Top 25 rankings

[Foss]

Ryan, +karma for the research.

[TC]

And that was a pretty amazing finish as well:

00:13 SJU - K. Gearman 74 yd pass from A. Kofoed (A. Schmidt kick failed), 1-74 0:12, SJU 20 - CC 16

Spot on, as usual repete.

Speaking as someone who had a front row seat at the SJU/St. Olaf game, the Oles are legit.  They are every bit as talented as any non-Mount Union/UW-Whitewater playoff team that I have seen the Johnnies face.  This game wasn't a matter of St. John's playing poorly and letting an inferior opponent stay in it, and with that being the case I think it is great that the Oles moved up to where they are in the poll.  In fact, I'd be surprised if there are a dozen D-III teams that are better than St. Olaf.

[DuffMan]

TC, are you on the Ole bandwagon???  Cripes!!!

[TC]

TC, are you on the Ole bandwagon???  Cripes!!!

Since an Ole win over Bethel means the Royals (almost certainly) stay home, yes I am.

Did St. Olaf not look like a very legitimate playoff team to you on Saturday?

[DuffMan]

Did St. Olaf not look like a very legitimate playoff team to you on Saturday?

They did, but I will not hype the Oles.

[TC]

Where do you draw the line?  If it were Concordia rather than St. Olaf would your feelings be any different?  Is there any other team that you would "hype"?

[DuffMan]

Where do you draw the line?  If it were Concordia rather than St. Olaf would your feelings be any different?  Is there any other team that you would "hype"?

Maybe Concordia   Definitely not BU or STO, though. 8)

[smedindy]

I see! Just like I could never, ever hype that evil school from Greendingle! Way to stand your ground!

[TC]

Where do you draw the line?  If it were Concordia rather than St. Olaf would your feelings be any different?  Is there any other team that you would "hype"?

Maybe Concordia   Definitely not BU or STO, though. 8)

Bethel and St. Thomas, obviously.  And I meidt agree with you on St. Olaf.  Ideally Concordia will stop sucking one of these years so the MIAC will have a truly viable #2 to pull for come playoff time.

[usee]

I do like the work/analyzation that must have went into moving St. Olaf up in the poll from #18 to #13 after almost upsetting St. Johns in Collegeville, and that being its only loss. In most other polls, they would have moved down, or at the best stayed where they were, simply because they lost.

Foss, you beat me to posting about this very thing.

I think it's great that Olaf moved up five spots despite losing. That's a testiment to them being a good team -- which is what I think is the case -- rather than to thinking that the Johnnies weren't playing up to snuff. The poll accepts the very real likelihood that that MIAC has two very good teams in it this year.

But, I have to ask, is this the biggest jump in the Top 25 poll that a team has made after losing? Obviously, I'm not questioning it, just asking the Web site of record. 

Ryan,

Sorry -- I don't have an easy way to research that, sorry.

ask and you shall recieve:

I only went back as long as the D3.com poll has been published which includes the 2003 season. There are only 3 instances where a top 25 team has lost and moved higher in the rankings. (there are many instances where a team stayed static). Interestingly all three involved St. Johns. Besides Saturday's game w St. Olaf:

-In week 9 of 2003 #10 Bethel lost 29-26 @ #2 St. Johns and moved up to #9 in the next poll. The only other top 10 team that lost was #4 MHB who was beaten by unranked East Texas Baptist and subsequently dropped to #12.

-In week 6 of 2005 #13 Concordia-Moorehead lost at home to #5 St. Johns 20-16 and moved up to #12 the next week. #8 Ithaca also lost to Lycoming and plummeted to #15 to make room for the move.

[TC]

usee, that's a great argument for why more teams should lose to the Johnnies!

[sjfcclimbing]

Thanks for the question.  I understand the "bracket seeding" to occur once the brackets have been filled and the #1 seeds of each bracket are then "bracketed" at that time, e.g., South #1 hosting West #1 and North #1 hosting East #1, using the criteria stated in the handbook.

I will appreciate any corrections.

Thanks.



Thanks PA_Wesleyan!  +1 

So you are saying that although there are very few inter-region games, the number 1 seeds are ranked based on their schedule? I would think this should be explicitly spelled out in the handbook.

It would seem to me that if the inter-region schedule can not be increased due to expense then a rotating bracketing would be a better way since conference/region strengths vary year to year.

However, thanks for the information.

[Ryan Tipps]

-In week 9 of 2003 #10 Bethel lost 29-26 @ #2 St. Johns and moved up to #9 in the next poll. The only other top 10 team that lost was #4 MHB who was beaten by unranked East Texas Baptist and subsequently dropped to #12.

Sure, just go ahead and one-up me and find a game I missed! 

[usee]

-In week 9 of 2003 #10 Bethel lost 29-26 @ #2 St. Johns and moved up to #9 in the next poll. The only other top 10 team that lost was #4 MHB who was beaten by unranked East Texas Baptist and subsequently dropped to #12.

Sure, just go ahead and one-up me and find a game I missed! 

I don't know which is worse, you missing that game or me reading your post for the first time just now. Sorry, I didn't see your reply to yourself. 

[Ryan Tipps]

-In week 9 of 2003 #10 Bethel lost 29-26 @ #2 St. Johns and moved up to #9 in the next poll. The only other top 10 team that lost was #4 MHB who was beaten by unranked East Texas Baptist and subsequently dropped to #12.

Sure, just go ahead and one-up me and find a game I missed! 

I don't know which is worse, you missing that game or me reading your post for the first time just now. Sorry, I didn't see your reply to yourself. 

No sweat. I appreciate the extra set of eyes!

+1k