FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[formerd3db]

SEC fan sample ballot and matchups for an 8 team playoff:
Alabama v. Florida St.
Miss St. v. Missouri
Ole Miss v. Georgia
LSU v. Oregon

and with 16 teams, add:
Auburn, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Florida and then OSU, Baylor, TCU and Vanderbilt (cause their last place is better than your conference champ anyday). 

I think they should skip the baby step to 8 and just go all in at 16. Conference champs are in and 5 at large. Anything less is not a real playoff (IMHO).

You didn't include a team such as Boise State or UCLA.  You threw Vanderbilt in there for the 16 team speculation scenario (although I guess that is in conjunction with the discussion centering on the SEC as it has and/or you are joking about this, which is more likely if read your post wrong).   Just because Vandy is in the SEC doesn't mean they should be there for the playoff for a lower pick.  Vanderbilt was horrible this year and I'd rather see Northern Illinois in there than them-at least this year if we are going to "throw in some also rans".   Even Penn State would beat up on Vanderbilt and as perhaps Minnesota or even Northwestern would D (the latter which wasn't all that bad this year since they had some unlucky breaks in games).  Anyway, I'd rather pick one of those teams for the last one or two lower spots over Vandy. (And I like Vandy, usually root for them, just like Northwestern ). 

Doc, I think your sarcasm detector is broken.

No, no!   I'm just letting all of you think it is.  Just having some fun and throwing some wild statements out there.

In all seriousness though, I do agree that an 8 team playoff would have been the best for this year and that appears even more so after yesterday's selections for the 4 teams.  A 16 team would be more ideal, although there would still be some debates over the second tier teams in the top 25 rankings for some of the last spots.  Obviously, we all know that no system is perfect, however, I think most of us agree that the DIII, DII and FCS models have worked pretty well.

BTW, I think that Enos saved his job at CMU this year.  Not a great season, but pretty good, considering they lost a couple of closer games they should have won.  Also, what is your take on your alma mater's strength and potential for next year?  As far as mine, we have found a QB, but lose some key people on both sides of the line.  We also need to try and recruit some bigger linemen. I really believe that is a key at the DIII level. 

[wally_wabash]

16 teams would be so much fun, but there's just no way that they're going to cut all five of the G5 leagues in on that loot.  They could carve out ONE spot for the highest ranked G5 team, but that's it.  And that wouldn't be fair.  They'll get to 8 teams (and it won't take the length of the 10-year deal they have in place now to do it), but it probably won't guarantee a spot for a G5 team unless that G5 team meets some loony stipulation like having to be ranked ahead of the lowest P5 conference champion or something like that. 

[firstdown]

With D3Football.com's all North Team just listed - Congrats to Cody Buresh, North Defensive Player of the Year, and to Ethan Buresh, A.J. Akinribade, and Tyler Holmes. These guys are Some Little Giants!

[ExTartanPlayer]

BTW, I think that Enos saved his job at CMU this year.  Not a great season, but pretty good, considering they lost a couple of closer games they should have won.  Also, what is your take on your alma mater's strength and potential for next year?  As far as mine, we have found a QB, but lose some key people on both sides of the line.  We also need to try and recruit some bigger linemen. I really believe that is a key at the DIII level.

On the two CMU's:

I hope that Enos returns to Central Michigan next year.  I went to...let me see...I think four home games this year (Chattanooga, Syracuse, Ohio, and Miami) and really enjoyed the experience.  7-5 and a bowl game seems like a pretty good season for the MAC schools; they were still alive for the MAC East title into the final week.  With QB Cooper Rush and a lot back on defense, I think they have a chance to contend for the MAC again next year, although losing WR Davis will hurt (he missed three games due to injury, but when healthy, he was often the best player on the field).

Carnegie Mellon's final record was a little disappointing, but I think year 1 of the new offense showed a potential bright future.  After decades of wing-T football (which I loved, don't get me wrong), the Tartans are in a shotgun-spread attack and it took a little time to get everything on track, but there will be a bevy of experienced WR's returning with game receptions to their credit and a freshman RB (Sam Benger) that put up some big numbers in the latter half of the season.  I have bright hopes for the Tartans to improve next year.  The offensive line will be key - I think the line really struggled with run-blocking in the new scheme (the rushing numbers for the season's first five or six games were less than stellar, although the insertion of Benger at midseason seemed to perk up the running game).

I respectfully disagree with the notion of needing bigger linemen at the D3 level (although perhaps Hope is even smaller on the lines than I have realized).  Many programs on this level have done just fine with rather modestly sized trench soldiers.  Not to spout too many cliche talking points, but an offensive line full of 250-pound men that know their offensive scheme well, communicate, and play with sound technique can do just fine against 95% of Division III defensive fronts.  The defensive fronts of several very good D3 teams are stocked with players even smaller than that. 

As I said, I did not check the Hope roster, so perhaps they are smaller than I think.  But I don't think more size is always the answer.

-> note that this is coming from a former offensive tackle who weighed in around 235, so my perspective could be slightly biased

[HCAlum86]

What monetary value would you guys offer for another season of eligibility?

[BashDad]

Honestly, after that Andre Johnson hit I'm kinda like nah, I'm good.

Because life.

Also, can we all come together as a people and agree to a 365 day limit, post-graduation, of a personal twitter avatar being a football photo? Can we shake hands on that one?

Because life.

[formerd3db]

16 teams would be so much fun, but there's just no way that they're going to cut all five of the G5 leagues in on that loot.  They could carve out ONE spot for the highest ranked G5 team, but that's it.  And that wouldn't be fair.  They'll get to 8 teams (and it won't take the length of the 10-year deal they have in place now to do it), but it probably won't guarantee a spot for a G5 team unless that G5 team meets some loony stipulation like having to be ranked ahead of the lowest P5 conference champion or something like that.

Wally:

I think you are right.  I did see today where the Big 12 administrators are going to try and see if they can circumvent or disregard the NCAA rules about 10 team leagues not having a championship game as they think that had a part (although not all) in the decision to leave out Baylor and/or TCU this year in the playoff.  I'm not sure they will be able to get around that-obviously the easiest way is to add two teams to that league.

An eight team playoff is certainly better than the 4 and, again, I wish they would have done it that way this year and they really should have.  Two subjective with 4 teams and I think that was borne out by the comments of one of the committee members, although I think that getting Ohio State in was a decent decision.  If you are going to go on caliber of play of recent as he said, by those standards then Baylor and TCU should be in there with Alabama and Ohio State and Florida State should have been left out.  However, we all know the latter was not going to happen because of the Winston hype and the potential for battle between two QBs.

[The_Bishop]

What monetary value would you guys offer for another season of eligibility?

Oh, I like this one.

$50K.  Max out credit cards, borrow money from parents/friends, partially cash out my IRA and alienate my wife (even more than I already have) but I'd do it without even thinking twice.  Then I'd get back to OWU, bench press 225 once and run a 4.87 40, and have the players stare at my receding hair line as I explained this wild scheme called the Wing-T that was our bread and butter back in the day.

But would still do it for $50K without blinking.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Honestly, after that Andre Johnson hit I'm kinda like nah, I'm good.

Because life.

Seconded.  Not like this was a voluntary choice - but I've often reflected and been really glad that I was just a slow 5'11" kid who played D3 football instead of being a bigger, stronger, faster dude with the chops to get recruited and play D1 football.  I got to enjoy the game for awhile and feel good about what I did without any thoughts of the NFL or any serious considerations about whether I wanted to play longer.

I love football, but I wish we could just have it all just stop after the college level.  It does enough damage to those of us who play til we're 23.  Lord knows what it's done to the guys crashing into each other for another 15 years afterwards.  Yeah, most of those guys get paid millions for their trouble, but given what I know now - I'm not sure that a rookie OL's salary (which is admittedly still a couple times the amount I'll ever pocket in one year) is nearly enough money to convince me that pro football is worth it. 

[formerd3db]

ETP:

Thanks for your reply and comments regarding your CMU and "the other CMU".    I agree with you regarding the MAC CMU.

Regarding the size of lineman in DIII, I agree with you also that huge size is not always the answer.  When I played in high school and being in the top class level i.e. Class A for Michigan, we had an undefeated team for the first time in our school's history with a very small line.  We beat some very tough powers in our non-conference games that had some huge DI level sized linemen.  So, like you, I have always been of the opinion as well that a small, very quick line (like ours was and the ones you talked about in your experience) will do just fine and even better-but...provided you have the skilled players to go with that. 

At Hope, while we have had some larger linemen of recent, but not across the board, overall, we are not big.  The challenge has been that other than an occasional good, larger sized, quick LB or two (like we did this year) and some larger DBs, our defensive lines get blown away/like a sieve at time.  Hope traditionally has always had some smaller DBs who are great at hitting, but sometimes that size doesn't help in the overall tacking department against bigger teams.  On the offensive side, when we've had some great skilled position players, smaller overall lines (again, with the exception of a couple guys) have not been quick enough to block.  One of the best examples of this general overview I recall was back in the 1990's at Alma College.  One year, they had a huge offensive line averaging over 275, however, the skilled positions on offense that year were just not up to par.  Then a couple of years or so later, skilled positions were great and the offensive line small, thus the same results.

Overall, it has just been my observation that our Hope lines seem to be smaller in comparison than our opponents that past 3-4 years, again with the exception of a couple of individuals.  This, even in comparison to some of the teams that have been considered as ones we should really have smashed-of course, the latter hasn't happened anyway-a variety of factors involved in all that, although not relevant to the linemen topic.   Anyway, thanks for your intake.  Hope you are doing well.       

[formerd3db]

Honestly, after that Andre Johnson hit I'm kinda like nah, I'm good.

Because life.

Seconded.  Not like this was a voluntary choice - but I've often reflected and been really glad that I was just a slow 5'11" kid who played D3 football instead of being a bigger, stronger, faster dude with the chops to get recruited and play D1 football.  I got to enjoy the game for awhile and feel good about what I did without any thoughts of the NFL or any serious considerations about whether I wanted to play longer.

I love football, but I wish we could just have it all just stop after the college level.  It does enough damage to those of us who play til we're 23.  Lord knows what it's done to the guys crashing into each other for another 15 years afterwards.  Yeah, most of those guys get paid millions for their trouble, but given what I know now - I'm not sure that a rookie OL's salary (which is admittedly still a couple times the amount I'll ever pocket in one year) is nearly enough money to convince me that pro football is worth it.

Wow, I couldn't agree with you more.  As much as I love college football like you and others here, from our own playing days to now and beyond, I, too, often think that in those respects, it is really not worth it.  Aside from the "$ isn't everything in life" (which is so very true), too often those who have the privilege and blessing to enjoy that next level of football too often find out about all those other aspects too late i.e. in later years, which brings the worth issue into question to some degree.  That said, I'm sure that asking the majority of those players, they would say they would do it again, with the exception perhaps, of those who have really suffered significant, more severe life-limiting consequences that can be attributed to the game i.e. concussions, traumatic brain injury and atrophy, etc. as opposed to just degenerative joint disease of the knees or wrist scaphoid non-unions.  But...everyone has to make their own choices in life.

[HCAlum86]

What monetary value would you guys offer for another season of eligibility?

Oh, I like this one.

$50K.  Max out credit cards, borrow money from parents/friends, partially cash out my IRA and alienate my wife (even more than I already have) but I'd do it without even thinking twice.  Then I'd get back to OWU, bench press 225 once and run a 4.87 40, and have the players stare at my receding hair line as I explained this wild scheme called the Wing-T that was our bread and butter back in the day.

But would still do it for $50K without blinking.

Brilliant answer. Every dollar I have that is not allotted to my children in my will would go towards it. I could gladly go five years without traveling if it meant one more season.

[formerd3db]

What monetary value would you guys offer for another season of eligibility?

Oh, I like this one.

$50K.  Max out credit cards, borrow money from parents/friends, partially cash out my IRA and alienate my wife (even more than I already have) but I'd do it without even thinking twice.  Then I'd get back to OWU, bench press 225 once and run a 4.87 40, and have the players stare at my receding hair line as I explained this wild scheme called the Wing-T that was our bread and butter back in the day.

But would still do it for $50K without blinking.

Brilliant answer. Every dollar I have that is not allotted to my children in my will would go towards it. I could gladly go five years without traveling if it meant one more season.

Yes, when it comes down to it, I would do it all over again too.  We still all have to pay for it in some form or manner later as has been alluded to.  

[HCAlum86]

Honestly, after that Andre Johnson hit I'm kinda like nah, I'm good.

Because life.

Also, can we all come together as a people and agree to a 365 day limit, post-graduation, of a personal twitter avatar being a football photo? Can we shake hands on that one?

Because life.

And bashdad brings the backboard down. +k

[HCAlum86]

Okay since some of us are Debbie Downers.... guaranteeing no injury throughout the course of the season other than the usual soreness and fatigue (which i miss) what would you pay?