Composite Rankings Archive

CS360 Composite National Rankings #7
(Sept. 29, 2010)

Rank. Team (Pts) ... previous
1. Boston College (98.70)...3
2. Stanford (97.88) ... 2
3. North Carolina (95.93)...1
4. Notre Dame (95.89) ... 5
5. Portland (94.82) ... 4
6. Florida (92.09) ... 7
7. UCLA (87.92) ... 11
8. Oklahoma St. (87.30)...10
9. Virginia (86.47) ... 12
10. Florida State (85.32) ... 13
11. Maryland (85.18) ... 9
12. Texas A&M (84.63) ... 6
13. Minnesota (84.57) ... 18
14. USC (82.02) ... 14
15. BYU (81.11) ... 17
16. Santa Clara (80.06) ... 8
17. So. Carolina (78.98) ... 20
18. Illinois (77.60) ... 15
19. Central Florida (76.30)...22
20. California (76.12) ... 16
21. UC Irvine (74.44) ... 32
22. Duke (73.64) ... 19
23. Ohio State (72.92) ... 29
24. Hofstra (71.50) ... 33
25. Wake Forest (70.72) ... 31
26. Louisville (69.09) ... 25
27. Arizona St. (67.14) ... 24
28. NC Greensboro (66.92) .. 37
29. Denver (66.27) ... 43
30. Georgetown (64.45) ... 27
31. Georgia (62.44) ... 28
32. Texas (62.26) ... 23
33. Nebraska (61.25) ... 36
34. Oregon St. (58.92) ... 21
35. Marquette (57.84) ... 42 
36. Milwaukee (56.72) ... 45
37. Texas Tech (56.48) ... 34
38. Colorado (56.43) ... –
39. Siena (56.35) ... 46
40. Dayton (54.45) ... 47
41. Washington (54.03) ... 40
42. Memphis (52.91) ... 35
43. Boston Univ. (51.68) ... – 
44. Auburn (51.50) ... 26
45. LMU (48.34) ... 39
46. UTEP (48.30) ... –
47. Toledo (48.16) ... -
48. Alabama (48.15) ... -
49. Iowa (48.10) ... 49
50. San Diego (47.36) ... 30

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Note – See sidebar for the most updated CS360 Composite National Rankings (#7, as of 9/29/10) ... full CNR wrapup and overview to be added to this page (formula now includes seven elements).

* * * * * *
CS360 Composite National Rankings #6
(Sept. 23, 2010)
Rank...Team (Pts) ... previous
1. North Carolina (97.98)...1
2. Stanford (97.56) ... 2
3. Boston College (95.54)...4
4. Portland (95.28) ... 3
5. Notre Dame (93.87) ... 9
6. Texas A&M (90.55) ... 5
7. Florida (89.67) ... 6
8. Santa Clara (85.93) ... 11
9. Maryland (85.35) ... 8
10. Oklahoma St. (86.12)...14
11. UCLA (83.99) ... 10
12. Virginia (82.47) ... 7
13. Florida State (81.49) ... 12
14. USC (80.66) ... 21
15. Illinois (80.25) ... 23
16. California (79.97) ... 16
17. BYU (79.41) ... 13
18. Minnesota (77.11) ... 28
19. Duke (76.38) ... 15
20. So. Carolina (76.35) ... 25
21. Oregon St. (74.99) ... 19
22. Central Florida (73.81)...37
23. Texas (73.78) ... 24
24. Arizona St. (73.45) ... 20
25. Louisville (73.45) ... 22
26. Auburn (69.69) ... 30
27. Georgetown (66.79) ... 17
28. Georgia (65.92) ... 31
29. Ohio State (65.34) ... 29
30. San Diego (63.93) ... 32
31. Wake Forest (62.06) ... 26
32. UC Irvine (57.52) ... 35
33. Hofstra (56.51) ... 42
34. Texas Tech (56.40) ... 33
35. Memphis (56.29) ... 18
36. Nebraska (55.76) ... –
37. NC Greensboro (54.35) .. 34
38. Virginia Tech (53.67)...36
39. LMU (52.96) ... –
40. Washington (52.80) ... 43
41. West Virginia (52.05) ... –
42. Marquette (51.72) ... –
43. Denver (50.49) ... 46
44. Michigan St. (50.09) ... 38
45. Milwaukee (49.85) ... –
46. Siena (49.06) ... 41
47. Dayton (48.52) ... 44
48. Wisconsin (47.69) ... –
49. Iowa (46.43) ... 45
50. Connecticut (45.91) ... 40

CNR UPDATE #5 (9/15/10) – One month into the season, with conference play on the horizon, there continues to significant movement in CollegeSoccer360's exclusive Composite National Rankings (CNR). There are eight new teams in the CS360 composite top-50, with numerous other squads again sliding down (or out) of the top-50.

The four ingredients currently comprising the CNR formula include the national polls from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Soccer America and Soccer Times, plus the Top Drawer Soccer projected NCAA Tournament field, with more factors to be added in upcoming weeks.

The top two teams remain in their same positions (as does #8 Maryland), while Notre Dame's overtime loss at UCLA has bumped four teams up a spot (the current #3 thru #6 teams: Portland, BC, A&M and Florida). Virginia has jumped leapfrogged ACC for Maryland (from #9 to #7), with the Irish now occupying the #9 spot (after being #3 for the first month) and UCLA bumping up from #11 to #10. Florida State slipped outside the top-10, into the 12th position.
 
The eight teams that have entered/re-entered the CNR top-50 include: #35 UC Irvine, #40 Connecticut, #41 Siena, #42 Hofstra, #44 Dayton, #45 Iowa, #46 Denver and #47 Villanova. Four of those teams – UConn, Sieba, Dayton and Villanova – were in the CNR top-50 earlier this season (it appears that Irvine and Iowa are in the CNR top-50 for the first time, spanning the past two seasons).
The eight teams that have rotated out of the top-50: #35 Penn St., #36 Long Beact St., #38 Milwaukee, #42 Marquette, #43 James Madison, #47 West Virginia, #48 New Mexico and #50 Charlotte.

Several teams made noteworthy moves up the CNR: Illinois (#39 to #23) ... USC (#29 to #21) ... Michigan St. (#46 to #38) ... California (#22 to #16) ... Texas (#30 to 24) and UNC Greensboro (#40 to #34), while there continued to be several teams that dropped significantly down the CNR: Cincinnati (#31 to #49) ... William & Mary (#23 to #39) ... Monmouth (#34 to #50) ... Wake Forest (#16 to #26) ... and San Diego (#25 to #32).

CollegeSoccer360 introduced the Composite National Rankings (CNR) in 2008 and brought this aggregate poll concept back throughout the 2009 season. The 2010 formula currently includes the following criteria (each weighted equally):

• NSCAA coaches poll  (NSCAA)
• Soccer America rankings  (SA)
• Soccer Times coaches poll  (ST)
• TopDrawerSoccer.com NCAA projection  (TDS)

Other ingredients – such as conference and NCAA Tournament projections, RPI and other power rankings, and lateseason performance – will be factored into subsequent updates of the CNR.

The current CNR top-10 includes four teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (UNC-BC-VA-MD), two Pac-10 squads (STAN-UCLA) and one each from the BIG EAST, WCC, Big 12 and SEC.

The current CNR top-50 includes the following breakdown of teams, sorted by conference:
• Eight from the ACC (UNC, BC, VA, MD, FSU, Duke, Wake, VT)
• Seven from the BIG EAST (ND, GU, LOU, RUT, UConn, VILL, CIN)
• Seven from the Pac-10 (STAN, UCLA, Cal, OR-St, ASU, USC, WA)
• Five from the SEC (FL, SC, AUB, GA, LSU)
• Five from the Big Ten (ILL, MN, OSU, MSU, Iowa)
• Four from the Big 12 (A&M, OK-St, TX, TT)
• Three from the WCC (PORT, SCU, USD)
• Two from C-USA (MEM, UCF)
• Two from the Colonial (W& HOF)
• One from Mt. West (BYU)
• One from the A-10 (DAY)
• One from the Southern Conf. (UNCG)
• One from the Northeast Conf. (Monmouth)
• One from the Big West (UCI)
• One from the Mideastern Athletic/MAAC (Siena)
• One from the Sunbelt (DU) 

CS360 Composite 
National Rankings #5
(Sept. 15, 2010)
Rank...Team (Pts) ... previous
1. North Carolina (99.98)...1
2. Stanford (98.88) ... 2
3. Portland (97.60) ... 4
4. Boston College (96.94)...5
5. Texas A&M (94.68) ... 6
6. Florida (94.21) ... 7
7. Virginia (93.24) ... 9
8. Maryland (92.75) ... 8
9. Notre Dame (91.69) ... 3
10. UCLA (90.12) ... 11
11. Santa Clara (87.57) ... 12
12. Florida State (87.56) ... 10
13. BYU (86.62) ... 13
14. Oklahoma St. (86.52)...15
15. Duke (84.12) ... 14
16. California (81.14) ... 22
17. Georgetown (79.72) ... 19
18. Memphis (78.94) ... 18
19. Oregon St. (77.53) ... 17
20. Arizona St. (77.01) ... 27
21. USC (76.58) ... 29
22. Louisville (75.33) ... 21
23. Illinois (71.51) ... 39
24. Texas (70.77) ... 30
25. So. Carolina (69.80) ... 24
26. Wake Forest (68.48) ... 16
27. Rutgers (66.01) ... 26
28. Minnesota (64.64) ... 28
29. Ohio State (64.12) ... 32
30. Auburn (62.76) ... –
31. Georgia (62.72) ... 33
32. San Diego (61.23) ... 25
33. Texas Tech (59.69) ... –
34. NC Greensboro (59.14) .. 40
35. UC Irvine (56.51) ... –
36. Virginia Tech (56.12)...37
37. Central Florida (54.12)...41
38. Michigan St. (59.94) ... 46
39. William & Mary (51.08) ... 23
40. Connecticut (50.71) ... -
41. Siena (50.37) ... –
42. Hofstra (49.64) ... -
43. Washington (48.50) ... 45
44. Dayton (47.50) ... –
45. Iowa (46.50) ... -
46. Denver (46.25) ... -
46. LSU (45.58) ... 49
48. Villanova (45.58) ... –
49. Cincinnati (45.50) ... 31
50. Monmouth (45.12) ... 34
A full rundown of each team's standings in the various polls (as posted in earlier CNR updates) will be added to this release, time permitting.

Notes on CS360's Composite National Rankings formula (created by Pete LaFleur): The CNR closely resembles the composite national rankings on CS360's sister site, CollegeBaeball360.com. The CNR consists of an average of four polls/ratings (more factors to be added as season progresses). The CNR point totals ultimately are scaled to a convenient 100-point format.

In the raw formula, a #1-ranked team in any of the polls/ratings typically receives 60 points, the #2 team gets 59, etc. The Soccer America poll is the most basic in this regard, as it has a top-25 and no "also receiving votes" teams. When two or more teams are tied for one spot, they receive an equal share of the combined points for those spots. In the end, each team can receive a a maximum of 60 CNR points from each of the seven polls/ratings. That total then is divided by seven and 40 is added to yield the score on the handy 100-point scale.

One wrinkle within the CNR formula credits teams based on voting or rating "points" in certain polls (in addition to their spots on the list). By using this correction, teams that have virtually the same number of voting points then will receive nearly the same amount of credit in the CNR (conversely, teams that have a wider margin in votes or rating points will have a bigger cap in their credits within the CNR formula).

* * * * *
CNR UPDATE #4 (9/8/10) – There was plenty more movement in CollegeSoccer360's exclusive Composite National Rankings (CNR), following the third week of play in Division I women's soccer. There are six new teams in the CS360 composite top-50, with numerous others again plummeting down (or out) of the top-50.

The four ingredients currently comprising the CNR formula include the national polls from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Soccer America and Soccer Times, plus the Top Drawer Soccer projected NCAA Tournament field, with more factors to be added in upcoming weeks.

The top five teams remain in the same positions while current #6 Texas A&M, #7 Florida and #9 Virginia each moved up a spot, by virtue of Florida State's loss to Auburn (FSU dropped from #6 to #10). Maryland (#11 to #8) is the newcomer to the CNR top-10, after Santa Clara dropped from #9 to #12.
 
The six teams that have entered/re-entered the CNR top-50 include #20 Auburn, #38 Milwaukee, #43 James Madison, #44 Texas Tech, #45 Washington and #50 Charlotte (four of those teams – all but Texas Tech and Charlotte – were in the CNR top-50 earlier this season). The six teams that have cycled out of the top-50 include: #27 Northwestern, #37 Wisconsin, #43 Washington State, #44 Boston Univ., #48 Tennessee and #49 Dayton. 

Several teams made noteworthy moves up the CNR: Minnesota (#47 to #27) ... Arizona State (#41 to #27) ... Louisville (#34 to #21) ... Georgetown (#31 to #19) ... Oregon State (#28 to #17) ... Illinois (#50 to #39) ... and Cincinnati (#40 to #31), but there again were plenty of teams that tumbled down the CNR: Penn State (#15 to #35) ... LSU (#30 to #49) ... Long Beach St. (#21 to #37) ... Virginia Tech (#23 to #37) ... UNC Greensboro (#26 to #40) ... Michigan State (#36 to #46) ... New Mexico (#39 to #48) ... and San Diego (#17 to #25).

CollegeSoccer360 introduced the Composite National Rankings (CNR) in 2008 and brought this aggregate poll concept back throughout the 2009 season. The 2010 formula currently includes the following criteria (each weighted equally):

• NSCAA coaches poll  (NSCAA)
• Soccer America rankings  (SA)
• Soccer Times coaches poll  (ST)
• Top Drawer Soccer NCAA projection  (TDS)

Other ingredients – such as conference and NCAA Tournament projections, RPI and other power rankings, and lateseason performance – will be factored into subsequent updates of the CNR.

The current CNR top-10 includes fivee teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (UNC-BC-MD-VA-FSU) and one each from the Pacfic-10, BIG EAST, WCC, Big 12 and SEC.

The current CNR top-50 includes the following breakdown of teams, sorted by conference:
• Eight from the ACC (UNC, BC, MD, VA, FSU, Duke Wake, VT) 
• Seven from the BIG EAST (ND, GU, LOU, RUT, CIN, MARQ, WVU) 
• Seven from the Pac-10 (Stanford, UCLA, OR-St, Cal, ASU, USC, WA) 
• Five from the Big Ten (MN, OSU, MSU, PSU, ILL, MN) 
• Five from the SEC (FL, AUB, SC, GA, LSU) 
• Four from the Big 12 (A&M, OK-St, TX, TT) 
• Three from the WCC (PORT, SCU, USD) 
• Two from Mt. West (BYU, NM) 
• Two from C-USA (MEM, UCF) 
• Two from the Colonial (W&, JMU) 
• One from the A-10 (CHAR)
• One from the Big West (LB)
• One from the Southern Conf. (UNCG) 
• One from the Northeast Conf. (Monmouth) 
• One from the Horizon League (MIL) 

A full rundown of each team's standings in the various polls (as posted in earlier CNR updates) will be added to this release, time permitting.

CS360 Composite National Rankings #4
(Sept. 8, 2010)
Rank...Team (Pts) ... previous
1. North Carolina (99.97)...1

2. Stanford (98.80) ... 2

3. Notre Dame (97.28) ... 3

4. Portland (97.13) ... 4

5. Boston College (95.84)...5

6. Texas A&M (93.54) ... 7

7. Florida (92.41) ... 8
8. Maryland (91.37) ... 11
9. Virginia (91.06) ... 10
10. Florida State (90.22) ... 6

11. UCLA (89.14) ... 12
12. Santa Clara (88.83) ... 9

13. BYU (85.82) ... 13

14. Duke (84.87) ... 14

15. Oklahoma St. (83.87)...19
16. Wake Forest (83.43) ... 16
17. Oregon St. (76.26) ... 28
18. Memphis (76.25) ... 18
19. Georgetown (75.83) ... 31
20. Auburn (73.09) ... –
21. Louisville (71.22) ... 34
22. California (69.42) ... 22
23. William & Mary (68.82) ... 24
24. So. Carolina (68.30) ... 20
25. San Diego (68.13) ... 17
26. Rutgers (66.17) ... 25
27. Arizona St. (65.22) ... 41
28. Minnesota (64.94) ... 47
29. USC (63.65) ... 29
30. Texas (63.61) ... 33
31. Cincinnati (62.90) ... 40
32. Ohio State (62.81) ... 32
33. Georgia (62.02) ... 38
34. Monmouth (60.76) ... 40
35. Penn State (58.95) ... 15

36. Long Beach St. (55.89) ... 21
37. Virginia Tech (55.76)...23
38. Milwaukee (55.64) ... –
39. Illinois (54.24) ... 50
40. NC Greensboro (53.54) .. 26

41. Central Florida (53.09)...35
42. Marquette (50.84) ... 42
43. James Madison (49.14) ... –
44. Texas Tech (49.02) ... –
45. Washington (48.75) ... –
46. Michigan St. (48.25) ... 36

47. West Virginia (47.25) ... 45
48. New Mexico (46.68) ... 39
49. LSU (45.75) ... 30

50. Charlotte (45.52) ... –
Notes on CS360's Composite National Rankings formula (created by Pete LaFleur): The CNR closely resembles the composite national rankings on CS360's sister site, CollegeBaeball360.com. The CNR consists of an average of four polls/ratings (more factors to be added as season progresses). The CNR point totals ultimately are scaled to a convenient 100-point format.

In the raw formula, a #1-ranked team in any of the polls/ratings typically receives 60 points, the #2 team gets 59, etc. The Soccer America poll is the most basic in this regard, as it has a top-25 and no "also receiving votes" teams. When two or more teams are tied for one spot, they receive an equal share of the combined points for those spots. In the end, each team can receive a a maximum of 60 CNR points from each of the seven polls/ratings. That total then is divided by seven and 40 is added to yield the score on the handy 100-point scale.

One wrinkle within the CNR formula credits teams based on voting or rating "points" in certain polls (in addition to their spots on the list). By using this correction, teams that have virtually the same number of voting points then will receive nearly the same amount of credit in the CNR (conversely, teams that have a wider margin in votes or rating points will have a bigger cap in their credits within the CNR formula).

* * * * *

CNR UPDATE #3 (8/31/10) – There were shakeups up and down CollegeSoccer360's exclusive Composite National Rankings (CNR), as many top teams suffered upsets during the past week of action while other squads extended their pleasantly surprising starts to the season. There are nine new teams in the CS360 composite top-50, with numerous others plummeting down (or out) of the top-50.

The four ingredients currently comprising the CNR formula include the national polls from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Soccer America and Soccer Times, plus the Top Drawer Soccer projected NCAA Tournament field.

UCLA's 1-0 loss to Northwestern dropped the Bruins from #3 to 12th in the current CNR, allowing several teams to bump up in the top-10. The current 3-4-5-6 teams (Notre Dame, Portland, Boston College and Florida State) all have moved up one spot, while Florida jumped from #12 to #8, Virginia from #11 to #10 and Maryland from 13th to 11th. Santa Clara (#8 to #9) and Wake Forest (#10 to #16) joined UCLA as teams among the previous week's top-10 that dropped in the current CNR. 
 
The nine teams that have stormed into the CNR top-50 include the likes of: #21 Long Beach State (riding the wave of 2-1 wins over Washington State and Virginia Tech) ... #24 William & Mary (thanks to a 0-0 tie vs. UConn and 2-1 win over Penn State) ... #26 UNC Greensboro (which won 2-1 at Wake Forest) ... and the aforementioned Northwestern (#27). The other five newcomers in the CS360 top-50 are #34 Louisville, #40 Monmouth, #41 Arizona State, #44 Boston University and #46 Cincinnati.

 Two teams ranked in the 30s of the previous CNR – #32 Washington (lost 3-0 at BU) and #35 Milwaukee (tied New Mexico, lost to Auburn) – have dropped out of the CNR top-50, as have #42 James Madison, #43 Connecticut, #44 Auburn, #45 Villanova, #48 Purdue, #49 Siena and #50 San Diego State.

A handful of teams made noteworthy moves up the CNR: BYU (#20 to #13) ... San Diego (#23 to #18 to #23) ... and California (#27 to #22), but there were plenty of teams (in addition to UCLA and Wake Forest) that suffered big slides down the CNR: Dayton (#25 to #49) ... Wisconsin (#19 to #37) ... Washington State (#29 to #43) ... Rutgers (#17 to #25) ... and Virginia Tech (#16 to #23).

CollegeSoccer360 introduced Composite National Rankings (CNR) in 2008 and brought this aggregate poll concept back throughout the 2009 season. The 2010 formula currently includes the following criteria (each weighted equally):

• NSCAA coaches poll  (NSCAA)
• Soccer America rankings  (SA)
• Soccer Times coaches poll  (ST)
• Top Drawer Soccer NCAA projection  (TDS)

Other ingredients – such as conference and NCAA Tournament projections, RPI and other power rankings, and lateseason performance – will be factored into subsequent updates of the CNR.

The current CNR top-10 includes three teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (UNC-BC-FSU) and two from the West Coast Conference (Portland, Santa Clara), plus the Pac-10's Stanford, the BIG EAST's Notre Dame, the SECs Florida and the Big 12's Texas A&M.

The current CNR top-50 includes the following breakdown of teams, sorted by conference:
• Eight from the ACC (UNC, BC, FSU, VA, MD, Duke Wake, VT)
• Seven from the Pac-10 (Stanford, UCLA, Cal, OR-St, USC, WSU, ASU)
• Seven from the BIG EAST (ND, RUT, GU, LOU, MARQ, WVU, CIN)
• Seven from the Big Ten (PSU, NW, OSU, WIS, MSU, MN, ILL)
• Five from the SEC (FL, SC, LSU, GA, TN)
• Three from the WCC (PORT, SCU, USD)
• Three from the Big 12 (A&M, OK-St, TX)
• Two from Mt. West (BYU, NM)
• Two from C-USA (MEM, UCF)
• One from the A-10 (DAY)
• One from the Big West (LB)
• One from the Colonial (W&)
• One from the Southern Conf. (UNCG)
• One from the Northeast Conf. (Monmouth)
• One from the America East (BU)

Notes on CS360's Composite National Rankings formula (created by Pete LaFleur): The CNR closely resembles the composite national rankings on CS360's sister site, CollegeBaeball360.com. The CNR consists of an average of four polls/ratings (more factors to be added as season progresses). The CNR point totals ultimately are scaled to a convenient 100-point format.

In the raw formula, a #1-ranked team in any of the polls/ratings typically receives 60 points, the #2 team gets 59, etc. The Soccer America poll is the most basic in this regard, as it has a top-25 and no "also receiving votes" teams. When two or more teams are tied for one spot, they receive an equal share of the combined points for those spots. In the end, each team can receive a a maximum of 60 CNR points from each of the seven polls/ratings. That total then is divided by seven and 40 is added to yield the score on the handy 100-point scale.

One wrinkle within the CNR formula credits teams based on voting or rating "points" in certain polls (in addition to their spots on the list). By using this correction, teams that have virtually the same number of voting points then will receive nearly the same amount of credit in the CNR (conversely, teams that have a wider margin in votes or rating points will have a bigger cap in their credits within the CNR formula).

CS360 Composite National Rankings #3  (8/31/10) ... previous

1. North Carolina  (99.96)   (NSCAA-1/799 pts ... SA-1 ... ST-1/397 pts ... TDS-1) ... 1-1 (preseason-8/25)
2. Stanford  (98.65)   (NSCAA-2/713 ... SA-2 ... ST-3/381 ... TDS-2) ... 2-2
3. Notre Dame  (97.14)   (NSCAA-3/713 ... SA-4 ... ST-4/353 ... TDS-3) ... ... 4-4
4. Portland  (96.64)   (NSCAA-5/702 ... SA-3 ... ST-3/358 ... TDS-6) ... 7-5
5. Boston College  (95.64)   (NSCAA-6/633 ... SA-5 ... ST-6/326 ... TDS-4) ... 6-6
6. Florida State  (95.16)   (NSCAA-5/642 ... SA-6 ... ST-5/332 ... TDS-5) ... 7-7
7. Texas A&M  (92.15)    (NSCAA-9/495... SA-8 ... ST-7/285 ... TDS-7) ... 8-9
8. Florida  (90.56)   (NSCAA-7/594 ... SA-11 ... ST-8/264 ... TDS-12) ... 11-12
9. Santa Clara  (90.56)   (NSCAA-8/516 ... SA-9 ... ST-10/243 ... TDS-10) ... 9-8
10. Virginia  (89.69)   (NSCAA-12/399 ... SA-7 ... ST-12/236 ...  TDS-9) ...12-11

11. Maryland  (89.39)    (NSCAA-10/494 ... SA-10 ... ST-11/240 ... TDS-11) ... 14-13
12. UCLA  (89.14)   (NSCAA-11/474 ... SA-15 ... ST-9/259 ... TDS-8) ... 3-3
13. BYU  (83.25)   (NSCAA-13/381 ... SA-12 ... ST-13/201 ... TDS-27) ... 17-20
14. Duke  (82.08)   (NSCAA-18/223 ... SA-22 ... ST-15/164 ... TDS-13) ... 30-18
15. Penn State  (81.68)   (NSCAA-16/259 ... SA-17 ... ST-17/124 ... TDS-19) ... 13-14
16. Wake Forest  (80.84)   (NSCAA-17/234 ... SA-25.5 ... ST-16/141 ... TDS-14) ... 10-10
17. San Diego  (79.87)   (NSCAA-14/359 ... SA-21 ... ST-14/177 ... TDS-29) ... 35-23
18. Memphis  (79.62)   (NSCAA-15/280 ... SA-13 ... ST-21/78 ... TDS-28) ... 22-22
19. Oklahoma State  (79.32)   (NSCAA-20/207 ... SA-20 ... ST-18/91 ... TDS-20) ... 21-21
20. South Carolina  (71.47)    (NSCAA-19/215 ... ST-15/179 ... TDS-16) ... 16-15

21. Long Beach St. (67.59) (NSCAA-35/19 ... SA-24 ... ST-26/27 ... TBS-41) ... x-x
22. California (67.47)   (NSCAA-21/189... ST-19.5/83 ... TDS-24) ... 20-27
23. Virginia Tech (66.98)    (NSCAA-23/96 ... ST-28/23 ... TDS-15) ... 15-16
24. William & Mary (65.77) (NSCAA-28/36 ... SA-16 ... ST-27/26) ... x-x
25. Rutgers (65.59)   (NSCAA-24/80 ... ST-25/30 ... TDS-22) ... 23-17
26. UNC Greensboro (64.87) (NSCAA-26/43 ... SA-18 ... ST-31/18) ... x-x
27. Northwestern (64.25) (NSCAA-27/37 ... SA-14 ... ST-38/4) ... x-x
28. Oregon State  (63.96)   (NSCAA-42/10 ... ST-22/57 ... TDS-17) ... 28-28
29. USC  (62.60)   (NSCAA-36.5/18 ... ST-32/15 ... TDS-18) ... 18-30
30. LSU  (62.54)    (NSCAA-40/13 ... ST-23/41 ... TDS-23) ... 25-26

31. Georgetown  (62.00)  (NSCAA-22/139 ... ST-41/3 ... TDS-26) ... x-40
32. Ohio State  (61.54)    (NSCAA-29/34 ... ST-41/3 ... TDS-21) ... 32-36
33. Texas (60.84)   (NSCAA-33.5/21 ... ST-24/39 ... TDS-34) ... 42-34
34. Louisville (60.19) (SA-23 ... ST-34.5/9 ... TDS-42) ... x-x
35. Central Florida  (55.99)    (NSCAA-46/3 ... ST-41/3 ... TDS-30) ... 29-33
36. Michigan State (55.48)   (NSCAA-31/31 ... TDS-36) ... 38-37
37. Wisconsin  (55.37)   (NSCAA-33.5/21 ... ST-36/8 ... TDS-46) ... 19-19
38. Georgia  (54.67) (NSCAA-25/59 ... ST-29.5/21) ... 34-38
39. New Mexico  (53.63)  (NSCAA-30/32 ... ST-29.5/21) ... x-41
40. Monmouth (52.63) (NSCAA-45/4 ... SA-25.5) ... x-x

41. Arizona State (52.51) (NSCAA-32/26 ... ST-33/12) ... x-x
42. Marquette  (52.01)   (NSCAA-38.5/14 ... TDS-33) ... 26-24
43. Washington State  (51.95)   (ST-37/6 ... TDS-33) ... 24-29
44. Boston Univ. (51.44) (NSCAA-48.5/1 ... ST-44/2 ... TDS-44) ... x-x
45. West Virginia  (51.07)   (ST-45.5/1 ... TDS-32) ... 30-31
46. Cincinnati (50.50) (SA-19) ... x-x
47. Minnesota  (50.07)  (NSCAA-36.5/18 ... ST-41/3) ... x-47
48. Tennessee (50.07)   (NSCAA-36.5/18 ... ST-41/3) ... 44-39
49. Dayton  (50.03)   (NSCAA-41/11 ... TDS-39) ... 27-25
50. Illinois (49.31)   (NSCAA-47/2 ... ST-34.5/9) ... 46-46

 Dropped out of top-50: #32 Washington ... #35 Milwaukee ... #42 James Madison ... #43 Connecticut ... #44 Auburn ... #45 Villanova ... #48 Purdue ... #49 Siena ... and #50 San Diego State.


* * * * * 

CNR UPDATE (8/25/10) – CS360's updated Composite National Rankings (CNR) now include four ingredients in the CNR formula: the national polls from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Soccer America and Soccer Times, plus the Top Drawer Soccer projected NCAA Tournament field.

The #1 through #7 teams in the current CNR top-50 remain unchanged, while current #8 Santa Clara and #9 Texas A&M flipped spots from the preseason CNR (Wake Forest remains #10).

Teams making the biggest move up in the CNR include: Duke (#30 to #18) ... San Diego (#35 to #23) ... Texas (#42 to #34) ... and Rutgers (#23 to #17). Four other teams slipped seven or more spots in the CNR: Purdue (#33 to #48) ... USC (#18 to #30) ... Auburn (#36 to #44) ... and California (#20 to #27).

There are seven new teams in the CNR: #35 Milwaukee, #40 Georgetown, #41 New Mexico, #45 Villanova, #47 Minnesota, #49 Siena and #50 San Diego State ... with Miami (#41 the previous week) and St. John's (#42) having dropped out of the CNR top-50.
 
CollegeSoccer360 introduced Composite National Rankings (CNR) in 2008 and brought this aggregate poll concept back throughout the 2009 seaspn. The 2010 formula currently includes the following criteria (each weighted equally):

• NSCAA coaches poll  (NSCAA)
• Soccer America rankings  (SA)
• Soccer Times coaches poll  (ST)
• Top Drawer Soccer NCAA projection  (TDS)

Other ingredients – such as conference and NCAA Tournament projections, RPI and other power rankings, and lateseason performance – will be factored into subsequent updates of the CNR.

The current CNR top-10 includes four teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (UNC-BC-FSU-Wake) and two each from the Pacific-10 (Stanford, UCLA) and West Coast Conference (Portland, Santa Clara) plus the BIG EAST's Notre Dame and the Big 12's Texas A&M.

The current CNR top-50 includes the following breakdown of teams, sorted by conference:

• Eight from the ACC (UNC, BC, FSU, Wake, UVa, MD, VT, Duke)
• Seven from the Pac-10 (Stanford, UCLA, Cal, OR-St, WSU, USC, WA)
• Seven from the BIG EAST (ND, RUT, MARQ, WVU, GU, UConn, VU) 
• Seven from the Big Ten (PSU, WIS OSU, MSU, ILL, MN, PUR)
• Six from the SEC (FL, SC, LSU, GA, TN, AUB)
• Three from the WCC (PORT, SCU, USD)
• Three from the Big 12 (A&M, OK-St, Texas)
• Three from Mt. West (BYU, NM, SDSU)
• Two from C-USA (MEM, UCF)
• One from the A-10 (DAY)
• One from Horizon (MIL)
• One from the Colonial (JMU)
• One from MAAC (Siena)

Notes on CS360's Composite National Rankings formula (created by Pete LaFleur): The CNR closely resembles the composite national rankings on CS360's sister site, CollegeBaeball360.com. The preseason CNR consists of an average of  three polls/ratings (more factors to be added as season progresses). The CNR point totals ultimately are scaled to a convenient 100-point format.

In the raw formula, a #1-ranked team in any of the polls/ratings typically receives 60 points, the #2 team gets 59, etc. The Soccer America poll is the most basic in this regard, as it has a top-25 and no "also receiving votes" teams. When two or more teams are tied for one spot, they receive an equal share of the combined points for those spots. In the end, each team can receive a a maximum of 60 CNR points from each of the seven polls/ratings. That total then is divided by seven and 40 is added to yield the score on the handy 100-point scale.

One wrinkle within the CNR formula credits teams based on voting or rating "points" in certain polls (in addition to their spots on the list). By using this correction, teams that have virtually the same number of voting points then will receive nearly the same amount of credit in the CNR (conversely, teams that have a wider margin in votes or rating points will have a bigger cap in their credits within the CNR formula).

CS360 Composite National Rankings #2  (8/25/10)

1. North Carolina  (100.00)   (NSCAA-1/850 pts ... SA-1 ... ST-1/400 pts ... TDS-1) ... #1 preseason
2. Stanford  (98.56)   (NSCAA-2/790 ... SA-2 ... ST-3/369 ... TDS-2) ... 2
3. UCLA  (97.57)   (NSCAA-3/787 ... SA-5 ... ST-2/373 ... TDS-3) ... 3
4. Notre Dame  (96.82)   (NSCAA-4/744 ... SA-4 ... ST-4/363 ... TDS-4) ... ... 4
5. Portland  (96.31)   (NSCAA-5/710 ... SA-3 ... ST-5/332 ... TDS-7) ... 7
6. Boston College  (95.64)   (NSCAA-7/633 ... SA-6 ... ST-7/310 ... TDS-5) ... 6
7. Florida State  (94.07)   (NSCAA-6/681 ... SA-8 ... ST-6/2315 ... TDS-6) ... 7

8. Santa Clara  (90.84)   (NSCAA-8/563 ... SA-10 ... ST-9/247 ... TDS-10) ... 9

 9. Texas A&M  (90.62)   (NSCAA-11/514 ... SA-9 ... ST-10/236 ... TDS-8) ... 8
10. Wake Forest  (89.12)   (NSCAA-10/528 ... SA-15 ... ST-8/259 ... TDS-11) ... 10


11. Virginia  (89.10)   (NSCAA-15/316 ... SA-7 ... ST-12/229 ...  TDS-9) ...12

12. Florida  (88.11)   (NSCAA-9/539 ... SA-13 ... ST-11/233 ... TDS-15) ... 11
13. Maryland  (87.10)   (NSCAA-14/371 ... SA-12 ... ST-13/202 ... TDS-12) ... 14

14. Penn State  (86.51)   (NSCAA-12/478 ... SA-11 ... ST-14/187 ... TDS-17) ... 13
15. South Carolina  (84.52)   (NSCAA-13/458 ... SA-21 ... ST-15/179 ... TDS-13) ... 16

16. Virginia Tech  (83.54)   (NSCAA-16/297 ... SA-17 ... ST-17/131 ... TDS-14) ... 15
17. Rutgers  (79.64)   (NSCAA-17 ... SA-24 ... ST-20/74 ...  TDS-18) ... 23

18. Duke  (78.72)   (NSCAA-25/60 ... SA-22 ... ST-19/85 ... TDS-16) ... 30

19. Wisconsin  (78.32)   (NSCAA-20/163 ... SA-16 ... ST-26/33 ... TDS-22) ... 19

20. BYU  (77.69)   (NSCAA-19/192 ... SA-14 ... ST-16/145 ... TDS-38) ... 17

21. Oklahoma State  (77.55)   (NSCAA-21/152 ... SA-19 ... ST-24/45 ... TDS-23) ... 21
22. Memphis  (72.19)   (NSCAA-23/111 ... SA-18 ... ST-29/17 ... TDS-39) ... 22
23. San Diego  (71.32)   (NSCAA-22/15 ... SA-25 ... ST-23/48 ... TDS-42) ... 35

24. Marquette  (70.51)   (NSCAA-34/21 ... SA-23 ... ST-32/13 ... TDS-29) ... 26
25. Dayton  (69.04)   (NSCAA-28/41 ... SA-20 ... ST-40.5/3 ... TDS-36) ... 27
26. LSU  (68.04)   (NSCAA-27/43 ... ST-18/95 ... TDS-19) ... 25

27. California  (67.42)   (NSCAA-148/253... ST-25/36 ... TDS-24) ... 420

28. Oregon State  (66.25)   (NSCAA-30/31 ... ST-22/64 ... TDS-20) ... 28

29. Washington State  (65.98)   (NSCAA-24/76 ... ST-21/70 ... TDS-27) ... 24

30. USC  (65.39)   (NSCAA-26/45 ... ST-28/21 ... TDS-21) ... 18


31. West Virginia  (63.76)   (NSCAA-29/32 ... ST-27/27 ... TDS-26) ... 30
32. Washington  (61.30)   (NSCAA-36/7 ... ST-33.5/10 ... TDS-25) ... 37
33. Central Florida  (59.51)   (NSCAA-37.5/6 ... ST-33.5/10 ... TDS-31) ... 29
34. Texas (57.13)   (NSCAA-40.5/2 ... ST-30/16) ... 42
35. Milwaukee  (55.14)  (NSCAA-31/26 ... ST-42/1 ... TDS-47) ... –
36. Ohio State  (54.36)   (ST-35/8 ... TDS-28) ... 32
37. Michigan State (53.50)   (NSCAA-33/23 ... TDS-33) ... 38

38. Georgia  (52.51)   (NSCAA-37.5/6 ... ST-31/14) ... 34

39. Tennessee (52.29)   (ST-40.5/3 ... TDS-32) ... 44
40. Georgetown  (52.09)  (NSCAA-35/9 ... TDS-37) ... –

41. New Mexico  (50.37)  (NSCAA-42/1 ... ST-37.5/5) ... –
42. James Madison (49.08)   (ST-39/4 ... TDS-46) ... 44
43. Connecticut  (48.32)   (NSCAA-39/3 ... TDS-49) ... 39

44. Auburn  (46.69)   (NSCAA-32/24) ... 36

45. Villanova  (46.50)  (TDS-35) ... 45

46. Illinois (45.91)   (ST-36/7) ... 46

47. Minnesota  (45.62)  (ST-37.5/5) ... –

48. Purdue  (45.25)   (TDS-40) ... 33

49. Siena  (45.04)  (NSCAA-40.5/2) ... –
50. San Diego State  (44.50)  (TDS-43) ... –


Dropped out of top-50: #41 Miami and #42 St. John's   

___________


CNR UPDATE (8/19/10) – CS360's first edition of its exclusive Composite National Rankings (CNR) have been released for the 2010 season, which is set to open on Friday, Aug. 20. Heading into the season, only three ingredients are available to use in the CNR formula: the national polls from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Soccer America and Soccer Times (also a coaches poll but structured differently). 
 
CollegeSoccer360 introduced Composite National Rankings (CNR) in 2008 and brought this aggregate poll concept back throughout the 2009 seaspn. The preliminary 2010 formula currently includes the following criteria (each weighted equally):
• NSCAA coaches poll  (NSCAA)
• Soccer America rankings  (SA)
• Soccer Times coaches poll  (ST)
Other ingredients – such as conference and NCAA Tournament projections, RPI and other power rankings, and lateseason performance – will be factored into subsequent updates of the CNR.
The 2010 preseason CNR includes four teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (UNC-BC-FSU-Wake) and two each from the Pacific-10 (Stanford, UCLA) and West Coast Conference (Portland, Santa Clara) plus the BIG EAST's Notre Dame and the Big 12's Texas A&M.
Several teams have made big jumps from their previous CNR ranking (11/2/09; prior to the 2009 NCAAs). It will be interesting to see where these teams end up at the end of the season, with some looking to rediscover past glory while others are hoping to extend their programs' recent surges:
• Oklahoma State  (#49 to #21)
• California  (#45 to #20)
• Wisconsin  (#40 to #19)
• Texas A&M  (#25 to #8)
• Santa Clara  (#26 to #9)
• Virginia  (#24 to #12)
• Oregon State  (#37 to #28)
• Duke  (#39 to #30)
One other team to keep an eye on appears to be Memphis (#22 in the 2010 preseason CNR; was not ranked in the final 2009 CNR top-50).
On the flip side, some other teams may be taking a step or two back in 2010 (comparing 2010 preseason CNR to final 2009 CNR position):
• Ohio State  (#10 to #32)
• Central Florida  (#8 to #29)
• Washington State  (#13 to #24)
• St. John's  (#32 to #42)
• Washington  (#28 to #37)
• Georgia  (#27 to #34)
Several other teams that were listed in the final 2009 CNR have fallen out of the CNR as we head into the 2010 season – most notably Mississippi (#22 in the CNR prior to the 2009 NCAAs), Cal Poly (#30), Missouri (#34) and Charlotte (#35).
The CNR 2010 preseason top-45 includes the following breakdown of teams, sorted by conference:
• Nine from the ACC (UNC, BC, FSU, Wake, UVa, MD, VT, Duke, MIA)
• Seven from the Pac-10 (Stanford, UCLA, USC, Cal, WSU, OR-St, WA)
• Six from the BIG EAST (ND, RUT, MARQ, WVU, UConn SJU) 
• Six from the SEC (FL, SC, LSU, GA, AUB, TN)
• Six from the Big Ten (PSU, WIS OSU, PUR, MSU, ILL)
• Three from the WCC (PORT, SCU, USD)
• Three from the Big 12 (A&M, OK-St, Texas)
• Two from C-USA (MEM, UCF)
• One from the A-10 (DAY)
• One from the Mt-West (BYU)
• One from the Colonial (JMU)
Notes on CS360's Composite National Rankings formula (created by Pete LaFleur): The CNR closely resembles the composite national rankings on CS360's sister site, CollegeBaeball360.com. The preseason CNR consists of an average of  three polls/ratings (more factors to be added as season progresses). The CNR point totals ultimately are scaled to a convenient 100-point format.
In the raw formula, a #1-ranked team in any of the polls/ratings typically receives 60 points, the #2 team gets 59, etc. The Soccer America poll is the most basic in this regard, as it has a top-25 and no "also receiving votes" teams. When two or more teams are tied for one spot, they receive an equal share of the combined points for those spots. In the end, each team can receive a a maximum of 60 CNR points from each of the seven polls/ratings. That total then is divided by seven and 40 is added to yield the score on the handy 100-point scale.
One wrinkle within the CNR formula credits teams based on voting or rating "points" in certain polls (in addition to their spots on the list). By using this correction, teams that have virtually the same number of voting points then will receive nearly the same amount of credit in the CNR (conversely, teams that have a wider margin in votes or rating points will have a bigger cap in their credits within the CNR formula).

CS360 Composite National Rankings  (8/19/10)

1. North Carolina  (99.59)   (NSCAA-1 ... SA-2 ... ST-1/346 pts) ... #4 in final 2009 CNR (11/2/10)
2. Stanford  (99.29)   (NSCAA-2 ... SA-1 ... ST-2/339) ... 1
3. UCLA  (97.04)   (NSCAA-3 ... SA-5 ... ST-3/317) ... 3
4. Notre Dame  (96.66)   (NSCAA-4 ... SA-4 ... ST-4/306) ... 6
5. Portland  (96.31)   (NSCAA-5 ... SA-3 ... ST-5/296) ... 2
6. Boston College  (93.79)   (NSCAA-7 ... SA-6 ... ST-7/269) ... 7
7. Florida State  (93.35)   (NSCAA-6 ... SA-9 ... ST-6/272) ... 5
 8. Texas A&M  (91.49)   (NSCAA-20/252 ... ST-20/122) ... 25

9. Santa Clara  (90.00)   (NSCAA-9 ... SA-10 ... ST-10/222) ... 26

10. Wake Forest  (88.73)   (NSCAA-10 ... SA-15 ... ST-8/222) .... 11
11. Florida  (87.71)   (NSCAA-11 ... SA-13 ... ST-11/177) ... 9
12. Virginia  (87.27)   (NSCAA-17 ... SA-7 ... ST-12/163) ... 24
13. Penn State  (86.45)   (NSCAA-13 ... SA-11 ... ST-15/146) ... 16
 14. Maryland  (85.70)   (NSCAA-16 ... SA-12 ... ST-13/159) ... 15
 15. Virginia Tech  (83.37)   (NSCAA-15 ... SA-17 ... ST-16/133) ... 17
 16. South Carolina  (83.04)   (NSCAA-12 ... SA-23 ... ST-14/151) ... 18
 17. BYU  (81.62)   (NSCAA-22 ... SA-14 ... ST-17/129) ... 12
 18. USC  (79.64)   (NSCAA-19 ... SA-20 ... ST-19/86) ... 14

19. Wisconsin  (78.97)   (NSCAA-20 ... SA-16 ... ST-24/42) ... 40
 20. California  (78.51)   (NSCAA-14 ... SA-25 ... ST-23/62) ... 45


21. Oklahoma State  (75.90)   (NSCAA-22 ... SA-19 ... ST-29/21) ... 49
22. Memphis  (72.97)   (NSCAA-28 ... SA-18 ... ST-35/3) ... –
23. Rutgers  (72.51)   (NSCAA-18 ... ST-21/79) ... 21
24. Washington State  (72.23)   (NSCAA-21 ... ST-18/91) ... 13
 25. LSU  (70.04)   (NSCAA-26 ... ST-20/81) ... 19
26. Marquette  (70.00)   (NSCAA-30 ... SA-22) ... 20
27. Dayton  (69.90)   (NSCAA-36 ... SA-21 ... ST-32/8) ... 23
28. Oregon State  (69.05)   (NSCAA-27 ... ST-22/64) ... 37
 29. Central Florida  (68.72)   (NSCAA-25 ... ST-25/38) ... 8

30. West Virginia  (68.36)   (NSCAA-24 ... ST-27/23) ... 29

30. Duke  (68.36)   (SA-24 ... ST-27/23) ... 30
 32. Ohio State  (66.41)   (NSCAA-31 ... ST-26/30) ... 10
33. Purdue  (64.88)   (NSCAA-32 ... ST-31/11) ... 33
 34. Georgia  (64.55)   (NSCAA-34 ... ST-30/20) ... 27

35. San Diego  (64.00)   (NSCAA-29) ... 31

36. Auburn  (62.67)   (NSCAA-33) ... 50
37. Washington  (62.57)   (NSCAA-38 ... ST-32/8) ... 28
 38. Michigan State (62.00)   (NSCAA-35) ... –
39. Connecticut  (61.33)   (NSCAA-37) ... 43
40. Illinois (61.30)   (ST-34/7) ... –
41. Miami  (60.97)   (ST-35/3) ... 42
42. St. John's  (60.62)   (ST-37/2) ... 32
42. Texas (60.32)   (ST-37/2) ... –
44. James Madison (60.27)   (ST-39/1) ... –
44. Tennessee (60.27)   (ST-39/1) ... –


* * * * * * * *

(2009 entries listed below)

CNR UPDATE (11/3/09) – The latest CS360 Composite National Rankings (CNR) include six core criteria, with a new bonus/penalty factor added this week to take into account each team's recent performance (record over past eight games). This updated also includes the latest official NCAA RPI (Ratings Percentage Index). Note that this CNR update includes games through Nov. 1.

In the updated CNR, Florida State (now #4) and North Carolina (#5) swapped places, as did current #6 Notre Dame and #7 Boston College. Florida (#11 to #9) once again has cracked the top-10, while Ohio State (#13 to #10) finds itself in the CNR top-10 for the first time this season. Wake Forest (#9 to #11) and Maryland (#10 to #14) both dropped out of the CNR top-10.

Five teams in the CNR top-50 jumped eight or more spots from the previous week: 
• Virginia  (#43 to #24)
• West Virginia  (#47 to #29)
• Cal Poly  (#45 to #30)
• San Diego  (#40 to #31)
• San Diego State  (#44 to #36)
 
Conversely, four teams dropped eight-plus spots in the CNR:
• Georgetown  (#33 to #46)
• Miami (#31 to #42)
• California  (#36 to #45)
• Oregon State  (#29 to #37)

After some midseason struggles, Oklahoma State (#49) and Auburn (#50) have returned to the CNR top-50, while #48 Central Michigan is making its first appearance in the CNR this season. The three teams that fell out of the CNR: #37 Memphis, #48 Arizona State and #49 Minnesota.

CollegeSoccer360 introduced Composite National Rankings (CNR) in 2008 and has brought this aggregate poll concept back for 2009. The 2009 formula currently includes six core criteria (each weighted equally):

• NSCAA coaches poll  (NSCAA)
• Soccer America rankings  (SA)
• Soccer Times coaches poll  (ST)
• Top Drawer Soccer NCAA field projections  (TDS)
• Massey stat-based ratings  (MR)  
• Official NCAA RPI  (RPI) 

The CNR also now includes a bonus/penalty factor that quantifies each team's won-loss-tie record over the past eight games (which is a criteria used by the NCAA in its championships selection process). Teams can receive a bonus/penalty up to 2.0 points (in relation to having a .500 record on that span). Specificaly, teams that are 8-0-0 in their past eight get a +2.00 bonus (on the CNR 100-point scale), teams 7-1-0 get a +1.50 bonus, teams that are 3-5-0 get a -.50 penalty, etc.

Preseason conference polls also were used during recent weeks (in some instances) for the CNR formula, which also may include some additional NCAA selection criteria next week.

The current CNR top-10 now includes three teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (UNC-FSU-BC) and two from the Pacific-10 (Stanford, UCLA), plus the West Coast Conference's Portland, the BIG EAST's Notre Dame, Conference USA's Central Florida, the Southeastern's Florida and Ohio State from the Big Ten. Projecting out hypothetical #1 seeds for the NCAAs (16 total teams) based on the current CNR, there would be five from the ACC (also Wake-MD), four Pac-10 (also USC-WSU), and two from the SEC (also South Carolina), plus the BIG EAST's Notre Dame, the Big Ten's Ohio State, CUSA's UCF, the WCC's Portland, and BYU from the Mountain West. 

The current CNR top-50 – which could be viewed as an aggregate NCAA Tournament field projection (along with adding 14 automatic qualifiers from second-tier conferences) – includes the following breakdown of teams, sorted by conference (note that future factors, such as overall and conference record, could eliminate some of these teams from consideration for the NCAAs):


• Nine from the ACC  (UNC, FSU, BC, WFU, MD, VT, VA, Duke, MIA)
• Eight from the Pac-10  (Stanford, UCLA, USC, WSU, WA, Cal, OR-St, ORE)
• Eight from the BIG EAST  (ND, RUT, G'town, MARQ, UConn SJU, WVU, VILL) 
• Six from the SEC  (SC, FL, LSU, GA, MS, AUB)
• Five from the Big Ten  (OSU, PUR, PSU, IND, WIS)
• Three from the WCC  (PORT, SCU, USD)
• Three from the Big 12  (A&M, MO, OK-St)
• Two from C-USA (UCF, CC)
• Two from the A-10  (DAY, CHAR)
• Two from the Mt-West  (BYU, SD-St)
• One from the Big West  (Cal Poly)
• One from the Mid-American  (Cent.-Mich.)

Notes on CS360's updated Composite National Rankings formula (created by Pete LaFleur): The CNR now closely resembles the composite national rankings on CS360's sister site, CollegeBaeball360.com. The CNR currently consists of an average of seven polls/ratings (plus potential inclusion on bonus points based on preseason conference polls; see below). The CNR point totals ultimately are scaled to a convenient 100-point format.

In the raw formula, a #1-ranked team in any of the seven polls/ratings typically receives 60 points, the #2 team gets 59, etc. The Soccer America poll is the most basic in this regard, as it has a top-25 and no "also receiving votes" teams. When two or more teams are tied for one spot, they receive an equal share of the combined points for those spots. Within the CNR formula, teams in the Top Drawer Soccer projection for the NCAA Tournament receive points if they are among the TDS #1-#50 spots (as spots 51-64 typically are projected automatic qualifiers that likely would not earn at-large bids). The same cutoff (#1-#50) is used for the Albyn Jones and Massey ratings (plus the RPI). In the end, each team can receive a a maximum of 60 CNR points from each of the seven polls/ratings. That total then is divided by seven and 40 is added to yield the score on the handy 100-point scale.

The CNR also recently included a "bonus boost" that involved factoring in conference polls. If team-A was projected to finish higher in its conference than team-B, and of team-B is higher than team-A in the CNR, it's possible that team-A could "bump" one spot ahead of team-B. In order for the bonus-boost to be factored into the CNR, team-A must be within a certain range of team-B in the CNR (2.0 pts for a 1-spot differnce in the conference poll; 3.5 pts for 2-spot diff.; 4.5 pts for 3-spot; 5.0 pts for 4-spot). The conference-poll ingredient now has been phased out, but it helped reward top teams that played a tough non-conference schedule.

As noted in earlier weeks, one final wrinkle within the CNR formula credits teams based on voting or rating "points" in certain polls (in addition to their spots on the list). By using this correction, teams that have virtually the same number of voting points then will receive nearly the same amount of credit in the CNR (conversely, teams that have a wider margin in votes or rating points will have a bigger cap in their credits within the CNR formula).

CS360 Composite National Rankings  (11/2/09)

1. Stanford  (99.99)   (NSCAA-1/825 ... SA-1 ... ST-1/400 ... TDS-1 ... RPI-1 ... MR-1/2.531 ... L8: 8-0-0)
2. Portland  (97.90)   (NSCAA-2/791 ... SA-2 ... ST-2/384 ... TDS-2 ... RPI-3 ... MR-2/2.246 ... L8: 8-0-0)
3. UCLA  (95.28)   (NSCAA-3/752 ... SA-5 ... ST-3/363 ... TDS-4 ... RPI-5 ... MR-3/2.099 ... L8: 7-1-0)
4. North Carolina  (94.27)   (NSCAA-5/690 ... SA-4 ... ST-4/337 ... TDS-3 ... RPI-2 ... MR-4/2.024 ... L8:5-3-0)
5. Florida State  (93.30)   (NSCAA-6/660 ... SA-3 ... ST-5/332 ... TDS-6 ... RPI-4 ... MR-6/1.977 ... L8: 5-2-1)
6. Notre Dame  (92.99)   (NSCAA-4/699 ... SA-7 ... ST-7/313 ... TDS-5 ... RPI-6 ... MR-7/1.905 ... L8: 7-0-1)
7. Boston Coll.  (92.62)   (NSCAA-7/633 ... SA-6 ... ST-6/328 ... TDS-7 ... RPI-7 ... MR-5/2.008 ... L8: 6-1-1)
8. Central FL  (89.08)   (NSCAA-9/553 ... SA-9 ... ST-12/222 ... TDS-9 ... RPI-8 ... MR-12/1.729 ... L8: 8-0-0)
9. Florida  (88.19)   (NSCAA-8/557 ... SA-12 ... ST-10/243 ... TDS-10 ... RPI-9 ... MR-10/1.806 ... L8: 6-1-1)
10. OhioSt  (87.24)   (NSCAA-11/471 ... SA-11 ... ST-11/235 ... TDS-12 ... RPI-12 ... MR-9/1.823 ... L8: 6-1-1)


11. Wake Forest  (86.30)   (NSCAA-10/479...SA-15...ST-8/258...TDS-1...RPI-11 ... MR-11/1.789 ... L8: 5-2-1)
12. BYU  (84.77)   (NSCAA-17/285 ... SA-8 ... ST-9/252 ... TDS-8 ... RPI-28 ... MR-19/1.676 ... L8: 7-0-1)
13. Wash. St  (83.82)   (NSCAA-18/269 ... SA-17 ... ST-13/164 ... TDS-17 ... RPI-13...MR-8/1.885...L8:6-1-1)
14. USC  (81.35)   (NSCAA-21/239 ... SA-20 ... ST-19/128 ... TDS-16 ... RPI-15 ... MR-13/1.721 ... L8: 5-3-0)
15. Maryland  (81.81)   (NSCAA-16/305 ... SA-13 ... ST-17/138...TDS-21...RPI-20 ...MR-15/1.704...L8: 4-2-2)
16. Penn St  (79.30)   (NSCAA-22/177 ... SA-22 ... ST-25/47 ... TDS-25 ... RPI-10 ...MR-14/1.709...L8: 7-0-1)
17. Va Tech  (79.27)   (NSCAA-19/254 ... SA-14 ... ST-18/133 ... TDS-23 ...RPI-16...MR-21/1.663...L8: 4-4-0)
18. SoCarolina  (79.97)   (NSCAA-15/314...SA-19...ST-14.5/146...TDS-28...RPI-17...MR-16/1.697...L8: 4-3-1)
19. La. St  (78.70)   (NSCAA-13/365 ... SA-16 ... ST-16/142 ... TDS-26 ... RPI-22 ... MR-22/1.660 ... L8: 5-2-1)
20. Marquette  (77.69)   (NSCAA-27/36 ... SA-10 ... ST-23/61 ... TDS-24 ... RPI-27...MR-23/1.639...L8: 7-0-1)


21. Rutgers  (79.44)   (NSCAA-12/406 ... SA-23 ... ST-14.5/146...TDS-14...RPI-35...MR-25/1.607...L8: 4-2-2)
22. Mississippi  (74.52)   (NSCAA-28/28 ... SA-21 ... ST-26/19 ... TDS-22...RPI-24...MR-29/1.570...L8: 5-1-2)
23. Dayton  (73.78)   (NSCAA-24/63 ... SA-18 ... ST-24/54 ... TDS-15 ... RPI-40 ... MR-37/1.492 ... L8: 7-0-1)
24. Virginia  (66.77)   (NSCAA-32/16 ... SA-25 ... ST-37/2 ... TDS-11 ... RPI-30 ... MR-18/1.678 ... L8: 3-3-2)
25. Texas A&M  (71.97)   (NSCAA-20/252 ... ST-20/122 ... TDS-39 ... RPI-25 ... MR-26/1.582 ... L8: 5-2-1)
26. Santa Clara  (75.75)   (NSCAA-14/352 ... ST-21/80 ... RPI-14 ... MR-20/1.672 ... L8: 4-3-1)
27. Georgia  (69.45)   (NSCAA-25/49 ... ST-22/69 ... TDS-27 ... RPI-18 ... MR-28/1.577 ... L8: 6-2-0)
28. Washington  (69.16)   (NSCAA-34/6 ... ST-27/18 ... TDS-19 ... RPI-23 ... MR-17/1.681 ... L: 4-2-2)
29. West Virginia  (59.94)   (NSCAA-36.5/2 ... SA-24 ... TDS-42 ... RPI-21 ... MR-27/1.577 ... L8: 5-1-2)
30. Cal Poly  (63.53)   (NSCAA-33/7 ... TDS-38 ... MR-42/1.472 ... L8: 7-0-1)


31. San Diego  (62.48)   (NSCAA-29.5/31.5 ... ST-30/9 ... TDS-32 ... RPI-43 ... MR-34/1.522 ... L8: 6-1-1)
32. St. John's  (62.45)   (NSCAA-29.5/31.5 ... ST-29/12 ... TDS-35 ... RPI-34 ... MR-33/1.530 ... L8: 4-4-0)
33. Purdue  (62.09)   (NSCAA-23/76 ... ST-32/6 ... TDS-30 ... RPI-39 ... MR-41/1.474 ... L8: 4-3-1)
34. Missouri  (68.58)   (NCASS-35/5 ... ST-28/13 ... TDS-29 ... RPI-46 .. MR-38/1.486 ... L8: 6-1-1)
35. Charlotte  (61.22)   (NSCAA-26/41 ... ST-37/2 ... TDS-20 ... MR-35/1.500 ... L8: 6-0-2)
36. San Diego State  (60.92)   (ST-34/4 ... RPI-41 ... MR-32/1.533 ... L8: 6-0-2)
37. Oregon State  (64.06)   (ST-32/6 ... TDS-37 ... RPI-19 ... MR-24/1.639 ... L8: 4-4-0)
38. Indiana  (54.93)   (NSCAA-31/30 ... ST-35/3 ... RPI-36 ... MR-48/1.420 ... L8: 2-4-2)
39. Duke  (52.74)   (NSCAA-36.5/2 ... RPI-38 ... MR-31/1.545 ... L8: 4-3-1)
40. Wisconsin  (51.21)   (TDS-34 ... RPI-31 ... MR-40/1.480 ... L8: 4-1-3)


41. Colorado College   (50.78)   (TDS-33 ... RPI-32 ... MR-44/1.453 ... L8: 5-2-1)

42. Miami  (50.08)   (RPI-45 ... L8: 2-5-1)
43. Connecticut  (49.35)   (TDS-45 ... RPI-26 ... MR-36/1.496 ... L8: 2-4-2)
44. Oregon  (48.83)   (RPI-48 ... L8: 1-7-0)
45. California  (47.38)   (RPI-29 ... MR-30/1.551 ... L8: 4-4-0)
46. Georgetown  (46.91)   (ST-37/2 ... TDS-44 ... MR-46/1.421 ... L8: 4-4-0)
47. Villanova  (46.71)   (TDS-43 ... RPI-44 ... MR-43/1.457 ... L8: 3-2-3)
48. Central Michigan  (45.62)   (ST-32/6 ... TDS-50 ... L8: 6-0-2)
49. Oklahoma State  (45.33)   (TDS-31 ... MR-50/1.398 ... L8: 5-3-0)
50. Auburn  (45.02)   (RPI-33 ... MR-45/1.428 ... L8: 4-4-0)


* * * * * * * 

CNR UPDATE (10/28/09) – The latest CS360 Composite National Rankings (CNR) include only six core criteria, as the Albyn Jones Ratings have been dropped because they have not been updated since Oct. 4 (reportedly due to lack of updated data from the NSCAA).

North Carolina's pair of losses last week have dropped UNC from #2 to #5, with Portland (now #2), UCLA (#3) and Florida (#4) each moving up one spot (#Wake Forest dropped a spot, to #9). Central Florida (#8) and Maryland (#10) have cracked the CNR top-10 for the first time this season, filling the spots vacated by the two USCs: South Carolina (#9 to #12) and Southern California (#10 to #14).

Seven teams in the CNR top-50 jumped seven or more spots from the previous week: 
• Penn State  (#33 to #21)
• Oregon State  (#39 to #29)
• Wisconsin  (#49 to #39)
• San Diego  (#48 to #40)
• Duke  (#50 to #42)
• Marquette  (#29 to #22)
• Missouri  (#35 to #28)

Conversely, seven teams dropped six-plus spots in the CNR:
• Arizona State  (#31 to #48)
• Minnesota  (#37 to #49)
• California  (#25 to #36)
• Oregon  (#42 to #50)   
• Georgia  (#18 to #25)
• Purdue  (#24 to #30)
• Georgetown  (#27 to #33)

Miami (all the way to #33) has returned to the CNR top-50, while #44 San Diego State and #45 Cal Poly are making their first appearance in the CNR this season. The three teams that fell out of the CNR: #43 Colorado, #44 Michigan State and #46 Illinois.

CollegeSoccer360 introduced Composite National Rankings (CNR) in 2008 and has brought this aggregate poll concept back for 2009. The 2009 formula currently includes six core criteria (each weighted equally):

• NSCAA coaches poll  (NSCAA)
• Soccer America rankings  (SA)
• Soccer Times coaches poll  (ST)
• Top Drawer Soccer NCAA field projections  (TDS)
• Massey stat-based ratings  (MR)  
• Official NCAA RPI  (RPI) 

Preseason conference polls also were used during the past few weeks (in some instances) for the CNR formula, which also may include some additional NCAA selection criteria later in the season.

The current CNR top-10 now includes five teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (UNC-FSU-BC-Wake-MD) and two from the Pacific-10 (Stanford, UCLA), plus the West Coast Conference's Portland, the BIG EAST's Notre Dame and Conference USA's Central Florida. Projecting out hypothetical #1 seeds for the NCAAs (16 total teams) based on the current CNR, there would be five from the ACC, three Pac-10 (also USC), and two from both the BIG EAST (also Rutgers) and SEC (also Florida), plus CUSA's UCF, the WCC's Portland, the Big Ten's Ohio State, and BYU out of the Mountain West. 

The current CNR top-50 – which could be viewed as an aggregate NCAA Tournament field projection (along with adding 14 automatic qualifiers from second-tier conferences) – includes the following breakdown of teams, sorted by conference (note that future factors, such as overall and conference record, could eliminate some of these teams from consideration for the NCAAs):

• Nine from the Pac-10  (Stanford, UCLA, USC, WSU, WA, Cal, ASU, OR-St, ORE)
• Nine from the ACC  (UNC, FSU, BC, WFU, MD, VT, VA, Duke, MIA)
• Eight from the BIG EAST  (ND, RUT, G'town, MARQ, UConn SJU, WVU, VILL) 
• Six from the Big Ten  (OSU, PUR, PSU, IND, MN, WIS)
• Five from the SEC  (SC, FL, LSU, GA, MS)
• Three from the WCC  (PORT, SCU, USD)
• Three from C-USA (UCF, MEM, CC)
• Two from the Big 12  (A&M, MO)
• Two from the A-10  (DAY, CHAR)
• Two from the Mt-West  (BYU, SD-St)
• One from the Big West  (Cal Poly)

Notes on CS360's updated Composite National Rankings formula (created by Pete LaFleur): The CNR now closely resembles the composite national rankings on CS360's sister site, CollegeBaeball360.com. The CNR currently consists of an average of seven polls/ratings (plus potential inclusion on bonus points based on preseason conference polls; see below). The CNR point totals ultimately are scaled to a convenient 100-point format.

In the raw formula, a #1-ranked team in any of the seven polls/ratings typically receives 60 points, the #2 team gets 59, etc. The Soccer America poll is the most basic in this regard, as it has a top-25 and no "also receiving votes" teams. When two or more teams are tied for one spot, they receive an equal share of the combined points for those spots. Within the CNR formula, teams in the Top Drawer Soccer projection for the NCAA Tournament receive points if they are among the TDS #1-#50 spots (as spots 51-64 typically are projected automatic qualifiers that likely would not earn at-large bids). The same cutoff (#1-#50) is used for the Albyn Jones and Massey ratings (plus the RPI). In the end, each team can receive a a maximum of 60 CNR points from each of the seven polls/ratings. That total then is divided by seven and 40 is added to yield the score on the handy 100-point scale.

The CNR also recently included a "bonus boost" that involved factoring in conference polls. If team-A was projected to finish higher in its conference than team-B, and of team-B is higher than team-A in the CNR, it's possible that team-A could "bump" one spot ahead of team-B. In order for the bonus-boost to be factored into the CNR, team-A must be within a certain range of team-B in the CNR (2.0 pts for a 1-spot differnce in the conference poll; 3.5 pts for 2-spot diff.; 4.5 pts for 3-spot; 5.0 pts for 4-spot). The conference-poll ingredient now has been phased out, but it helped reward top teams that played a tough non-conference schedule.

As noted in earlier weeks, one final wrinkle within the CNR formula credits teams based on voting or rating "points" in certain polls (in addition to their spots on the list). By using this correction, teams that have virtually the same number of voting points then will receive nearly the same amount of credit in the CNR (conversely, teams that have a wider margin in votes or rating points will have a bigger cap in their credits within the CNR formula).

CS360 Composite National Rankings  (10/28/09)

1. Stanford  (99.98)   (NSCAA-1/800 ... SA-1 ... ST-1/400 ... TDS-1 ... RPI-1 ... MR-1/2.512)
2. Portland  (97.65)   (NSCAA-2/765 ... SA-2 ... ST-2/384 ... TDS-2 ... RPI-3 ... MR-2/2.197)

3. UCLA  (95.23)   (NSCAA-3/716 ... SA-5 ... ST-3/362 ... TDS-4 ... RPI-6 ... MR-3/2.068)
4. Florida State  (95.06)   (NSCAA-4/687 ... SA-3 ... ST-4/343 ... TDS-3 ... RPI-5 ... MR-4/1.979)
5. North Carolina  (94.10)   (NSCAA-6/632 ... SA-4 ... ST-5/319 ... TDS-6 ... RPI-2 ... MR-5/1.962)

6. Boston College  (92.05)   (NSCAA-7/585 ... SA-6 ... ST-6/312 ... TDS-7 ... RPI-8 ... MR-6/1.943)
 7. Notre Dame  (91.90)   (NSCAA-5/665 ... SA-7 ... ST-7/309 ... TDS-5 ... RPI-10 ... MR-7/1.871)

8. Central FL  (88.71)   (NSCAA-8/510 ... SA-10 ... ST-10/220 ... TDS-9 ... RPI-4 ... MR-15/1.715)

9. Wake Forest  (86.96)   (NSCAA-11/474 ... SA-17 ... ST-8/255 ... TDS-11 ... RPI-7 ... MR-13/1.726)
10. Maryland  (86.60)   (NSCAA-12/457 ... SA-8 ... ST-11.5/211 ... TDS-17 ... RPI-11 ... MR-9/1.795)

11. Florida  (85.24)   (NSCAA-10/493 ... SA-14 ... ST-13/203 ... TDS-13 ... RPI-16 ... MR-11/1.756)
12. So Carolina  (84.36)   (NSCAA-13/399 ... SA-15 ... ST-14/199 ... TDS-16 ... RPI-12 ... MR-12/1.736)
13. Ohio State  (83.60)   (NSCAA-15/346 ... SA-13 ... ST-15/183 ... TDS-15 ... RPI-18 ... MR-10/1.776)
14. USC  (82.97)   (NSCAA-18/1263 ... SA-18 ... ST-16/172 ... TDS-10 ... RPI-14 ... MR-14/1.717)
15. Rutgers  (82.90)   (NSCAA-9/506 ... SA-11 ... ST-11.5/211 ... TDS-12 ... RPI-29 ... MR-20/1.644)
16. BYU  (82.83)   (NSCAA-19/230 ... SA-9 ... ST-9/221 ... TDS-8 ... RPI-27 ... MR-18/1.656)
17. Va Tech  (79.73)   (NSCAA-17/268 ... SA-16 ... ST-17/158 ... TDS-26 ... RPI-15 ... MR-19/1.653)
18. Washington St  (78.84)   (NSCAA-21/165 ... SA-21 ... ST-19/123 ... TDS-21 ... RPI-22 ... MR-8/1.796)
19. La. St  (78.27)   (NSCAA-16/270 ... SA-19 ... ST-18/125 ... TDS-22 ... RPI-21 ... MR-22/1.618)
20. Santa Clara  (77.57)   (NSCAA-14/354 ... SA-24 ... ST-20/114 ... RPI-13 ... MR-16/1.678)


21. Penn State  (72.93)   (NSCAA-25/53 ... SA-25.5 ... ST-27/19 ... TDS-31 ... RPI-17 ... MR-24/1.590)

22. Marquette  (72.55)   (NSCAA-29/23 ... SA-12 ... ST-23/46 ... TDS-29 ... RPI-36 ... MR-23/1.597)

23. Mississippi  (71.74)   (NSCAA-30/13 ... SA-23 ... ST-32.5/7 ... TDS-28 ... RPI-20 ... MR-28/1.548)
24. Texas A&M  (70.48)   (NSCAA-20/207 ... ST-21/75 ... TDS-14 ... RPI-23 ... MR-26/1.552)
25. Georgia  (70.01)   (NSCAA-26/49 ... ST-22/72 ... TDS-23 ... RPI-9 ... MR-27/1.549)
26. Dayton  (69.65)   (NSCAA-28/26 ... SA-22 ... ST-24/33 ... TDS-18 ... RPI-41 ... MR-43/1.468)
27. Washington  (67.27)   (NSCAA-27/26 ... ST-26/25 ... TDS-20 ... RPI-31 ... MR-17/1.675)
28. Missouri  (66.12)   (NCASS-33.5/5 ... SA-20 ... ST-25/28 ... TDS-25 ... MR-30/1.527)

29. Oregon State  (65.83)   (SA 25.5 ... ST-32.5/7 ... TDS-33 ... RPI-26 ... MR-21/1.630)
30. Purdue  (64.68)   (NSCAA-22/130 ... ST-28.5/17 ... TDS-30 ... RPI-28 ... MR-33/1.503)


31. Miami  (63.26)   (NSCAA-37.5/1 ... ST-38/1 ... MR-45/1.443)
32. Charlotte  (62.95)   (NSCAA-24/86 ... ST-28.5/17 ... TDS-19 ... RPI-50 ... MR-29/1.531)
33. Georgetown  (60.70)   (NSCAA-37.5/1 ... ST-32.5/7 ... TDS-24 ... RPI-38 ... MR-44/1.448)
34. Indiana  (58.28)   (NSCAA-23/99 ... ST-32.5/7 ... RPI-30 ... MR-36/1.492)
35. St. John's  (56.90)   (NSCAA-33.5/5 ... ST-30/9 ... TDS-44 ... RPI-48 ... MR-38/1.485)
36. California  (53.58)   (ST-36/2 ... RPI-24 ... MR-35/1.493)
37. Memphis  (53.18)   (NSCAA-31/12 ... TDS-36 ... RPI-46 ... MR-49/1.443)  
38. Connecticut  (52.41)   (TDS-45 ... RPI-19 ... MR-42/1.470)
39. Wisconsin  (52.19)   (TDS-34 ... RPI-32 ... MR-41/1.478)
40. San Diego  (50.80)   (NSCAA-32/7 ... TDS-40 ... MR-40/1.479)


41. Villanova  (50.38)   (TDS-38 ... RPI-40 ... MR-39/1.484)
42. Duke  (50.18)   (NSCAA-36/2 ... RPI-45 ... MR-34/1.499)
43. Virginia  (50.15)   (TDS-27 ... AJ-37/1695 ... MR-25/1.558)
44. San Diego State  (50.13)   (ST-36/2 ... MR-31/1.508)
45. Cal Poly  (49.59)   (NSCAA-35/4 ... TDS-41 ... MR-47/1.427)
46. Colorado College   (49.33)   (TDS-42 ... RPI-35 ... MR-50/1.403)
47. West Virginia  (48.38)   (RPI-33 ... MR-32/1.506)
48. Arizona State  (48.26)   (RPI-25 ... MR-46/1.429)
49. Minnesota  (47.24)   (RPI-37 ... MR-37/1.492)
50. Oregon  (46.58)   (RPI-34 ... MR-48/1.425)


* * * * * * * 

CNR UPDATE (10/21/09) – The latest CS360 Composite National Rankings include brand-new official NCAA RPI, along with the six other core criteria  (see below). All of the criteria have been updated, aside for the Albyn Jones Ratings (last update-Oct. 4, due to data not being provided to AJ by the NSCAA on a regular basis). 

For the first time all season, the CNR top-10 includes the same 10 teams from the previous week – with the #1-#5 teams maintaining their same spots (along with #10 USC). South Carolina dropped from #6 to #9, with three other teams bumping up a spot (new #6 BC, #7 Notre Dame and #8 Wake Forest).

Six teams in the CNR top-50 jumped seven or more spots from the previous week: 
• Georgetown  (#41 to #27)
• Washington State  (#30 to #20)
• Marquette  (#38 to #29)
• Missouri  (#47 to #35)
• Dayton  (#36 to  #28)
• Mississippi  (#29 to #22)

Conversely, seven teams dropped seven-plus spots in the CNR:
• Michigan State  (#23 to #44)
• San Diego  (#32 to #48)
• St. John's  (#22 to #32)
• Minnesota  (#27 to #37)    
• Texas A&M  (#13 to #21)
• West Virginia  (#37 to #45)      
• Connecticut  (#26 to #34)

Colorado College (#47) and Duke (#50) have returned to the CNR top-50, while #49 Wisconsin is making its first appearance in the CNR this season. The three teams that fell out of the CNR: #45 Kansas, #49. Miami  and 50. Loyola Marymount.

CollegeSoccer360 introduced Composite National Rankings (CNR) in 2008 and has brought this aggregate poll concept back for 2009. The 2009 formula now has been expanded to include seven different core criteria (each weighted equally):

• NSCAA coaches poll  (NSCAA)
• Soccer America rankings  (SA)
• Soccer Times coaches poll  (ST)
• Top Drawer Soccer NCAA field projections  (TDS)
• Albyn Jones stat-based ratings  (AJ)  
• Massey stat-based ratings  (MR)  
• Official NCAA RPI  (RPI) 

Preseason conference polls also were used during the past few weeks (in some instances) for the CNR formula, which also may include some additional NCAA selection criteria later in the season.

The current CNR top-10 again includes four teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (UNC-FSU-BC-Wake) and three from the Pacific-10 (Stanford, UCLA, USC), plus the Southeastern Conference South Carolina, the West Coast Conference's Portland and the BIG EAST's Notre Dame. Projecting out hypothetical #1 seeds for the NCAAs (16 total teams) based on the current CNR, there would be six from the ACC (also VT, MD), three Pac-10, and two from both the BIG EAST (ND and Rutgers) and SEC (also FL), plus Conference USA's Central Florida, the WCC's Portland, and BYU out of the Mountain West. 

The current CNR top-50 – which could be viewed as an aggregate NCAA Tournament field projection (along with adding 14 automatic qualifiers from second-tier conferences) – includes the following breakdown of teams, sorted by conference (note that future factors, such as overall and conference record, could eliminate some of these teams from consideration for the NCAAs):

• Nine from the Pac-10  (Stanford, UCLA, USC, WSU, WA, Cal, ASU, OR-St, ORE)
• Eight from the ACC  (UNC, FSU, BC, WFU, MD, VT, VA, Duke)
• Eight from the BIG EAST  (ND, RUT, G'town, MARQ, UConn SJU, WVU, VILL) 
• Eight from the Big Ten  (OSU, PUR, PSU, IND, MN, MSU, ILL, WIS)
• Five from the SEC  (SC, FL, LSU, GA, MS)
• Three from the WCC  (PORT, SCU, USD)
• Three from the Big 12  (A&M, MO, CU)
• Three from C-USA (UCF, MEM, CC)
• Two from the A-10  (DAY, CHAR)
• One from the Mt-West  (BYU)

Notes on CS360's updated Composite National Rankings formula (created by Pete LaFleur): The CNR now closely resembles the composite national rankings on CS360's sister site, CollegeBaeball360.com. The CNR currently consists of an average of seven polls/ratings (plus potential inclusion on bonus points based on preseason conference polls; see below). The CNR point totals ultimately are scaled to a convenient 100-point format.

In the raw formula, a #1-ranked team in any of the seven polls/ratings typically receives 60 points, the #2 team gets 59, etc. The Soccer America poll is the most basic in this regard, as it has a top-25 and no "also receiving votes" teams. When two or more teams are tied for one spot, they receive an equal share of the combined points for those spots. Within the CNR formula, teams in the Top Drawer Soccer projection for the NCAA Tournament receive points if they are among the TDS #1-#50 spots (as spots 51-64 typically are projected automatic qualifiers that likely would not earn at-large bids). The same cutoff (#1-#50) is used for the Albyn Jones and Massey ratings (plus the RPI). In the end, each team can receive a a maximum of 60 CNR points from each of the seven polls/ratings. That total then is divided by seven and 40 is added to yield the score on the handy 100-point scale.

The CNR also recently included a "bonus boost" that  involved factoring in conference polls. If team-A was projected to finish higher in its conference than team-B, and of team-B is higher than team-A in the CNR, it's possible that team-A could "bump" one spot ahead of team-B. In order for the bonus-boost to be factored into the CNR, team-A must be within a certain range of team-B in the CNR (2.0 pts for a 1-spot differnce in the conference poll; 3.5 pts for 2-spot diff.; 4.5 pts for 3-spot; 5.0 pts for 4-spot). The conference-poll ingredient now has been phased out, but it helped reward top teams that played a tough non-conference schedule.

As noted in earlier weeks, one final wrinkle within the CNR formula credits teams based on voting or rating "points" in certain polls (in addition to their spots on the list). By using this correction, teams that have virtually the same number of voting points then will receive nearly the same amount of credit in the CNR (conversely, teams that have a wider margin in votes or rating points will have a bigger cap in their credits within the CNR formula).

CS360 Composite National Rankings  (10/21/09)

1. Stanford (99.98)  (NSCAA-1/825..SA-1..ST-1/400..TDS-1..RPI-1..AJ-1/2204..MR-1/2.455)
2. North Carolina (96.97)  (NSCAA-2/789..SA-3..ST-2/377..TDS-3..RPI-2..AJ-2/2119..MR-3/2.108)
3. Portland (96.79)  (NSCAA-3/755..SA-2..ST-3/373..TDS-2..RPI-3..AJ-3/2084..MR-2/2.159)
4. UCLA (94.30)  (NSCAA-4/702..SA-4..ST-4/346..TDS-5..RPI-6..AJ-4/2067..MR-4/1.996)
5. Florida State (92.54)  (NSCAA-7/610..SA-5..ST-7/302..TDS-4..RPI-5..AJ-5/1995..MR-5/1.908)
6. Boston College (90.32)  (NSCAA-8/552..SA-6..ST-6/303..TDS-8..RPI-8..AJ-7/1885..MR-6/1.906)
7. Notre Dame (90.22)  (NSCAA-6/664..SA-7..ST-8/288..TDS-6..RPI-10..AJ-6/1925..MR-8/1.796)
8. Wake Forest (89.24)  (NSCAA-5/676..SA-12..ST-5/329..TDS-7..RPI-7..AJ-14/1795..MR-7/1.840)
9. So Carolina (86.64)  (NSCAA-10/502..SA-10..ST-9/274..TDS-12..RPI-12..AJ-10/21823..MR-9/1.774)
10. USC (85.46)  (NSCAA-14/356..SA-9..ST-11/203..TDS-9..RPI-14..AJ-8/1842..MR-12/1.732)

11. Central FL (84.36)  (NSCAA-11/478..SA-14..ST-16/153..TDS-11..RPI-4..AJ-19/1773..MR-13/1.707)

12. Maryland (81.42)  (NSCAA-13/447..SA-8..ST-14.5/153..TDS-22..RPI-11..AJ-33/1716..MR-11/1.740)
13. Va Tech (81.21)  (NSCAA-15/302..SA-13..ST-13/195..TDS-26..RPI-15..AJ-9/1842..MR-16/1.636)
14. BYU (80.87)  (NSCAA-21/181..SA-11..ST-12/199..TDS-10..RPI-27..AJ-11/1813..MR-18/1.622)
15. Rutgers (80.63)  (NSCAA-9/536..SA-15..ST-10/211..TDS-13..RPI-29...AJ-22/1748..MR-17/1.631)
16. Florida (80.23)  (NSCAA-12/460..SA-20..ST-17/149..TDS-18..RPI-16..AJ-20/1764..MR-14/1.664)
17. La. St (79.90)  (NSCAA-17/288..SA-16..ST-14.5/153..TDS-16..RPI-21..AJ-12/1809..MR-21/1.611)
18. Georgia (78.09)  (NSCAA-22/133..SA-24..ST-19/122..TDS-19..RPI-9..AJ-15/1791..MR-23/1.576)
19. Ohio State (78.06)  (NSCAA-19/244..SA-19..ST-18/135..TDS-20..RPI-18..AJ-23/1744..MR-15/1.658)
20. Washington St (77.42)  (NSCAA-23/101..SA-21..ST-20/109..TDS-21..RPI-22..AJ-16/1785..MR-10/1.746)


21. Texas A&M (70.97)  (NSCAA-20/224..ST-21/96..TDS-17..RPI-23..AJ-13/1796..MR-26/1.526)
22. Mississippi (69.71)  (NSCAA-28/40..SA-17..ST-25.5/30..TDS-27..RPI-20..MR-22/1.598)
23. Washington (60.07)  (NSCAA-32.5/5..ST-27/26..TDS-15..RPI-31..AJ-17/1785..MR-19/1.616)
24. Purdue (66.46)  (NSCAA-18/263..ST-24/37..TDS-28..RPI-28..AJ-27/1738..MR-31/1.492)
25. California (66.32)  (NSCAA-27/54..ST-23/40..TDS-25..RPI-24..AJ-30/1730..MR-28/1.515)
26. Santa Clara (65.75)  (NSCAA-16/296..ST-22/87..RPI-13..AJ-28/1737..MR-20/1.615)
27. Georgetown (65.39)  (NSCAA-26/56..SA-22..ST-28.5/7..TDS-14..RPI-38...AJ-48/1680..MR-30/1.498)
28. Dayton (63.30)  (NSCAA-31/8..SA-25..ST-28/17..TDS-23..RPI-41..MR-45/1.411)
29. Marquette (61.59)  (NSCAA-34/2..SA-18..ST-34/5..TDS-33..RPI-36..AJ-40/1682..MR-29/1.515)
30. Charlotte (61.46)  (NSCAA-25/58..ST-38.5/7..TDS-24..RPI-50...AJ-31/1720..MR-32/1.483)

31. Arizona State (59.99)  (NSCAA-29/18..ST-30/9..RPI-25..AJ-25/1739..MR-33/1.477)

32. Penn State (58.30)  (NSCAA-35/1..ST-29/10..TDS-38..RPI-17..AJ-36/1697..MR-24/1.553)
33. Connecticut (57.68)  (TDS-32..RPI-19..AJ-26/1739..MR-27/1.521)
34. Missouri (56.88)  (SA-23..ST-31/8..TDS-31..AJ-46/1670..MR-37/1.440)
35. St. John's (58.52)  (NSCAA-30/9..ST-25.5/30..TDS-43..RPI-48..AJ-35/1698..MR-35/1.471)
36. Indiana (56.63)  (NSCAA-24/76..ST-37/4..RPI-30..AJ-44/1676..MR-43/1.423)
37. Minnesota (55.39)  (TDS-30..RPI-37..AJ-18/1776..MR-36/1.470)
38. Virginia (53.15)  (ST-36/5..TDS-29..AJ-37/1695..MR-38/1.438)
39. Oregon State (52.02)  (ST-38.5/1..RPI-26..AJ-34/1711..MR-25/1.549)
40. Villanova (50.94)  (TDS-35..RPI-40..AJ-49/1654..MR-39/1.435)


41. Memphis (50.75)  (NSCAA-32.5/5..TDS-39..RPI-46..AJ-50/1646)  

42. Oregon (50.50)  (RPI-34..AJ-21/1759..MR-42/1.428)

43. Colorado (50.38)  (TDS-37..RPI-42..AJ-39/1682..MR-49/1.385)
44. Michigan State (49.54)  (ST-38.5/1..TDS-34..AJ-38/1695)
45. West Virginia (48.71)  (RPI-33..AJ-42/1678..MR-41/1.429)
46. Illinois (48.38)  (RPI-39..AJ-32/1717..MR-46/1.404) 
47. Colorado College  (48.11)  (TDS-45..RPI-35..MR-44/1.415)

48. San Diego (48.04)  (TDS-41..AJ-29/1733..MR-50/1.379)
49. Wisconsin  (46.00)  (RPI-32..MR-47/1.401)
50. Duke  (45.30)  (RPI-45..MR-34/1.472)


* * * * * * * 

CNR UPDATE (10/14/09) – CS360 has plugged in updated data for most of the criteria in its exclusive Composite National Rankings, but the Albyn Jones Ratings still are a week old (through games as of Oct. 4). This CNR update thus is skewed a bit, as it includes the older Albyn Jones as well as the NCAA official RPI that also are a week old.

UCLA (now #4) and Florida State (#5) have flipped spots, as did South Carolina (#6) and Boston College (#7). Wake Forest (#11 to #9) and USC (#13 to #10) have made a return to the CNR top-10, filling the spots vacated by the short stays of Virginia Tech (#9 to #12) and LSU (#10 to #14).

This update has seven teams moving up seven spots or more in the CNR, including two teams – San Diego (#47 to #32) and Colorado (#49 to #42) that picked up much-needed wins last week (USD beat Santa Clara and CU topped Kansas, both 1-0). Other noteworthy jumps in this preliminary update include: Ohio State (#29 to #18), Minnesota (#37 to #27), Texas A&M (#22 to #13), Central Florida (#18 to #11) and Charlotte (#40 to #33).

Two teams referenced above – Santa Clara (#17 to #28) and Kansas (#34 to #45) – took big dips in the CNR, as did: Oregon State (#31 to #44), Oregon (#28 to #40), Illinois (#36 to #48), Connecticut (#15 to #26) and Arizona State (#25 to #31). Miami has entered the CNR, with UAB (#48 last week) falling out.

CollegeSoccer360 introduced Composite National Rankings (CNR) in 2008 and has brought this aggregate poll concept back for 2009. The 2009 formula now has been expanded to include seven different core criteria (each weighted equally):

• NSCAA coaches poll  (NSCAA)
• Soccer America rankings  (SA)
• Soccer Times coaches poll  (ST)
• Top Drawer Soccer NCAA field projections  (TDS)
• Albyn Jones stat-based ratings  (AJ)  
• Massey stat-based ratings  (MR)  
• Official NCAA RPI  (RPI) 

Preseason conference polls also were used during the past few weeks (in some instances) for the CNR formula, which also may include some additional NCAA selection criteria later in the season.

The current CNR top-10 includes four teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (UNC-FSU-BC-Wake) and three from the Pacific-10 (Stanford, UCLA, USC), plus the Southeastern Conference South Carolina, the West Coast Conference's Portland and the BIG EAST's Notre Dame. Projecting out hypothetical #1 seeds for the NCAAs (16 total teams) based on the current CNR, there would be six from the ACC (also VT, MD), three Pac-10 and two from the SEC (also LSU), plus Texas A&M of the Big 12, Conference USA's Central Florida, the WCC's Portland, the BIG EASTs' ND and BYU out of the Mountain West. 

The current CNR top-50 – which could be viewed as an aggregate NCAA Tournament field projection (along with adding 14 automatic qualifiers from second-tier conferences) – includes the following breakdown of teams, sorted by conference (note that future factors, such as overall and conference record, could eliminate some of these teams from consideration for the NCAAs):

• Nine from the Pac-10  (Stanford, UCLA, USC, WA, ASU, Cal, ORE, WSU, OR-St)
• Eight from the BIG EAST  (ND, UConn, RUT, SJU, WVU, MARQ, G'town, VILL) 
• Eight from the ACC  (UNC, FSU, BC, VT, WFU, MD, VA, MIA)
• Seven from the Big Ten  (MSU, PUR, OSU, PSU, ILL, MN, IND)
• Five from the SEC  (SC, LSU, GA, FL, MS)
• Four from the WCC  (PORT, SCU, USD, LMU)
• Four from the Big 12  (A&M, KU, MO, CU)
• Two from C-USA (UCF, MEM)
• Two from the A-10  (DAY, CHAR)
• One from the Mt-West  (BYU)

Notes on CS360's updated Composite National Rankings formula (created by Pete LaFleur): The CNR now closely resembles the composite national rankings on CS360's sister site, CollegeBaeball360.com. The CNR currently consists of an average of seven polls/ratings (plus potential inclusion on bonus points based on preseason conference polls; see below). The CNR point totals ultimately are scaled to a convenient 100-point format.

In the raw formula, a #1-ranked team in any of the seven polls/ratings typically receives 60 points, the #2 team gets 59, etc. The Soccer America poll is the most basic in this regard, as it has a top-25 and no "also receiving votes" teams. When two or more teams are tied for one spot, they receive an equal share of the combined points for those spots. Within the CNR formula, teams in the Top Drawer Soccer projection for the NCAA Tournament receive points if they are among the TDS #1-#50 spots (as spots 51-64 typically are projected automatic qualifiers that likely would not earn at-large bids). The same cutoff (#1-#50) is used for the Albyn Jones and Massey ratings (plus the RPI). In the end, each team can receive a a maximum of 60 CNR points from each of the seven polls/ratings. That total then is divided by seven and 40 is added to yield the score on the handy 100-point scale.

The CNR also recently included a "bonus boost" that – at times – will factor involve factoring in conference polls. If team-A was projected to finish higher in its conference than team-B, and of team-B is higher than team-A in the CNR, it's possible that team-A could "bump" one spot ahead of team-B. In order for the bonus-boost to be factored into the CNR, team-A must be within a certain range of team-B in the CNR (2.0 pts for a 1-spot differnce in the conference poll; 3.5 pts for 2-spot diff.; 4.5 pts for 3-spot; 5.0 pts for 4-spot). The conference-poll ingredient now has been phased out, but it helped reward top teams that played a tough non-conference schedule.

As noted in earlier weeks, one final wrinkle within the CNR formula credits teams based on voting or rating "points" in certain polls (in addition to their spots on the list). By using this correction, teams that have virtually the same number of voting points then will receive nearly the same amount of credit in the CNR (conversely, teams that have a wider margin in votes or rating points will have a bigger cap in their credits within the CNR formula).

CS360 Composite National Rankings  (10/14/09)

1. Stanford (99.84)  (NSCAA-1/775..SA-1..ST-1/400..TDS-1..RPI-2..AJ-1/2204..MR-1/2.337)
2. North Carolina (97.64)  (NSCAA-2/737..SA-3..ST-2/377..TDS-3..RPI-1..AJ-2/2119..MR-2/2.085)
3. Portland (96.61)  (NSCAA-3/690..SA-2..ST-3/367..TDS-2..RPI-4..AJ-3/2084..MR-3/2.062)
4. UCLA (95.00)  (NSCAA-4/710..SA-4..ST-4/357..TDS-4..RPI-8..AJ-4/2067..MR-4/1.976)
5. Florida State (92.32)  (NSCAA-9/510..SA-6..ST-8/279..TDS-5..RPI-3..AJ-5/1995..MR-6/1.867)
6. So Carolina (90.99)  (NSCAA-5/625..SA-5..ST-5/321..TDS-10..RPI-6..AJ-10/21823..MR-7/1.848)
7. Boston College (90.88)  (NSCAA-8/560..SA-7..ST-6/307..TDS-7..RPI-9..AJ-7/1885..MR-5/1.871)
8. Notre Dame (87.90)  (NSCAA-7/573..SA-8..ST-9/276..TDS-8..RPI-23..AJ-6/1925..MR-9/1.710)
9. Wake Forest (87.24)  (NSCAA-6/575..SA-13..ST-7/294..TDS-9..RPI-16..AJ-14/1795..MR-8/1.73)
10. USC (85.77)  (NSCAA-15/304..SA-9..ST-10/211..TDS-6..RPI-17..AJ-8/1842..MR-13/1.684)

11. Central FL (83.96)  (NSCAA-12/408..SA-14..ST-20/103..TDS-12..RPI-5..AJ-19/1773..MR-11/1.695)
12. Va Tech (83.71)  (NSCAA-16.5/271..SA-11..ST-13/184..TDS-24..RPI-7..AJ-9/1842..MR-12/1.687)
13. Texas A&M (81.92)  (NSCAA-14/331..SA-16..ST-14/175..TDS-13..RPI-15..AJ-13/1796..MR-24/1.554)
14. La. St (81.50)  (NSCAA-16.5/271..SA-20..ST-15/165..TDS-15..RPI-14..AJ-12/1809..MR-16/1.599)
15. Maryland (79.37)  (NSCAA-13/343..SA-10..ST-19/111..TDS-23..RPI-20..AJ-33/1716..MR-10/1.705)

16. BYU (78.89)  (NSCAA-25/71..SA-12..ST-12/187..TDS-11..RPI-35..AJ-11/1813..MR-21/1.565)

17. Georgia (78.31)  (NSCAA-23/95..SA-24..ST-21/79..TDS-16..RPI-12..AJ-15/1791..MR-19/1.583)

18. Ohio State (76.40)  (NSCAA-19/199..SA-23..ST-16/161..TDS-20..RPI-29..AJ-23/1744..MR-17/1.597)

19. Florida (74.56)  (NSCAA-11/443..ST-17/155..TDS-18..RPI-19..AJ-20/1764..MR-15/1.612)

20. Rutgers (74.54)  (NSCAA-10/444..SA-19..ST-11/195..TDS-17..AJ-22/1748..MR-23/1.557)


21. California (74.26)  (NSCAA-21/126..SA-17..ST-18/115..TDS-19..RPI-40..AJ-30/1730..MR-18/1.592)

22. St. John's (68.42)  (NSCAA-27/52..SA-18..ST-25/34..TDS-42..RPI-32..AJ-35/1698..MR-31/1.485)

23. Michigan St (68.22)  (NSCAA-39/2..SA-15..ST-26/28..TDS-27..RPI-36..AJ-38/1695..MR-40/1.420)

24. Washington (66.98)  (NSCAA-39/2..ST-33.5/9..TDS-14..RPI-33..AJ-17/1785..MR-22/1.564)

25. Purdue (66.21)  (NSCAA-18/245..ST-23/47..TDS-31..RPI-30..AJ-27/1738..MR-35/1.464)

26. Connecticut (66.09)  (NSCAA-39/2..ST-38/3..TDS-29..RPI-11..AJ-26/1739..MR-28/1.503)

27. Minnesota (66.07)  (NSCAA-28/41..ST-27.5/23..TDS-21..RPI-43..AJ-18/1776..MR-20/1.582)

28. Santa Clara (65.54)  (NSCAA-20/318..ST-22/69..RPI-13..AJ-28/1737..MR-25/1.539)

29. Mississippi (65.09)  (NSCAA-29/36..SA-21..ST-29/22..TDS-28..RPI-45..MR-26/1.538)

30. Washington State (64.27)  (NSCAA-31/32.5..ST-24/43..RPI-22..AJ-16/1785..MR-14/1.637)


31. Arizona State (63.92)  (NSCAA-24/84..ST-30/20..RPI-10..AJ-25/1739..MR-27/1.520)

32. San Diego (61.55)  (NSCAA-33/21..SA-25..ST-33.5/9..TDS-40..AJ-29/1733..MR-46/1.386)

33. Charlotte (58.94)  (NSCAA-26/60..ST-35.5/9..TDS-32..AJ-31/1720..MR-33/1.471)

34. Indiana (58.88)  (NSCAA-22/136..ST-32/13....RPI-27..AJ-44/1676..MR-38/1.434)

35. Virginia (58.78)  (NSCAA-34/11..ST-27.5/23..TDS-25..AJ-37/1695..MR-39/1.433)

36. Dayton (58.70)  (NSCAA-32/21.5..ST-31/18..TDS-26..RPI-38..MR-42/1.393)

37. West Virginia (57.76)  (NSCAA-41/1..ST-38/3..TDS-35..RPI-46..AJ-42/1678..MR-37/1.440)

38. Marquette (57.03)  (SA-22..TDS-36..RPI-50..AJ-40/1682..MR-36/1.454)

39. Penn State (55.64)  (TDS-39..RPI-24..AJ-36/1697..MR-30/1.486)

40. Oregon (54.64)  (RPI-18..AJ-21/1759..MR-32/1.474)


41. Georgetown (54.41)  (NSCAA-30/33..TDS-22..AJ-48/1680..MR-43/1.393)

42. Colorado (53.93)  (ST-42.5/1..TDS-38..RPI-42..AJ-39/1682..MR-49/1.375)

43. Villanova (53.40)  (TDS-34..RPI-34..AJ-49/1654..MR-34/1.471)

44. Oregon State (53.26)  (RPI-21..AJ-34/1711..MR-29/1.499)

45. Kansas (52.11)  (NSCAA-35/7..ST-41/2..RPI-47..AJ-24/1742)

46. Memphis (51.43)  (NSCAA-37/4..TDS-47..RPI-28..AJ-50/1646)  

47. Missouri (50.73)  (ST-35.5/5..TDS-33..AJ-46/1670..MR-50/1.370)

48. Illinois (49.90)  (ST-36/6..RPI-37..AJ-32/1717) 

49. Miami (47.85)  (RPI-26..MR-47/1.384)

50. Loyola Marymount (46.64)  (TDS-43..AJ-41/1679..MR-44/1.391)




******

note – this page has been repaired to include the text along with the top-50 chart (one area still to be re-added is the detailed list of the 50 teams, with their position in all seven polls/ratings ... also, the next update of the CNR will be coming sometime around Oct. 14, based on when the various ingredients are available).

CLICK HERE for earlier releases and weekly updates of the CS360 Composite National Rankings (see current data below and in chart box at left).

Oct. 8, 2009 – note that this update of the Composite National Rankings now includes the official NCAA RPI (giving the formula seven core factors, plus possible bonus for conference preseason poll) along with the recently-updated Albyn Jones Ratings (which had been two weeks out-of-date), through games as of Oct. 4.

CNR WEEK-7 UDATE (10/8/09) – CollegeSoccer360 introduced Composite National Rankings (CNR) in 2008 and has brought this aggregate poll concept back for 2009. The 2009 formula now has been expanded to include seven different core criteria (each weighted equally):

• NSCAA coaches poll  (NSCAA)
• Soccer America rankings  (SA)
• Soccer Times coaches poll  (ST)
• Top Drawer Soccer NCAA field projections  (TDS)
• Albyn Jones stat-based ratings  (AJ)  
• Massey stat-based ratings  (MR)  
• Official NCAA RPI  (RPI) 

Preseason conference polls also now are being used (in some instances) for the CNR formula, which also may include some additional NCAA selection criteria later in the season.

In the latest update of the CNR, the top-four teams remain unchanged while Florida State (now #4) and UCLA (#5) swapped spots and two others moved up one position in the top-10 (#7 South Carolina and #8 Notre Dame). Two teams – Virginia Tech (#47 to #9) and LSU (#19 to #10) – vaulted into the top-10, while Wake Forest slipped from 10th to 11th and Florida (#7 to #23) tumbled outside of the top-20.

Teams that made the biggest CNR jumps from the previous week included 10-spot jumps from UConn (now #15), UCF (#18), Purdue (#21) and Dayton (#39), while BYU improved from #22 to #14 and Georgia moved back closer to the top-10 (#18 to #12). Four teams – #32 Mississippi, #35 Penn State, #41 Memphis and #48 UAB – have returned to the CNR, while #50 Loyola Marymount is in the 2009 CNR top-50 for the first time.

In addition to Florida (#7 to #23), five other teams dropped double-digit spots in the CNR (following last week's games): Virginia (#16 to #33), California (#11 to #26), Ohio State (#14 to #29), Kansas (#21 to #34) and San Diego (#34 to #47).

The current CNR top-10 includes four teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (UNC-FSU-BC-VT), and two each from the Pacific-10 (Stanford, UCLA) and Southeastern conferences (SC, LSU), plus the West Coast Conference's Portland and the BIG EAST's Notre Dame. Projecting out hypothetical #1 seeds for the NCAAs (16 total teams) based on the current CNR, there would be five from the ACC (also WFU), three each from the Pac-10 (also USC), SEC (also GA) and BIG EAST (also UConn and Rutgers), plus the WCC's Porrtland and BYU out of the Mountain West. 

The current CNR top-50 – which could be viewed as a midseason, aggregate NCAA Tournament field projection (along with adding 14 automatic qualifiers from second-tier conferences) – includes the following breakdown of teams, sorted by conference (note that future factors, such as overall and conference record, could eliminate some of these teams from consideration for the NCAAs):

• Nine from the Pac-10  (Stanford, UCLA, USC, WA, ASU, Cal, ORE, WSU, OR-St)
• Eight from the BIG EAST  (ND, UConn, RUT, SJU, WVU, MARQ, G'town, VILL) 
• Seven from the ACC  (UNC, FSU, BC, VT, WFU, MD, VA)
• Seven from the Big Ten  (MSU, PUR, OSU, PSU, ILL, MN, IND)
• Five from the SEC  (SC, LSU, GA, FL, MS)
• Four from the WCC  (PORT, SCU, USD, LMU)
• Four from the Big 12  (A&M, KU, MO, CU)
• Three from C-USA (UCF, MEM, UAB)
• Two from the A-10  (DAY, CHAR)
• One from the Mt-West  (BYU)

Notes on CS360's updated Composite National Rankings formula (created by Pete LaFleur): The CNR now closely resembles the composite national rankings on CS360's sister site, CollegeBaeball360.com. The CNR currently consists of an average of seven polls/ratings (plus potential inclusion on bonus points based on preseason conference polls; see below). The CNR point totals ultimately are scaled to a convenient 100-point format.

In the raw formula, a #1-ranked team in any of the seven polls/ratings typically receives 60 points, the #2 team gets 59, etc. The Soccer America poll is the most basic in this regard, as it has a top-25 and no "also receiving votes" teams. When two or more teams are tied for one spot, they receive an equal share of the combined points for those spots. Within the CNR formula, teams in the Top Drawer Soccer projection for the NCAA Tournament receive points if they are among the TDS #1-#50 spots (as spots 51-64 typically are projected automatic qualifiers that likely would not earn at-large bids). The same cutoff (#1-#50) is used for the Albyn Jones and Massey ratings (plus the RPI). In the end, each team can receive a a maximum of 60 CNR points from each of the seven polls/ratings. That total then is divided by seven and 40 is added to yield the score on the handy 100-point scale.

The CNR also now includes a "bonus boost" that – at times – will factor involve factoring in conference polls. If team-A was projected to finish higher in its conference than team-B, and of team-B is higher than team-A in the CNR, it's possible that team-A could "bump" one spot ahead of team-B. In order for the bonus-boost to be factored into the CNR, team-A must be within a certain range of team-B in the CNR (2.0 pts for a 1-spot differnce in the conference poll; 3.5 pts for 2-spot diff.; 4.5 pts for 3-spot; 5.0 pts for 4-spot). The conference-poll ingredient will be phased out in a couple weeks, but for now it helps reward top teams that played a tough non-conference schedule.

As noted in earlier weeks, one final wrinkle within the CNR formula credits teams based on voting or rating "points" in certain polls (in addition to their spots on the list). By using this correction, teams that have virtually the same number of voting points then will receive nearly the same amount of credit in the CNR (conversely, teams that have a wider margin in votes or rating points will have a bigger cap in their credits within the CNR formula).

CS360 Composite  National Rankings (10/7/09)

1. Stanford  (99.84) 
2. North Carolina  (97.19) 
3. Portland  (96.57) 
4. Florida State  (94.96) 
5. UCLA  (94.62) 
6. Boston College  (90.63) 
7. South Carolina  (89.08)
8. Notre Dame  (85.65) 
9. Va. Tech  (85.60)
10. Louisiana State  (84.23)
11. Wake Forest  (82.96) 
12. Georgia  (81.75) 
13. USC  (81.37) 
14. BYU  (77.20) 
15. Connecticut  (77.19) 
16. Rutgers  (75.52) 
17. Santa Clara  (75.50) 
18. Central Florida  (74.86) 
19. Maryland  (74.79) 
20. Michigan St  (71.01, bonus) 
21. Purdue  (74.20; MSU) 
22. Texas A&M  (72.63) 
23. Florida  (71.39)  
24. Washington  (66.39; bonus) 
25. Arizona State  (70.92; WA) 
26. California  (70.27) 
27. St. John's  (69.70) 
28. Oregon  (67.48) 
29. Ohio State  (67.03)
30. Washington St  (64.16; bns) 
31. Oregon St  (64.16; WSU) 
32. Mississippi  (61.80)
33. Virginia  (60.14) 
34. Kansas  (58.38) 
35. Penn St  (53.70; bonus-3)
36. Illinois  (55.37; bonus-2/PS) 
37. Minn.  (55.84; bon/IL/PS) 
38. Indiana  (57.50; MN/IU/PS) 
39. Dayton  (56.77)
40. Charlotte  (55.02)
41. Memphis  (53.82)
42. West Virginia  (49.58; bns) 
43. Marquette  (50.50; WVU) 
44. Georgetown  (46.64; bns) 
45. Villanova  (48.25; GU)
46. Missouri  (47.67)
47. San Diego  (47.08) 
48. UAB  (46.89)
49. Colorado  (46.86) 
50. Loyola Marymount  (46.25)


Note: the following teams bumped ahead of other teams due to bonus based on comparative place in preseason conference poll: Michigan St. over Purdue; Washington over Arizona St.; Washington St. over Oregon St.; West Virginia over Marquette; Georgetown over Villanova; and a four-team sequence in the Big Ten (Minnesota jumped over Indiana; Illinois jumped over both of those teams; and preseason favorite Penn State went ahead of all three).


Dropped Out – #35 Oklahoma State, #36 William & Mary, #46 Duke, #48 Denver and #50 Pepperdine.
Oct 12, 2009 2:26 AM

editor@collegesoccer360.com