FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Looks like a men's basketball bracket, doesn't it?

Pat, looks like the women's basketball bracket of the last several years, and the men's bracket from 2010-11 (when the men's committee got creative).

[Mugsy]

So I'm not a complete homer (and yes, I know if Wheaton took care of business in Bloomington, they wouldn't have been in this mess), here is a post from the Pool C board.

Illinois College, seriously? 

128th SOS, needed game-tying last second TD pass and OT to beat Millikin, who lost to Wheaton yesterday 49-29.   18th ranked Wheaton with 14th ranked SOS stays home.  The blueboys know they don't deserve it over Wheaton, especially since they're in the same state.  Change is needed.

49-29... and the score wasn't indicative of the game.  Wheaton spotted Millikin a 7-0 lead at the end of the 1st quarter, but then could have scored at will for the remainder of the game (and did in the 2nd & 3rd quarter).

From what I'm reading SJF jumped Endicott in the final regional rankings, but Wheaton did not jump Case Western, which blocked Wheaton from consideration for a Pool C slot.

Moral of the story, if you want to make the playoffs... win your conference or in conferences like the CCIW, only lose once.  Wheaton's playoff chances became scarce when they lost in Bloomington, in which costly mistakes doomed them.

[Mugsy]

So I'm not a complete homer (and yes, I know if Wheaton took care of business in Bloomington, they wouldn't have been in this mess), here is a post from the Pool C board.

Illinois College, seriously? 

128th SOS, needed game-tying last second TD pass and OT to beat Millikin, who lost to Wheaton yesterday 49-29.   18th ranked Wheaton with 14th ranked SOS stays home.  The blueboys know they don't deserve it over Wheaton, especially since they're in the same state.  Change is needed.

49-29... and the score wasn't indicative of the game.  Wheaton spotted Millikin a 7-0 lead at the end of the 1st quarter, but then could have scored at will for the remainder of the game (and did in the 2nd & 3rd quarter).

From what I'm reading SJF jumped Endicott in the final regional rankings, but Wheaton did not jump Case Western, which blocked Wheaton from consideration for a Pool C slot.

Moral of the story, if you want to make the playoffs... win your conference or in conferences like the CCIW, only lose once.  Wheaton's playoff chances became scarce when they lost in Bloomington, in which costly mistakes doomed them.

Yeah... I figured "a IWU fan" wouldn't like that post.

[skunks_sidekick]

I wonder if we hear the same from Mount this year as we did from UWW last year about being a 2 seed. North Central's is a very top-heavy quad with Mount, Wabash and NCC.

Yah...you will most DEFINITELY hear complaints from Mount fans.  There is no reasonable explanation on why Wabash would jump Mount after their last games.  I actually think when you look at the bracket that Mount is #1, but until we see the seedings I guess we don't know.

[Pat Coleman]

Looks like a men's basketball bracket, doesn't it?

Pat, looks like the women's basketball bracket of the last several years, and the men's bracket from 2010-11 (when the men's committee got creative).

Yes. It looks like the last men's basketball bracket we had, exactly my point.

Mount Union is NOT a No. 2 seed, people. Relax. Beginning to think the silence from Indianapolis suggests we will not get seedings, a la 2009, as opposed to 1999-2008 and 2010 when they gave seedings.

[iwu70]

Yes, potentially some very fun match-ups given this bracket.

Congrats to Coach Norm, the IWU coaching staff and all the Titans on a great season, on making the DIII rumble.  Looks like a very good game upcoming at Tucci, with a real offensively skilled team coming in to challenge the Titans D.  Should be a great game.  Glad we get another home game. 

Let's make some noise, Titans!!!

IWU70

[blue_jays]

Gotta say the pool c selections were weak sauce. Goes to prove they will never take a third team from CCIW if given the choice. Guess we'll just have to be happy in the fact that any team in the CCIW could win 90 percent of these conferences (as NPU proved against the NATHCON).

[Pat Coleman]

In 13 years and probably 80 Pool C bids, only ONE has ever gone to a third team from any conference.

[blue_jays]

The fact Illinois College got in doesn't flummox me as much as StJF. Yeah IC is small potatoes, but they did only have one loss, which seems to be the big criteria (unless you're Case Western)

[blue_jays]

In 13 years and probably 80 Pool C bids, only ONE has ever gone to a third team from any conference.

No surprise there, and have to agree that if I weren't biased to the CCIW, I would be ticked if a third-place team made it in if I'm one of the teams left out. Therefore, Wheaton probably never had a chance despite SOS and the fact they are still one of the best 20 teams in the country.
On the other hand, I firmly believe that if Wheaton had beaten NCC, they would have been first team off the board and we would have 3 CCIW teams in at 9-1.

[Titan Q]

Gotta say the pool c selections were weak sauce. Goes to prove they will never take a third team from CCIW if given the choice.

There are just six Pool C bids.  It's awfully difficult for one league to get 33% (2) of the Pool C's. 

Also realize the WIAC and OAC got zero Pool C teams combined. 

With just 6 Pool C's, honestly, we need to be happy getting 1.  Teams looking to make the tournament as an at-large absolutely have to go 3-0 in the non-conference, and 6-1 in the CCIW.

(All of this said, I think had Wheaton gotten to the national table, they would have gotten in over SJF or Illinois College.)

[blue_jays]

WIAC also had only one team with less than 3 losses, so they weren't getting consideration. Just want to rep that the Midwest plays the best football (along with the Mount of course).

[CardinalAlum]

On the other hand, I firmly believe that if Wheaton had beaten NCC, they would have been first team off the board and we would have 3 CCIW teams in at 9-1.

No.  NCC wouldn't have been 9-1. They would've been 8-2.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Gotta say the pool c selections were weak sauce. Goes to prove they will never take a third team from CCIW if given the choice.

There are just six Pool C bids.  It's awfully difficult for one league to get 33% (2) of the Pool C's. 

Also realize the WIAC and OAC got zero Pool C teams combined. 

With just 6 Pool C's, honestly, we need to be happy getting 1.  Teams looking to make the tournament as an at-large absolutely have to go 3-0 in the non-conference, and 6-1 in the CCIW.

(All of this said, I think had Wheaton gotten to the national table, they would have gotten in over SJF or Illinois College.)

In the 'final' regional rankings that we saw, Case was ahead of both IWU and Wheaton.  Since IWU is in the field, but not Case, it is obvious that in the 'final-final' (unseen) regional rankings, IWU jumped Case, but presumably Wheaton did not.  I agree that IF Wheaton had ever reached the table, they would have been selected over SJF and IC; so you may blame either Case or the North comittee for Wheaton's absence.  OR you could blame it on coming in third, since a 3rd place team has never gotten a Pool C. 

IIRC, the only time 3 teams from the same conference got in, they all tied for first with the tie-breaker AQ being the weakest of the three candidates, which COULD have been the case in the CCIW this year IF you had taken down NCC.

[blue_jays]

Well good luck to NCC and IWU, go out and get it done.