Akron vaults to #1 after big win

An impressive 7-1 win over Michigan made the difference as Akron vaults past Louisville to the top spot in this week’s TopDrawerSoccer.com Tournament 48 Men’s National Ranking.

Caleb Porter’s Zips edge past Louisville, which earned a pair of 2-1 victories in Big East play on the week. Maryland and North Carolina hold fast at #s 3 and 4, with SMU and UC Irvine making strong moves within the top 10.

The Tournament 48 ranking is a running attempt to project the postseason NCAA Tournament field, including the automatic conference qualifiers and the at-large selections.

This week’s ranking will show the effects of the initial RPI being released. The index is an important tool in the consideration of the NCAA Tournament committee when selecting its field. As you follow our ranking you should bear in mind the following:

1. I don’t like the RPI ranking that much. It attempts to factor in strength of schedule which is a good thing, but it also tends to insist on itself and thus can perpetuate myths about who/what is actually strong.
2. The instructions given to the committee give it leeway in determining the at-large field. It is not solely bound to the RPI, but too often in the past it has selected as if the RPI is the only criteria.

Meanwhile, William & Mary(m)’s Alan Koger is the selection for TopDrawerSoccer.com Men’s National Player of the Week. Koger scored four goals total in a pair of victories for the Tribe this week. With this honor, Koger headlines the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week, which is selected based on the study of match reports from all DI programs over the week.

The full Team of the Week for October 18-24 is as follows:

GK: Josh Ford, Connecticut
D: Kofi Sarkodie, Akron
D: Kyle Deremer, Creighton
M: Nick DeLeon, Louisville
M: Robbie Lovejoy, North Carolina
M: Corey Attaway, UC Irvine
F: Sam Garza, UC Santa Barbara
F: Will Bruin, Indiana
F: Alan Koger, William & Mary(m)
F: Arthur Ivo, SMU
F: Casey Townsend, Maryland

Player of the Week: Alan Koger, William & Mary(m)