Right about now is when people start talking about experience. With the postseason looming (it's in about a month now), experience and peaking at the right time are two phrases you'll absolutely want to have on your NCAA bingo boards. It's the topic of conversation and it's the metric used to determine whether a team can make a deep run, challenge for an at-large bid, or upset someone in conference play to keep their hopes of a bid alive. Experience, experience, experience...if you don't have some, you better make some.
Take, for example, Clemson. Ranked Number Five heading into the season, at this point, the Tigers are without a ranking and are 4-4-2 on the season, but 0-3 in conference play. This is a team that made the College Cup last year and was expected to compete this year. However, in the absence of stars like Hal Hershfelt and Halle Mackiewicz, Clemson has struggled for consistency and for the stringent defense that allowed them to make their deep run. It's not like the Tigers are a team made up of freshmen, they have several graduate students and seniors, but the roster is young in key spots and the Tigers haven't been able to put those pieces together.
Not that being young is the final nail in the coffin. To keep it in the ACC, North Carolina is currently ranked No.4 in the United Coaches Poll and first in terms of RPI. They also endured immense, well-publicized turnover at the end of last year. With a star-studded freshman class, UNC has proven its ability to win through dazzling shows of offense or grit out nail-biters. Granted, when you play for a team with the history UNC has, the expectations are clear, and the structure is built for your success. But also, being young and inexperienced sometimes means that you don't know when you're supposed to lose.
On the opposite side of the equation, Michigan St., the current number one, has almost as many graduate students as freshman listed on their roster. At 8-0-4, it's clear that returning key players have allowed Michigan St. to pick up exactly where they left off last season. In this case, it might not even be the experience of being at the NCAA tournament or battling through a full season that's helpful. It's the experience of losing. There are a lot of players on that roster who know this is their last chance and want to make sure that they don't gain the same experience of last year.
It's really a matter of choosing your fighter when it comes to experience. When announcers start talking about a team's experience, ask what that means. Do they have an older roster? Did a lot of freshmen play last year that are playing again this year? If they have a lot of minutes, were they winning minutes or hard-fought losses? Is it an experience they would want to repeat? Are the forwards with experience scoring and are your impact players around them new? What's the ratio between experienced players that are playing and experienced players on the bench offering leadership there?
Ask a lot of questions of experience because sometimes that experience is covered in expectations that things have to be a certain way. Teams might lose just because experience says they always lose against this team in these conditions. Or, you might have a young team that wins simply because they don't know any better or because no one knows the system yet so there's greater creativity on the field. Experience is a good thing, but it's not a one size fits all approach. So maybe have a couple of variations of experience on your bingo.
Quick Notes
Hurricane Helene had an impact, forcing several games to be delayed and postponed due to weather. Mississippi St. had perhaps the best weather-related fashion statement, despite their game against South Carolina being rained out.
There were two Texas derbies this week. Texas beat out Texas A&M 2-0. Meanwhile, TCU and Baylor draw 1-1.
As they continue their climb in the national rankings, Arkansas set a new attendance record of 4,000--their stadium's capacity.
Duke, perfect in conference play and 7-1 on the season, saw head coach Robbie Church pick up his 300th win as a Blue Devil.
What to Watch Week 8
Clemson v Pitt, Oct. 3, 6:00 pm EST, ACCN
In a surprising turn of events, Clemson still has zero points in ACC play. Pitt does have a conference win under their belt, but is still hovering near the bottom third of the ACC. In all honesty, this is not the most exciting ACC matchup happening over the weekend. But, there's a lot to be learned from two teams with quite a lot of potential meeting up. This is a test of how deep the ACC is, a glimpse into what experience will help out Clemson and Pitt next year, and a matchup both teams will go into thinking they can win.
No.2 Arkansas v No.9 Mississippi St., Oct. 4, 7:00 pm EST, SECN
Both Arkansas and Mississippi St. have put together impressive seasons so far, demonstrating their ability to climb the rankings. Last time out, Mississippi St. put up 22 shots on LSU while limiting the Tigers to one shot in a 2-0 victory. Arkansas beat a tenacious No.23 South Carolina 2-0, continuing their undefeated season. It'll be an entertaining Friday night game under the lights that promises to pit lights-out defense against creative offense.
No.22 TCU v No.16 Colorado, 2:00 pm EST, ESPN+
A ranked match-up always makes for good soccer, especially, in my opinion, when both teams are ranked towards the bottom of the list. It's a game that neither team will want to lose. TCU just drew Baylor 1-1 (Baylor has proven tough to beat). Colorado beat Kansas 1-0 (though drew 1-1 with Baylor the game before.) It'll be a test of the offensive and a slugfest for the grittiest team--meaning the score could go from 0-0 to an explosion of goals. That mystery alone is worth tuning in for.
Washington v. UCLA, Oct. 5, 10:00 pm EST, Big10+
While unranked, UCLA received votes in the last United Coaches Poll and it's never a bad idea to watch West Coast soccer. Washington isn't having a bad season either, having just defeated Indiana 1-0 and having plenty of opportunities for statement wins coming on the backend of their schedule. Winning this game sets the winner up with an RPI boost and momentum heading into the critical part of the season. Morale matters and this is a morale game of the highest stakes.
*Rankings are through Sept.22 United Coaches poll as the new poll had not come out at the time of writing
Comments