I think that Keith and Shawn both have raised a lot of good points.  Still,
I think the most important thing for a team is to try to do as well as
possible during the year!  (You probably are thinking: no kidding,
Sherlock! :-/ )  If the team wins their conference, they'll
be going to the NCAAs.  If they win 30 games during the year, they'll
also be going to the NCAAs.  If they consistently beat well-regarded
teams during the year, they'll probably be going to the NCAAs.  All
the bluster about the ratings and polls really doesn't make a whole
lot of difference for 95% of the teams!  Coaches shouldn't be worried
about how many "connections" they have --- they should be worried
about winning games and competing fairly.
 
The only time the polls and ratings make any difference is at playoff
time and then they are only a factor for a few teams which
are "on the bubble."  There is always going to be an argument about
which team is 12th and which team is 13th, no matter how the decision
is made.  My argument is that the teams at the bottom of the draw
are just plain-out lucky to still be in the chase.  They haven't
distinguished themselves as one of the top teams in hockey (because
almost everyone can agree on which teams are the very best
although everyone's positioning might vary)!
 
If a team can't win their conference, how can they win the national
championship?
 
 
Tim Newman