Every week, I focus on what goes on at a game-by-game level; as we pass the midpoint of the season, it's time to take a look at the bigger picture. For time and space purposes, I'm going to stick to the six deepest conference plus some other contenders (either current or preseason).
Grades are based upon expectations heading into the season, so you can't really compare one team to another. Conferences are sorted by the standings through last weekend, and the conferece records, which are listed, don't include ties.
ACC
No. 3 Florida State (17-1, A): The Seminoles were excluded from the preseason Top 25, but it's been tough to ignore their balanced attack,
led by Buster Posey (.478-10-42) and Matt Fairel (8-0, 2.38).
No. 1 Miami (15-1, A): The Hurricanes were ranked No. 10 in the preseason poll, and the best infield in the nation has them right with the Seminoles heading into this weekend's matchup.
No. 4 North Carolina (13-4, A-): After two straight trips to the CWS championship series, the Tarheels are back in contention this year, led by an impressive staff ERA of 2.24 through 37 games.
Virginia (11-7, B-): The Cavaliers lost their first two conference series to fall out of the Top 25, and Jacob Thompson (4-1, 4.34) hasn't been as dominant this season.
NC State (10-7, B): The Wolfpack is right where they should be: in the middle of the conference standings and in solid contention for an NCAA tournament bid.
Georgia Tech (9-9, B): The pitching has been solid for the Yellow Jackets, and they are well-positioned for a postseason run.
Wake Forest (6-11, C-): The Demon Deacons were looking to build on last year's success, but the lone bright spot has been Allan Dykstra (.310-8-21) as Wake has been outscored 330-217.
Clemson (6-12, D): There might be time for the Tigers to turn it around, but their tough schedule has caught up to them in the form of an 11-game losing streak that threatens the school's streak of 21 straight regional appearances.
Duke (5-12, B): The Blue Devils have been competitive in conference for the second straight year, helped greatly by Friday starter Andrew Wolcott (3-2, 2.91).
Maryland (5-13, B-): On the strength of 12 straight nonconference wins, the Terrapins have a shot at a winning record this season.
Boston College (5-13, B+): Close but no cigar for the Eagles, who have lost seven conference games by three runs or less.
Virginia Tech (3-15, C): A brutal early conference schedule gets a little easier down the stretch, but the Hokies will be hard-pressed to match last year's seven conference wins.
Big 12
No. 19 Texas A&M (12-3, B+): It's a tough stretch run for the well-balanced Aggies, who finish conference play with series against Baylor, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas.
No. 9 Nebraska (11-3, A): The pundits didn't expect much from the Huskers this season, but Johnny Dorn (4-1, 1.98) and the pitching staff (3.34 ERA) have helped overcome a lack of power hitting (only 19 home runs in 32 games).
No. 6 Missouri (7-5, A-): Right on expectations for the Tigers, with all three weekend starters posting ERAs well below 3.00, while the hitting has shown signs of improvement in recent weeks.
No. 18 Oklahoma State (8-7, A-): Another team that's performing in line with expectations, though the staff ERA of 3.89 has been a pleasant surprise.
No. 20 Texas (8-7, C): It's hard to believe that the Longhorns are 23-12 with their worst pitching (5.01 ERA) and fielding (.958) this decade, but they are still in contention if everyone plays at their potential.
Baylor (8-7, C): This was supposed to be the year that last year's outstanding freshman class developed into a No. 1 seed, but the Bears have been too inconsistent (.278 average, 4.55 ERA) to get over the hump.
Kansas (4-8, B-): Things got off on a bad foot when the Jayhawks lost their opening series at Hawaii-Hilo, but last week's sweep of Texas Tech might keep them out of the Big 12 cellar.
Oklahoma (3-8, C+): The schedule is conducive to a run down the stretch, but the Sooners' nonconference success isn't enough to offset their early struggles in conference play.
Kansas State (3-9, C-): The Wildcats were supposed to contend for an NCAA tournament berth this season, but have been waylaid by an anemic offense (.251 average and 21 homers) and 1-9 record away from Manhattan.
Texas Tech (4-11, C): The Red Raiders have been treading water this season; with the exception of Larry Hays' 1,500th victory, there hasn't been much to celebrate.
Big West
UC Davis (5-1, A+): The Aggies were expected to be at the bottom of the conference, not contending for a regional berth in their first year of eligibility.
UC Santa Barbara (6-3, A): The Gauchos have been another pleasant surprise in the Big West, though facing Fullerton, Long Beach and Irvine down the stretch could get ugly.
No. 15 Cal State Fullerton (6-3, A): The Titans don't rebuild, they reload. Despite starting the season unranked, first-year coach Dave Serrano has the team in its typical position of contending to host a regional.
No. 5 UC Irvine (5-4, A): Lost your head coach to a conference rival? No problem for the Anteaters, with Scott Gorgen (6-2, 2.18) leading a staff where all three starters have sub-3.00 ERAs.
UC Riverside (3-3, C-): After winning the conference last year, the Highlanders have struggled to a .254 batting average and 5.74 ERA this year.
Cal State Northridge (4-5, B): The Matadors have already surpassed last year's win total in conference games, with Richard Cates and John Parham both batting over .400.
Long Beach State (2-4, C+): A Jekyll and Hyde season for the Dirtbags, who have gone 3-11 over the last three weeks after starting 17-3 with series wins against Rice, Wichita State, Southern Cal and UCLA.
Cal Poly (3-6, C-): Expected to compete for a regional berth, the Mustangs have struggled to win games despite having five starters hitting over .350.
Pacific (2-7, C): Not much was expected from the Tigers, and with no regulars batting over .300 it's hard to compete in this powerful conference.
C-USA
No. 11 Rice (10-2, A-): The pitching hasn't been as strong as in the past, but the Owls continue to win; the stretch run will be the key for a team that finished 22-2 in each of its first two years in C-USA.
Houston (7-2, A): There isn't much pitching behind Wes Musick (7-1, 2.85) and Chase Dempsay (3-1, 2.01, 6 saves), but the Cougars have a chance to knock the Owls off their perch if they can win the season series for the first time since 2000.
No. 24 East Carolina (8-4, A): Started the season ranked No. 24, and that's where they are right now; with a .317 team average and strong starting pitching, the Pirates could host a regional if they play well over the next month.
Southern Miss (5-4, A): The Eagles became the first C-USA team to take a conference series from Rice, but injuries to starters Barry Bowden and David Clark could spell trouble down the stretch.
Tulane (4-4, B): Back in reconstructed Turchin Stadium for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, the Green Wave is 19-4-1 at home and hosts the C-USA tournament in May.
Marshall (4-7, B-): The hardest part of the conference schedule has already been played, and the Thundering Herd have been competitive behind the weekend pitching of Andrew Blain (2-3, 3.70), Dan Straily (3-2, 4.50) and Steve Blevins (4-2, 4.89).
UCF (4-8, C): The Knights were 19-1 on heading into conference play, but have gone just 7-12 over the last month and face a difficult schedule in the next five weeks.
Memphis (4-8, C): As evidenced by their .253 batting average, the Tigers lost a lot of offense after making the NCAA tournament last season.
UAB (1-8, C): The record is disappointing, but the Blazers have been competitive in conference games with five losses by three runs or less.
Pac-10
No. 2 Arizona State (6-3, A): Impressive numbers across the board -- .331 team batting, 50 homers, 3.70 ERA, .971 fielding percentage -- but
can the Sun Devils win outside Arizona? That question won't be answered until Omaha.
No. 10 Stanford (6-3, A): Projected to miss the NCAA tournament this year, the Cardinal have series wins over Nebraska, Cal State Fullerton, Texas, Arizona State and Oregon State.
No. 8 California (5-4, A): After finishing just over .500 last season, the Golden Bears have burst onto the national scene behind the bats of Josh Satin (.435-12-37) and David Cooper (.385-15-42).
Washington (3-3, B): Nick Haughian had a 6.27 career ERA entering the season, but has pitched well (4-3, 3.29, 66 K) as the Huskies' Friday night starter.
UCLA (3-3, D+): They opened the season ranked No. 1, but the Bruins have struggled despite their experience; only Alden Carrithers (.392-4-32) and Tim Murphy (3-3, 3.28) have lived up to expectations.
USC (6-6, B): Every year, the Trojans play one of the toughest schedules in the country and struggle to finish above .500; this season looks to be the same, though the closing stretch isn't as tough as in the past.
Oregon State (4-5, C-): If we learned anything last year, it was to never count out the defending national champions; the Beavers need more consistency from Mike Stutes (2-4, 5.40) and Jorge Reyes (2-1, 6.38) if they want to make another run in June.
Arizona (3-6, C-): Like UCLA, great things were expected from the Wildcats this season; while the record doesn't show it, the pitching has been strong and the team will be a dangerous postseason draw.
Washington State (3-6, C+): The Cougars have a chance to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1990 if they can navigate a difficult schedule over the final month.
SEC
No. 13 Georgia (12-3, A): A challenging early schedule has paid off for the Bulldogs, who are led by player of the year candidate Gordon Beckham (.430-17-43) and senior closer Joshua Fields (17 1/3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 10 saves, 33K).
No. 14 South Carolina (9-6, A-): Four batters with at least a dozen home runs and all four starters with sub-4.50 ERAs have the Gamecocks poised for a run at a national seed.
Florida (9-6, A): First year skipper Kevin O'Sullivan has the Gators poised to advance to the post-season for the first time since losing to Texas in the CWS Finals in 2005.
Tennessee (9-6, A): Another first year coach, another success story in the SEC; Todd Raleigh has the Volunteers, predicted to finish last in the SEC East, in contention for a tournament berth despite mediocre overall numbers (.292 batting average, 36 homers, 4.80 ERA).
No. 16 Mississippi (9-6, B): The Rebels struggled during March, but with Friday starter Lance Lynn (5-0, 3.21) leading a staff with a 3.39 ERA things should improve over the final month.
No. 17 Vanderbilt (8-6, B): The Commodores survived six weeks without preseason player of the year Pedro Alvarez, and despite losing last year's No. 1 overall draft pick David Price, they still have one of the deepest pitching staffs in the country.
No. 25 Kentucky (7-8, B-): After a 19-0 start, the Wildcats hope this season doesn't turn into a repeat performance of last season, when they lost 17 of their last 28 games and missed the tournament after starting the year 23-2-1.
LSU (6-9, B): The Tigers have been solid at home in their final season at venerable Alex Box Stadium, but have struggled to a 3-8 record outside Baton Rouge.
Auburn (6-9, C): Another example of the dramatic home-road splits in the SEC, the Tigers are 18-9 at home and 4-7 away from Plainsman Park; in order to contend as expected, they'll need to improve that split over the next five weeks.
Alabama (6-9, B): It's probably not a great sign for the success of the season if you have six different pitchers with four to seven starts at this point in the season, but the Tide pitching staff should benefit from this experience next year.
Arkansas (5-9, C): It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Razorbacks, and not enough people have stepped up to support Aaron Murphree (.330-13-34) at the plate and Dallas Keuchel (3-1, 2.98) and Cliff Springston (4-2, 3.65) on the mound.
Mississippi State (3-12, D): A tough year in Starkville, with the resignation of long-time coach Ron Polk and a disappointing follow-up to last season's run to the College World Series.
Other Teams of Note
No. 7 Wichita State (7-2, A): The Shockers rode a 19-game winning streak up the polls in March, and they don't allow many runs with Anthony Capra (6-0, 1.75), Rob Musgrave (4-1, 2.55) and Aaron Shafer (6-1, 3.04) leading the charge.
No. 12 San Diego (7-2, A): Business as usual for the Toreros, who look to improve on last year's postseason debacle with the help of Brian Matusz (7-1, 1.99) and two-way star Josh Romanski (6-0, 4.37; .345-6-39).
No. 21 Michigan (11-1, B+): They fell in the rankings after a disappointing southern swing to open the season, but Zach Putnam (3-0, 2.95; .336-6-36) and Nate Recknagel (.405-13-39) have led the Wolverines to an early lead in the Big Ten race.
No. 22 Coastal Carolina (7-2, A): After winning 50 games and hosting a regional last year, the Chanticleers are leading the way for the "mid-majors" once again with a balanced attack (.314 average, 3.84 ERA) and wins against North Carolina and Virginia.
No. 23 Pepperdine (6-2, A): Playing second fiddle to San Diego in the West Coast Conference isn't bad, especially with Eric Thames (.408-10-47) and Nathan Newman (5-2, 2.57) on your side.
Charlotte (9-3, A): How deep is the college baseball scene in the Carolinas? Despite a 27-8 record, .324 team batting average and 3.68 staff ERA, you don't hear a lot about the 49ers … which should change come tournament time.
Fresno State (9-3, B-): The Bulldogs were ranked in the preseason Top 25, but started the season 8-12. They've rebounded to take over first place in the WAC, but need Justin Wilson (3-4, 5.48) to pitch well to compete in June.
Louisville (6-6, C-): Chris Dominguez (.386-12-39) and Justin Marks (3-1, 2.34) have done their best, but the Cardinals lost too many key pieces from last year's College World Series team.
Louisiana-Lafayette (8-10, D): With the pitching returning from last year's squad, the Ragin' Cajuns began the year ranked No. 19; however, the club hasn't executed in any phase of the game (.246 average, 5.19 ERA, .955 fielding percentage) over the first two months of the season.
UNC Wilmington (16-1, A): After starting 1-4, the Seahawks ripped off 21 straight wins to gain control of the Colonial standings and move into the national picture.
Old Dominion (8-8, D): It was supposed to be about the pitching for the Monarchs, who entered the season ranked No. 25; despite having three top prospects for the 2008 draft, the staff has posted a 5.52 ERA.
St. John's (9-3, A): The best team in the Northeast over the last several years, the Red Storm should be heading back to the NCAA tournament on the arms of the pitching staff's 3.29 ERA.
ESPN.com Staff
