When it comes to the qualifier rankings let’s start with what they are and what they aren’t. Simply put, they are meant to be fun and at some level informative. They are not based on a true mathematical formula or algorithm put together by MIT experts. They are biased in the sense that the info used comes from Vballrecruiter.com’s national rankings.
The factors taken into consideration are 1) percent chance of qualifying; 2) number of eventual qualifiers; 3) percentage of teams eventually qualified from the field; 4) number of nationally-ranked teams; 5) percentage of nationally-ranked teams in the field; and 6) average ranking of those teams.
There are some obvious flaws with the way the averages are generated. For example, coming up with the chance of qualifying is done from subtracting the number of teams already having a bid from the number of teams in the field and then using the number of bids available and dividing that by the number of teams without a bid. This, of course, doesn’t take into account the odds of trickle down and get into the nitty-gritty of that.
However, I do feel there is a lot to be taken from the overall rankings and that even though the system is far from perfect it is fairly reflective of the strength of each individual qualifiers. Generally speaking, the rankings match up with the “eye test” if you will of the qualifiers. There was no doubt looking at the 17 Open division at the Salt Lake Showdown that it was extremely difficult this season and therefore it wasn’t surprising to see it average out as the toughest in 17 Open in 2025. Conversely, Big South didn’t seem as strong as it has been in other years and it showed in the rankings, as Big South averaged out as the least toughest qualifier in 17 Open in 2025.
You can view the rankings, as well as a full breakdown, below.
17 OPEN RANKINGS
- 1. Salt Lake Showdown
- 2. Lone Star Classic
- T3. Windy City
- T3. MEQ
- 5. Sunshine Classic
- 6. PNQ
- 7. Show Me
- 8. Northern Lights
- 9. NEQ
- 10. Far Western
- 11. Red Rock Rave
- 12. Big South
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FULL BREAKDOWN
1. SALT LAKE SHOWDOWN (Avg 2.8)
Number of Teams: 41
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 10
Chance of Qualifying: 9.7 (8th)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 14 (t1st)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 34.1 (3rd)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 18 (t2nd)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 43.9 (1st)
Average of Ranked Teams: 21.7 (t2nd)
***
2. LONE STAR CLASSIC (Avg 3.7)
Number of Teams: 47
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 10
Chance of Qualifying: 8.1 (6th)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 14 (t1st)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 29.8 (4th)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 19 (1st)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 40.4 (4th)
Average of Ranked Teams: 25.3 (6th)
***
T3. WINDY CITY (Avg 5)
Number of Teams: 44
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 9
Chance of Qualifying: 8.6 (7th)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (4th)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 27.3 (5th)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 14 (4th)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 31.8 (8th)
Average of Ranked Teams: 21.7 (t2nd)
***
T3. MEQ
Number of Teams: 48 (Avg 5)
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 3
Chance of Qualifying: 6.7 (4th)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 13 (3rd)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 27.1 (6th)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 18 (t2nd)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 37.5 (5th)
Average of Ranked Teams: 25.6 (7th)
***
5. SUNSHINE CLASSIC (Avg 5.7)
Number of Teams: 48
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0
Chance of Qualifying: 6.25 (1st)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (5th)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 20.8 (10th)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 13 (t5th)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 27.1 (9th)
Average of Ranked Teams: 23.1 (4th)
***
6. PNQ (Avg 6.2)
Number of Teams: 24
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0
Chance of Qualifying: 12.5 (11th)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t6th)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 37.5 (2nd)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 10 (t8th)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 41.7 (t2nd)
Average of Ranked Teams: 26.3 (8th)
***
7. SHOW ME (Avg 7.2)
Number of Teams: 40
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 4
Chance of Qualifying: 7.5 (5th)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t6th)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 22.5 (8th)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 13 (t5th)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 32.5 (7th)
Average of Ranked Teams: 27.8 (12th)
***
8. NORTHERN LIGHTS (Avg 7.3)
Number of Teams: 28
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0
Chance of Qualifying: 10.7 (9th)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 7 (9th)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 25 (7th)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 10 (t8th)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 35.7 (6th)
Average of Ranked Teams: 23.2 (5th)
***
9. NEQ (Avg 7.7)
Number of Teams: 46
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0
Chance of Qualifying: 6.5 (t2nd)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t6th)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 19.6 (11th)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 12 (7th)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 26.1 (10th)
Average of Ranked Teams: 27.6 (10th)
***
10. FAR WESTERN (Avg 8)
Number of Teams: 12
Bids Available: 2
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 1
Chance of Qualifying: 18.2 (12th)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 5 (12th)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 41.7 (1st)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 5 (12th)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 41.7 (t2nd)
Average of Ranked Teams: 26.6 (9th)
***
11. RED ROCK (Avg 8.7)
Number of Teams: 28
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 1
Chance of Qualifying: 11.1 (10th)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 6 (t10th)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 21.4 (9th)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 7 (11th)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 25 (11th)
Average of Ranked Teams: 18.1 (1st)
***
12. BIG SOUTH (Avg 9.2)
Number of Teams: 48
Bids Available: 3
Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 2
Chance of Qualifying: 6.5 (t2nd)
Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 6 (t10th)
Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 12.5 (12th)
Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 10 (t8th)
Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 20.8 (12th)
Average of Ranked Teams: 27.7 (11th)
