13, To Start

There are few things in the world that draw more attention yet mean less than preseason rankings.

One of those things, by the way, is "bracketology." Actually, bracketology has become a cottage industry that has made a lot of money for some people, pioneered by Joe Lunardi (who, by the way, is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet).

Think of all the time you spend reading this week's proposed brackets, for whatever sport it is you follow. And then, when the selections come, none of it really mattered. 

As for the "preseason" rankings, they often start as "the way ahead preseason rankings," shortly after the previous season ends. The closer you get to the start of the season, the more you see them.

This time of year is prime time for preseason rankings. No sport generates more interest in whatever rankings come out than college football. There are magazines, websites, podcasts, social media, TV shows and any other kind of mass communication devoted to predicting what is either the most obvious thing in the world (Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, Notre Dame, etc.) or the most unpredictable (Cincinnati last year, etc.).

Hey, TigerBlog loves to check these out too. And, like most people, he figures they have merit, though he has to remind himself constantly that they vanish once the games start or the actual brackets are announced.

Still, they're quite entertaining. And believable. Remember, most people believe what they read.

TB has at least gotten to the point where preseason rankings that he doesn't like don't bother him anymore. In fact, in the last two men's lacrosse preseasons, he was humored by the fact that Princeton wasn't ranked anywhere. He figured the Tigers would have plenty of chances to show that they belonged, and that's what happened.

In 2020, Princeton went from unranked to No. 2 or No. 3 in the polls in five games. This year, Princeton went from unranked again to the Final Four.

The preseason is a time for generating interest. The bracketology helps grow that interest. But ultimately, it's about what you do on the field.

TB thought the same thing when he saw the preseason field hockey rankings yesterday.

Princeton starts the year at No. 13 in the NFCHA Division I poll. Princeton could be No. 1 or unranked. It wouldn't really matter. 

Just like the men's lacrosse team the last two years, the 2022 field hockey team will have plenty of chances to show itself. In fact, there might not be any team anywhere in any sport that schedules the way Princeton field hockey does.

Princeton is ranked No. 13. The Tigers' schedule includes teams ranked: No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, No. 7, No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10, not to mention No. 14 and No. 17. That's seven of the top 10 teams in the country (at least according to the preseason rankings, and yes, TB recognizes that he just spent a few paragraphs downplaying them, but still). 

Princeton is coming off an oh-so-close season that saw the Tigers go 10-7 but have four OT losses to teams that were highly ranked, including two who made it to the Final Four. Princeton had no seniors a year ago, so that team returns, with the addition of six freshmen.

The season starts a week from Friday in Chapel Hill, with games against No. 2 North Carolina and No. 9 Louisville. Then it's the home opener on Sept. 9 against No. 10 Syracuse, followed two days later by a trip to No. 8 Rutgers, who was the top seed in last year's NCAA tournament. 

Princeton is then home against No. 17 Delaware, the first team ranked behind the Tigers on the schedule. After that, it's a wild stretch, with No. 1 and defending champion Northwestern at home (Sept. 18), No. 4 Maryland at home (Sept. 20) and then the Ivy League opener against Penn, also at home, on Sept. 23.

By then, you'll have some idea of what kind of season it's going to be. Also by then, the preseason rankings will be irrelevant.

Actually, they're irrelevant now. They're a lot of fun, but they're still irrelevant. 

Let the games begin.