My 2021 Week 3 regional rankings

This is what I think the Region VIII and Region IX rankings should be in Week 3 on Wednesday. Feedback is encouraged.

REGION VIII 1. Wisconsin-Eau Claire 2. Wisconsin-Whitewater 3. Wisconsin-Stevens Point 4. Chicago 5. Wisconsin-Oshkosh 6. Aurora 7. Earlham 8. Illinois Wesleyan 9. Concordia Wisconsin 10. Mount St. Joseph

REGION IX 1. Wartburg 2. Northwestern 3. Gustavus Adolphus 4. Bethel 5. St. Olaf 6. Hamline 7. Cornell 8. Coe

Oftentimes the NCAA regional committees’ rankings insist on themselves, meaning their opinions and orders from the previous week make things, including me, trend toward the committees’ previous opinions and orders due to the fact that those previous opinions and orders merely exist.

Last week I had Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Carthage in my Week 2 rankings instead of the committee’s inclusion of Washington-St. Louis, Illinois Wesleyan and Mount St. Joseph. This week I have IWU and MSJ instead of UWL and Carthage. Granted, last week’s results played an important role in me swapping out two teams. However, the committee’s previous rankings also played a major role for the swaps thanks to teams entering, rising and falling — for reasons that are always up for debate — from previous regional rankings.

A portion of my homework is linked below. Strength of schedule figures remain estimated, unfortunately.

2021 VB regional rankings prep Week 3Download

-Ricky Nelson