Top 25 rankings

[Bob.Gregg]

Only FOUR games involving two teams from D3football.com Top 25 this week, and three of them include teams from the "Other Receiving Votes" section.

#14  St. John Fisher (7-0) vs. #17 Springfield (6-0)  (thanks to "theoriginal")

#31  Wartburg (5-1) takes on #24 Coe (6-1)

#33  UW-Platteville (4-2) faces #2 UW-Whitewater

#40  Baldwin-Wallace (5-1) has #1 Mt. Union (6-0)


There won't be any debating about whether a Top 25's loss THIS week is an upset...

[theoriginalupstate]

Only three games involving two teams from D3football.com Top 25 this week, and all three of them include teams from the "Other Receiving Votes" section.

#31  Wartburg (5-1) takes on #24 Coe (6-1)

#33  UW-Platteville (4-2) faces #2 UW-Whitewater

#40  Baldwin-Wallace (5-1) has #1 Mt. Union (6-0)


There won't be any debating about whether a Top 25's loss THIS week is an upset...

How bout St. John Fisher vs Springfield???

Last time I check they were both ranked....

[Bob.Gregg]

corrected.

Thanks, original.

[K-Mack]

Yeah,
That's really the only one since the others are not actually in the top 25 ... but again, D3 being so big, the No. 2 or 3 team in some conferences can be ranked 40th or whatever and flip-flop with No. 15 on one Saturday.

[Josh Bowerman]

Normally, I would try to avoid making this statement, but this is really bugging me:

I have to question the poll when a team (Capital) can lose by 26 points--even if it was to MUC--and only fall one spot.  I also have to question a UMHB team losing their second game of the season (their offense stinks, folks--look at the season stats:  they're next-to-last in the ASC in total offense) and not dropping at all.

[Toby Taff]

Normally, I would try to avoid making this statement, but this is really bugging me:

I have to question the poll when a team (Capital) can lose by 26 points--even if it was to MUC--and only fall one spot.  I also have to question a UMHB team losing their second game of the season (their offense stinks, folks--look at the season stats:  they're next-to-last in the ASC in total offense) and not dropping at all.

Josh,

I won't disagree... What we need is an ASC hybrid team.  HSU's O and MHB's D.

[HScoach]

While Capital might have lost by 26, I'd still take even money on them versus anyone ranked below them in the poll other than LaCrosse from the WIAC because of the physical nature of the WIAC teams.  The weather conditions Saturday (35 degrees, rain/freezing rain/snow mix, 30+ mph winds) sure didn't help the Capital offense either since they typically throw it 50+ times a game.  Their defense had no answer for Kmic and the MUC running game so the 38 points MUC scored was legit, but in decent weather conditions I would have expected Capital to score in the mid-20's for a 2 TD spread.

One thing to keep in mind on why the stayed near the top is that a few other top 10 teams lost too.

[Josh Bowerman]

I'm not saying that either team isn't worthy of the top ten, but you lose, you should drop--and more than one spot (unless #2 beats #1 in the Stagg Bowl).  That's the way it's always worked in the poll before, and I'm really surprised about this week's voting results. 

Not to be unobjective, I will say in defense of the pollsters as a group, that the vote totals show a significant degree of disagreement between the voters, as only 39 votes seperate #5 Capital from #8 Occidental. 

[Bill McCabe]

Josh, I wouldn't expect a #6 team to drop very much, if at all, when they lose by 4 to the #2 team.  Those were 2 great teams playing and I would think that both are Top 5.

[JT]

Sometimes a loss confirms a team's place in the poll, thus leaving them where they were.

[Pat Coleman]

Keep in mind what happened in the Top 7.

No. 1 won by a large margin at home against No. 4.
No. 2 won barely on the road at No. 6.
No. 4 lost by a large margin on the road at No. 1.
No. 6 lost barely at home to No. 2.
No. 7 lost on the road at a .500 team.
And remember that No. 6 has a head-to-head win against No. 8.

The only way to really satisfy all of this data would have been to drop both UMHB and Hardin-Simmons below someone in the poll. I don't think too many voters believe Occidental is that good. UW-La Crosse is a better candidate in my book but not everyone has the ballot in that order.

I'm not overly convinced, either, that Wesley is better than Capital, in all honesty.

So, sure, we'll drop UMHB more than one spot, but your alma mater gets dragged down in the process.

I am sure the AFCA will ignore the HSU/UMHB head to head result and drop UMHB significantly.

[Pat Coleman]

Sometimes a loss confirms a team's place in the poll, thus leaving them where they were.

Yes, exactly. If the poll ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Bill McCabe]

Pat, when does the AFCA poll come out?

[Pat Coleman]

Tuesdays.

[Josh Bowerman]

Josh,

I won't disagree... What we need is an ASC hybrid team.  HSU's O and MHB's D.

Toby, that's what we had @ HSU before UMHB started their football program.  If you can get the Crusaders to focus on some other sport we can have it again!   

Seriously, I'm only arguing in favor of HSU by default.  I didn't expect UMHB to really drop precipitously after such a close game against the #2 team.  It is worth pointing out, though, that UMHB now has two DIII losses and is still in the top 10.  Averett, for example, who has lost to only Mt. Union and Wesley--isn't even receiving votes in the poll!

It's the Capital poll placement that surprises me the most.  Although, Ohio Northern only dropped seven spots after they were beaten by 42 by Mt. Union.  Given Capital and ONU played a tight game (17-10) it's hard for me to understand their only dropping one spot after losing by four touchdowns.

And speaking of the Polar Bears, have the wheels just come completely off up there?