The 2021 Collegiate Water Polo Association Men’s Preseason Poll was released earlier today—and it’s safe to say this is most highly anticipated early season poll in the two decade history of the CWPA polling.

It’s not that there’s any major surprises—at first glance, this looks like any preseason poll that the CWPA has released over its history of early season prognostication. Rather, it’s the first time in a while that many of the teams in the rankings—14, more than half, to be exact—have prepared to compete in NCAA-sanctioned competition.

The unpredictable element—one which likely will NOT be revealed in a preseason guess—is what the 18-month COVID-19 layoff (for select teams) means to their ability to compete, starting as soon as this weekend. Already, in examining the rosters of a number of these teams, I can see how some programs were able to retain talented players from two years ago.

And how some were not.

That, and the transfer rules that the NCAA put in place that allowed for an unrestricted flow of talent throughout the country, will certainly have an impact on a season that (unfortunately) still has the specter of the coronavirus hanging over it.

However, that’s a problem for future consideration; in case you missed it, following is the list of teams (with select comments, of course). Or, just link to the original here.

1) UCLA
2) USC (Is there any tangible difference between the top two? Two words: Hannes Daube).
3) University of California
4) Stanford
5) Pepperdine (word on WPP is that Harvard’s Dennis Blyashov will surface here)
6) UCSB (perhaps the most exciting development of 2019 was the rise to the top of Gauchos)
7) University of the Pacific
8) Long Beach State
9) (T) University of California-San Diego
9) (T) University of California-Davis
11) Harvard (still mulling over the end to the Crimson’s undefeated 2019 season)
12) San Jose State
13) University of California-Irvine
14 (T) California Baptist
14 (T) Princeton
16) Loyola Marymount
17) Bucknell
18) Brown
19) United States Naval Academy (I’m feeling the USNA has a bright future in 2021…)
20) Fordham University
RV) United States Air Force Academy
RV) Santa Clara
RV) George Washington
RV) Whittier College (the SCIAC—with every team off in 2020—may be 2021’s most exciting conference)
RV) Pomona-Pitzer (how important is Alex Rodriguez’s return to the Sage Hens?!)
RV) St. Francis Brooklyn (with a new coach— Ilija Duretic— the Terriers will have to prove themselves. Again.)