FB: Northwest Conference

[(509)Rat]

I could quote myself from years ago, probably even earlier this year...don't schedule NAIA opponents if you are in the SCIAC or NWC. You can't afford to lose those games and get anything other than an auto bid. This isn't the WIAC or MIAC where you have several chances to beef up the resume in spite of it. Back to the team that is still playing...

I will be very surprised if Whitworth loses to CMS. I wouldn't be shocked if it is close for a couple of quarters, but at some point I think the Pirates get tempo going and score quickly on a few consecutive possessions. That will be the game, if/when it happens. Whitworth's OL and DL are good, I'm not confident they are good enough to beat St. John's if they make it to Collegeville. I think they can score on the Johnnies though and make it a game, a 42-35 type score. St. John's is going to roll in the first round so I don't think those of us who haven't seen much of them will learn anything. Whitworth v CMS will be a much more interesting/telling game of how Whitworth might stack up against the rest of the country IMO.

[hazzben]

Playoff selection questions:

Why should a conference champion automatically earn a bid?

Because that is in line with the NCAA Division III philosophy.

. If only there was a way for the boards to auto reply to these ones...Pat would have so much more free time.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this isn't the first time GT has asked this is it?? 

Pat's correct, this is the D3 philosophy. It grew out of the pre-D3 days when NAIA had a 4 team playoff and it was highly political who got into the playoffs at all. This was back when there were more NAIA teams than there are D3 teams now and it was a total crap shoot who made the field.

To GT's point about bad conference's getting auto bids. I'll give you one great example. If we didn't have this format, we never see how good Alex Tanney was for Monmouth. The MWC isn't a great conference, but pre Tanney they were considered really bad. The argument could absolutely have been made that they didn't deserve a shot because they were an average team feasting on bad teams. Instead, they got a Pool A and Tanney shows for a few years that he's an other worldly talent and that Monmouth absolutely belonged.

PS, there could be a year of carnage in the NWC when Linfield wins the league, but has a conference loss and 2 non-con losses. Will you be singing the same tune then? That a 3 loss Linfield team should give up their spot for a more deserving candidate? Of course not. And you shouldn't, because that's not how this playoff tournament is designed to run.

At the end of the day, no Stagg worthy team is going to get left out of the field. A few playoff caliber teams might (I absolutely think Linfield, UST, IWU, Wheaton, etc. were playoff caliber this year), but there's no instance like the old days where an unbeaten team gets left home. Everyone starts the fall with the same shot at accessing this field. And then you have to prove it on the field over the course of 10 games.

[MonroviaCat]

Playoff selection questions:

Why should a conference champion automatically earn a bid?

Because that is in line with the NCAA Division III philosophy.

. If only there was a way for the boards to auto reply to these ones...Pat would have so much more free time.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this isn't the first time GT has asked this is it?? 

He is our designated Dead Horse Beater.  So Yes, he's probably brought it up before....I'm still waiting for his annual "Mt. Union should have to travel in the playoffs rant".....George?   

[D O.C.]

On the news this am I heard about a UCLA-USC game tomorrow and then it got me LINFIELD is not playing tomorrow   👎

[MonroviaCat]

On the news this am I heard about a UCLA-USC game tomorrow and then it got me LINFIELD is not playing tomorrow   👎

yup---on a positive note--it's made Thanksgiving planning a lot easier....it was always a tricky thing catching the game on a drive between Phoenix and Los Angeles the Saturday before or after Thanksgiving...so there's that... 

[wildcat11]

Back to the team that is still playing...

So let's start breaking down next year's Linfield starting line up....

[MonroviaCat]

Back to the team that is still playing...

So let's start breaking down next year's Linfield starting line up....

and.....GO! 

[wildcat11]

Willamette will have a new staff next year: http://willamette.edu/news/library/2018/11/staffing-update

[d-train]

Willamette will have a new staff next year: http://willamette.edu/news/library/2018/11/staffing-update

Fowles seems like a nice guy, but I'd say this isn't a shock. They were 1-17 the past two years; with only the win over (0-8) Oxy at home. I just wonder what else is going on at the college that might have contributed to the situation.

[catjumper]

Willamette will have a new staff next year: http://willamette.edu/news/library/2018/11/staffing-update

"Mark Speckman, come on down!" (Or, from UC-Davis, I suppose it's "Come on up!")

[George Thompson]

Pat's correct, this is the D3 philosophy. It grew out of the pre-D3 days when NAIA had a 4 team playoff and it was highly political who got into the playoffs at all. This was back when there were more NAIA teams than there are D3 teams now and it was a total crap shoot who made the field.

Hazzben, good job.   I did not know anything about the NAIA playoffs.     You're the first person who has explained how this all came about.    Thank you.

George

[D O.C.]

George, I believe I remember something from this board 16-17 years ago that NAIA teams being considered had to bid on being in the playoffs.

[d-train]

We bid on hosting in the NAIA for sure. I totally remember that. I don't know that it was actually bid your way in...

Also, that first year the NWC was eligible for the D3 playoffs happened to be the last year it included only 16 teams. Several conferences' champs were left out including the SCIAC champ.

[D O.C.]

You added clarity to what I remember. Bids were for a home game.

I used to like it when the NWC Champ (us) would get a bye for the first round. 

[Purple Heys]

You added clarity to what I remember. Bids were for a home game.

I used to like it when the NWC Champ (us) would get a bye for the first round. 

Playing a SCIAC team in the first round is the next closest thing to a bye.