While we're at it, predictions?
18 seem clear to me, while the last one is tough. Messiah, Montclair State, Brandeis, Carnegie Mellon, Dickinson, Salisbury, Wartburg, Williams, Kenyon, North Park, Carthage, Gustavus Adolphus, Gordon, Oberlin, Roger Williams, Catholic, Rutgers-Newark, and Luther. Lucky No. 19? Oneonta State
While I don't think they necessarily should, I'm guessing Oneonta State gets the final bid. If, as has been suggested previously, the committee really only looks at 8 teams at a time (the top Pool C team in each region) when making its selection, that would mean they would have to pass over Oneonta State 19 straight times. I just have a hard time believing the East Region representative will let that happen, but who knows.
The same could be said for Texas-Dallas and Whitworth (3/4 in West), but the committee usually places a ton of emphasis on strength-of-schedule and they are tied for the lowest in Pool C. The UAA is already getting 3 teams in so I don't think Emory goes. MIT will be 8th in New England, and no other region seems to be going past 6th so I think they're out. Same for St. Olaf, who will be 7th in the North, has a weak ranked-teams record (1-3) and would be the third bid for the MIAC. I just don't see happening.
The hard one for me is DePauw - I may be biased, but the NCAC has a pretty legitimate claim as the best conference in the country this year. And, unlike the other 7 teams in the "Pick 'Em" group, they have no bad blemishes. So while they may be 0-3-2 against ranked teams, they also haven't had any slip-ups (draws or losses) against unranked teams. Still, doubtful the committee takes 4 NCAC teams, or 4 at-large teams from the Great Lakes region. So that just lets in Oneonta.
18 seem clear to me, while the last one is tough. Messiah, Montclair State, Brandeis, Carnegie Mellon, Dickinson, Salisbury, Wartburg, Williams, Kenyon, North Park, Carthage, Gustavus Adolphus, Gordon, Oberlin, Roger Williams, Catholic, Rutgers-Newark, and Luther. Lucky No. 19? Oneonta State
While I don't think they necessarily should, I'm guessing Oneonta State gets the final bid. If, as has been suggested previously, the committee really only looks at 8 teams at a time (the top Pool C team in each region) when making its selection, that would mean they would have to pass over Oneonta State 19 straight times. I just have a hard time believing the East Region representative will let that happen, but who knows.
The same could be said for Texas-Dallas and Whitworth (3/4 in West), but the committee usually places a ton of emphasis on strength-of-schedule and they are tied for the lowest in Pool C. The UAA is already getting 3 teams in so I don't think Emory goes. MIT will be 8th in New England, and no other region seems to be going past 6th so I think they're out. Same for St. Olaf, who will be 7th in the North, has a weak ranked-teams record (1-3) and would be the third bid for the MIAC. I just don't see happening.
The hard one for me is DePauw - I may be biased, but the NCAC has a pretty legitimate claim as the best conference in the country this year. And, unlike the other 7 teams in the "Pick 'Em" group, they have no bad blemishes. So while they may be 0-3-2 against ranked teams, they also haven't had any slip-ups (draws or losses) against unranked teams. Still, doubtful the committee takes 4 NCAC teams, or 4 at-large teams from the Great Lakes region. So that just lets in Oneonta.