 58th. He is someone who probably should've been top 30.
I honestly didn't expect CSU to win the meet, but I did want to see them top five. Poor conditions might be an excuse for this week, but I won't be as lenient in the following weeks.
#9 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (-1/8)
#8 Arkansas Razorbacks (-1/7)
#7 Colorado Buffaloes (-1/6)
#6 Iona Gaels (-1/5)
#5 BYU Cougars (+8/13)
-How do they do it? How does BYU lose/not run crucial pieces but STILL manage to be one of the best teams in the country every. single. year? The Cougars took 4 of the top 10 spots at Panorama Farms with freshman Brayden McLelland rounding out the scoring in 13th place.
BYU was able to pull off a massive upset and defeat the defending champs (Syracuse). But how they did it was even more impressive. BYU's ace, Dallin Farnsworth, had an off day and finished 32nd. He was someone that should've been in the top five.
But on top of that? The Cougars didn't run Connor McMillan either! BYU just pulled off what might be the biggest upset of the year without their top two runners!
This is a monumental upset (all things considered). But could BYU do it again? Should they really be considered the top team in the nation? I'm not there quite yet. I want to see them get another big invitational win. Should they win at Wisconsin and beat the Orangemen again, Syracuse's number one spot may easily be gone...
#4 Stanford Cardinals (0/4)
-Stanford finished 5th at Panorama Farms, but they didn't run McGorty, Fisher, or Ostberg. However, I wanted to see more from their already questionable depth. Sweatt and Wharton both finished in the top 20, but a team ranked among the top 5 should have depth a bit better than that.
-Stanford finished 5th at Panorama Farms, but they didn't run McGorty, Fisher, or Ostberg. However, I wanted to see more from their already questionable depth. Sweatt and Wharton both finished in the top 20, but a team ranked among the top 5 should have depth a bit better than that.
#3 Georgetown Hoyas (0/3)
#2 Oregon Ducks (0/2)
#1 Syracuse Orangemen (0/1)
-Syracuse lost. I didn't think I would have to say that this season, but here we are. It's a big loss considering 'Cuse put four in the top 12. However, Joel Hubbard ended the race as a DNF. Had he finished, he probably would've been better than Kevin James who was Syracuse's 5th man at 18th.
With the Wisconsin Invite three weeks out, the Orangemen will head back to grind and prepare their revenge campaign against BYU.
-Syracuse lost. I didn't think I would have to say that this season, but here we are. It's a big loss considering 'Cuse put four in the top 12. However, Joel Hubbard ended the race as a DNF. Had he finished, he probably would've been better than Kevin James who was Syracuse's 5th man at 18th.
With the Wisconsin Invite three weeks out, the Orangemen will head back to grind and prepare their revenge campaign against BYU.
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Just Missed
-Illinois Fighting Illini
-Penn Quakers
-UTEP Miners
-UCLA Bruins
-Mississippi Rebels
-Penn Quakers
-UTEP Miners
-UCLA Bruins
-Mississippi Rebels
Who To Watch
-Florida State Seminoles-Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
-Dartmouth Big Green
-NC State Wolfpack
-Providence Friars
Kicked Off
-Illinois Fighting Illini (Last Ranked 25th)
-Illinois Fighting Illini (Last Ranked 25th)
New Additions
-Portland Pilots
-Michigan Wolverines
-Portland Pilots
-Michigan Wolverines
Biggest Surprise of the Week
-BYU Cougars
Team of the Week
-BYU Cougars
-BYU Cougars
Notes
-BYU gets both Team and Surprise of the Week after upsetting the defending national champs.
-Many teams got demoted in the rankings simply because so many other programs had big time/breakout races.
-Many teams got demoted in the rankings simply because so many other programs had big time/breakout races.
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