FB: Northwest Conference

[coco]

GHC - Is that an actual quote?!

No comment.      

Baby14 and Mr and Mrs. 11 would like to thank the committee for giving the 'Cats a home game.  Awesome on so many levels!

Wildcat11,

It's so nice you don't have to be away from home!
I don't suppose there's any way the two of them would stop by the tailgate so we could meet 14, is there? She's so little still, and the weather will be cold and awful. Maybe GHC will bring pictures instead.

Back to chopping wood. At least I don't have to dig a pit in the back yard for my oven.

Mrs. C

[CalCat]

George Thompson - From what I can remember of the NAIA II playoff selection a team needed to be ranked in the top 25 to be considered for a playoff bid regardless of whether they won their conference or not.  Is that true?

If so, that seems to be a needed change for D3 especially if the selection committee continues to use "strength of schedule" as a criteria for selection.  Let's face it, there are a handful of programs around the nation that are in it to win the national title every year and the bulk of these teams seem to come from specific conferences.  Then there are a bunch of teams content to compete for their league title and a first or second round drubbing.

When Whitewater's seeding is hurt by their so called weak "SOS" a change needs to be made - no one really wants to play them or Mt Union during the regular season and the teams that do are either D2 or NAIA.   For Keith to even bring up UWW's SOS as a factor for them not getting a #1 seed is a BCS approach to justifying their selections.

I may be biased but I would bet that Linfield, PLU, and Willamette would finish 1-2-3 in many of the conferences with AQs.  I would expect that St Thomas, Bethel, and St. Johns would as well.  You could say the same for UMHB, Hardin Simmons, and the ASC's 3rd play team.  

Let's figure out a way to force some of the AQ conferences to improve their programs  competitiveness so that they actually deserve to be in the playoffs.  That way deserving teams who try to schedule strong non conference games and end up losing a couple games aren't excluded.

Andy,

I never knew the NAIA rules.    Your 2nd through 5th paragraphs are spot-on right!      

I suggest we all, from many strong conferences, write Joy Solomen, chairwoman of the NCAA-Division III selection committee and voice your thoughts.

I am composing my ideas on this.    But, briefly, teams with 7-3, 6-4 and 5-5 records should NOT get automatic playoff spots even if theY "won" their conference.    You are right: the 2nd and 3rd place teams from the NWC,  ASC,  WIAC,  OAC,  MIAC and IIAC would highly likely beat those weak conference champs.

Both PLU and Redlands were robbed.   The East Coast bias, because of their big population, applies.

I will say more about this soon.   In the meantime,

GO CATS! GO!

George

George this is joys last year as chair of a two year stint.  23 aq's with 3b's and 6c's is difficult to make everyone happy.  D3 is a "participation" level division and the rules they are charged with in making the brackets are what they have to deal with.  Change will need to come from coaches and AD's  on up if change is going to happen...not committee fault based on what they are charged with.  Because of "participation" level you aren't going to get the best 32 unfortunately.  Win your conference.  Next year 24 aq's and 5 c's.

[Pat Coleman]

Win your conference.  Next year 24 aq's and 5 c's.

Actually, next year 25 AQs but still probably 6 C's. Since the new automatic bids bring 18 teams out of Pool B, Pool B will probably have just one guaranteed bid next year.

[Pat Coleman]

Hey, folks -- our friends at d3photography.com (not part of the network, but a partner) is hosting D3football.com's bracket challenge this season. Go sign up and fill out a bracket at:
http://www.d3photography.com/pickem/

As usual no prizes, which protects student-athletes and coaches from NCAA issues.

This season, one sign-up gets you access to all bracket challenges -- no more signing back up for D3hoops.com brackets in the spring.

[CalCat]

Win your conference.  Next year 24 aq's and 5 c's.

Actually, next year 25 AQs but still probably 6 C's. Since the new automatic bids bring 18 teams out of Pool B, Pool B will probably have just one guaranteed bid next year.

I had picked up the 24AQs and 5Cs from Joy's interview

[Pat Coleman]

Yes. She said 24 AQs but she was wrong. The UMAC and ECFC both should qualify for automatic bids next year and I don't know of anyone losing one.

She didn't say anything in the interview about how many Pool C bids there would be.

[CalCat]

Yes. She said 24 AQs but she was wrong. The UMAC and ECFC both should qualify for automatic bids next year and I don't know of anyone losing one.

She didn't say anything in the interview about how many Pool C bids there would be.

When she commented about the 24 I thought she said it would take C to 5 making it even tougher next year for the committee

[Pat Coleman]

No -- if you think about it, a new automatic bid is always more likely to take teams out of Pool B. In next year's case it's a 10-team league and an eight-team league, which helps.

[CalCat]

No -- if you think about it, a new automatic bid is always more likely to take teams out of Pool B. In next year's case it's a 10-team league and an eight-team league, which helps.

Ok...Joy got it wrong then because at the 18:31 mark on the interview she did reference 24AQ and pool C going to 5

[Pat Coleman]

Ahh, yes, I was wrong, she did say there would be 5 C's next year.

She really is mistaken, though, I believe.

This year we have 226 teams eligible for the Division III football championship (not the 10 NESCAC teams, not Birmingham-Southern, but everyone else).

198 teams are in Pool A (AQ conferences), divided by 23 bids = 8.609 teams for each spot
28 teams are in Pool B. Divide that by 8.609 and you get 3.25 bids. They always round down, so it's three.
The leftover bids are Pool C bids. That's six.

Let's say that only the UMAC gets a new automatic bid next year.
Nine teams move from Pool B to the UMAC automatic bid, plus a 10th school starts football.
Salisbury and Frostburg State move from Pool B to the Empire 8.
Stevenson adds football and joins the MAC in Pool A.
Birmingham-Southern finishes its provisional years and counts as a member of the Pool A SCAC.
DePauw leaves the SCAC and spends one year in limbo in Pool B.
Pool B's net loss is 10 teams, giving them 18. Pool A's net gain is 12 teams, giving them 210.

210 teams are in Pool A (AQ conferences), divided by 24 bids = 8.75 teams for each spot
18 teams are in Pool B. Divide that by 8.75 and you get 2.057 bids. They always round down, so it's two.
The leftover bids are Pool C bids. That's six.

Now, let's add the ECFC to this list. That's eight more teams, one more AQ.

That means 218 teams are in Pool A, divided by 25 bids, 8.72 teams for each spot.
10 teams are in Pool B. Divide that by 8.72 and you get 1.147 bids. Round down to 1.
The leftover bids are Pool C bids. That's six.

[wildcat11]

ADvantage Catdome:  'Cats Win!!! Linfield fixes Pioneers Wagon in 52-0 beatdown

[Wildcat'64]

Linfield website reports that the Cal Lutheran game will be live video stream.....great news for those of us who can't make the game in person.  We'll be rooting for the Cats worldwide.

ONE GAME AT A TIME....Go Cats!!!

[RedandPurple]

ADvantage Catdome:  'Cats Win!!! Linfield fixes Pioneers Wagon in 52-0 beatdown

Nice read about the L&c game. Too bad about the parent that went off on the 'Cat fans.

[D O.C.]

Piodad...here's how it works. We all talk crud and when it's over, we wish the NWC rep GOOD LUCK.

[coco]

Nice writeup of the game, 11, and even better pictures. Man, it looked cold, which Dave Hansen and his buddy said it was. The 52-0 drubbing reminded me of the Rowan game, with a few differences. For starters the Pios have decent unis, not those butt-ugly things the NJ boys wore.

That's great that there will be a video stream on Saturday. Hope it's free.