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[PA_wesleyfan]

Keith

  For your end of year AN..

How about a what if category.
I.E. What if Dickinson scores that third TD against Wesley. How does that change the dynamics of the South Playoffs?

I am sure that there are many fans whohvae what if scenerios for you.

  GO BIRDS 

[K-Mack]

Interesting.

Although with something like that, we usually end up using the play that did happen (as opposed to what didn't0 as a key turning point or something.

You are always welcome to cheer on the Birds on the ATN thread, however.

[PA_wesleyfan]

 The Birds!!!!!

  Think those good ole boys from Texas had enough of our teams north of the Mason-Dixon???

   Here is a quote of the day. Who said,  " But I was bumped down feild and the ball hit me right in the hands"?

[janesvilleflash]

T.O.

[PA_wesleyfan]

Good answer!!!

[K-Mack]

So for the die-hards still paying attention, Pat and I have yet to completely agree on the release date, but it's looking like the annual ATN year-in-review will get posted in three parts, with the first one out sometime this week.

Here's how I have it drawn up at the moment:

Part 1: Great games, plays and statistics
Part 2: Great players, coaches and teams
Part 3: Our awards, In Retrospect (revisiting preseason predictions) and Miscellaneous

[Pat Coleman]

Oh, sorry -- the release dates you proposed were just fine.

Happy new year.

[CBE]

Looking forward to the year end review guys!

[K-Mack]

Oh, sorry -- the release dates you proposed were just fine.

Happy new year.

Same to you. May you again live with your wife and children in '07

As far as the dates, I was just wondering if you had a preference for day of the week, i.e. avoiding Fridays or some other day you might be so busy with D3hoops.com you might not have much time to read/edit/format.

Otherwise, I'll aim to get it to you late Weds. or Thurs., like a normal ATN, each of the next three weeks.

Check the e-mail too. For Part 3, there were a couple Miscellaneous categories last year that involved 'best/odd moments from D3 staffers' or something, which I would include you and some of the guys on.

[Pat Coleman]

Same to you. May you again live with your wife and children in '07

Thanks. 

I will re-read when things quiet down a little here at work. My bad.

[K-Mack]

From the midseason review:

If the playoffs started today
Linfield out.
Carnegie Mellon in.
Hope/Olivet in.
Ithaca out.
King's in.
Delaware Valley out.
Dickinson/Ursinus in.
Johns Hopkins out.
Washington & Jefferson in
Thiel out.
Mary Hardin-Baylor in.
Hardin-Simmons on the bubble with Sul Ross State.

WIAC two bids
USAC one bid
HCAC two bids
NCAC one bid
SCIAC two bids
CCIW one bid

Pretty close ... some stuff changed, like Wilkes winning the MAC and Franklin not getting a bid, but surprising how close this was. To me, anyway.

[labart96]

Certainly deserves props for the call.  You guys are getting good.

Here's an interesting counterpoint to the play-off system.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke3jan03,1,7710236.column?coll=la-utilities-sports

Of course Plaschke is a known nudge and devil's advocate to everything, but TGP thought he'd put it out there for sake of discussion.

[allsky7]

Certainly deserves props for the call.  You guys are getting good.

Here's an interesting counterpoint to the play-off system.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke3jan03,1,7710236.column?coll=la-utilities-sports

Of course Plaschke is a known nudge and devil's advocate to everything, but TGP thought he'd put it out there for sake of discussion.

"If there was a playoff, the Rose Bowl party also doesn't happen. That would have probably been a semifinal game. Instead of dancing around the wet grass like a Pop Warner team, the Trojans would have calmly jogged off to prepare for a bigger game."

     Nonsense!!! There are enough great minds out there that can figure a way to incorporate many of the bowl games into a playoff system. The bowls that don't make the playoff mix can still be held. Except for entertainment value and maybe a little recruiting clout...bowls with teams that are 6 and 6 or 7 and 5 are irrelevant anyway. If I were on a team that won the game the way Boise State did....I would have been "dancing around the wet grass like a Pop Warner team" no matter what.....even if I were on a Pop Warner team. The joy of that type of victory shows no bounds....whether it is a BCS bowl game, high school game, or Pop Warner game. If it were a playoff game, does anyone really believe that USC wouldn't have celebrated that victory...regardless? Then move on to having a shot at a national championship. I will give Mr. Plaschke this. There is a certain aura surrounding the bowls but I think there are ways to incorporate bowls into a playoff system that would still maintain most of that aura. Not to mention what you would gain in the excitement of creating an atmosphere of crowning a true national champion. You know....like the Stagg Bowl. That atmosphere my friends... is tough to beat.
     Have a good weekend all from one indoctrinated d3 disciple!! 

[K-Mack]

Certainly deserves props for the call.  You guys are getting good.

Here's an interesting counterpoint to the play-off system.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke3jan03,1,7710236.column?coll=la-utilities-sports

Of course Plaschke is a known nudge and devil's advocate to everything, but TGP thought he'd put it out there for sake of discussion.

"If there was a playoff, the Rose Bowl party also doesn't happen. That would have probably been a semifinal game. Instead of dancing around the wet grass like a Pop Warner team, the Trojans would have calmly jogged off to prepare for a bigger game."

     Nonsense!!! There are enough great minds out there that can figure a way to incorporate many of the bowl games into a playoff system. The bowls that don't make the playoff mix can still be held. Except for entertainment value and maybe a little recruiting clout...bowls with teams that are 6 and 6 or 7 and 5 are irrelevant anyway. If I were on a team that won the game the way Boise State did....I would have been "dancing around the wet grass like a Pop Warner team" no matter what.....even if I were on a Pop Warner team. The joy of that type of victory shows no bounds....whether it is a BCS bowl game, high school game, or Pop Warner game. If it were a playoff game, does anyone really believe that USC wouldn't have celebrated that victory...regardless? Then move on to having a shot at a national championship. I will give Mr. Plaschke this. There is a certain aura surrounding the bowls but I think there are ways to incorporate bowls into a playoff system that would still maintain most of that aura. Not to mention what you would gain in the excitement of creating an atmosphere of crowning a true national champion. You know....like the Stagg Bowl. That atmosphere my friends... is tough to beat.
     Have a good weekend all from one indoctrinated d3 disciple!! 

I agree with you wholeheartedly allsky. You can retain the Bowl stuff and do a playoff, it's not even worth arguing about. It can be done.

The thing is, outside of Gatorville and Buckeye land, most casual Division I-A football fans will remember two games this year, Boise State-Oklahoma and Rutgers-Louisville. Maybe some others, but no matter what's on the line, great games are celebrated by the winning team at the time, and by fans long afterward.

Part 1 is done but not posted yet. This year-end stuff is hard work ... lots of stuff to pore over, and I'm learning all kinds of new stuff just going back and reading

[wildcat11]

Hey Keith,

Enjoyed the first part of the Year in Review.  Read this and I wanted to give my 2 cents:

Remember the great streaks extended
Beyond the dozens of conference and regular-season streaks are others that are truly eye-catching.

Linfield's streak of consecutive winning seasons was extended to 51. It might not have been as glorious as the 49th year, but it still counts -- that's the beauty of a streak where even a 5-4 season qualifies.

Granted that a 5-4 season isn't anything to write home about but in the 51 years of Linfield's consecutive winning season streak these 5-4 years have only happened 3 times.  1971, 1987, and 1996.

During these 51 years, Linfield has appeared in 6 national title games, won 4 national titles and have captured 31 conference crowns.  That's a pretty phenomenal run.