Quote from: DuffMan on October 10, 2024, 10:33:19 AM

Quote from: mac77 on October 10, 2024, 10:19:14 AMHas anyone seen what the 2024 playoff bracket looks like? How many teams have first round byes?

I haven't seen anything, but in Logan Hansen's weekly feature in the D3football.com ATN Podcast, he keeps referring to the top-8 "protected" seeds.  That leads me to believe that there will be 4 quadrants (is that redundant?) of 10 teams, with the top 2 seeds in each quadrant getting a 1st round bye.  All sepculation on my part.

It remains to be seen how useful the protection is. I'm sure we could see more chaos in the WIAC causing their champ to fall out of the top 8 and get paired with the Johnnies in the round of 16.

Thanks, AO.  I guess that is what I pictured in my mind, even though my speculation was a bit off, as typed.

SJU-Concordia pre-game notes are up:

https://gojohnnies.com/documents/2024/10/9/101224_Concordia_GameNotes.pdf

Quote from: mac77 on October 10, 2024, 10:19:14 AMHas anyone seen what the 2024 playoff bracket looks like? How many teams have first round byes?

40 teams, so 24 have byes.

Here's a story we did this offseason that showed what a 2023 version of this would have looked like:
https://www.d3football.com/playoffs/2023/40-teams

Thanks, Pat!👍🏻

Question for the football officials out there. I've been doing chain crew for a couple high school teams this fall. I've noticed that the officials almost always spot the ball at a hash mark regardless of where the player should have been marked down. Yesterday during a game the offensive team literally either gained a half yard or lost a half yard on every spot, as the officials always placed the ball at the front of a hash mark. As the guy on the box it made it really easy for me but it just seemed odd to me. Are officials trained to do that?
Thanks

Looks like the Cobbers have a stingy defense, but games against PLU, CSS, the Hot Carls will tend to pad your defensive stats.  I never feel at-ease going into a Cobber game.  I'm hoping the Johnnies can continue with the Stomp Streak^TM!

Quote from: faunch on October 11, 2024, 08:48:28 AMQuestion for the football officials out there. I've been doing chain crew for a couple high school teams this fall. I've noticed that the officials almost always spot the ball at a hash mark regardless of where the player should have been marked down. Yesterday during a game the offensive team literally either gained a half yard or lost a half yard on every spot, as the officials always placed the ball at the front of a hash mark. As the guy on the box it made it really easy for me but it just seemed odd to me. Are officials trained to do that?
Thanks

Not a football official - but remembered seeing this article which points out that yes, that is the directive.

https://www.startribune.com/high-school-football-first-down-measurement-chain-gang/600316693

Quote from: GoldandBlueBU on October 11, 2024, 10:29:28 AM

Quote from: faunch on October 11, 2024, 08:48:28 AMQuestion for the football officials out there. I've been doing chain crew for a couple high school teams this fall. I've noticed that the officials almost always spot the ball at a hash mark regardless of where the player should have been marked down. Yesterday during a game the offensive team literally either gained a half yard or lost a half yard on every spot, as the officials always placed the ball at the front of a hash mark. As the guy on the box it made it really easy for me but it just seemed odd to me. Are officials trained to do that?
Thanks

Not a football official - but remembered seeing this article which points out that yes, that is the directive.

https://www.startribune.com/high-school-football-first-down-measurement-chain-gang/600316693

I still think it's weird...even at midfield it can mean the difference between 4th and short or 4th and long.

Quote from: faunch on October 11, 2024, 08:48:28 AMQuestion for the football officials out there. I've been doing chain crew for a couple high school teams this fall. I've noticed that the officials almost always spot the ball at a hash mark regardless of where the player should have been marked down. Yesterday during a game the offensive team literally either gained a half yard or lost a half yard on every spot, as the officials always placed the ball at the front of a hash mark. As the guy on the box it made it really easy for me but it just seemed odd to me. Are officials trained to do that?
Thanks

This is the way the game has gone over the past five years or so (maybe longer?), and it absolutely happens at the college level as well. This is why we have so few measurements any longer.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on October 11, 2024, 01:47:37 PMThis is why we have so few measurements any longer.

Agreed, there have been way less measurements than when I played.
 

The Line Judges and Head Linesmen today are in such a hurry to motion for the chains to be moved that I believe ball placement has gotten incredibly sloppy in the last several years...happening at all levels and with offenses demanding to move fast officials are erring on the side of more aggressively positive spots for them.  When I was a FCS replay official, all on field ball spots were reviewable by us in the booth...but very seldom did we ever buzz down to review...fourth downs were the offense would go for it would be the one exception where we really paid attention to the line to gain and where the ball was relative to that. 

Quote from: Redtooth on October 11, 2024, 04:00:33 PMThe Line Judges and Head Linesmen today are in such a hurry to motion for the chains to be moved that I believe ball placement has gotten incredibly sloppy in the last several years...happening at all levels and with offenses demanding to move fast officials are erring on the side of more aggressively positive spots for them.  When I was a FCS replay official, all on field ball spots were reviewable by us in the booth...but very seldom did we ever buzz down to review...fourth downs were the offense would go for it would be the one exception where we really paid attention to the line to gain and where the ball was relative to that. 

We had a line judge try to move the chains when the spot was a full yard short of the 1st down last Saturday, maybe he felt bad for Crown.

Quote from: Redtooth on October 11, 2024, 04:00:33 PMThe Line Judges and Head Linesmen today are in such a hurry to motion for the chains to be moved that I believe ball placement has gotten incredibly sloppy in the last several years...happening at all levels and with offenses demanding to move fast officials are erring on the side of more aggressively positive spots for them.  When I was a FCS replay official, all on field ball spots were reviewable by us in the booth...but very seldom did we ever buzz down to review...fourth downs were the offense would go for it would be the one exception where we really paid attention to the line to gain and where the ball was relative to that. 

Remember the horrible spot the Johnnies got in the 2003 Stagg Bowl late in the first half. I can still hear VOJ and Linneman grumbling about it.

Quote from: AO on October 11, 2024, 04:10:12 PM

Quote from: Redtooth on October 11, 2024, 04:00:33 PMThe Line Judges and Head Linesmen today are in such a hurry to motion for the chains to be moved that I believe ball placement has gotten incredibly sloppy in the last several years...happening at all levels and with offenses demanding to move fast officials are erring on the side of more aggressively positive spots for them.  When I was a FCS replay official, all on field ball spots were reviewable by us in the booth...but very seldom did we ever buzz down to review...fourth downs were the offense would go for it would be the one exception where we really paid attention to the line to gain and where the ball was relative to that. 

We had a line judge try to move the chains when the spot was a full yard short of the 1st down last Saturday, maybe he felt bad for Crown.

I've had a handful of times this fall where it didn't seem like offensive player was anywhere close to a first down and the officials move us. I've also had the converse where it looked like a first down and they don't give to them. I watch a fair amount of football and it seems to be happening a lot more.