Moving Week in D-I Results in New, But Familiar, Number Ones

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released week four national computer rankings for NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field on Tuesday. Traditionally, the largest "moving week" of them all is week four as preseason data gets thrown out and teams are scored based only on the season in question. As a result, a big number of changes swept through the top 25 this week.

PDFs: Top 25 | Full by Team | Event-by-Event | Week-by-Week
Previous Rankings | Rankings Guidelines & Rationale
Regional Index Top 15

On the men’s side, Texas A&M moves up a spot to take over No. 1 for the first time this season. The two-time defending champions are followed by No. 2 LSU who moved to their season-high post after being ranked fifth last week. After winning another ACC title, Florida State moved to a season-best notch at No. 3. Florida, who had been ranked No. 1 since the preseason, slipped to No. 4.

In the women’s rankings, LSU and Texas A&M swaped spots, resulting in the first No. 1 ranking for LSU this season. Two-time defending national champions Texas A&M had been ranked in the top spot since the preseason.

About the Rankings
For more on the rankings and links to guideline and rationale information visit …
/rankings/division-i-rankings

The purpose and methodology of the national team computer rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of achieving the top spots in the national-title race – not as a method to compare teams head-to-head.

The Regional Index is determined using a similar method as national rankings, but on a smaller scale, comparing teams versus others within the same region. The result is a ranking that showcases squads with better all-around team potential — a group makeup critical for conference or similar team-scored events. A team may achieve a better regional ranking than a counterpart that has a better national ranking. Historically, some teams are better national-championship teams than conference-championship teams, having a few elite athletes that score very well in a diverse environment where teams do not have entries in more than a few events. Some teams are better at conference championships or similar team-scored events where they enter, and are competitive, in many of the events.

How a team fares in a national championship, conference championship, or scored meet with only a couple or few teams (like a dual or triangular) can be very different, given the number of events, competition, scoring, and makeup of entries — thus the rationale behind each of the ranking systems. Similar arguments about team makeup and rankings can also be found in swimming & diving and wrestling as their sports also have a similar trichotomy when it comes to team theory.