In order to be considered the best, you have to beat the best.
And this year's Cougar baseball team hasn't defeated enough of its nationally-ranked opponents to be considered as one of the best.
As their 21-19 season record shows, this Cougar team has played mediocre baseball all year long.
In the game of baseball there is no sympathy given out for a tough schedule. You have to do the best with the cards you are dealt. And if that means playing nationally-ranked teams every other week, that's what you have to do.
And the reccurring scenario all year with the Cougars is that they have been able to handle and beat up on weaker teams (like Cincinnati), and then come back and see the wheels come off the bus against tougher competition like Baylor.
Okay, the Cougars are playing one of the toughest schedules in the country and are a young team, but if they want to reach the postseason and have any success there, they will have to start beating some formidable opponents on that schedule.
The road to Omaha (College World Series) is going to have the best of the best in college baseball not teams below par like Illinois or Cincinnati.
It's good for the Cougars to go out and play three games of shut-out baseball against Cincinnati, but it would be even better for that success to spill over into the games against better teams.
Fortunately for the Cougars, they play in Conference USA - a conference where there are a few good teams, more average teams, and a couple horrible ones (Cincinnati).
And if for whatever reason they can't catch Tulane for first place in the regular season standings, so what.
All they have to do is focus on winning the C-USA championships and getting the automatic bid to an NCAA regional.
All the Cougars need to do is get a foot in the door. After that, anything can happen in the playoffs.
Who knows, if the Cougars can get on a hot streak at the right time, they could be playing in Omaha for the national championship.
Unfortunately, the Cougars haven't shown they can compete with the upper echelon in college baseball this year, but that's why baseball games are played.
After all, anything can happen.
Maybe the Cougars have been playing possum all year long and are waiting to turn it on in the postseason.