Ricky Nelson’s 2012 initial regional ranking preview

Here are my contenders for the first regional rankings, which I think make their 2012 debut on Thursday. Don’t quote me. I’d quote the Pre-championship Manual if I could.

I ranked the top eight in the Central and Midwest regions and provided the others that are above .500 in-region. Good teams like St. Scholastica, Saint Mary’s, Nebraska Wesleyan and UW-La Crosse are not above .500 in-region according to my math, but I think being above .500 is a reasonable threshold to be considered.

These numbers are purely my own, so don’t take them as fact. But I feel OK about them. I did not include Monday’s Cornell/Coe result.

W’s are in-region wins over teams with a winning in-region record. Italicized L’s are losses that are not in-region. The first record is in-region, followed by overall.

I’m not sure about a regional alignment for one team without the Pre-championship Manual. However, that one team doesn’t factor in besides strength of schedule and regional record.

Of course there were tough calls. There always are. Tell me where I went wrong.

CENTRAL 1. Washington-St. Louis 18-1 24-2 W: Emory, Elmhurst, UW-Whitewater, Dominican, Cornell, Rochester, Concordia-Moorhead, Case Western Reserve, Webster, NYU, Brandeis, Monmouth. L: Chicago, Hope.

2. St. Thomas 24-0 28-1 W: Wartburg, UW-Whitewater, UW-Stevens Point, Saint Benedict, UW-Eau Claire, Carthage, UW-River Falls, Carleton, Concordia-Moorhead, Northwestern. L: Emory.

3. Wartburg 21-3 21-4 W: UW-Whitewater, Northwestern, Cornell, Augsburg, Bethel, UW Oshkosh, UW-Superior. L: St. Thomas, Elmhurst, UW Oshkosh, Wittenberg.

4. Northwestern 17-8 17-8 W: Saint Benedict, Saint Benedict, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, Carleton, Augsburg, Martin Luther, Martin Luther. L: St. Thomas, Wartburg, UW-Eau Claire, Cornell, Bethel, Augsburg, Gustavus, Minnesota Morris.

5. Saint Benedict 20-4 20-4 W: UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout, UW-Stout, Coe, Martin Luther, UW-Superior, Hamline. L: St. Thomas, UW-Stevens Point, Northwestern, Northwestern.

6. Carleton 15-6 16-6 W: Bethel, Augsburg, Minnesota Morris, UW-Superior, Hamline. L: St. Thomas, Northwestern, UW-Superior, Martin Luther, St. Catherine, Linfield.

7. Bethel 16-10 17-10 W: UW-Eau Claire, Augsburg, Northwestern, Cornell, Martin Luther, Hamline. L: Wartburg, Carthage, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, Carleton, Concordia-Moorhead, St. Olaf, Trinity (Texas), Austin, Simpson.

8. Augsburg 12-10 12-10 W: UW-Stevens Point, UW-Platteville, Northwestern, UW Oshkosh, Coe. L: Wartburg, UW-Whitewater, Northwestern, Saint Benedict, UW-Eau Claire, Carleton, UW-River Falls, Bethel, UW-Stout, St. Catherine.

Concordia-Moorhead 8-7 9-8 W: UW-Stout, Bethel, Martin Luther, Hamline. L: Washington-St. Louis, St. Thomas, Elmhurst, UW-Whitewater, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Eau Claire, Saint Mary’s, Otterbein.

Martin Luther 12-10 12-10 W: Carleton, Minnesota Morris. L: Northwestern, Northwestern, Saint Benedict, UW-Eau Claire, Concordia-Moorhead, St. Scholastica, St. Catherine, Linfield, UW Oshkosh, Bethel.

Minnesota Morris 13-5 17-7 W: Northwestern, North Central (Ill.), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. L: St. Scholastica, St. Scholastica, Carleton, UW-Superior, Martin Luther, UMass Boston, Mayville St.

Greenville 16-6 16-7 W: Coe, Webster, Rose-Hulman, Principia. L: Dominican, Augustana, Webster, Lakeland, Lakeland, Willamette, Lincoln Christian.

Webster 12-6 14-8 W: Greenville, Principia. L: Washington-St. Louis, Millikin, Millikin, Benedictine, Greenville, Rose-Hulman, DePauw, Defiance.

Coe 14-9 16-9 W: (None). L: Saint Benedict, Saint Benedict, UW-Platteville, UW-Eau Claire, Saint Mary’s, Augsburg, Gustavus, Greenville, St. Catherine.

Hamline 16-9 17-9 W: UW-Stout, UW-Stout, UW-Superior, Marian. L: Saint Benedict, Carleton, Bethel, Concordia-Moorhead, St. Olaf, St. Catherine, Gustavus, Luther, Luther.

Principia 13-5 15-9 W: (None). L: North Central (Ill.), Webster, Greenville, Monmouth, Rose-Hulman, Transylvania, Roosevelt, Maryville (Mo.), Lindenwood-Belleville.

MIDWEST 1. Elmhurst 14-5 20-7 W: Chicago, Chicago, Wartburg, Carthage, Cornell, Millikin, Lake Forest, UW Oshkosh, Concordia-Moorhead, Augustana, (Calvin win not in-region by two miles). L: Washington-St. Louis, Hope, UW-Whitewater, UW-Whitewater, Dominican, Otterbein, Emory.

2. UW-Whitewater 19-6 19-9 W: Elmhurst, Elmhurst, UW-Stevens Point, Dominican, UW-Eau Claire, Cornell, Augsburg, Concordia-Moorhead, UW Oshkosh, Millikin, UW-Superior. L: Washington-St. Louis, St. Thomas, Wartburg, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Platteville, UW-La Crosse, Calvin, Hope, Otterbein.

3. Chicago 17-5 20-6 W: Washington-St. Louis, Carthage, St. Norbert, Case Western Reserve, Rochester, Benedictine, Lake Forest, Brandeis, St. Mary’s (Ind.), NYU. L: Hope, Emory, Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Carthage, Heidelberg.

4. UW-Stevens Point 18-5 19-5 W: UW-Whitewater, Saint Benedict, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, St. Norbert, Concordia-Moorhead, UW-Stout, UW-Stout, UW Oshkosh, UW-Superior. L: St. Thomas, UW-Whitewater, Saint Benedict, Saint Benedict, Augsburg.

5. Dominican 20-6 20-6 W: Elmhurst, Carthage, St. Norbert, DePauw, Lakeland, Lakeland, Maranatha, Lake Forest, Greenville, St. Mary’s (Ind.), Marian. L: Washington-St. Louis, Calvin, Hope, UW-Whitewater, Edgewood, Cornell.

6. UW-Platteville 17-6 20-8 W: UW-Whitewater, Carthage, Cornell, North Central (Ill.), St. Norbert, Bethel, UW Oshkosh, Coe. L: UW-River Falls, Augsburg, UW-Stout, UW-La Crosse, Wheaton, St. Olaf, New Paltz, Ashford.

7. UW-Eau Claire 17-8 17-9 W: Carthage, UW-River Falls, Northwestern, UW-Stout, Cornell, UW Oshkosh, Concordia-Moorhead, Augsburg, Coe, UW-Superior, UW-Superior, Martin Luther. L: St. Thomas, UW-Whitewater, UW-Stevens Point, Saint Benedict, Northwestern, St. Norbert, St. Scholastica, Bethel, Viterbo.

8. Carthage 15-8 18-11 W: Chicago, North Central (Ill.), St. Norbert, St. Norbert, UW-River Falls, Millikin, Bethel, St. Mary’s (Ind.), UW-Superior. L: St. Thomas, Elmhurst, Chicago, UW-Platteville, UW-Eau Claire, Dominican, UW Oshkosh, Illinois Wesleyan, Mount Union, Trinity Christian, Coast Guard.

Cornell 12-8 13-10 W: Dominican, North Central (Ill.), Northwestern, Monmouth, Lake Forest. L: Washington-St. Louis, Elmhurst, Wartburg, UW-Whitewater, UW-Platteville, UW-Eau Claire, Bethel, Millikin, DePauw, St. Ambrose.

St. Norbert 15-7 18-7 W: Carthage, Edgewood, Edgewood, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW Oshkosh, Lake Forest, Lakeland. L: Chicago, UW-Stevens Point, Carthage, UW-Platteville, Dominican, UW-Superior, Illinois Wesleyan.

Edgewood 20-5 21-5 W: Dominican, Benedictine, Augustana, Lakeland, Marian. L: St. Norbert, St. Norbert, Saint Mary’s, UW Oshkosh, Maranatha.

UW-River Falls 17-8 19-8 W: UW-Platteville, Bethel, Augsburg, UW-Stout, UW-Superior. L: St. Thomas, UW-Stevens Point, Saint Benedict, Carthage, UW-Eau Claire, St. Norbert, Northwestern, Saint Mary’s.

Benedictine 18-3 21-3 W: North Central (Ill.), Webster, Lake Forest, Lakeland, Maranatha, Marian, Marian. L: Chicago, Edgewood, Millikin.

Millikin 13-4 19-6 W: Cornell, UW Oshkosh, Benedictine, Augustana, Webster, Rose-Hulman, Rose-Hulman. L: Elmhurst, UW-Whitewater, Carthage, DePauw, Defiance, Kalamazoo.

North Central (Ill.) 16-6 21-6 W: Chapman, UW Oshkosh, Augustana, Principia. L: Minnesota Morris, Benedictine, Lake Forest, Cornell, Carthage, UW-Platteville.

UW-Oshkosh 15-13 15-13 W: Wartburg, Carthage, Edgewood, UW-Superior, Martin Luther. L: Elmhurst, Wartburg, UW-Whitewater, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Platteville, UW-Eau Claire, North Central (Ill.), Augsburg, St. Norbert, Millikin, Saint Mary’s, Wheaton, Gustavus.

UW-Stout 13-11 13-11 W: UW-Platteville, Augsburg. L: UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stevens Point, Saint Benedict, Saint Benedict, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, Concordia-Moorhead, St. Catherine, St. Catherine, Hamline, Hamline.

UW-Superior 16-13 17-13 W: St. Norbert, Minnesota Morris, Carleton. L: St. Thomas, Wartburg, UW-Whitewater, UW-Stevens Point, Saint Benedict, Carthage, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW Oshkosh, Carleton, Loras, Hamline.

Lake Forest 12-7 14-8 W: North Central (Ill.), Marian. L: Elmhurst, Chicago, Dominican, Benedictine, St. Norbert, Cornell, Wheaton, Roosevelt.

Lakeland 13-9 14-9 W: Greenville, Greenville, Maranatha, Monmouth. L: Dominican, Dominican, St. Norbert, Edgewood, Benedictine, Wheaton, Wisconsin Lutheran, Aurora, Willamette.

Augustana 13-6 16-7 W: Greenville. L: Loras, Dubuque, Elmhurst, Edgewood, North Central (Ill.), Millikin, Lincoln Christian.

Maranatha 7-3 12-3 W: Edgewood. L: Dominican, Benedictine, Lakeland.

Marian 13-9 13-11 W: (None). L: Dominican, Edgewood, Benedictine, Benedictine, Lake Forest, Hamline, Lakeland, Macalester, North Park, MIT, Clarke.

Monmouth 11-7 15-8 W: Principia. L: Washington-St. Louis, Cornell, Illinois Wesleyan, Central, Lakeland, Wheaton, Buena Vista, William Penn.

-Ricky Nelson