Is this considered preseason or does every game count in their grand scheme of a repeat ?
Every game in the Spring counts towards the rpi which is probably the driving force in the selection of teams, regional sites, etc. Since we are in a "weak" conference, the games in California we play every year offer more opportunity to impress the selection committee. We play 37 non-conference games. These first four offer the opportunity to play against ranked teams in Puerto Vallarta. That is a good chance to get some attention. We will play another five or six against likely ranked opponents. Then, we finish with 18 games against conference opponents. Only two, Texas and Baylor, are expected to be ranked. So, it is important that we do well early.
