FB: American Southwest Conference

[Ralph Turner]

yessir, I will Karma hscoach for you! 

It was a good kind!

[kickhoe]

Nice AR again Wes!!!  I know, I'm kissing arse!!!   

[DPU3619]

Nice AR again Wes!!!  I know, I'm kissing arse!!!   

Thank you, friend.  I appreciate it, as always. 

Some of those recaps get pretty tough to write when there isn't much positive to write about a specific game.

[crualum55]

Enough about the UWW game.  We will see what type of team the Cru are this year based on how they bounce back.  In 2004 the Cru got destroyed.  Even worse it was HSU and it was in Belton.  They way they responded is what is remembered not so much the game.  It's time for the Cru to go back to work and rekindle the magic.  So it's definitely a down year for the asc only one team in the playoffs this year.  What happened to HSU this year?

[fatboy]

Can someone explain why UMHB is not considered as a numberone seed in the south. Beside the obvious reason of losing to WW, the lose was to a West number one seed. Not trying to start any thing just want to better understand.

[Ralph Turner]

Here is the FAQ to the section in the 2007 Football Handbook.

http://www.d3football.com/faq.php?answer&category=Playoffs&id=25

These are the selection (and seeding) criteria for 2007:

The following primary criteria (not in priority order) will be reviewed:
• Win-loss percentage against regional opponents.
• Strength-of-schedule (only contests versus regional competition).
- Opponents' Average Winning Percentage (OWP).
- Opponents' Opponents' Average Winning Percentage (OOWP).
• In-region head-to-head competition.
• In-region results versus common regional opponents.
• In-region results versus regionally ranked teams.
If the evaluation of the primary criteria does not result in a decision by the committee, the following secondary criteria (for ranking and selections) will be evaluated:
• Out-of region head-to-head competition.
• Overall Division III won-loss percentage.
• Results versus common non-Division III opponents.
• Results versus all Division III ranked teams.
• Overall win-loss percentage.
• Results versus all common opponents.
• Overall Division III strength of schedule
• Should a committee find that evaluation of a team's win-loss percentage during the last 25 percent of the season is applicable (i.e., end of season performance), it may adopt such criteria with approval from the championships committee.
Additionally, input is provided by regional advisory committees for consideration by the Division III football committee. In order to be considered for selection for Pools B or C, an institution must play at least 50 percent of its competition against Division III in-region opponents. Coaches' polls and/or any other outside polls or rankings are not used as a selection criterion by the football committee for selection purposes.

[Ralph Turner]

If UMHB had beaten UWW, then they would have likely been seeded 1st or second in the whole tourney and would have had 4 home games (like having the 2004 Mount Union team play that game in Belton instead of Alliance).

Coaches' polls and/or any other outside polls or rankings are not used as a selection criterion by the football committee for selection purposes.

My emphasis!

[Bill McCabe]

Ralph,  where do you see UMHB being seeded as of today?

[Bill McCabe]

UMHB2001, I was really down the year HSU beat UMHB in 2004.  We got it handed to us in that game.  That team learned from that loss and got better each week.  The same thing can happen again this year.  Even good teams have bad games, so I don't think we should think the season is lost because of the UWW game.  I think you are being a little hard on the coaching staff.  Surely you don't believe they thought they would walk all over UWW and went into the game unprepared.

Here's hoping we get a rematch, but first we have to win Saturday.

[Ralph Turner]

Ralph,  where do you see UMHB being seeded as of today?

Good morning, Bill.

I really don't have enough experience (exposure) to the new system to guess what the loss does to UMHB.

The "win-loss percentage" is now not as high as W&J and Muhlenberg.
The "in-region ranked team record" has taken a hit. (The ASC is losing its ranked teams as the season progresses.  Does CNU's loss hurt UMHB in this matter?)
What are the OWP and OOWP?

As of this week, I can see UMHB being ranked 2nd or 3rd or 4th or even fifth (altho' Salisbury has a worse in-region percentage).

For the playoffs as of this week?  I think that UMHB hosts Trinity in the first round and then goes on the road.  And, it would not surprise me to see UMHB win the South Region to make the Semis.

See below for jaypeter's response.  I could not have said it better myself.
+1 jaypeter!   

[jaypeter]

Ralph,  where do you see UMHB being seeded as of today?

I'm not Ralph, but I'll respond anyways.

My guess is that with the current state of things, UMHB would be seeded number 2 in the south region.  Yes, they lost to the nation's #3 team (though technically polls don't come into consideration) and it was an out of region game, but they still have a 1 in the loss column.  It's hard to place an undefeated team (Washington and Jefferson right now) below a team with a loss. 

Had UMHB won this past weekend, they probably would have been the number 2 seed in the tournament, with Mount Union seeded number 1.  Some would have, but I don't think enough voters would have drifted away from the defending and undefeated national champion.  This would have set them up for a possible meeting in the Stagg.  Now, it appears that in all likelihood, Whitewater will be the number 2 seed in the tournament, possibly setting up a third Stagg Bowl meeting for them with Mount Union. 

Personally, I think that UMHB is the best team in the South.  I'm just not sure how they would get the top bid over an undefeated team that has played a decent schedule.  As the number 2 seed, I think you would still have a good chance to host 3 playoff games, the only one you'd miss out on would be in the semi's.  Though undefeated, I'm not convinced that Washington and Jefferson would make it through their bracket, possibly even being upset in the first or second round.

The interesting thing to watch will be how the brackets will be matched up for the semis.  Will it be the North vs. South and West vs. East, or North vs. East and South vs. West.  Either way stacks up for some interesting rematches.  The first possibility could bring UMHB back to Alliance for a semifinal rematch and the chance to maybe play Whitewater in the Stagg.  UMHB looking to have a winning streak against Mount Union and the confidence that they've already beaten Mount on their homefield, together with the dangling carrot of a rematch against Whitewater...that's a lot of motivation.  Or, Mount Union looking to avenge its last playoff loss.  That would be a great game.

Then, with the second possibility, you could have UMHB traveling up to Whitewater in the semis with a huge chip on their shoulder to prove that they simply laid an egg the first time up there, and that they are really the better team.  I wouldn't want to face the CRU looking to make a statement after being disappointed the first time!  But, it would be another long road trip, plus a pretty dramatic temperature difference between central Texas and Wisconsin in early December. 

At this point, I don't really have a hunch about which regions will be paired for the semis.  I would have to look at too many maps to figure out travel distances and compare too many regional rankings to have much of an idea at this point.  Maybe I'll do selection weekend, but I think I'd rather let the real folks figure that out!

jaypeter

[HScoach]

Yup.  What he said.

[jaypeter]

So, with all that I said, which scenario would the CRU rather face...facing Whitewater in Wisconsin in the semis and a Stagg against Mount Union on a neutral field, or Mount Union in Ohio and a Stagg against Whitewater on a neutral field?  I could make a guess which you might prefer.

[DPU3619]

So, with all that I said, which scenario would the CRU rather face...facing Whitewater in Wisconsin in the semis and a Stagg against Mount Union on a neutral field, or Mount Union in Ohio and a Stagg against Whitewater on a neutral field?  I could make a guess which you might prefer.

To me, playing Mount Union before you absolutely have to is akin to having a death wish for your season.  I'm not sure the site changes a darn thing about that. 

I think the margin by which the Raiders yanked Capital and ONU around on the road (37 and 44 points, respectively) shows that.

[crualum55]

Speaking as a former member of the Cru.  I would say they would rather play Mount Union then UWW for the stag.  We have already beat Mount Union in Alliance so the confidence is already there.