FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[BoBo]

Is there a stronger bracket top-to-bottom this year than the West?

I think the West is the only bracket where you can make a very strong point where the number 5 seed can make it out of there.....I think the West is the strongest.

Very true 02 Warhawk...watch out for Linfield to win at St. Thomas and take this bracket. Mount Union traveling to Oregon for a semi-final would be highly entertaining.

[MasterJedi]

Looking at UWW's first opponent's schedule I can't really say that they've played anyone that's really good and lost to a bad Carthage team. While the Franklin fans won't like it, especially GRIZ_backer I believe I'm thinking of I expect UWW to win by 28. Franklin won't be a pushover and they seem to have a good offense and defense statistically but I don't think they've played a team anywhere close to UWW and will be greatly surprised.

Carthage  L, 30-27
Valparaiso W, 42-7   
Bluffton W, 56-9 
Defiance W, 42-7
Mount St. Joseph W, 41-10
Rose-Hulman W, 56-17 
Manchester W, 40-3
Anderson W, 69-10
Earlham  W, 60-0
Hanover  W, 48-25 

[KitchenSink]

A couple of thoughts on the bracketology, now that some of the shock has finally worn off.

Just like our lovely leaders in Washington and in assorted state capitals, trying to come up with a bureaucratic solution to everything - which of course factors out common sense and leaves us susceptible to the inevitable unintended consequences (many times, worse than the original issue being dealt with - though I wouldn't apply that to the playoff bracket).

The lesson to be learned is to schedule as many cupcake teams that can go 0-10 as possible.  That way, the cupcake/opponents stats look great with plenty of wins and it will boost your percentage.

With the WIAC pushing towards "home and away" series (one conf, one nonconf) to save travel $$ - Other conferences, too? - wouldn't that lead to a less comparable statistical comparison base?

[KitchenSink]

Linfield would have to go to Alliance.

[Champs07]

Still Can't believe UW-Whitewtater is a #2!!! I really can't get over it...#1 team in the country, longest winning streak in college fball, have absolutely dominated every team they played this year, Top 5 Offensive and Defensively (statistic wise) in most major catagories in the country, and have EARNED the right to play at home throughout the play-offs!!  That being said; it doesn't matter where we play.  Anybody remember '05?? Went up to Linnfield the #1 team in the country (who's starting Qb at the time previously started over Alex Smith former #1 draft pick in the NFL for Utah) and WON! Anybody remember '07?? Played arguably the best D3 football team of all in the Stagg Bowl (Not in the friendly confines of the Perk) and dominated and WON!! Anybody remember 08'?? Traveled all over in the play-offs, most noteably went down to Texas and dominated a very good UMHB at their place in the Semi's and WON!! Doesn't matter where we play....UWW's product is flat out BETTER than everyone else's home or away!! Last time we even lost a game...Lebron was in Cleveland, Tebow was the starting QB for the Gators, Favre was retired or was he?, Coppage was a Freshman, Rusch only a Sophmore, and the Ipad invention wasn't even heard of!!  So NCAA go ahead an try and knock us down but the bottom line is we play the school of the blind rds 1 and 2.  Rd three we will play a team who thinks they are good in NCC; in reality they are slow, small, cocky (for what??), and the result will be exactly the same as the last time they tried to pretend they were on our level. Rd 4 we will play a decent UMHB or Wesley team which will just get us back on track with some decent competition before we will face a very good mt union team and beat them as well! Our streak will reach 30 games and UWW will have won 3 out of the last 4 national titles and be the unprecidented best program in D3!!

[BoBo]

When you get a chance, listen to the PODCAST. The boys have some interesting opinions about the bracket, especially about you-know-who.

Also, the READER POLL asks with of these teams, NCC or UWW, should have gotten a #1 seed? UWW currently has 82% of the vote (639 to 139 votes) and up from 80 % just a couple minutes ago. I didn't know there were that many UWW fans on this site!!  

And (surprise), UWW wasn't dropped to #5 in the TOP 25 poll. They maintain their lead as #1. Franklin stays at #24

[BoBo]

Linfield would have to go to Alliance.

You're right K'sink...Mount is #2, Linfield a #5...in the infamous words of Emily Litella...never mind.

[badgerwarhawk]

Any team that can pass the ball well poses a potential problem.  We'll do what we always do and that is try to make them as one dimensional as possible.  Then we'll pin our ears back and see if we can get some sacks and force the action.  They'll have to decide how they're going to deal with our offense.

Some good news, barring the unforeseen, is that we'll have Shane Covington back in the lineup.  Covington injured his foot in the Oshkosh game and didn't play Saturday against LaCrosse.

[BoBo]

I was just looking at Franklin's football website. Bad omen for the Griz...their uni's look a lot like Lakeland's with nearly the same color combination.


And, oh, btw, their QB wears #26 (for sentimental reasons) - kind of goes back to the day the La Crosse QB's wore jersey #'s in the 20's.

[ncc58]

Also, the READER POLL asks with of these teams, NCC or UWW, should have gotten a #1 seed? UWW currently has 82% of the vote (639 to 139 votes) and up from 80 % just a couple minutes ago. I didn't know there were that many UWW fans on this site!! 

I'm surprised there are 139 people who would vote for NCC.

[02 Warhawk]

Madison.com was able to get a quote from AA regarding the #2 seed

[hazzben]

I still don't understand the regional rankings when you have teams not playing in the actual region they were ranked though...whats the point of regional rankings then?

It has to do with DIII's member institution's committment to academics. By making regional games a playoff criteria, it promotes teams staying close to home, thereby cutting down on extended road trips and extended time outside of the classroom.

The regional rankings also give the selection committee a managable way of sorting through all the DIII teams. With 236 teams, if there weren't regional rankings, it would be decidely tougher to 'accurately' select the best teams.

They seem to have an equally difficult time 'accurately' selecting the best teams with regional rankings.   

Does the NCAA really have to promote teams staying close to home to play games? Any fiscally responsible school has the ability to do that all on their own...it's called a budget. So, are you saying that if regional games were not a playoff criteria, we would have DIII schools flying all over the country playing games? I think not. The only ones flying all over the country would be WIAC, ASC, NWC, SCIAC and the independents - in otherwords, the same ones doing it today.

It's not the NCAA. It is the DIII member institutions that have made the rules, they want to emphasize regional games to promote academics. It's not an NCAA thing, I'm fairly certain. Pat?

[hazzben]

I think the West is the only bracket where you can make a very strong point where the number 5 seed can make it out of there.....I think the West is the strongest.

I think you can argue for any team 1 through 7 winning the West this year.

UST has homefield. But Bethel took them to the wire earlier this year and Linfield took them all the way last year.

Linfield is a major threat, but they've also already lost once to their first round opponent.

Wartburg is a solid team with a great D, but faces a very stiff side of the bracket. Beating Coe twice won't be easy. Wheaton is solid and Bethel is a dangerous first game.

I think this bracket is wide open personally.

[BoBo]

I still don't understand the regional rankings when you have teams not playing in the actual region they were ranked though...whats the point of regional rankings then?

It has to do with DIII's member institution's committment to academics. By making regional games a playoff criteria, it promotes teams staying close to home, thereby cutting down on extended road trips and extended time outside of the classroom.

The regional rankings also give the selection committee a managable way of sorting through all the DIII teams. With 236 teams, if there weren't regional rankings, it would be decidely tougher to 'accurately' select the best teams.

They seem to have an equally difficult time 'accurately' selecting the best teams with regional rankings.   

Does the NCAA really have to promote teams staying close to home to play games? Any fiscally responsible school has the ability to do that all on their own...it's called a budget. So, are you saying that if regional games were not a playoff criteria, we would have DIII schools flying all over the country playing games? I think not. The only ones flying all over the country would be WIAC, ASC, NWC, SCIAC and the independents - in otherwords, the same ones doing it today.

It's not the NCAA. It is the DIII member institutions that have made the rules, they want to emphasize regional games to promote academics. It's not an NCAA thing, I'm fairly certain. Pat?

Since DIII is part of the NCAA, not a seperate organization...and rules are voted on by the member schools at the NCAA convention, I would think it's pretty clear it would become NCAA policy in their handbook of rules, no?

[hazzben]

^ all due respect, but no.

NCAA is it's own entity. Yes DIII is a part of the NCAA, but the emphasis on regional games did not come from the NCAA office. It wasn't a top down decision. It was the choice of small college presidents and administrators who are a part of the NCAA. It was a bottom up decision. Make sense? I think this is a subtle but significant difference.

We can't blame 'the man' in this one. Unless you mean to imply that everytime someone on these boards complains about the NCAA they are really just complaining about the 236 member institutions of DIII.