The following is the Soccer America 1997 Men’s Collegiate Preseason Top 20 as compiled by the editorial staff of Soccer America.
| Rank/Team | Record | ’96 Final Rank |
| 1. St. John’s | 22-2-2 | 8 |
| 2. Indiana | 15-3-3 | 4 |
| 3. Maryland | 14-6-3 | 12 |
| 4. Virginia | 16-3-3 | 3 |
| 5. Florida International | 17-5-2 | 9 |
| 6. Creighton | 17-4-2 | nr |
| 7. Washington | 15-3-1 | 2 |
| 8. UCLA | 16-4-0 | 1 |
| 9. SMU | 14-5-1 | 6 |
| 10. UNC Greensboro | 21-2-0 | 7 |
| 11. George Mason | 14-6-3 | 15 |
| 12. California | 12-7-2 | nr |
| 13. UNC Charlotte | 19-5-0 | nr |
| 14. Portland | 11-7-1 | nr |
| 15. Boston University | 10-7-1 | nr |
| 16. Duke | 12-7-0 | nr |
| 17. William & Mary | 20-3-1 | 5 |
| 18. South Florida | 17-4-0 | 11 |
| 19. Rutgers | 13-7-3 | nr |
| 20. Rhode Island | 16-5-0 | nr |