<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4VIvG2_0tMK4sQ900" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4VIvG2_0tMK4sQ900" width="611" height="320" >Perhaps the most debated topic in Hoover, <a href="https://247sports.com/college/alabama/">Alabama</a> at the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament involves <a href="https://247sports.com/college/mississippi-state/">Mississippi State</a>. In fact, there is more chatter about whether or not the Bulldogs should host a regional next weekend at Dudy Noble Field than there is over <a href="https://247sports.com/college/mississippi-state/article/mississippi-state-baseball-232129536/">which SEC team should be the #1 overall seed when the tournament field is announced on Monday.</a> There is a case for and against State. The same can be said of multiple teams, but it appears the Bulldogs have the highest hill to climb in the eyes of many in the college baseball media. There is some circular logic to much of that discussion.Powered by <a href="https://redcircle.com/?utm_source=rc_embedded_player&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_campaign=embedded_v1">RedCircle</a>Some point to Mississippi State and say that the Bulldogs need to finish the week in Hoover in the top 20 in RPI. Some of those same people say that ECU should be able to host even if they fall out of the top 20.Some say that the Bulldogs' midweek loss to <a href="https://247sports.com/college/central-arkansas/">Central Arkansas</a> is an anchor to both their RPI and their post season resume. Some even go as far as saying that loss is more significant than two wins over Texas A&amp;M who was the #1 team in the RPI just two days ago.Some believe the RPI is near perfect, which seems a bit silly when you consider this year the D1 Baseball Committee added the quad system and the KPI into the metrics. Those same people will point out that both of those measuring points are fed by RPI. That is true, but why add those new components if you're not going to use them?For those who swear by RPI there are some interesting things to consider. <a href="https://247sports.com/college/oklahoma-state/">Oklahoma State</a> lost to a <a href="https://247sports.com/college/central-florida/">UCF</a> team who was outside of the Q1 on Thursday and did not drop a spot in the RPI. State lost to <a href="https://247sports.com/college/vanderbilt/">Vanderbilt</a> and dropped out of the top 20. Some would say, "You don't understand." They are correct. I don't. I fail to see any rhyme or reason in how those two losses are viewed differently when Mississippi State lost to the better team according to the RPI system we are supposed to accept without question.Some have even suggested that State might have to win the SEC tournament to host. If that is the Bulldog burden, then everyone involved in the process should face scrutiny. If 20 wins over SEC foes is not the best barometer of a team's worthiness, then perhaps it is time to scrap the whole system. There are some who believe the best way to grow the game is to get more midmajor hosting spots. I strongly disagree and think that line of thinking lacks logic. I don't have a marketing degree, but absolutely no one is going to turn on ESPN and elect to stop the clicker to see two college clubs play at a stadium across the country that would not even qualify as a decent Mississippi junior college park. If you're flipping through the channels and see a stadium packed out with 10,000 plus, you are more likely to stop and watch. It seems to be and is a much bigger deal. The pundits continue to say just one more win for State. If State had beaten Central Arkansas, they would likely still say the same. That loss has simply provided the critics a bullet point to rally with. Again, we can make a case for or against every school on the NCAA hosting bubble. There are no perfect clubs even in the top eight, but certainly not in the second eight.Speaking of top eights, State can silence all of this mess by simply winning a game today over who is locked in as a national top eight. That said, I am certain even if they do, some will say they need one more because Possum Neck Tech upset Montana Poly Come Lately in the second round of the Cicada Classic sponsored by RoundUp and that is cause for concern. In the end, none of us gets to vote and the committee does. State just needs to keep playing and hope that they have done enough. In the eyes of some they haven't and likely won't no matter how the rest of the week goes.</div></body>

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BONEYARD: Making sense of the hosting noise

Perhaps the most debated topic in Hoover, Alabama at the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament involves Mississippi State. In fact, there is more chatter about whether or not the Bulldogs should host a regional next weekend at Dudy Noble Field than there is over which SEC team should be the #1 overall seed when the tournament field is announced on Monday.

BONEYARD: Making sense of the hosting noise

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