This one’s for you, anon. I had to not pay attention through 2 whole classes to get this done. :)

Honorable Mentions:

Emerson College – With one of the largest and most developed quidditch programs in the world, Emerson is always in position to compete. Their victory at the Champion’s Series is proof of this. Their chasers are fast enough to stick with anyone, and their passing game is precise and methodical. If you want to beat Emerson, you’ll have to be prepared.

University of South Florida – I’m having a hard time leaving USF out of the top 10, but there just aren’t enough slots for all the great teams in quidditch. Anyone who has played USF can tell you that their chasers are some of the best in the world, their beaters are smart, and their seeker is a pure athlete. USF has all the tools to compete at a high level, the only that will hold them back, I think, are certified refs, as they do have a tendency to stretch the rules. Not a bad thing, I think every team does it at some point, but something to watch.

My Top Ten

#10. Texas A&M – A&M is a force in the game. Semi-finalists at the World Cup, champions of the A&M classic, this is a team that has top-notch ability. Most people probably have A&M ranked higher than 10th, but with the loss of Mollie Lensing, I don’t know how A&M’s beaters will hold up. Certainly, they’ll have a solid beating game, but it’s hard to replace a player like Lensing. Nevertheless, A&M will have an incredible chaser game, and while I don’t know a whole lot about their seeker, I can’t imagine they’d have done what they did last year without a good one.

#9. Villanova – Zach D’Amico and Billy Greco, do I have to keep talking? Yes? Okay fine. Nova has an incredible passing game, very precise, very effective. This passing game is enough to keep them close against anyone (except, as I’m guessing some of you will note, Emerson in the champion’s series finals, but I’m convinced that rout was a fluke. Not the result, Emerson is a great team, but Villanova won’t lose like that often, especially not when they’re at full strength). Billy Greco is going to catch about 90% of snitches, so keeping it close is really all Nova has to do.

#8. Pittsburgh QC – I’m a huge fan of this team. Not their city, I’m a Cleveland fan (I know), but this quidditch team has style. It’s not just that they’re the sexiest team in quidditch, but they’re a great team that is ALWAYS around later in tournaments. Pitt has yet to have a breakthrough and win a major tournament, but looking at the way this team has been performing over the last couple of seasons, it’s only a matter of time.

#7. Kansas – Kansas took the quidditch world by storm last year when they usurped Middlebury from the #1 slot after winning the Midwest Cup, after being IQA official for all of 12 hours. They followed this up with a Swag 16 appearance and winning the Cowboy Cup. Granted, the Cowboy Cup didn’t have a ton of top-notch teams, but you can’t deny Kansas had an impressive year for their first official year. I’m expecting they’ll only get better this year.

#6. Boston University – One of the oldest programs in the country, and a consistent contender, Boston is one of those teams that seems to never go down easy. Their passing game is extraordinary and always leads to a lot of points. In football, they say there’s no defense for a perfect pass. In quidditch, I think that becomes there’s no defense for a perfect passes, and nobody does it better than Boston.

#5. UCLA – I’ve seen them play once in person, and I was reffing at the time (yes, I was bludger reffing that infamous UCLA v Midd game), so I didn’t really get a chance to analyze their play, but since then, I’ve watched several of their matches on youtube and I’m always impressed. UCLA has the best beaters I’ve seen from the west, and in case you didn’t know, I’m a huge fan of great beaters. Not to mention their passing game is one of the better ones in quidditch, not quite at Boston or Nova’s level, but they make up for that with some of the most imposing beaters in the game.

#4. Middlebury – Yes, you read that right. Say what you want about Middlebury and how they cheat (like none of you have ever bent the rules before, right?), fact is, Middlebury wins games. Like it or not, their performance at last year’s World Cup was one of the greatest clutch performances I’ve ever seen, and I grew up watching Michael Jordan. While their bludger control seemed a little weak, Middlebury found a way to keep scoring. I have to give huge props to their chasers for always stepping up at the right time, and to their seeker for snatching snitches like a fat boy snatches snickers. Middlebury is a rather private team, and as such I’m not sure which of their players are coming back or not, but with the oldest and most popular program in the country, you can be sure there won’t be a lack of talent on this team.

#3. Texas – Have you seen this team? Winners of the Mardi Gras and Lone Star Cups, runner-ups in the A&M classic, #1 seed for tournament play at World Cup. This team is ridiculous. Texas has some of the best athletes in the game, and their high-powered, high-speed chaser game is too much for all but the top tier of teams to handle, and sometimes, even they can’t. I think it’s pretty obvious that Texas is serious contender to win the World Cup this year, and possibly sweep all of the Southwest’s major tournaments. Scary good, this team.

#2. Michigan State – Another team that’s always around, and always going to put up a fight. They’ve been one of the top teams in the Midwest since forever, and have performed consistently well, relying on their beaters as the crux of their defense, in true Midwest fashion. As far as I’m concerned, MSU has the best group of beaters in the world. They may not have the best overall beater, but Chris Kramer and Will Hack (if Will is healthy) are a nearly impossible duo to match. They both play in the NCDA, which means they can throw dodgeballs accurately over 15 yards, at speeds of 50+ MPH. But even without that pair, MSU is a powerhouse. Both of those beaters were absent for their match against UCLA at World Cup, and they still managed to keep the game close enough to have a chance to win it. I’m not sure how many other teams would fare without their top beaters, especially against a team like UCLA.

#1. Miami (FL) – Is anyone who knows me surprised? Probably not. It’s no secret that I have what can only be described as a fanboy megacrush on David Moyer and his seeking abilities. Having snitched and beat against him over the summer, I can tell you that if a snitch can be caught, Moyer will catch it. The only defense is putting a beater on him full time. Oh, what’s that? Miami has Matt Ziff too, beater for team USA. You can be sure that if any beater is giving Moyer a hard time, Ziff will put them in their place. Well, that’s all well and good, but can they score? Maybe you should ask the FQC, where Miami has put up scores like 120-10 against World Cup runners up Florida, or 110-40 against the elite 8 USF team. There’s no doubt about it, Miami is going to be an incredible team this year. I almost feel bad for the teams they play.