Cleveland -
Very good post(s) and I believe you hit the nail on the head. It is so easy for the "experts" to look no farther than a few conferences and proclaim that the sun rises and falls on the programs in those conferences. I have seen Coastal play and they could hang with any program in the country.
I saw Notre Dame play last year and they were average at best. Yet because they are ND, they get quality points over a program like Coastal who just goes out and beats quality teams week after week.
There is a snobbery in college baseball like in no other collegiate sport. However, as mad as it makes me sometimes, it is still a blast to attend a college baseball game with two quality teams going after each other.
The earth is moving and with the new changes that start next year, it will be interesting to see if perceptions continue to match the realities of the new college game.