Way Too Early Navy Rankings

It seems that in the sports media we just love to rank things. Teams, drafts, players, and just about anything else can, and invariably will, be ranked, often by people with no qualifications with which to do so. With that being said, and with an ample pinch of salt, here are a couple of Navy based rankings which have come to light in the last week.

Mainly because it is always interesting to see what outsiders think of a team.

2012 Football – 87th – Orlando Sentinel

The Sentinel has Navy ranked 87th out of the 120 FBS schools for the 2012-13 season, ahead of BCS schools such as Tennessee (88), Minnesota (93), and Oregon State (96). The Sentinel staff like the Midshipmen’s ability to improve their rushing attack from the 4th highest total in the country last year back into the top spot again in 2012. It notes concerns with departures and depth on both the offensive and defensive lines, while pointing out that Navy needs to improve its rank of 86th in the nation in total defense from a year ago.

The paper does however like the intangibles Navy brings, noting that the whole team ‘seemed a bit off’ in 2011. It is also noted that just a few fixes to the defense, a more determined attitude, and something as simple as better breaks of the ball in 2012 should lead to more victories in close games.

2013 Lacrosse – 20th (tie) – Inside Lacrosse

If early June is too early for football rankings, then it is FAR too early for Lacrosse rankings. With the 2012 season in the books however, Inside Lacrosse has published its projected rankings for next spring and Navy is sitting solidly in a 20th place tie with Mount St. Mary’s.

The site noted how the incoming prep school class features at least three athletes who will be instant contenders for playing time on a squad which finished the 2012 season with a very middling 6-6 record. With the attack and midfield already filled with talented players the team’s success will depend largely on improvements to an occasionally porous defense. The article points out how Navy has the weapons in players like Pat Kiernan and Alex Heyward to help the Mids be better than their ranking suggests by the end of 2013.