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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. The Lone Star Classic is always tough and so it was not shocking to see it average out at the top in 2025. Northern Lights was able to breakthrough this season and come in second ahead of traditionally tough qualifiers like MEQ and Sunshine, which are regularly in the Top 4. You can view the rankings, as well as a full breakdown, below. 15 OPEN RANKINGS 1. Lone Star Classic 2. Northern Lights 3. MEQ 4. Sunshine Classic 5. Big South T6. Windy City T6. Red Rock Rave 8. Show Me 9. Salt Lake Showdown 10. NEQ 11. PNQ 12. Far Western   FULL BREAKDOWN   1. LONE STAR CLASSIC (Avg 2.7) Number of Teams: 40 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 12 Chance of Qualifying: 10.7 (5th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 16 (1st) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 40 (2nd) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 19 (2nd) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 47.5 (3rd) Average of Ranked Teams: 21.2 (t3rd) *** 2. NORTHERN LIGHTS (Avg 3.7) Number of Teams: 26 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 4 Chance of Qualifying: 13.6 (t9th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (t3rd) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 46.2 (1st) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 13 (t5th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 50 (t1st) Average of Ranked Teams: 21.2 (t3rd) *** 3. MEQ (Avg 4.3) Number of Teams: 48 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 1 Chance of Qualifying: 6.4 (1st) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 14 (2nd) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 29.2 (8th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 20 (1st) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 41.7 (6th) Average of Ranked Teams: 26.6 (8th) *** 4. SUNSHINE CLASSIC (Avg 4.5) Number of Teams: 41 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Chance of Qualifying: 7.3 (3rd) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (t3rd) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 29.3 (7th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 15 (4th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 36.6 (9th) Average of Ranked Teams: 19.4 (1st) *** 5. BIG SOUTH (Avg 5.8) Number of Teams: 48 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 3 Chance of Qualifying: 6.7 (2nd) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (5th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 22.9 (10th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 18 (3rd) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 37.5 (8th) Average of Ranked Teams: 26.5 (7th) *** T6. WINDY CITY (Avg 6.2) Number of Teams: 24 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 5 Chance of Qualifying: 15.8 (12th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t8th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 37.5 (t3rd) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 12 (8th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 50 (t1st) Average of Ranked Teams: 22.5 (5th) *** T6. RED ROCK (Avg 6.2) Number of Teams: 24 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Chance of Qualifying: 12.5 (t7th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t8th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 37.5 (t3rd) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 11 (9th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 45.8 (4th) Average of Ranked Teams: 23.3 (6th) *** 8. SHOW ME (Avg 6.3) Number of Teams: 30 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 3 Chance of Qualifying: 11.1 (6th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t6th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 33.3 (6th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 13 (t5th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 43.3 (5th) Average of Ranked Teams: 32.8 (10th) *** 9. SALT LAKE SHOWDOWN (Avg 7) Number of Teams: 28 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 6 Chance of Qualifying: 13.6 (t9th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t6th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 35.7 (5th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 10 (10th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 35.7 (10th) Average of Ranked Teams: 19.9 (2nd) *** 10. NEQ (Avg 8.3) Number of Teams: 32 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 1 Chance of Qualifying: 9.7 (4th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 5 (10th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 15.6 (12th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 13 (t5th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 40.6 (7th) Average of Ranked Teams: 35.6 (12th) *** 11. PNQ (Avg 10.2) Number of Teams: 24 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Chance of Qualifying: 12.5 (t7th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 4 (t11th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 16.7 (11th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 4 (t11th) Percent

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. In the case of 16 Open, it was hardly a surprise to see the qualifiers that ended up on top because they have consistently been among the strongest year in and year out. Just like looking at the bottom few, those traditionally have not been considered the toughest qualifiers. You can view the rankings, as well as a full breakdown, below. 16 OPEN RANKINGS 1. Windy City 2. Sunshine Classic 3. MEQ 4. Lone Star Classic 5. Red Rock Rave 6. Salt Lake Showdown 7. Northern Lights 8. Big South 9. Show Me 10. Far Western 11. NEQ 12. PNQ   FULL BREAKDOWN   1. WINDY CITY (Avg 3.5) Number of Teams: 34 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 9 Chance of Qualifying: 12 (t8th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 13 (t1st) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 38.2 (1st) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 17 (3rd) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 50 (1st) Average of Ranked Teams: 26.2 (t7th) *** 2. SUNSHINE CLASSIC (Avg 4) Number of Teams: 48 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Chance of Qualifying: 6.25 (t1st) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 13 (t1st) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 27.1 (6th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 15 (4th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 31.3 (t8th) Average of Ranked Teams: 23.5 (4th) *** 3. MEQ (Avg 4.8) Number of Teams: 48 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Chance of Qualifying: 6.25 (t1st) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 12 (3rd) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 25 (7th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 19 (1st) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 39.6 (5th) Average of Ranked Teams: 31.2 (12th) *** 4. LONE STAR CLASSIC (Avg 5.2) Number of Teams: 48 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 8 Chance of Qualifying: 7.5 (4th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 11 (4th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 22.9 (9th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 18 (2nd) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 37.5 (6th) Average of Ranked Teams: 25.9 (6th) *** 5. RED ROCK (Avg 5.3) Number of Teams: 25 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 0 Chance of Qualifying: 12 (t8th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t7th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 36 (2nd) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 11 (9th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 44 (4th) Average of Ranked Teams: 18.7 (2nd) *** 6. SALT LAKE SHOWDOWN (Avg 6.2) Number of Teams: 32 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 4 Chance of Qualifying: 10.7 (6th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 9 (t7th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 28.1 (5th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 10 (10th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 31.3 (t8th) Average of Ranked Teams: 16.7 (1st) *** 7. NORTHERN LIGHTS (Avg 6.5) Number of Teams: 28 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 3 Chance of Qualifying: 12 (t8th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 8 (t9th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 28.6 (4th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 13 (t5th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 46.4 (3rd) Average of Ranked Teams: 28.4 (10th) *** 8. BIG SOUTH (Avg 6.7) Number of Teams: 48 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 2 Chance of Qualifying: 6.5 (3rd) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t5th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 20.8 (11th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 13 (t5th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 27.1 (11th) Average of Ranked Teams: 24.1 (5th) *** 9. SHOW ME (Avg 7.2) Number of Teams: 36 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 5 Chance of Qualifying: 9.7 (5th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 8 (t9th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 22.2 (10th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 13 (t5th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 36.1 (7th) Average of Ranked Teams: 26.2 (t7th) *** 10. FAR WESTERN (Avg 7.8) Number of Teams: 17 Bids Available: 2 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 1 Chance of Qualifying: 12.5 (t11th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 6 (11th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 35.3 (3rd) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 8 (11th) Percent of Ranked Teams in Field: 47.1 (2nd) Average of Ranked Teams: 27.9 (9th) *** 11. NEQ (Avg 8.2) Number of Teams: 42 Bids Available: 3 Number of Previously-Qualified Teams: 5 Chance of Qualifying: 11.9 (7th) Number of Eventual Open Qualifiers: 10 (t5th) Percent Eventually Qualified from Field: 23.8 (8th) Number of Ranked Teams from Vballrecruiter Top 50: 12 (8th) Percent of

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   *** 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