Around the Nation board

[2DragD1]

enough talk about the Union v Hobart game (i wouldn't be surprised if Hobart ends the season with 2 losses, U of R plays them tough every year and have the team to do it this year) anyways... Cortland v Rowan is where it's at tomorrow.  A red dragon win would eliminate the Profs from the playoffs which is a shock to the D3 world.  Cortland has something to prove in the NJAC. It should be a great battle for both D's which are top in the NJAC and D3.



tip for Union: watch out for those tricky Hobart plays it could cost you the game, good-luck to both

[K-Mack]

Well, as much as I like being in South Jersey, not sure if Cortland-Rowan was where it was at yesterday.

I guess it was, two great defenses, overtime game, what more can you ask for ... I just haven't seen double digits in regulation since Central scored 14 points in the first half vs. Cornell two and a half weeks ago

It's cool though, there was a lot to watch and will be a lot to write about this week. I think I have a neat way to present it too.

Neat-o!

[Mr. Ypsi]

K-Mack, I imagine you've written about it but I can't recall - did you play O or D?

Sounds like your recent experiences would warm the heart of a D guy, but might be rather appalling for an O!

[K-Mack]

I played defense, three years as a corner, the last as a free safety.

My complaints are kind of facetious. I'd take a 7-3 or 14-7 game over a 45-10 one anyday. I like 'em interesting until the end.

[2DragD1]

playing I would always take the 2+ score lead or lop-sided win, but now watching from the stands and being a defensive guy, 14-7 in OT says one hell of a battle and is fun to watch, every play and inch counts. While a 45-35 game could be more exciting to some, to me it says a shoot out with poor defense.  Good to hear from some one who enjoys a good D-battle as much as me.

JUG WEEK IN CORTLAND.........

['gro]

pssst k-mack... 104th meeting between RPI and Union this saturday. Oldest (1886) college FB rivalry in NY... 3rd in the nation... in case you want to mention that in ATN. Gotta trophy made up and everything.

[K-Mack]

pssst k-mack... 104th meeting between RPI and Union this saturday. Oldest (1886) college FB rivalry in NY... 3rd in the nation... in case you want to mention that in ATN. Gotta trophy made up and everything.

Yeah, my bad on that one. If you saw the handwritten scribble sheet I was working off of this week, you'd forgive me. I had one column for games affecting the playoffs and one for rivalries and another for those pesky out of division games, and Union @ RPI was in the wrong group and I missed it.

My understanding is some folks raised a stink about it and it has since been fixed.

Maybe if you threw some Nikes on that trophy, the young bucks would pay more attention.

[K-Mack]

ATN has been updated since it was first posted Thursday with players who stood out along the way and other observations from the trips, the Who are those guys final tally and some tidbits for But Don't Quote Me.

I did a Five Games to Watch for last night but mis-hit a quick key, lost it and couldn't get it back. I ended up not having time to recreate it, but the games to watch this week are pretty obvious, since most of them have playoff implications or are big rivalry games, and they were already mentioned in the column anyway.

The only neat thing I'd done was list five games which could ruin playoff hopes, which also functioned as the upset specials, since at least one of them, I believe, will lose:
Ithaca at Cortland
Rochester at Hobart
Capital at Baldwin-Wallace
Dubuque at Wartburg
St. John Fisher at Alfred

Most of my reasoning is long gone, but I know it should really help Wartburg to be at home, as Dubuque has been a big surprise but not that good on the Road, and Waverly is a big advantage for the Knights. SJF and Capital play pretty even teams (one-loss vs. two-loss) on the road, while Hobart and Cortland at least get the same scenario but at home. Cortland is without its top 2 QBs but should dig deep in a rivalry game. Alfred and Ithaca have faint playoff hopes if enough teams lose.

Other games to watch were
Carnegie Mellon at Thiel (50-48 in 3 OT last year)
Union @ RPI (Dutchman's Shoes rivalry, although Union leads like 41-12)
Curry @ Coast Guard (NEFC Championship Game)
Bethel @ SJU (MIAC title)
Trinity at Millsaps (SCAC title)
William Paterson @ Rowan (WPU won last year)

Also keep an eye on
La Crosse at Oshkosh (a playoff bid can be blown here too)
Carthage at North Central (same)
DelVal at Widener
Dickinson at Ursinus
W&L at Case Western (no gimme)

Had to get those on record, even if it had to be informally (and less informatively) here instead of in ATN.

[labart96]

Bart-Rocho may not be as fancy as "Union vs. RPI in the Shoeapalooza," but it will be the 96 or 97th meeting between the schools, making it one of Hobart's oldest (if not THE oldest) rivalry (TGP thinks anyway).

The fact it does have NCAA playoff implications vs. Shoe implications, definitely earns it GOW status.

[labart96]

Correction:  today is the 100th meeting btw Bart and UofR.

[K-Mack]

Sweet.

The surprises and disappointments ATN is up. Let the waffling begin. I will begin backing off all of my playoffs picks now, unless of course I am right. Then I will remind you how smart I am.

[Pat Coleman]

I always like looking back at the old ones -- that's why I linked them in the front-page blurb this time around.

Scanning through, I know I have been far from perfect on predictions, but I picked out a couple:

2001
East surprise: And someone scores a touchdown in the Western Connecticut/Westfield State game. (final, 8-7 Western Conn.)
West surprise: Is it a surprise in the west when a higher seed wins? This is the year the WIAC gets back on the winning track, for one week at least. (UWSP beats Bethel 37-27)

2002
East surprise: My real surprise is that the NCAA only selected five teams from this region and pumped up the competitiveness of this bracket. But even more surprising will be when John Carroll wins this bracket. No, seriously.

2003
West surprise: Do we consider Simpson or St. Norbert the surprise if they win the first round game? St. Norbert's the higher-ranked team, while Simpson is believed to have the better pedigree. Neither has won a playoff game since expansion. I pick St. Norbert to win.
North surprise: The higher seed wins every single game. (they did, or I wouldn't have posted this here. )

2004
East disappointment: The most disappointing thing will be the champion's result in the national semifinals, after flying at least halfway, if not all the way across the country.
North surprise: Carthage. Tough break to get sent on the road in the first round but they could easily win two games.

2005
South disappointment: This cash-strapped bracket actually doesn't bother me too much. I'm not convinced Trinity is the best team in this bracket or is worth protecting from UMHB. It's just unfortunate this game is at Trinity ... again.

And then one of my favorite Keith moments, from 2003.
Keith: My disappointment is Mark. How can you not know anything about Allegheny when the very column you're reading, Around the Nation, featured them a few weeks back? I see how it is.

This is a fun column to participate in. I've definitely enjoyed it.

[K-Mack]

And then one of my favorite Keith moments, from 2003.
Keith: My disappointment is Mark. How can you not know anything about Allegheny when the very column you're reading, Around the Nation, featured them a few weeks back? I see how it is.

This is a fun column to participate in. I've definitely enjoyed it.

Ha, I almost never look back at these, even though I don't mind them being linked ... I remember doing that ATN with Matlak and Allegheny, but I forgot I took that shot at Mark.

Serves him right for showing up in ATN having not read ATN.

I know I've been dreadful with the Stagg Bowl picks on game day, but with these columns, my glass-is-half-full-ness occasionally allows me to hit gold. Picking Whitewater last year, even though I flip-flopped with them and Linfield and was called out for it, was enough to validate me

I definitely tried to do mine before I read the other guys' ... and I still end up looking like the guy who is trying to be different for the sake of it.

[formerd3db]

Alright, Keith.  We all know that Hope's chances of beating Mount Union are extremely slim.  However, in your "Around the Nation" column, you mention that despite Millsaps 3 losses, then winning seven in a row, that they deserve their spot.  Well then, does that not (i.e. should that not) apply to Hope also since they won "ran the table" and won seven in a row after an 0-3 start?  I think it does (and none of this SOS milarky please ).

[K-Mack]

Technically, yes.

I like that Hope plays good teams from the Midwest (Central, DePauw and Wheaton) before its conference slate, and I think that helps them do well in the MIAA.

However, what you're referring to is an opinion where I said which teams I would replace in the playoff field if we were taking the 32 best. I just had a gut feeling about Millsaps that I've never had about Hope, it's not something that's defensible really. I guess you can point to the Central and Wheaton games and say Hope can play with playoff teams, even if it isn't pretty against Mount Union.

But you never know.