Dogs in the polls: Where MSU now sits after getting swept by Arkansas

How far did the Bulldogs fall in the rankings?

On the heels of getting swept at home by Arkansas over the weekend, it was inevitable that Mississippi State would fall in this week's national rankings. The question was, how far?

The Bulldogs now sit at 17-7 overall and 2-4 in SEC play following a 1-3 week that featured a win over North Alabama before the three losses to the Razorbacks. So where did the last few days of action land the Bulldogs in this week's national polls? Well, let's have a look.

Before getting there, here are a few weekly reminders. It's useful to note there are six national polls recognized in Mississippi State baseball's game notes issued to the media for each contest. It's those six polls we'll keep an eye on in this space each week – the D1Baseball poll, the Baseball America poll, the Perfect Game poll, the USA Today poll, the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll.

Also, a frequent question is, 'Well which poll really matters?' The short answer here is, 'None of them'. The only thing that truly matters is what the baseball committee members that put together the NCAA Tournament field think. And those individuals don't release a poll.

Another item that might be notable is different media outlets or TV broadcasts sometimes use different polls. Here at Cowbell Corner, it's the D1Baseball poll that is relied on in all articles, previews, etc. due to the level of trust in that organization's opinion.

OK, now that all of that is out of the way, here is where Mississippi State sits in the aforementioned six polls in the latest rankings released Monday, March 22:

• D1 Baseball - No. 8 (previously No. 3)
• Baseball America - No. 5 (previously No. 2)
• USA Today - No. 7 (previously No. 4)
• Perfect Game - No. 13 (previously No. 2)
• Collegiate Baseball Newspaper - No. 12 (previously No. 6)
• NCBWA - No. 8 (previously No. 2)

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