• Cowboys-Aggies meet in Big 12 showdown

  • By Eric Sorenson | April 21, 2011 6:10:58 AM PDT

If you're able to get your hands on your rich uncle's Learjet, here are the destinations you want to set your flight plan for this weekend.

1. No. 17 Oklahoma State at No. 7 Texas A&M
By the numbers:
OSU: 28-9, 10-5 Big 12, RPI No. 23
A&M 26-11, 11-4 Big 12, RPI No. 13
The Cowboys showed everyone this past weekend that they had officially put to rest last year's last place finish in the Big 12, while raising the giant flag that reads "a legit contender" for this season. A weekend series win over their Bedlam rival Oklahoma Sooners has both raised eyebrows across the country and the profile of the Pokes. Meanwhile, A&M is sticking its chest out chicken-hawk style as it is now tied with Texas atop the Big 12, having not lost a weekend series all season. The Cowboys' Dane Phillips, the Big 12's leading hitter (.409 BA), takes on the conference's top pitching staff (2.27 ERA) in what should be a tasty matchup.

2. No. 9 Arizona State at No. 19 California
ASU: 25-9, 8-4 Pac-10, RPI No. 4
Cal: 24-9, 9-3 Pac-10, RPI No. 34
The Bears are on an uptick, winning five straight and sitting a half- game behind Pac 10 leading Oregon State. Cal's arms have continued to be the biggest factor in its climb up the rankings, led by Kevin Miller (4-2, 1.30) and Erik Johnson (5-1, 2.05). But this will be a significant challenge as the Devils bring a dangerous lineup that hits .318 and steals bases (Pac-10 best 58) as easy as walks in the park. Cal catcher Chadd Krist, you've been warned.

3. No. 20 UCLA at No. 26 Stanford
UCLA: 20-12, 9-3 Pac 10, RPI No. 59
Stanford: 17-12, 3-6 Pac 10, RPI No. 19
Don't look now, but the Bruins could just be finding an offense. Last Sunday, Beau Amaral had six RBIs in the win over Arizona and on Tuesday they scored a season-high 14 runs in the win over San Diego State. Though the team is still hitting just .268, like ASU, the Bruins like to get their feet moving, stealing 47 bases in 67 tries. At the opposite end of things, this youthful Cardinal team is starting to wear down, losing consecutive weekend series to USC and Oregon State. Against the Beavers, SU scored just five runs and had 19 hits all weekend. But if the Bruins return to their notoriously weak offensive ways, the experienced Stanford mound corps should keep every game close. Unless Amaral can get some cohorts to join him in production, look for mostly 2-1 and 1-0 scores.

4. Alabama at No. 5 Florida
Watch: Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ESPN3.com
Bama: 25-15, 8-7 SEC, RPI No. 41
UF: 29-7, 11-3 SEC, RPI No. 2
Oddly, this is the only real marquee showdown in the usually showdown-heavy SEC. The Tide is tied for first in the SEC West, and the Gators are just a game behind South Carolina in the SEC East. But there is certainly a wide chasm between the top of the two divisions with the Gators joining the Gamecocks and Vandy at the top of the national and RPI rankings and Bama going 3-7 in its last 10 games. The disparity is drastically exemplified in the feast and famine offenses.
Feast: The Gators lead the SEC with a .315 average.
Famine: The Tide has ebbed to the worst offense in the conference at .273. Nathan Kilcrease and that pitching staff can only hold them in games so long, ya' know? Bama may gain some RPI points this weekend regardless, but a No. 41 RPI is getting into sit-at-home-in-June territory.

5. No. 25 Stetson at Jacksonville
SU: 29-8, 12-3 A-Sun, RPI No. 22
JU: 23-13, 13-5 A-Sun, RPI No. 48
This Atlantic Sun matchup carries with it major implications in the conference standings and in the all-important RPI formula the NCAA uses. The Dolphins have some pretty good wins this season (series wins vs. UNC Wilmington, East Tennessee State and Mercer) but still sit just outside of at-large consideration. But that could all change this weekend with a series win at John Sessions Stadium with Adam Brett Walker still has "meteors shooting off his bat" (great line from a JU press release). But beware the revenge factor here. Last year, the Hatters lost three of the four meetings with the Dolphins, including an elimination game in the A-Sun tournament to end their season. Don't you know the Hatters will turn into Mad Hatters as they try to right that wrong.

6. No. 24 Miami at No. 10 North Carolina
UM: 24-12, 13-4 ACC, RPI No. 24
UNC: 31-8, 12-6 ACC, RPI No. 5
This is a perfect example of how much of a roller coaster ride the college baseball season can be. After seeing Miami up close and personal in its loss to Rutgers on opening weekend, I came away thinking this was a mere shell of great Cane teams of yore. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels had an early-season win over Cal State Fullerton. But now, these fortunes have reversed. Miami has won 10 if its past 11 contests. Carolina? After last week's sweep at the hands of North Carolina State, Heels coach Mike Fox was quoted as saying, "I don't know what team I brought over here because it sure wasn't the same group of guys that played the first 36 games."

7. North Carolina State at No. 1 Virginia
NCSU: 22-16, 8-10 ACC, RPI No. 33
UVa: 37-3, 16-2 ACC, RPI No. 1
After seeing NC State get swept by Georgia Tech and Miami, you, me and everyone we know were quietly sleeping on this Wolfpack team. Then the monster awoke last week in a sweep of rival North Carolina, using solid pitching and defense to up its RPI into at- large consideration. So let me ask you Wolfpackers, do you have any magic left for No. 1 Virginia? Even with Pratt Maynard (.342 BA in ACC games) and Cory Mazzoni (3-4, 4.19 ERA) showing drastic improvement, the Wolfpack are supposed to get pummeled here. But anyone who knows coach Elliott Avent realizes he doesn't do anything people think he'll do.

8. Elon at Georgia Southern
EC: 24-14, 14-4 SoCon, RPI No. 28
GS: 22-15, 11-4 SoCon, RPI No. 86
The two top dogs of the Southern Conference hook up in Statesboro to decide who will grab the reins for the cattle drive toward June. They'll also be using this weekend as a huge RPI jockeying point as GSU saw its ranking plumet seven spots from the previous week. Pitching and defensively, these two teams are evenly matched. But the big disparity lies on offense. The Eagles have precision and power, with a .311 team average and 36 home runs. Elon hits just .252, but has stolen a SoCon-best 68 bases. If the Phoenix can't rise up at the dish, then watch for GSU to assault that 385-foot short porch in centerfield at Clements Stadium.

9. Western Kentucky at Troy
WKU: 25-13, 10-5 SBC, RPI No. 71
Troy: 26-10, 11-4 SBC, RPI No. 43
Like Georgia Southern, this is the Hilltoppers' prime chance to do patchwork on their RPI and get themselves into at-large consideration. I'm sure they'll remember that last season's Troy series was what started the 'Toppers late season slide, as they went 4-9 in the month of May, jump-started by a series loss to the Trojans. Both teams face second-place Florida Atlantic in the next two weeks, but Troy's schedule is much tougher after that, so there is a sense of urgency to both teams this weekend. Kes Carter, Matt Rice and Jared Andreoli all hit .365-plus, and they should be a huge test for Troy's arms corps, led by Tyler Ray (8-0, 1.26) and Drew Hull (4-0, 2.04). Good luck keeping those unbeaten records.

10. Ole Miss at Auburn
Watch: Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU, Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com
UM: 23-15, 8-7 SEC, RPI No. 32
AU: 20-16, 7-8 SEC, RPI No. 14
Don't let the high number of losses sway you. These two teams are still in the thick of the fight to get a No. 1 seed (though Ole Miss has some work to do) and in the here-today, gone-tomorrow world of the SEC, you sink or swim with each weekend. The Rebels have to prove they can win on the road (5-7 so far). If form holds, they could get some help as Auburn has the worst pitching (4.90) and the worst defense (.964) in the SEC. Also, the Plainsmen are just 2-7 in their last three home weekends. And is there RPI really No. 14? Maybe the better question is, do we believe it?

Eric Sorenson, who runs College Baseball Today, and Walter Villa are regular contributors to ESPN's college baseball coverage. Follow Eric on Twitter: @stitch_head

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