FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[reality check]

rp

If had been on this board for as long as I and many others, then you would totally understand why I felt the need to comment on the haters that lurk just waiting to pile on.  Me typing that doesn't show that I am angry, it shows that I know how these boards are.  I have been around long enough to know what to expect.  And since I have heard it all before (over and over and over) I was trying to save all those wonderful people the trouble of typing it themselves.

e_lee

But mine glows orange...so I win.   

[joelmama]

What a day next Saturday will be.

Damn and I'll be on an airplane. 

[Shark]

Man, I always knew about the bad blood between ONU and Cap. But this is getting wild.

Just looking at the latest postings convinces me even more that only one OAC school gets in. Look at the turmoil and indecision it causes here trying to figure in a 2nd team. Think the NCAA wants any part of that?

I also see Whitewater possibly moving North as the #1 seed. Pat, Ric or anyone...has a team moved out of their home region to be a #1 in a different region?

[e_lee]

Yeah we are taking it to a whole new level.  We are using large, glowing font.  next thing you know we are going to start snapping our fingers at each others like teh Jets and the Sharks.  Take that ONU!

[HScoach]

Sorry to break up the Cap-ONU lovefest, but I'm going to talk football


Shark: An out of region team has never been moved into a new region as a #1 seed, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.  Personally I think UWWW will get moved in as the #1 this year with North Central losing.  Wabash while 10-0 is NOT a legitimate #1 seed.  But then again, there isn't a team in the East that's is a true #1 either, so who knows.   If NCC would have beat Augie, then you're probably would have had the North seeded something like:
1 - North Central
2 - Wabash
3 - Mount Union
4 - lesser team from west moved over or W&J moved in
5 thru 8 - don't matter (albion, mt st joe, etc....)

Now I'm thinking like this:
1 - Whitewater (close enough to most North teams to eliminate a flight)
2 - Wabash
3 - Mount Union
4 - Augustana (but not playing #5 NCC, maybe home to Albion?)
5 - North Central (on road at MUC?)
6 - Albion
7 - Mt St Joe
8 - ?

The biggest question I have is how the North Regional seedings are going to shake out.  As some of us talked throughout the season, the worst match-up for MUC would be a "physical" offense like Augie, MHB or a WIAC team as the MUC defense is undersized and built on speed, not braun.  Well guess what, Augie is in the dance thanks to their win vs NCC and now we might be getting UWWW in the North too. 

My worst case regional pairing would produce an opening round game versus Augie.  With UWWW sitting in there for Round 2 if they make it.  Back-to-back games against that type of physical pounding could make the MUC playoff run much shorter than we're used to.  I'd feel better about winning a shoot out with Augie if I knew Garcon was going to be healthy for the playoffs.

[reality check]

HSCoach

The IBC gets an auto bid and is a north region team so I am guessing they would be your 8 spot (Lakeland).

[MountFan08]

hscoach-
You'll be happy to know that Garcon will be ready for the playoffs.  I have a friend who talked to him and he said he was ready to play but their keeping him out of meaningless games against Musky and The Berg so he doesn't get hurt again.  Personally I don't think Mount can go far without him and that the ONU game would have been completely different with him at 100%.  How far they'll go with him still might be a mystery, we'll just have to wait to Sunday to see how the North bracket shapes up.  I still think that if the offense can get hot in a game like they did against Capital, this team could go pretty deep into the playoffs and Garcon provides that necessary element for that to happen.

[b4uknewit]

After that last post, I am no longer eligible for The Mr Obvious Award     If any other posters wish to comment on injury status from a friend of a friend to a friend at or about MUC, we might think about not posting it for the rest of the season   If the team wants anyone to know, I'm confident they will have a fricken press conference!

[HScoach]

reality check:  Thanks.  I knew I was missing someone.  But I also knew they weren't worth the trouble of looking up

[Toph]

As I take a break from burning the midnight oil, here's a question for everybody:  with everything except Capital's possible playoff birth (with a win on Saturday) certain, what becomes the most interesting game on Saturday?

[raiderguy]

hs coach,

Pat Coleman mentioned in another post that the selection comittee has not moved a top contender from one region to another to become a #1 seed. They also will avoid any two conference teams from meeting in the first round.

As far as the defense built on speed, let's not forget that in '03 the Raiders offensive line was a big bunch of beef and St Johns speed played a big roll in getting around those guys and disrupting what Mount wanted to do. They were getting pressure rushing four and dropping seven in coverage. That speed came in handy. I will agree however that  MHB just pounded us in the fourth for 17 points and the win.

I saw WW play Saturday and their running back was the bulk of the offense on that day. Patient, waited for his blocks and shot through the holes. He is small and hard to find with good speed. Stouts defense was not very impressive and I think a playoff level team will be able to slow their offense down. Maybe it was the day but they did not really look like a #2 team IMHO.

[reality check]

Toph

Berg/Mount is a yawner.  The only thing to check on there is to see if the scoreboard in Tiffin has triple digit capabilities.  Seriously, when will Heidelberg win another game?  They are the biggest black eye in the OAC right now because of their D-III leading consecutive loss streak.

Ott/Musky is possibly less appealing.  Musky lost last week by 45, won the week before by 40.  Who knows what happens but they could do some serious damage to an otherwise respectable season for OTT.

ONU/Etta could be good because the game is in Etta.  Someone said Etta could end up just about where they were last year and it actually looks like it came true.  I didn't believe it at the time but it's true.  The question is what team shows up Saturday: the one that has rolled for three in a row or the one that lost four in a row prior to that.

Cap/Wilm is the least appealing game of the week.  Wilmongton was blasted last week and it's not likely to get any better against the Crusaders in Bexley.  Add to that the fact that Capital will want to put up a good last show for anyone who is watching, and you can expect it to be a long day for the Quackers.

Your game might be the best.  If for no other reason, the fact that it's a rivalry game makes it the best.  Yes BW is garbage this year and JCU should handle them but I remember this one game between two OAC teams in the Columbus area that turned out ugly for one of the teams.  JCU can't sleep at the wheel on this one.

[reality check]

And speaking of how bad the Berg is....

I don't think that they are worried about reaching Macalaster's 50 game losing streak just yet but things look grim for them to win one before they hit 30 losses in a row.  They won't win this weekend which will put them at 25.  I don't know who they are playing as their non-conf but it might be Adrian again.  And next year their OAC slate looks real ugly, opening at JCU, against CAP, at Mount Union, at BW, and then OTT at home.  They might hit 30 afterall before they notch another W.

Can we trade them back for Hiram?  It would actually be a step up I think. 

[cufan]

Who has the better chance...Wilma to reach 110 pts this year, currently at 103 or The Berg keeping teams fewer than 610, currently at 567?

[pios]

Someone said Etta could end up just about where they were last year and it actually looks like it came true.  I didn't believe it at the time but it's true. 

I told you so.   Things are still headed in the right direction down on the river, not quite where they want to be yet, but getting there.