FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wally_wabash]

Next year Wabash will get a chance to match up against H-SC. I'm looking forward to it, though if I were handicapping that game this year I'd call Wabash a 10 point favorite on the road and 14 at home.

Making a mental note....2014 Pick 'Em is going to need this kind of insight for week 1 next season.   

[ExTartanPlayer]

Everyone has a bias towards the conference they're most familiar with, of course, but the ODAC seems ranked much higher than I'd expect (sure, the league is competitive and deep, but nobody's won a playoff game since 2005! that has to count for something!), as does the USAC (no playoff wins in five years; Christopher Newport has notched a few nice wins this year, though, and the addition of Huntingdon

I think there are so many conferences from 8 through 20 or so that are just "u-pick" where you want to put them. The ODAC went 17-7 non conference this year, without having a losing record against any of the 7 conferences they faced. That's a pretty big sample size and, while I've been pretty critical about the ODAC's non-conf over on that board, with the exception of 2 games (Guilford losing to Methodist and Averett), the ODAC took care of business.

As for the ODAC not winning playoff games, it's gotten pretty sad. But when you are consistently a 6, 7, or 8 seed, it is tough sledding up hill. Since the end of Bridgewater's run, the ODAC has had only 2 home playoff games, so those teams haven't really been expected to win. Part of the reason they have such miserable seeding? The conference from top to almost bottom is extremely competitive. This year, six of the eight teams have a legitimate shot at winning the conference. It wouldn't surprise me to see a 5-2 in-conference champion shared a couple ways, with yet another 7 or 8 seed going somewhere unpleasant.

Being in a conference with an A, A-, and a whole bunch of C and D teams sure would make it easier to get those home playoff games, but it wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting a conference season.

Next year Wabash will get a chance to match up against H-SC. I'm looking forward to it, though if I were handicapping that game this year I'd call Wabash a 10 point favorite on the road and 14 at home.

I knew this'd catch a response from you - we're all good-natured homers from our conference, and you do make a really good point.  The ODAC champ always comes in with a loss or two because the conference itself is so competitive, and as a result they get the low seeding you allude to here (I know your champ has played Mount/Wesley in the first round a few times each).  My own short playoff experience was evidence in itself of how much the first-round matchip matters in actually grabbing a playoff win - we beat Millsaps in the first round pretty decisively, then got hammered by Wesley.  If we'd drawn Wesley first, we'd have been decked just the same and some other "good but not great" team would have gotten our sweet sixteen drubbing.

[Pat Coleman]

When Keith and I have sat down and done this process together, there is always a break point after the top seven or so where the conferences are all packed close together and it's really hard to separate them. That tier to me looks like it's about 8-13. Next group is at 14-20, and 21-28 are the ones that have fallen and can't get up.

To me the biggest news in this ranking is the NJAC finally falling out of the second tier of conferences altogether and into the middle, and I whole-heartedly agree with Keith's assessment there.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Being in a conference with an A, A-, and a whole bunch of C and D teams sure would make it easier to get those home playoff games, but it wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting a conference season.

This quote also cuts to the heart of the NCAC/ODAC dichotomy.  In most years, the ODAC seems to have a host of teams that are virtually all B-plus to C-minus teams but rarely has a true all-out dog.  The NCAC has two teams that may be better than anyone in the ODAC (again, talking over 3-4 years here, not just one game or one season) but also, in most years, has 2-3 teams that are probably worse than everyone in the ODAC.

*Note: this also goes for the UAA, which is the point I was trying to make before.  The UAA's four teams would probably all finish between 3rd and 5th in the NCAC if plopped in for one season, most of the time, given the results of 2008-2012.  That's why I don't see a big issue with the UAA ranked above the NCAC; the NCAC's two best teams are undoubtedly better, but all four UAA teams are almost always better than the bottom 2-3 NCAC teams or more, in some seasons.

[jknezek]

I knew this'd catch a response from you - we're all good-natured homers from our conference, and you do make a really good point. 

True. But you'll notice I didn't say the ODAC deserved to be an 8. Personally I agree they are a bit high, but I think that whole grouping, which Pat subdivided but I'm not so sure I could, is mix and match. It depends where you want to weight the components. If you weight the average strength of the teams to make the conference, then the ODAC has a case. If you are looking for a conference to produce one team as champion, then the HCAC should be higher. It is pretty clear that Keith is doing the first...

The one exception is the ASC. Which I think looks more like a slightly better version of the NCAC with a stronger A team (UMHB), but a well weaker A- (La Col). No one else in that conference looks all that good and all have been exposed on the field. 

[Pat Coleman]

The one exception is the ASC. Which I think looks more like a slightly better version of the NCAC with a stronger A team (UMHB), but a well weaker A- (La Col). No one else in that conference looks all that good and all have been exposed on the field.

That's why this conference keeps losing ground:
http://www.d3football.com/columns/around-the-nation/all-time-conference-rankings

[smedindy]

Btw:  no way is the MIAA nor the UAA better than the NCAC.  Even with a weak lower half, I would think Wabash/Witt would carry a lot more weight.  They would bury any of those teams in both conferences.  I don't have any secret formulas but that's my opinion.  When was the last time a team from the UAA or MIAA made any sort of run in the playoffs?

Remember, it's not 'who's the best' but what it is overall. Wabash and Witt may be much better than anyone in those leagues, but each UAA team may be at 4-5 or 5-4 in the league playing an NCAC schedule, and I think the dregs of the MIAA have improved so that the bottom of the NCAC would be patsies to them.

Where the meat of these rankings are is the middle - and this year the middle of the NCAC isn't so...hot.

[wabco]

Smed

Let me help you.  I live in the heart of MIAA territory.  The dregs of MIAA would not ... not ... measure up to the bottom of the NCAC.  Perhaps the bottom of the bottom dreg ... but no, you are hitting the happy juice too early.

And turning to the game Saturday, I believed the LGs will handle Brother Barnes just fine thank you, will collar the run, and Barnes receivers are not better than LG coverage ... mano -e-mano.  On O, the LG line will open holes and the horses will rumble.  It will be a Denison-esk score.

[nike]

I am just looking for a competitive game.  In other words, hoping that the Scots don't get the kind of whipping that Wabash has been laying on teams so far this year.  If Barnes has to throw early and often that could happen.  So there has to be a running game for Wooster, even if Wabash goes up a couple tds early.

[Wabash Hokie]

Below is a link to Wooster's "game notes" for tomorrow's game against Wabash.

http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/fball/2013-14/releases/20131004x5okbq

[BashBacker#16]

Wooster is "back to prominence" due to their up tempo offense and opportunistic defense...  Just a few thoughts...

- for many years I have gotten a huge kick out of Woo's season preview along with the weekly releases
- Wooster is 2-15 against Wabash
- Tony Sutton was 2-2 against Wabash
- Wooster has NEVER beaten Wabash without Tony Sutton

We'll see tomorrow but I'm not sure wins over Hiram and Oberlin means they are back to prominence.

Let's go Bash!  WAF!

[Wabash Hokie]

Here are the game notes from DePauw for their game today against Denison.  There has been a change in their game notes from last year.  They no longer show their team stats and where they rank in Div III. Now they just compare themselves to this week's opponent.  While it was fun to see how poorly they ranked overall, it was a smart move.  Makes reading their game notes less depressing for DePauw fans (and less entertaining for Wabash).

http://www.depauw.edu/files/resources/depauw-fb-notes-vs-denison.pdf

[cave2bens]

Just hope the storms miss Papp and no season-ending injuries today.  Everyone, participants and spectators, have a safe experience, LGs show up to play/ no thinking ahead - "B(arnes) before E(spinosa)", and think before racing, breakneck, down a hill.

Bagpiper butt-slides = bellows belches and bruised bums.   

WAF

[nike]

Did Sutton play Wabash in a playoff game?  He only played three years at Wooster.  Either way, do not think Wooster is back to prominence, only more fun to watch this year than the last few years. Cautiously optimistic that today is not a blow out.
I understand that winning brings with it a certain, a certain,....can't think of the word or phrase to use. It's probably something French.
Later.  Game time.  Hot dogs and popcorn.  Then the Olde Jaol or Broken Rocks downtown.

[bashbrother]

Rain.... Rain......  That should slow down things a bit.   Zurek is going to get some work.