Auburn checks in at No. 3 in RPI — backed by nation’s toughest schedule

Auburn is sitting in a really strong spot nationally at No. 3 in the latest college baseball RPI and what stands out most is how battle-tested the Tigers are compared to almost everyone around them.

Following a sixth straight SEC series win after taking two of three at Mississippi State, the Tigers are rolling. The week before, it was a series win at Texas A&M — back-to-back road series wins against two of the best teams in the league.

And of Auburn’s six losses during this six-series stretch, four have come by just one run. They’ve been that close to multiple sweeps.

Among the top 20 teams nationally, Auburn owns the No. 1 strength of schedule. No other team in the top 10 has played a tougher schedule. That matters because Auburn’s 35-15 record has come against the hardest slate in all of college baseball.

The SEC’s dominance jumps off the page. Eight SEC teams are inside the top 20 RPI: Auburn, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss and Georgia, with Oklahoma (23) just outside. Auburn is right in the middle of the league’s gauntlet and still sitting third nationally.

Of those nine teams, the Tigers are 4-2 in series against the six they’ve faced, with a series against SEC champion Georgia still ahead.

Only UCLA and Georgia Tech are ahead of Auburn in RPI (Auburn is 1-1 against Georgia Tech), but both have significantly weaker schedules — UCLA at No. 28 in SOS and Georgia Tech at No. 35. Auburn has 10 more losses than UCLA, but the Tigers have played a dramatically tougher schedule week after week.

Compared to other SEC contenders:

• Texas is No. 4 in RPI with the No. 12 SOS.
• Alabama is No. 6 with the No. 4 SOS.
• Mississippi State is No. 10 with the No. 13 SOS.
• Texas A&M is No. 11 with the No. 33 SOS (17 Quad IV games).
• Florida is No. 12 despite the No. 2 SOS.
• Ole Miss is No. 13 with the No. 3 SOS.

Auburn boasts 14 Quad I victories this season. That’s second-most in the nation behind Florida’s 15. Yes, the SEC gauntlet and Tigers’ schedule presented them with ample opportunities, but they’ve taken advantage.

Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Oklahoma are the only teams in the top 25 of the RPI without a Quad III or Quad IV loss this season. Among teams currently in the mix for a top-eight national seed, Auburn is the only one without a “bad” loss.

Auburn’s profile looks the part of a top-eight national seed. The Tigers have consistently held up against elite competition, and that’s something the committee has historically valued in regional hosting and national seeding decisions.

The other thing helping Auburn is separation. There’s a noticeable gap between Auburn’s profile and other teams in the top 10 that either played weaker schedules or accumulated more damaging losses. Auburn’s combination of top-three RPI and No. 1 SOS is one of the cleanest resumes in the country right now.

You’d have to think going 1-2 against Georgia this weekend wouldn’t really hurt Auburn’s push for a top-8 national seed. A sweep loss might be a different story. That’s what the Tigers need to avoid if they want to maintain their strong chance of hosting both a regional and super regional.

Take two of three from Georgia and Auburn should all but lock up a top-8 national seed, regardless of what happens elsewhere.