College Baseball Rankings: Predicting D1Baseball Top 25 with new No. 1, massive top ten changes

This week might have been the craziest in college baseball yet. With plenty of top 25 matchups and even more upsets, D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings are likely to see a ton of changes on Monday morning.

Three ranked teams lost a midweek game on the week, but the weekend was the headline. Four top 25 series were the highlight; No. 3 Georgia at No. 5 Texas, No. 7 LSU at No. 10 Alabama, No. 8 Alabama at No. 16 Auburn, and No. 12 UC Irvine at No. 11 Oregon State.

Eight teams were done with their weekend entering Sunday, and nine others had clinched a series win already. That left eight other ranked teams, two of which had only played one game on the weekend. Between the other six, three were 1-1 and entering a rubber game, while the other three were already 0-2 and lost their series.

With all of that, it’s time to predict how D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings will look on Monday morning. In addition to having a new team at No. 1 to surpass Tennessee, we have significant movement from the top five all the way throughout the rest of the rankings.

Note: Records will be updated following the conclusion of Sunday’s games

1. Arkansas

Previous Ranking: No. 2 (+1)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 30-3 (11-1 in SEC)

With Tennessee dropping out of the top spot, Arkansas is the most obvious candidate to slide up in D1Baseball’s top 25. The Razorbacks picked up a 7-4 midweek win over Grambling on Tuesday before hosting Missouri over the weekend. The series started on Saturday, in a 21-3 Arkansas win. It then concluded with a Sunday doubleheader, where they won 14-4 in the first game and dominated again in the finale with a 16-2 win.

2. Texas

Previous Ranking: No. 5 (+3)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 26-4 (11-1 in SEC)

Texas lost 5-3 against Texas State on Tuesday to start the week, but didn’t let that get in the way from an impressive weekend. The Longhorns hosted No. 3 Georgia and mostly shut down a dominant offense, winning the series behind a 5-1 win on Friday and a 7-4 win on Saturday. Going for a sweep on Sunday, Texas walked things off in the tenth inning to win 4-3 and sweep the series.

3. LSU

Previous Ranking: No. 7 (+4)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 30-3 (10-2 in SEC)

There aren’t many, if any, teams in the country that made as loud of a statement as LSU did this weekend. After a 12-3 midweek victory against Louisiana Tech, the Tigers hit the road for a trip to Norman and cruised to a series sweep against No. 10 Oklahoma. LSU won 2-0 on Thursday and 10-2 on Friday to take the series, before finishing the sweep with a 3-2 win on Saturday. With that, the Tigers are likely to see a substantial rise in D1Baseball’s top 25.

4. Clemson

Previous Ranking: No. 6 (+2)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 30-5 (9-3 in ACC)

In a week full of upsets and top ten unrest, Clemson was hoping to take advantage. The Tigers defeated Georgia Southern 10-8 on Tuesday, and then hit the road for a cross-country trip to Cal. Clemson won 6-4 in Friday’s opener and then 13-3 on Saturday to clinch the series win. In the finale on Sunday, Clemson edged out a 4-3 win to finish the sweep.

5. Tennessee

Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-4)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 28-4 (9-3 in SEC)

Tennessee kicked off its week with a 7-1 midweek win over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday, and then won Friday’s series opener against Texas A&M 10-0. What happened next, it’s safe to say nobody was expecting. The Vols were stunned in a Saturday doubleheader, losing 9-3 and then 17-6 to lose their first series of the season. Tennessee is sure to fall in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings, the only question is how far.

6. Ole Miss

Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+3)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 24-7 (8-4 in SEC)

Ole Miss started its week with an 18-7 win against Jackson State on Tuesday, and then hit the road for a trip to Kentucky over the weekend. Despite losing Friday’s opener 5-4, the Rebels bounced back in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader with a 3-1 win to even the series. That set up a rubber game on Saturday, where Ole Miss won 5-4 in extra innings to clinch the series, and potentially move up.

7. Oregon State

Previous Ranking: No. 11 (+4)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 22-7

Oregon State’s week got started over the weekend, hosting No. 12 UC Irvine in a massive ranked series between the two west coast teams. The Beavers fell 12-0 on Friday in stunning opener, but were able to respond the rest of the weekend. They won 4-2 on Saturday to even the series, and 7-4 on Sunday to secure the series victory and slide back up into the top ten.

8. UCLA

Previous Ranking: No. 14 (+6)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 25-6 (10-3 in Big Ten)

UCLA has made its presence known in recent weeks, and they’re moving up again in D1Baseball’s rankings this week. The Bruins started the week with a 13-8 midweek win against Pepperdine, before taking the series over San Diego over the weekend. UCLA won 15-2 on Friday and 7-6 on Saturday to clinch the series. UCLA’s week did end on a sour note, though, falling 4-3 in 14 innings on Sunday.

9. Auburn

Previous Ranking: No. 16 (+7)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 22-10 (6-6 in SEC)

Auburn started its week off on the wrong foot, falling 4-2 in a midweek game against UAB. The Tigers bounced back in a big way, though, starting with a 10-0 statement win against No. 8 Alabama on Friday. While Alabama won the first Saturday game 6-5 to even the series, Auburn responded with a 7-5 win in Saturday night’s finale to clinch the series, maybe securing a rise into the top ten in D1Baseball’s top 25.

10. Georgia

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (-7)
Weekly Record: 1-3
Overall Record: 29-5 (8-4 in SEC)

Georgia had been cruising through the season to this point, but this week was a different story. The Bulldogs dominated in a 21-1 midweek win against Queens on Tuesday, but couldn’t carry the momentum into the weekend’s series at No. 5 Texas. The Longhorns won 5-1 on Friday and 7-4 on Saturday to clinch the series win. Georgia was aiming to salvage a win in Sunday’s finale, and were unable to do so, falling 4-3 in a walk-off loss in 10 innings to be swept.

D1Baseball Top 25 Predictions: 11-25

11. Florida State (-7)
12. UC Irvine
13. Oregon (+2)
14. Alabama (-6)
15. Wake Forest (NR)
16. Louisville (+2)
17. North Carolina (+2)
18. Vanderbilt (+5)
19. Troy (+1)
20. Coastal Carolina (+1)
21. Georgia Tech (+4)
22. Oklahoma (-12)
23. Kansas (NR)
24. Southern Miss (-11)
25. Arizona (NR)

We are projecting Dallas Baptist (previously No. 17), Kansas State (previously No. 22) and Arizona State (previously No. 24) to drop out of D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings. They are replaced by Wake Forest, Kansas and Arizona.