Inside College Hockey

Thought bubble: Can we agree that projecting an NCAA Tournament bracket right now is like asking a chubby woodland rodent to climb out of a hole in early February and ascertain the climatological conditions for the next 40 days? But it's still a heck of a lot of fun. Anyway, one thing that seems fairly easy is determining the No. 1 seeds. I mean, can you really see anyone other than BU, Cornell, Michigan, and Notre Dame getting 1s? Northeastern and Vermont maybe. Miami? Doubtful. Denver? Nope. Once you get past the top six, the footing's about as stable as an Everest ascent. — Mike Eidelbes

1.
Cornell

The Big Red should root for fellow Ivies Princeton and Yale to keep rolling ... up until it's time for them to play the Tigers and Bulldogs.

1.
Boston U.

As much as we like the Terriers — and there's a lot to like — we have to remind ourselves that they're still in second place in the Hockey East standings.

2.
Vermont

On paper, the Catamounts have the most favorable remaining schedule in Hockey East, with series against the league's bottom three teams.

2.
Denver

Here's Denver's schedule for the next three weekends — two at Minnesota Duluth, one at Colorado College, two at Wisconsin. Those would be five games of mild importance.

3.
Yale

Yale? Really? Yeah, they're here and they belong. But with no signature non-conference wins, upcoming league games with Princeton and Cornell are doubly important.

3.
New Hampshire

Boston College and New Hampshire play Feb. 20-21. Should one team lose both games, it would likely deal a death blow to its NCAA hopes barring a deep Hockey East tourney run.

4.
Boston College

The Eagles are one of those teams that you would never bet against. But right now, you wouldn't want to bet on 'em, either.

4.
Niagara

The Purple Eagles, along with Bemidji State, are the class of the CHA. We go with Niagara now.

1.
Notre Dame

For a team that didn't lose a game for three months, the Irish's list of marquee wins — Boston College, Minnesota Duluth, Michigan — is surprisingly short.

1.
Michigan

We project that Michigan and Notre Dame will meet in the CCHA final, meaning that both teams will end up as No. 1s regardless of the outcome.

2.
Miami

The home-and-home series against Ohio State to close the regular season could have some extra heft, don't you think? The RedHawks appear to have shaken their January swoon.

2.
Northeastern

The Huskies play Boston University three times between Feb. 9-21. That kind of familiarity, rare in the college ranks, could serve as a breeding ground for an epic battle.

3.
North Dakota

To steal a phrase from ESPN's Chris Berman, nobody circles the wagons like the Sioux. Still, this team isn't that far removed from consecutive losses to Michigan State and Michigan Tech.

3.
Minnesota

Anyone who watched the Gophers play Northeastern in the Dodge Holiday Classic last month would not be disappointed to see a rematch.

4.
RIT

There was a time not that long ago where it was unfathomable to put anyone other than Air Force in as the Atlantic Hockey auto-bid.

4.
Princeton

The Tigers are sinking, having won just two if their last six games. Trying to right the ship on a road trip to Colgate and Cornell is a tall order.

Last two in: Boston College, New Hampshire First two out: Minnesota Duluth, Ohio State
Stock rising: North Dakota, Yale Stock falling: Boston College, Minnesota
INCH's projected auto-bids: Atlantic Hockey-RIT; CCHA-Notre Dame; College Hockey America-Niagara;
ECAC Hockey-Cornell; Hockey East-Boston University; WCHA-North Dakota