South .. I mean REGION 3 NPI data courtesy D3Datacast, after week 7:

3.  HSU (6-0) 74.23
18. Susquehanna (6-1) 67.38
19. Centre (5-1) 67.28
20. RMC (5-1) 67.12
25. Berry (5-1) 66.40
26. UMHB (3-1) 66.16
29. Bridgewater (5-1) 54.93
--- teams below this line do not get a bid unless they win their conference ---
35. ETBU (4-1) 63.23
44. Maryville (5-1) 61.41
48. TLU (5-1) 60.55

Obviously remaining H2H games will change this dramatically, but individual wins can move the needle as well as wins by teams you've already played.

Quote from: Ron Boerger on October 20, 2024, 06:41:37 PMSouth .. I mean REGION 3 NPI data courtesy D3Datacast, after week 7:

3.  HSU (6-0) 74.23
18. Susquehanna (6-1) 67.38 Landmark Conference, Region 2
19. Centre (5-1) 67.28
20. RMC (5-1) 67.12
25. Berry (5-1) 66.40
26. UMHB (3-1) 66.16
29. Bridgewater (5-1) 54.93
--- teams below this line do not get a bid unless they win their conference ---
35. ETBU (4-1) 63.23
44. Maryville (5-1) 61.41
48. TLU (5-1) 60.55

Obviously remaining H2H games will change this dramatically, but individual wins can move the needle as well as wins by teams you've already played.

Also Receiving Votes:
McMurry (5) , TLU (3) , Maryville (TN) (1)

Newly Ranked: Bridgewater
Dropped Out: Shenandoah (Prev:7)

1 = 1st Place Vote, 7 = 7th Place Vote in Voter Breakdown
Special Thanks to the Voters: jknezek, BSCpanthers, Cowboy2, Ralph Turner, Hawks88

Bridgewater takes over Shenandoah's spot as Shenandoah drops a second late heartbreaker. Centre and ETBU swap slots. Top of the poll holds steady.

This week there are some compelling games:

Hardin-Simmons hosts ETBU in the 4th game of a brutal stretch, matching 2 poll teams.
Berry makes the long trip to San Antonio
R-MC hosts Bridgewater, in the second game matching 2 poll teams
Centre makes the long trip to Southwestern
McMurry and TLU battle for the RV category, in a third game matching 2 teams getting votes
Maryville hosts a struggling Methodist

UMHB gets a rest

I'm curious as to what happened that lead a voter to drop UMHB from 4th on their ballot to 6th.

Quote from: crufootball on October 22, 2024, 07:23:35 PMI'm curious as to what happened that lead a voter to drop UMHB from 4th on their ballot to 6th.

They got their butts beat by Hardin-Simmons and McMurry didn't. I'm surprised more voters didn't move McMurry into the poll. I still value UMHB. It's a good win against a WIAC team, but the loss to Stout puts a deeper nail into UWW's really high ranking at the time. UMHB's premier win looks less good, and their loss looks worse after this weekend. For me, it's just hard to value UMHB farther up the poll based on results since the UWW game.

It also doesn't help that I don't have ETBU in my top 7 anymore either. That win against Hendrix they were hanging their hat on doesn't look real good anymore. We will see how they do against Hardin-Simmons this weekend. I suspect it won't be great. 

Quote from: jknezek on October 22, 2024, 07:52:17 PM

Quote from: crufootball on October 22, 2024, 07:23:35 PMI'm curious as to what happened that lead a voter to drop UMHB from 4th on their ballot to 6th.

They got their butts beat by Hardin-Simmons and McMurry didn't. I'm surprised more voters didn't move McMurry into the poll. I still value UMHB. It's a good win against a WIAC team, but the loss to Stout puts a deeper nail into UWW's really high ranking at the time. UMHB's premier win looks less good, and their loss looks worse after this weekend. For me, it's just hard to value UMHB farther up the poll based on results since the UWW game.

It also doesn't help that I don't have ETBU in my top 7 anymore either. That win against Hendrix they were hanging their hat on doesn't look real good anymore. We will see how they do against Hardin-Simmons this weekend. I suspect it won't be great.

That's fair.

As a UMHB fan I tried not to get too high after the UWW game because that was just such a bad game by the Warhawks that I assumed it wasn't a fair representation but on the flip side I think a similar statement can be made about the HSU game.

And yeah I don't know what to make of the HSU/McM game, was this a throw-out-the-record book situation, HSU overlooking McMurry, or did the Warhawks find a way to defend the Cowboys offense no one else has.

Quote from: crufootball on October 23, 2024, 09:44:16 AMThat's fair.

As a UMHB fan I tried not to get too high after the UWW game because that was just such a bad game by the Warhawks that I assumed it wasn't a fair representation but on the flip side I think a similar statement can be made about the HSU game.

And yeah I don't know what to make of the HSU/McM game, was this a throw-out-the-record book situation, HSU overlooking McMurry, or did the Warhawks find a way to defend the Cowboys offense no one else has.

Or McMurry is just better than everyone on this poll and in these comments thinks.

Quote from: TLU05SA on October 23, 2024, 09:52:49 AM

Quote from: crufootball on October 23, 2024, 09:44:16 AMThat's fair.

As a UMHB fan I tried not to get too high after the UWW game because that was just such a bad game by the Warhawks that I assumed it wasn't a fair representation but on the flip side I think a similar statement can be made about the HSU game.

And yeah I don't know what to make of the HSU/McM game, was this a throw-out-the-record book situation, HSU overlooking McMurry, or did the Warhawks find a way to defend the Cowboys offense no one else has.

Or McMurry is just better than everyone on this poll and in these comments thinks.

Then I guess you would agree with my last comment about the defense which has been pretty successful this year.

In a weird way McMurry may find itself feeling like HSU has in the past where voters struggled to know what to do with them because their best game was a close loss.
 

McM's TLU win is not looking as spectacular as it needs to be.
The Southwestern loss is holding them back. Southwestern (3-3; 1-3) is just "middlin' enough not to boost McMurry. The SW loss to Millsaps hurts McMurry. They were driving and just could not execute. They probably go 8-2 and be one of the teams on the playoff bubble.
At 9-1, I think that they might have had a chance.

I do not see how McMurry was voted the 4th best team on someone's ballot.

Quote from: Ralph Turner on October 23, 2024, 12:35:49 PMMcM's TLU win is not looking as spectacular as it needs to be.
The Southwestern loss is holding them back. Southwestern (3-3; 1-3) is just "middlin' enough not to boost McMurry. The SW loss to Millsaps hurts McMurry. They were driving and just could not execute. They probably go 8-2 and be one of the teams on the playoff bubble.
At 9-1, I think that they might have had a chance.

I do not see how McMurry was voted the 4th best team on someone's ballot.

That's my ballot and it's because they took the #1 team down to the wire. UMHB didn't. They got clobbered. I've got Berry and R-MC ahead of McMurry, along with Hardin-Simmons obviously, because they are both packing 1 loss and the h2h result kind of sticks them together.

But I don't get the love for ETBU or Centre. Centre lost to a H-SC team that has lost 2 straight. Losing to Ferrum is bad. Centre has a win over a surging Maryville, but it's hard to put stock in any USASAC team. Outside of Maryville, they all look pretty weak, even Huntingdon this year. The whole conference went 1-16 in OOC, and the one win was Maryville over Sewanee (1-5). And wins for Centre over Trinity and Hendrix don't really care much weight with me this year.

ETBU got beat pretty easily by UMHB, and that's their best result. UMHB and McMurry have a common opponent and it doesn't look good for UMHB, so why would I have ETBU ahead? Other than that, ETBU has beaten who? Hendrix? But they get Hardin-Simmons this weekend, so we will see if they can hang with the Cowboys like McMurry did.

That leaves Bridgewater and TLU. Bridgewater may have a case. Their only loss is to a very good Susquehanna team, kind of puts them in the same air as Berry who got blown out by a very good team as well early on. We will get a better look at Bridgewater this weekend against R-MC, but other than the blowout to Susquehanna, they only have Shenandoah on the resume. I've already said I think R-MC, Bridgewater, Shenandoah and maybe W&L aren't far apart. Shenandoah has come up just short twice. Bridgewater has come up strong once. R-MC has come up strong once. But that tangle will get untied in the last few weeks. Or maybe just knotted up some more.

And I wouldn't put TLU above a team that blew them off the field.

So I just don't get how McMurry isn't on more ballots right now.

I wouldn't say that UMHB beat ETBU easily, I was actually surprised they didn't get more love after that game by others. UMHB went into halftime up, but ETBU fought back and took the lead early in the fourth and UMHB didn't get back on top until late in the fourth.

The TLU/McMurry rematch this weekend will be big for the SCAC. 

This has been one of the more exciting season in Region 3, except for Hardin-Simmons holding onto that #1 spot, there has been changes every week to the poll.  I've enjoyed it very much.

TLU just unloading on McMurry. Wonder how much Hardin Simmons was looking past them for that game to be as competitive as it was.

Quote from: jknezek on October 26, 2024, 07:25:25 PMTLU just unloading on McMurry. Wonder how much Hardin Simmons was looking past them for that game to be as competitive as it was.

...very much ...

McMurry comes back to earth. I think that the HSU game may have gone to McMurry's heads.

So which one of you came and threw the card table upside down?? I can't make much of this but I love the rigor of trying to figure the R3 bunch out this season. It's going to be a fun back half the season with more "who beat who" this year.

Back to the drawing board.

Ballots should be interesting this week...