FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[ohiofan1954]

hello from interested observer. I have read at least one comment on the officiating at the wittenberg-wabash game yesterday. I wasn't there so I won't try to talk about that. However if you saw the safety call in the Ohio-Buffalo game that was the mother of all bad calls. I would never say my team lost because of that( when you lose by 27 points it isn't the officials who dominated you)but I will say I have never seen a call even close to being that bad. In case you didn't see it the ohio qb was called for grounding in the end zone for a safety. I thought the end zone stared on the goal line , not the 4. Oh well sorry for rambling on a game in another division but I just wanted to say the officiating may not be quite as bad as you think sometimes. Good luck to Wittenberg in the playoffs and hope Wabash makes it as well.

[wally_wabash]

Uh, actually Wally, it is.  Like mention about the playoffs in the rest of your post, if we had won the most important game of the year and beat up the Dannies, Pool C would be moot.  Personally, I don't think our SOS and RR will be enough to get a one loss 'Bash in without some sort of miracle.  So, yeah, I think that losing the single most important game is a referendum on the season, because success (like it or not) is now defined by a post-season appearance.  Believe me, I was at Wabash for the 10-0 1982 season.  It sucks to be good and not get in.  Now we are good, just not good enough.  Witt came prepared to play, and obviously, we did not.  I am glad this team is young because they might learn from this.  Unfortunately, they also might be burned by this.  One never knows...

I'd love to know where your basis for this is.  Where are all of the at-large teams that have better profiles?  Or at least all of the at-large teams that would make Wabash being selected "a miracle".  What data am I missing that you have?

In 2010 Wabash needed a miracle.  In 2012 Wabash needed a miracle.  In 2013, not so much.  If the status quo holds in week 11, Wabash will be either just in or just out.  No miracles necessary. 

[formerd3db]

WABCOL86 and Wally:

I'm not intending to jump in here on the discussion for either side of the argument/discussion.  I only just wanted to make the comment that I feel your pain regarding that undefeated Wabash team that didn't get in the 1982 playoffs!  That was a great team and should have been in, but couldn't due to the "then" rules/criteria held (only 8 teams and not more than 2 from the same region).   Hope's undefeated team had the same slight in 1984 (as did an Adrian team in the 1980's).  IMO, all those teams would have been selected in today's current playoff format whether by AQ or an at-large bid.  However, the playoff format was obviously not the same back then and I'm not sure we can compare the scenarios then to now, regardless of the criteria.  Again, I'm not intending this as making any statement with regard to your discussion, but rather only just commenting in general on the topic of playoffs and non-selections. 

[Wabash Hokie]

Uh, actually Wally, it is.  Like mention about the playoffs in the rest of your post, if we had won the most important game of the year and beat up the Dannies, Pool C would be moot.  Personally, I don't think our SOS and RR will be enough to get a one loss 'Bash in without some sort of miracle.  So, yeah, I think that losing the single most important game is a referendum on the season, because success (like it or not) is now defined by a post-season appearance.  Believe me, I was at Wabash for the 10-0 1982 season.  It sucks to be good and not get in.  Now we are good, just not good enough.  Witt came prepared to play, and obviously, we did not.  I am glad this team is young because they might learn from this.  Unfortunately, they also might be burned by this.  One never knows...

I'd love to know where your basis for this is.  Where are all of the at-large teams that have better profiles?  Or at least all of the at-large teams that would make Wabash being selected "a miracle".  What data am I missing that you have?

In 2010 Wabash needed a miracle.  In 2012 Wabash needed a miracle.  In 2013, not so much.  If the status quo holds in week 11, Wabash will be either just in or just out.  No miracles necessary.

No miracles necessary - just a good old fashioned ass whoopin'.   The Little Giants have no reason to hold back - the more convincing the victory the better.  Witt took DPU down by a score of 45-0.  The bar has been set.

[Wabash Hokie]

The weekly D3 poll is out - Wabash is now 17th and Witt moves to 12.  Franklin drops to 23rd.  Oh, and DePauw did not receive any votes for the 5th year in row.

[bashgiant]

The weekly D3 poll is out - Wabash is now 17th and Witt moves to 12.  Franklin drops to 23rd.  Oh, and DePauw did not receive any votes for the 5th year in row.

Doesn't look like the D3 Top 25 thinks Wabash is that disgusting.

[smedindy]

I think any D3 athlete who plays their sport needs support, not ridicule or spite.

[smedindy]

If things play out, to me it's pretty clear Wabash will be on the board at the end of the selection process. I see no reason why the committee wouldn't select IWU or the OAC runner-up. So then Wabash moves up, and they'll have to match against (a conjecture) Thomas More, St. Thomas (or St. John's) and whoever is on the board from the East. The East won't match up, so it's on how the committee uses and interprets the criteria.

[Mr. Ypsi]

If things play out, to me it's pretty clear Wabash will be on the board at the end of the selection process. I see no reason why the committee wouldn't select IWU or the OAC runner-up. So then Wabash moves up, and they'll have to match against (a conjecture) Thomas More, St. Thomas (or St. John's) and whoever is on the board from the East. The East won't match up, so it's on how the committee uses and interprets the criteria.

To me, the loser of JCU @ UMU, the winner of UWP @ UWO and IWU (assuming no monumental upset) are all locks, with Pac Lu (regular season complete) a veritable lock.  So I think you've nailed it for the fifth spot: Wabash, Thomas More, either SJU or UST (SJU if they upset Bethel, otherwise UST), and either Alfred or SJF (who play Saturday; excuse me, being E8, that is Saterday! )  While I doubt the E8 candidate will make it, I wouldn't be TOO quick to dismiss them.

IF those are the teams at the table for spot #5, I'd lean towards Wabash, but it could be gut-wrenching.

[1837Tigers]

The weekly D3 poll is out - Wabash is now 17th and Witt moves to 12.  Franklin drops to 23rd.  Oh, and DePauw did not receive any votes for the 5th year in row.

Check your facts, Hokie.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Wow....  way to lay an egg Wabash.

Full house...  There were alums around me who hadn't been back for a game in years.... they brought some friends.....  and left disgusted.

I did get into it with Witt's booth coaches who were tossing F bombs and such.  No class.  But what do you expect from Ohio?

Oh well.... on to the Bell Game.  Let's make Lynch 1-1.

Disgusted? Really? I was disappointed but by no means disgusted. Would hate too see what would be said if Wabash was to finish .500 instead of 9-1 it wouldn't be pretty.
These young men are winners in so many ways.

1. They are winners for getting into a college such as Wabash not many do.
2.They are winners for volunteering there spare time (Which I'm sure they don't have much of)  to help others whether it be tutoring young kids or helping build a house for someone going through tough times or the numerous other good things they do for the community.
3. They are winners for putting in the hours and hours of practice so they can be the best they can on Saturdays.

You could go on and on with the reasons these young men are winners. I am sure they did the best they could on 11-9-2013 everybody gave 100% as I don't see anyone at this level giving any less. Just wasn't meant to be that particular day, happens to the best of them, even the one's being paid millions to play a game.
I have been an ultra-competitive player and coach in multiple sports, and it's funny when I get together with old team mates or players that I have coached we don't talk much about the championships we won or lost 95% of the time is spent talking about pranks we pulled on each other, or remember joe bloe would hit on every girl he came within 10 feet of, or the time we were eating spaghetti and Johnny started laughing and had spaghetti coming out his nose. There is so much more to it than what we see on Saturdays. I think a lot of us need to think before we type
myself included. I think we need to remember these are young men giving their best, not professionals. One more thing before I get down off the soap box. STOMP a mud hole in the team 30 miles to the south this Saturday!

Go BASH!
WAF!

Applause.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Wabash players were far more disappointed (dare I say disgusted) with how they performed yesterday than anyone else could be.

And this, too.  The kids want to win.  Yelling at the line to block better, or the quarterback to throw it to the guys in the right jersey, or the defense to JUST TACKLE HIM...gee, you don't think maybe the kids had thought of that?  The kids and coaches will be far more disappointed in themselves than "you" the alum/fan could be.

I had a lengthy discussion with hazzben and a few others on the MIAC boards about the crowd at football games.  I play the "former player" card a bit too frequently, perhaps, but as a former player it disgusts me to sit in the crowd with people booing their team, jeering their coach, or openly criticizing the players on the team.  It disgusts me to read some of the things I read on this board after the result.  Gross, pathetic, weak...give me a break.  Football IS a game subject to some randomness and a few breaks in either direction can change a game's flow very drastically.  Sometimes it gets away from you.  Sometimes the other team is just good and has THEIR perfect game on a day that you don't.  I, like many others on these boards, played in 80+ games between high school and college and I can think of perhaps TWO of those games in which the outcome was affected because one team literally had not given an honest effort.  Playing hard and playing well are two different things, but if the kids are playing hard then I think using such words to describe the effort is a mistake.

[Wabash Hokie]

The weekly D3 poll is out - Wabash is now 17th and Witt moves to 12.  Franklin drops to 23rd.  Oh, and DePauw did not receive any votes for the 5th year in row.

Check your facts, Hokie.

Sorry about that - five years ago was when the best team in DePauw history got spanked 47-0.  I stand corrected. 

Let me clarify, without doing any research whatsoever, it is my ungrounded assertion that DePauw has not received any votes the past four years.

[wally_wabash]

The weekly D3 poll is out - Wabash is now 17th and Witt moves to 12.  Franklin drops to 23rd.  Oh, and DePauw did not receive any votes for the 5th year in row.

Check your facts, Hokie.

Sorry about that - five years ago was when the best team in DePauw history got spanked 47-0.  I stand corrected. 

Let me clarify, without doing any research whatsoever, it is my ungrounded assertion that DePauw has not received any votes the past four years.

Just so we don't go back and forth on this ad nauseum, DePauw received votes preseason 2011 and I'm 99% sure that was the last time.  So Wabash has received votes in the last 36 top 25s and DePauw has received zero.  Neener. 

[nike]

So who wins on Saturday in the other big game--Wooster or OWU?
I think Barnes has had a very good senior year and the Scots will prevail over the Bishops.  Our first year coach has made a very positive impact on the team.