FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[stanbob]

For the regulars, as well as any newbees interested, please join us for the 2010 OAC Playoff Pick-Ems contest.  

Spreads for all 16 games have been posted in the OAC Pick-Em page.



WARNING:  Franklin fans might want to shield their eyes.......

May as well get used to it now, they will be doing plenty of it Saturday

[HScoach]

emma17:  Welcome aboard.

If the Franklin spread was any lower I wouldn't get a single contestant to pick them.  And to be honest, I probably should have set it another 4-5 points higher........

[02 Warhawk]

Janesville Gazette article regarding the playoff bracket. Looks like they were able to talk to Lance about it.

[voice]

Question - is there a conspiracy among NCAA Division III football programs to refuse to schedule UW-Whitewater?  Despite being forced to play 2 NAIA schools this season (which ultimately cost the defending National Champions a No. 1 seed, comes word that Adrian College (UWW's only D III opponent and scheduled with UWW in 2011) that the contract is being broke by Adrian College.  The following is a press release that I received late this afternoon from the office of UW-Whitewater athletic director Paul Plinske....

Adrian College, the 2010 non-conference opener for the Warhawks, has decided to break their contract with UW-Whitewater for the 2011 season opener. The game was scheduled to be played at Adrian College in Michigan on Saturday, September 3.

Each year, the Warhawks fill three non-conference games. In 2010, UW-Whitewater had non-conference games against NAIA Campbellsville (Kentucky) and NAIA Dakota State (South Dakota), along with Adrian.The Warhawks have traditionally struggled to find NCAA Division III non-conference opponents. Director of Athletics Paul Plinske states, "This ties right in with what we have been saying for years: Few, if any, are willing to play UW-Whitewater, especially in our region. Here we are (again) searching for an NCAA Division III opponent."

Adrian's decision came a day after the Warhawks learned that they were seeded number two in the 2010 NCAA Division III Football Championships behind North Region North Central (Illinois). The broadly discussed item that is of most concern to UW-Whitewater is the seeding criteria used by the NCAA Division III Football Championships Committee. This year, the Committee enhanced its emphasis on the Strength of Schedule (SOS), which is why UW-Whitewater was seeded number two."I understand the criteria used by the Committee, but it has been inconsistently applied for years. We continue to search for answers on how to find Division III schools in the West Region to play us. If we don't, then I'm not sure how we can be accurately and fairly measured in the selection and seeding criteria."

UW-Whitewater is now looking for a 10th game (home or away) in 2011.

[BoBo]

Janesville Gazette article regarding the playoff bracket. Looks like they were able to talk to Lance about it.

"An inability to schedule NAIA teams in nonconference games comes back to hurt us in this situation," Leipold said.

Did he really say that? 

[BoBo]

Question - is there a conspiracy among NCAA Division III football programs to refuse to schedule UW-Whitewater?  

            

[Pat Coleman]

Hey, folks -- our friends at d3photography.com (not part of the network, but a partner) is hosting D3football.com's bracket challenge this season. Go sign up and fill out a bracket at:
http://www.d3photography.com/pickem/

As usual no prizes, which protects student-athletes and coaches from NCAA issues.

This season, one sign-up gets you access to all bracket challenges -- no more signing back up for D3hoops.com brackets in the spring.

[Raider 68]

While I have read a heard many of the arguments why this year's brackets provide a unique challenge  for UWW and to a lessor degree Mount Union, I am troubled by the inconsistant approach using a less than consistant measure of SoS. The NCAA is becoming a clone of the BCS. The Warhawks and Raiders have all the bulletin board material they need as an incentive.

Keith Mac's predictions will be interesting and we will see what teams are in the region finals, bet two of them wear purple!

[stanbob]

While I have read a heard many of the arguments why this year's brackets provide a unique challenge  for UWW and to a lessor degree Mount Union, I am troubled by the inconsistant approach using a less than consistant measure of SoS. The NCAA is becoming a clone of the BCS. The Warhawks and Raiders have all the bulletin board material they need as an incentive.

Keith Mac's predictions will be interesting and we will see what teams are in the region finals, bet two of them wear purple!

You hit the nail on the head there about becoming a clone of the already much ridiculed BCS.

[02 Warhawk]

Question - is there a conspiracy among NCAA Division III football programs to refuse to schedule UW-Whitewater?  Despite being forced to play 2 NAIA schools this season (which ultimately cost the defending National Champions a No. 1 seed, comes word that Adrian College (UWW's only D III opponent and scheduled with UWW in 2011) that the contract is being broke by Adrian College.  The following is a press release that I received late this afternoon from the office of UW-Whitewater athletic director Paul Plinske....

Adrian College, the 2010 non-conference opener for the Warhawks, has decided to break their contract with UW-Whitewater for the 2011 season opener. The game was scheduled to be played at Adrian College in Michigan on Saturday, September 3.

Each year, the Warhawks fill three non-conference games. In 2010, UW-Whitewater had non-conference games against NAIA Campbellsville (Kentucky) and NAIA Dakota State (South Dakota), along with Adrian.The Warhawks have traditionally struggled to find NCAA Division III non-conference opponents. Director of Athletics Paul Plinske states, "This ties right in with what we have been saying for years: Few, if any, are willing to play UW-Whitewater, especially in our region. Here we are (again) searching for an NCAA Division III opponent."

Adrian's decision came a day after the Warhawks learned that they were seeded number two in the 2010 NCAA Division III Football Championships behind North Region North Central (Illinois). The broadly discussed item that is of most concern to UW-Whitewater is the seeding criteria used by the NCAA Division III Football Championships Committee. This year, the Committee enhanced its emphasis on the Strength of Schedule (SOS), which is why UW-Whitewater was seeded number two."I understand the criteria used by the Committee, but it has been inconsistently applied for years. We continue to search for answers on how to find Division III schools in the West Region to play us. If we don't, then I'm not sure how we can be accurately and fairly measured in the selection and seeding criteria."

UW-Whitewater is now looking for a 10th game (home or away) in 2011.

Based on things I've heard from that game.....that doesn't surprise me much.

[BoBo]

Care to share what you have heard?...cleaned up for post patterns, that is!!

[MasterJedi]

Care to share what you have heard?...cleaned up for post patterns, that is!!

Yes, please tell, I'm curious as well.

[Just Bill]

I don't think there is a conspiracy to not schedule UWW or the WIAC, but there's simply no motivation to do it.  The weaker teams don't need the beating, and the stronger teams eventually benefit in the playoffs by not doing it (as we've seen this year).

Frankly, they only team that would be motivated would be an unusually strong team from a traditionally weaker conference.  They probably can't get a Pool C bid anyway, so a loss isn't damaging, and they will gain big experience (and survive the physical beat down) that they can take back to their league to claim the AQ.

A couple years ago at the NCAA Convention, Gary Karner (WIAC commissioner) called a meeting for as many Midwest ADs and Presidents as he could gather. (The word is he may have been somewhat less than forhtright about the purpose of the meeting in order to get them there.)  His message was "You guys have to play us in football."  The overwhelming answer was a laugh out loud, followed by "No, we don't".  And they were right, they don't have to.  The negatives severly outweigh the positives for them.  As long as they can fill their non-conference schedules, they don't have to pick up the phone when the WIAC calls.

We in the WIAC can hate it, and stamp our feet and call them names, but it doesn't change the fact that they have no significant motivation to play us.  Until that exists, this continues.

[Pat Coleman]

(The word is he may have been somewhat less than forhtright about the purpose of the meeting in order to get them there.) 

That would be incredibly unprofessional. No wonder they laughed. Hard to imagine Gary Karner treating people like that.

[Just Bill]

(The word is he may have been somewhat less than forhtright about the purpose of the meeting in order to get them there.) 

That would be incredibly unprofessional. No wonder they laughed. Hard to imagine Gary Karner treating people like that.

Perhaps, I didn't express that accurately. As it was told to me, Karner called for an "urgent" meeting without detailing the topic.  Many ADs and Presidents had no idea what it was to be about, but never expected a plea about football scheduling.  So perhaps it was more a case of a lack of providing information, rather than providing misleading information.