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There's
lots of ways to rank Pool B teams, and since they are scattered across
the country and don't play each other much, it's not exactly cut-and-dried.
The national committee takes into account winning percentage, primarily against regional teams and other Division III teams, as well as strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and results against common opponents when determining who will get the seven Pool B bids. (And people, if you don't know what Pool B is, try the Playoff FAQ.)
Even though there's just one week left in the regular season, there's a lot that can change. Some of these teams will play each other. Others will see their strength of schedule increase or decrease with their final opponent or opponents. But here's our look at Pool B through games of Nov. 3, 2001 (teams with asterisks have a non-Division III loss):
| No. | Team | D3 | Opp% | Notes |
| 1 | Wash. & Jeff. | 7-0 | .489 | They're in. |
| 2 | RPI | 7-0 | .519 | They're in. |
| 3 | Hope * | 7-0 | .510 | Certainly in
with a win over Albion this week. But with a loss, they're behind Wash U, which also beat Albion. |
| 4 | Thomas More | 9-0 | .484 | In with a win.
The schedule isn't great, but it's an improvement over last year, and so would a 10-0 record. |
| 5 | Union | 8-1 | .515 | This is where
the field starts to get shaky. There's a number of one-loss upstate NY teams. None has beaten another playoff team. Union has the best SOS for now. |
| 6 | Pacific.Lutheran.* | 4-1 | .667 | Huge SOS. Can't
breathe easily if Linfield beats Willamette this weekend, since both Linfield and Menlo could easily be taken instead of PLU. |
| 7 | Linfield * | 6-1 | .500 | Still a must-win
weekend. Behind PLU on head-to-head basis. Menlo back to health will help the strength of that head-to-head win. |
| 8 | Menlo * | 6-1 | .545 | Menlo features a win against a playoff team, Hardin-Simmons. |
| 9 | Whitworth | 5-1 | .516 | Bad time to take the first loss. That win against PLU was long ago. |
| 10 | Brockport | 7-1 | .500 | I still like these guys if they beat Wesley. |
| 11 | Wesley | 6-1 | .480 | I'm less convinced about these guys if they beat Brockport. |
| 12 | Washington U. | 8-2 | .627 | Schedule's done. If Albion beats Hope... ? |
| 13 | Albion * | 6-1 | .519 | Must beat Hope.
Still would be behind Wash U. in my book on head-to-head loss. |
| 14 | Carnegie Mellon | 7-1 | .483 | Really, they are too far away from contention to stay on this list. |
Note: Ithaca's strength of schedule is a whopping .382. The very best they can finish is .458, after playing Cortland (5-4) and if every possible opponent wins this weekend. Unfortunately, St. John Fisher (2-7) and Utica (0-7) play each other, so they can't both win. If they make it in the field, it's on history and reputation, not on SOS. They could get in running the table on this schedule, probably. But they have to be below Brockport since they lost head-to-head.
The strength of schedule takes into account only the games that have been played to date, and only against Division III teams. Strength of schedule doesn't take into account the games played against the team being measured. (That is, if Washington & Jefferson's opponents are 26-32, we subtract the seven losses W&J gave its opponents. This helps even out the effects of playing a particularly strong opponent.)