D1BB: Top 100 Baseball Programs of the past 5 years

In case you need a break from football posts this morning, D1 Baseball has just finished their most recent "Top 100" NCAA program rankings. I've included the Top 20, all SEC teams and Southern Miss below.

No doubt some of you will take issue with some of these rankings, but pieces like this are meant to provoke discussions and arguments. I really can't quibble with the top 6, but I can see how it would be hard to sort out what the correct order should be for teams 7-19. At first, I questioned putting Arkansas ahead of us, but they have been to Omaha more often in recent years. Seems to me that UCLA is ahead of us only because it won in 2013. I definitely think that MSU will be higher the next time they revisit this ranking in 2019.

From D1: "For the purpose of this exercise, we don't care what happened in the 1970s or 80s, or even the 90s - that's ancient history to a potential recruit in 2015. Tradition is nice, but it's more important to establish a tradition of consistent winning in the last decade, and especially in the last five years. Our ultimate goal here is to identify the programs in the best shape right now, with an eye toward the next five to 10 years."

1. Florida
2. Vanderbilt
3. LSU
4. TCU
5. Virginia
6. Louisville
7. Florida State
8. Oregon State
9. Cal State Fullerton
10. Texas A&M
11. South Carolina
12. North Carolina
13. Arkansas
14. Miami
15. UCLA
16. Mississippi State - "2015 Rank: 21. You could make a strong argument that no fan base in college baseball cares quite as much about the sport and their team than Bulldogs fans. It's a good thing a rabid fan base like State's has a team and program to be very proud of. The Bulldogs are one of the national's perennial powers and made a big statement back in 2013 when they played UCLA for the national title. While the Bulldogs had a couple of tough seasons following that trip to Omaha, they've returned to normal the past two seasons. Two years ago, in John Cohen's last season, the Bulldogs hosted the super regional round and lost a heartbreaking series to Arizona. Then, last season, the Bulldogs won the Hattiesburg Regional over Southern Miss before falling just short on the road against LSU in Andy Cannizaro's first season. Cannizaro's personality has been a good mix at MSU and the prognosis is very good moving forward, especially when you consider State is building what many believe will be the Taj Mahal of our sport. There's nothing not to like about MSU."
17. Coastal Carolina
18. Texas Tech
19. TSUN Black Bears
20. Texas

33. Southern Miss
41. Kentucky
49. Auburn
52. Alabama
85. Mizzou
86. Georgia
NR. Tennessee

I think that's about right.

I'm not sure Arkansas should be above us, but it is what it is.

We've got s real chance to move into the top 10 under Canny

I like the fact that Miss State is restarting the building war.

Yeah arky above us is a little odd but it's pretty accurate.

I can buy Ark ahead of us for now.

Since 2002:

World Series: Them 4-2
Super Reg: Us 5-4
Tourney App: Them 14-11
Conf. Champs: 1-1
Conf. Tourney Champs: Us 2-1
Attendance: Them

If the World Series numbers were reversed, we'd probably be 13 and them 16. Not much difference in the two. We win big the next 2-3 years and we'll be in/near top 10. It's coming, just hang on. We're in better shape than I can ever remember going all the way back to Polk when nobody else cared about baseball. The administration and the head coach are the two most important things in college baseball. If you have those two on the same page and competent in getting things done, you'll succeed. When is the last time we've had a President, AD and head coach tandem as qualified and all in to making our baseball program the best in the country as we do right now? I can't remember one and I've been around a while...all the way back to Paul Gregory. We're on the verge of having the best baseball stadium in America and have what I think is one of the top 5 coaching staffs that there are.

Hang on just a little while longer...we'll get there.

Reasonably accurate but still frustrating to see us rated 7th out of the SEC teams.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lumpy Chucklelips

I can buy Ark ahead of us for now.

Since 2002:

World Series: Them 4-2
Super Reg: Us 5-4
Tourney App: Them 14-11
Conf. Champs: 1-1
Conf. Tourney Champs: Us 2-1
Attendance: Them

If the World Series numbers were reversed, we'd probably be 13 and them 16. Not much difference in the two. We win big the next 2-3 years and we'll be in/near top 10. It's coming, just hang on. We're in better shape than I can ever remember going all the way back to Polk when nobody else cared about baseball. The administration and the head coach are the two most important things in college baseball. If you have those two on the same page and competent in getting things done, you'll succeed. When is the last time we've had a President, AD and head coach tandem as qualified and all in to making our baseball program the best in the country as we do right now? I can't remember one and I've been around a while...all the way back to Paul Gregory. We're on the verge of having the best baseball stadium in America and have what I think is one of the top 5 coaching staffs that there are.

Hang on just a little while longer...we'll get there.

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Great post. I agree- we're about to take things to the next level. I think Cohen becoming AD allowed everyone in the MSU baseball to totally unite behind one coach again- and I think we're on the cusp of some great things. Our recruiting has improved a great deal- and we're looking at other avenues that we haven't before with the grad transfers. I suspect that we are going to start to see player and recruit retention at a much higher level than we ever have before under Cann and I think that ultimately pushes us over the top- it seems like every LSU National Championship team had a quality pitcher and hitter come back for the senior year that was unexpected given the player's talent level.

Last year was kind of weird- and I think this year will be more of the same with the stadium construction going on in season. By 2019 it should be all systems go for us. By 2021 I suspect we will be in the top 10 if not top 5 of this list and probably have the best potential to make a big move on this list in the near future.

That top-5 is very stout, Louisville is on the verge of a championship

Our standing is pretty good when you factor a last place in-the-SEC in 2015 and having a wrecked pitching staff in 2017