[COLLEGE MEN] Akron, the No. 1 team in the Soccer America Men's Top 25 every week this season, remains first in the RPI index, which underscored the emerging parity in the NCAA Division I men's ranks.

(Click here for the complete men's RPI and here for the 2010 NCAA Division I Tournament handbook.)

The RPI -- Ratings Percentage Index -- is the most important of the criteria the NCAA uses to determine the 48-team field for the NCAA Division I Men's Tournament. The RPI is a mathematical formula designed to objectively compare results and strength of schedule.

The Big East leads all teams with five teams in the RPI Top 25. The Big Ten has four and the ACC and Ivy League have three apiece.

The NCAA will award 26 at-large bids to fill out the 48-team field. Of the 22 men's conferences that will get automatic bids for its champions, 19 have teams ranked in the hypothetical RPI 48.

All at-large teams must have records of .500 or better, which puts Wake Forest at 5-7-2 but ranked 31st in the RPI Index in danger of missing out on the NCAA Tournament after making the Men's College Cup the last four years.
 
The three so-called bubble teams include UC Irvine, No. 8 in this week's Soccer America Men's Top 25 with a 12-1-2 record but only 46th in the RPI Index. The Anteaters have only one win over a team with a winning record.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the RPI 48 is East Tennessee State at No. 40.

MEN'S SOCCER (RPI TOP 48+3)
1 Akron Mid-American
2 SMU Conference USA
3 Louisville Big East
4 Maryland ACC
5 North Carolina ACC
6 William & Mary CAA
7 California Pac-10
8 Indiana Big Ten
9 Michigan St. Big Ten
10 UCLA Pac-10
11 Ohio St. Big Ten
12 Penn St. Big Ten
13 Notre Dame Big East
14 Creighton Missouri Valley
15 South Carolina Conference USA
16 Georgetown Big East
17 Butler Horizon
18 Tulsa Conference USA
19 Connecticut Big East
20 Brown Ivy
21 Florida Gulf Coast Atlantic Sun
22 Duke ACC
23 Penn Ivy
24 Princeton Ivy
25 West Virginia Big East
26 Monmouth Northeast
27 Col. of Charleston Southern
28 Old Dominion CAA
29 UCF Conference USA
30 South Fla. Big East
32 Virginia ACC
33 Providence Big East
34 Boston U. America East
35 UC Santa Barbara Big West
36 Cincinnati Big East
37 George Mason CAA
38 Towson CAA
39 Boston College ACC
40 East Tenn. State Atlantic Sun
41 Loyola Marymount WCC
42 Michigan Big Ten
43 UNC Wilmington CAA
44 Loyola (Md.) MAAC
47 Charlotte Atlantic 10
48 Cal State Bakersfield MPSF
51 High Point Big South
55 Lehigh Patriot
106 Oakland Summit
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31 *Wake Forest ACC
45 Elon Southern
46 UC Irvine Big West
49 UAB