Elite Prospects NCAA Power Rankings for mid-January

We're a few weeks into the second half of the college hockey season and the national and conference pictures are really starting to materialize.

Hockey East, the Big Ten, and the NCHC are dominating the current Pairwise, with only one team from outside those conferences (Quinnipiac) even in the top 20. But on a more granular level, it looks like a bit of a down year for the NCHC and very much an up year for Hockey East in particular.

So, how are we feeling about those top teams, and more? Let's dive right in.

Here is where we stand collectively:

And here are our individual ballots:

Maybe it's not that surprising, but our personal and collective top 20 lists don't differ too much from what the Pairwise is saying at this point. Is there anyone not currently in the top 13 or 14 — where the tournament cutline is all but guaranteed to be — that you're keeping an eye on for a second-half run?

RL: I'm watching Quinnipiac, Wisconsin, and Arizona State with great interest. All started slow due to injuries, lines not jelling as expected, or just tough schedules. All have righted the ship to one extent or another. Wisconsin is still three games below .500 (which is bad) but the only teams they've lost to in regulation since early November are elites like Michigan State and Minnesota. ASU is on a similar streak, with no regulation losses since Nov. 15. I'll talk more about QU in a bit but if you don't think those guys can speedbag the ECAC the rest of the way, I think you've been under a rock for the last decade.

SS: Wisconsin for me, too. I don't think they'll get the pairwise points to get in, but I watched them closely against Michigan State recently and they seem to have that sneaky chance to win the Big 10 tournament in my mind. If that happens it creates some chaos for others and puts some heat on Arizona State currently in that 14th spot.

Opposite of the same question above: Who's in the top 14 or so right now that you kind of expect to drop out to make room for the teams we mentioned above, and why?

SS: I worry about New Hampshire, not because of the strength of their team but because of how damn good Hockey East is and someone has to eventually take the lumps from such a tough conference, right?

RL: I think there could be a decent amount of turnover from 10-14. We're in agreement on UNH, but I'll say UMass Lowell — for basically the same reason — and Michigan for the "drop out" group. Their schedules just seem a bit too tough and the results maybe thin out. I wouldn't be shocked if any or all stayed in, but saying the top 14 today will be the top 14 in mid-March seems too optimistic. I could also see Ohio State hitting some bumps but their position might be a little too secure for anything but complete disaster to knock them off course.

Any thoughts on what's shaping up to be a wild second half in Atlantic Hockey?

RL: I love it. Preseason favorite Sacred Heart leads, but is behind hard-charging Bentley on points percentage and neck-and-neck with Niagara. Holy Cross isn't far behind, either. All have multiple games in hand on the leaders, too. I picked Holy Cross to win the conference at the beginning of the season but the hole might be a little too big for them. Bentley feels like they have the juice here, and may be able to effectively end Holy Cross's hopes if they sweep their head-to-head series this weekend.

SS: I love that it works out that Bentley and Sacred Heart play the final regular-season game for both teams against each other on Feb. 22, so I'm kind of hoping that game is a de facto championship game.

It's not just the top of the national rankings that have been a little turbulent this year; the Hobey Baker race has too. Who would you put in your top three right now?

SS: Trey Augustine at Michigan State, Ryan Leonard at Boston College, and Jack Devine at Denver would be my three right now. I want to give some more love to Alex Tracy at Minnesota State, but right now can't justify putting him that high on my list for some reason. 

RL: The fact that we each picked three completely different players kinda tells the story. It's an interesting field this year because there's no true standout forward beyond the guy who's national goals and points leader, Michigan State's Isaac Howard. Usually they like to do three forwards, or perhaps two forwards and one guy at a different position, but I'm not sure another forward is even worthy of that consideration right now. So gimme Minnesota defenseman Sam Rinzel and Maine goalie Albin Boija as the two best at their positions to fill out my Hobey Hat Trick.

As plenty of people have noticed this week, Hockey East currently has seven teams in the top 13 in the country. How many teams do you think will make the cut, and which ones?

RL: I think they get five in on autobids: BC, Maine, Providence, BU, and UConn. Like I said above, I think UMass Lowell and UNH will drop off a bit and end up just on the wrong side of the cutline. The field is just gonna be too crowded for everyone to keep winning at the rate they have so far.

SS: I'll go with six making it in. Maine, Boston University, Boston College, UConn, Providence, and UMass Lowell.

Do you think anyone is catching either Minnesota State in the CCHA or Quinnipiac in the ECAC?

SS: As a proud Bowling Green alum, I'd love to see them find a way to get into the tournament, but realistically I don't see anyone catching Minnesota State right now. I'm at least intrigued by Clarkson's chances of potentially catching Quinnipiac.

RL: Not really close in either one, for me. I know Clarkson has a better points percentage than Quinnipiac but the Bobcats started slow and since early November have been one of the best teams in the country. They might not be quite as good as they have been recently, but the whole ECAC is a little worse than people thought, so they've risen to the top again. As for the CCHA, it's important to keep in mind they're sorting their standings by points percentage this year because of Augustana's unbalanced schedule. That means every loss hurts the Vikings more, and they're already facing a decent-sized deficit. The rest of that league doesn't seem capable of keeping up.