Initial Thoughts on the Top 20 and 6 Who Are Misplaced

Polls are conversation starters for fans and media to fill the time until the first serve, criticizing, comparing, and analyzing the results.  We asked around and gathered opinions from a few coaching friends, as well as our staff's initial reactions based on the portal, incoming freshmen, and returners we knew from each school.  So here is our very unscientific gut reaction to the initial Top 20 Poll and 6 teams that were misplaced up or down.  Enjoy and criticize the critics??

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Top 20

1. Nebraska: Sure, they should be. They have the best of everything. The big question should be how they have not won a Natty in so many years with the top facilities and top talent every year?
2. Penn State: I wanted to go off the The Champs are the Champs until you beat them, but I understand Nebraska at 1.
3. Pittsburgh: I would have thought 4 or 5, but I'm not sure who else is legit enough to just wow anyone enough to jump in front of Pitt right now and claim #3?  Trust me Pitt would love to start the year #6 or #7ish
4. Louisville: Again, with all the new faces, I would put them at #6, but I just don't have a strong argument for who takes their spot at #4 either.
5. Texas: In a month, I would say put Texas in the Top 4 no doubt, and I would have been fine with the Horns at #4 preseason also. This team didn't need any extra motivation; they are legit.
6. Stanford:  See our cover edit. I know they will finish ranked high. I just don't think they are as talented, and I know this Freshman class is extremely talented, but I think it takes them a while to get going.  I don't think there is anyone to really threaten to push them out of the top 3-4 of the ACC, but they should be around #10 to me.
7. Kentucky:  Oh my gut hurts for the 'Cats.  They didn't look good in the Spring at all, and I know that Coach Skinner doesn't care one bit, but for a Final Four potential squad, they sure have a lot of question marks.  That's fine if you have a cupcake schedule the first couple of weeks of September, like other SEC schools do, but Kentucky does not.  I will be at nearly every one of Kentucky's first 7 matches, but I'm scared to be.  I also know they will be just fine in November. I just don't know where they should be ranked to start the season, because I really, really wanted to put them in the Top 4.
8. Wisconsin: They went out and paid for an entirely new squad of transfers to play around Charlie to get her to a Final Four, but I'm not sure if everyone in volleyball is sold on this concept yet.  Now I woul say look for a drop, but I don't see anyone in the B1G that is good enough to come up and take advantage of Wisconsin possibly being down a bit.  I honestly think the Power Conference isn't as dominant as it has been.  Wisconsin continues to win a significant number of conference matches, primarily because there are no other teams that can rival the Badgers' success after Nebraska and Penn State.
9. Texas AM:  I just felt a little extra skip in Coach Morrison's step from May on, and I know the Aggie staff knows they are loaded.  Trust me, they believe they are going to be very good this season, and expectations are very high in College Station.
10. SMU: See, I think it's a natural rivalry because I think the Pony Express and Aggieville are fighting to be "next in the SEC" and have to beat each other up to get there.  This feels right for SMU, but it's going to come down to some big head-to-heads with ranked conference opponents.
11. Minnesota: Keegan will tell you, "This is a big year for us." It's Year 3 of his tenure, and that means it is all his people on the Gopher Roster.  They are fighting to reach the second weekend of the tournament for the first time under Cook, while also trying to make a jump up in the Big Ten standings.  This spot feels about right for Minnesota, which will face a solid non-conference schedule and, of course, the Big Ten will be a challenging conference.  The consistency of this group's play will be a key focus, as well as whether they win every match they are expected to win. Then snap a couple, they aren't supposed to win?
12. Creighton: How do the Jays follow up the dream season?  Wow, this is the? Mark of the Midwest.  Is there talent?  YES.  Is there excitement for the season and staff?  The fans are excited, the incoming recruits are excited; now it's time for the current Bluejays to go make their mark and prove that this is their team and this is a volleyball program, not just a one-year program.
13. Arizona State: The Sun Devils have experienced success through the transfer portal route under the new staff in their first two years, resulting in several wins and even some December success.  Our thought is that they play in the weaker Big XII, and again, who is coming to knock them off?  Some programs need to simply improve their talent levels so they can make a run at the Olympics in their gym.  I don't think there is another conference team that will bump the Devils down far enough to drop them 
14. Kansas:  A team with some NCAA success and history already, now you bring in a coach who is player-friendly and makes player-driven relationships wherever he goes.  It draws recruits towards him.  Meet MNNorth. I remember writing it down and having people from around the country. They are special, and it sounds like this mentality is essential, with every player needing to buy in.
15. Purdue: This is a program that evokes mixed emotions in me.  On one hand, you have a serious youth movement happening with some talented newcomers on campus! Additionally, you have some veteran transfers who are new to Purdue, but not to the college game, and it's a new squad for sure.  But it's hard to overlook what's left and how that will be replaced. Now, where they finish in the B1G probably won't move much, as teams like Indiana and Michigan State might be a year away yet, so this seems fair at #15.
16. Florida:  Another tough one because things seem less than ideal in Gainesville right now, and recruiting took a major hit this year, compared to what Florida is used to.  Plus, you didn't hear of near the top 28's and 29's going to Florida for Select camp like before, unless they were from Florida. Before, it was maybe 1 of every 3 Top 100 kids attended.  Then, of course, the Kennedy Martin loss in the transfer portal news can't help this year's roster, but still they have big names (We have been murdered every time we release a Coaches Poll for not having some Gator higher) so #16 feels low for a program that hasn't had alot going for them since December, so we will see.
17. Missouri: This was a squad that started making more noise as the SEC season went on last season, and they have talent. Now add their top recruit and UA All-American, and things get better at Mizzou.  Expectations are higher, but talent on the floor is also.  This feels right for them.  Win in the non-con and win matches you are now supposed to win in the SEC, then steal a couple vs. the Big Dogs, and you are looking at a nice Seed in December.
18. UCLA:  Need to be much higher for a few reasons.  This squad went all in like their jobs depended on it, and that isn't coming from us; it's coming from people inside the profession.  They didn't mess around from second 1 of the Transfer Portal; the Bruins were trying to upgrade at every position and make a total 1-year transformation that hasn't really been shown to be successful yet in volleyball, like it has in basketball or football.  For this reason, I believe the Bruins will end up much higher than #18 and make a move up in the B1G this year.  Plus, they did bring in some proven winners.  How about an Elite 8 run for UCLA?
19. BYU:  This is another sleeper out West. If they have some defense and the first contact is on point, they have the cannons!!  It was like when I was a kid and used to stay up late to watch UNLV basketball games, I might do the same to watch BYU volleyball matches this Fall, bombs away in Provo, UT!  I think this team has some magic and new stars to do something special.
20. Baylor: When doesn't Baylor have a solid team that is capable of being in the Top 15 squad?  I think they are in the running for conference champs again and a 2nd weekend bid.

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Now, Our Six Teams are Misplaced In the Poll the Most:

1. UCLA (Ranked #18, Could Be #11) We touched on this, but if the Bruins are going to meet expectations, they will need to finish better than 18th, ideally near the top of the conference, in the Top 10 or Top 4-5.  So they have to be aiming higher than #18th
2. Texas A&M: (Ranked #9, Could Be #6) Veteran and hungry roster returns. Best recruiting class ever on campus. As PJ Fleck would say, "They don't have a chip on their shoulder, they have a block." Aggies have quite a bit to prove this season, and they have the talent to prove it, so watch SEC, State of Texas VB, and NCAA.  A team like that should be ranked higher than #9.
3. Stanford (Ranked #6, Could Be #9). Just the opposite feeling with the Cardinal; maybe the reputation earned them this ranking, which they have completely deserved.  They are playing some young players vs. a difficult early schedule and may struggle for a while.
4. Kansas (Ranked #14, Could Be #10) Great shot at winning the Big XII and talented incoming class.  Energy with new staff and team coming off a solid tourney run.  Program with momentum.  Now they also have a Much beefed-up non-con schedule on purpose, and I did this article a day after they signed their biggest recruit ever, so was I drinking the KU Kool-Aid? Maybe, this might not age well this season as the non-conference might take its toll, but I still like the Jayhawks in conference play and for a 2nd weekend squad, and you can't go back and switch up picks, so #RockChalkKU
5. BYU (Ranked #19, Could Be #15) Just mentioned it, but Bombs Away, the Cougars have many key pieces back and some talented young pieces coming in for reinforcements.  I just have a feeling it could be an exciting season for BYU fans.  They are my "Ultimate Cinderella," I'm calling it.  Elite 8 in August.
6. Ole Miss (Unranked and Could Be #22)- We love the Rebels this season and into the future. It's one of our Programs to Watch, as they continue to improve each year and compete in every match.  Another thing they do is play with that chip a little bit, which can help in the preseason when some teams are not quite as locked in as they are in conference season. So, look for Ole Miss to have a solid non-conference record heading into SEC play.  I just think they will get into the polls and hang in there for the majority of the season.  Plus, those alternate sky blue jerseys need to be on TV as much as possible; they are something.

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So there are thoughts, and like most people, they don't mean much either, but it killed an afternoon, and we didn't have to watch Professional Cornhole League on ESPN2......Bring on Live Volleyball, please:)