Check out the Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown, where FloTrack ranks the top 31 cross country teams in the NCAA this season. The No. 1 men's spot goes to Stanford this year, and here's why:

Probable Top Five:

SR Sean McGorty (3:53 Mile; 7:48 3K; 13:24 5K; 7th at '15 NCAA XC)
SO Grant Fisher (3:59 Mile; 7:50 3K; 13:30 5K; 17th at '15 NCAA XC)
JR Sam Wharton (14:03 5K; 29:23 10K; 39th at '14 NCAA XC)
JR Jack Keelan (7:54 3K; 13:40 5K; 29:13 10K; 100th at '14 NCAA XC)
SR Garrett Sweatt (13:54 5K; 28:51 10K; 64th at '15 NCAA XC)

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

Thomas Ratcliffe via Concord, MA (4:01 Mile; 8:57 2 Mile; 2nd at '16 Dream Mile)
Isaac Cortes via Temecula, CA (1:50 800; 4:04 1600; 9:00 3200)
Alek Parsons via Ogden, UT (8:55 3200; 3rd at '15 NXN)

Analysis:

The last time Stanford won men's cross country nationals was in 2003, when Ryan Hall, Grant Robison, Ian Dobson, Louis Luchini, and Adam Tenforde went 2-4-5-6-12. That Cardinal squad was one of the greatest NCAA cross country teams of all time with four men in the top six, six in the top 13, and seven in the top 33. This year's Stanford team isn't nearly that good. But they might be good enough to dethrone Syracuse and win its first men's title in 13 years.

Sean McGorty and Grant Fisher are as potent a 1-2 as possible, even if they still view themselves as milers. McGorty was seventh last fall, and Fisher was 17th in his first year of racing 8K and 10K. With a year of mileage under his belt, Fisher looks ready for a single-digit finish.

Sam Wharton will be eager to prove his 207th-place finish at last year's nationals was a fluke. He was 39th his sophomore year, and ran 14:04/29:23 and 14:03/29:30 in the track seasons sandwiching 2015 cross country. Stanford's national title hopes more or less hinge on Wharton; if he's a top-50 guy, then Stanford has five men who can add up to a national championship. If not, they only have four.

Garrett Sweatt has been a reliable part of Stanford's postseason formula the last two years--he finished 68th and 64th in 2014 and 2015--while Jack Keelan has never had a breakout cross country performance. But Keelan expanded his track range to include a 29:13 10K in his debut this spring. If he can run with Sweatt this fall--he beat Sweatt in the Pac-12 10K this May--then Stanford could round out its top five with two men inside the top 55. 

Stanford is far from a prohibitive favorite. They could run well and still lose to Syracuse or Oregon on the wrong day. But they have the most complete top five in the country right now.

Previously:
​#2 Syracuse
#3 Oregon
#4 Arkansas
#5 Georgetown
#6 Colorado
#7 Iona
#8 Wisconsin
#9 Northern Arizona
#10 Colorado State
#11 Eastern Kentucky
#12 Virginia
#13 Mississippi
#14 BYU
#15 Washington
#16 Furman
#17 Indiana
#18 Oklahoma
#19 Boise State
#20 Portland
#21 UTEP
#22 Oklahoma State
#23 Michigan
#24 Washington State
#25 Michigan State
#26 Villanova
#27 Louisville
#28 Tulsa
#29 Iowa State
#30 Illinois
#31 North Carolina State