FB: Northwest Conference

[George Thompson]

Foss,
Wildcat'64,
Bluenote,

Your comments above are great.    Please send them to:   "Burrow, Wayne" <wburrow@ncaa.org>

As I have said, many of us in the NWC must protest loudly to the NCAA.    Otherwise, this could come back again if our 2nd best team, with only one loss, is excluded in the future.

I also must thank my fellow Linfield fans who have gone above and beyond in support of Whitworth on this issue.     

George

[coco]

Nice clip, WC11.

There were some brutal hits on Saturday, with Jake Locker's helmet-to-helmet, then this one on Colt Brennan. Then we had Whitworth's snub on Sunday.

[pineconefan]

I haven't been back to this site since Sunday morning.  Frankly its been too painful.  But catching up on these posts, it has been really encouraging to see the support of so many Linfield fans and Lute fans.

And even though the NWC will get a pool A next year, you can guarantee that this will happen again when a most-deserving conference team will be left out of the at-large pool based on some mysterious interpretation of criteria.

[RFB]

ADvantage Catdome has obtained some footage of the NCAA playoff committee smashing Whitworth's playoff bid.

Video: NCAA trucking the Rats 20007 Playoff Bid

My goodness!! That's a dream hit. I've been hit like that once in my life. My ears rang for two days straight.

[pineconefan]

What brought me back was a story that appeared in today's Spokane Spokesman-Review.  John Blanchett is an outstanding columnist who spends most of his time writing about Seahawks/Mariners/Sonics/Cougars/Huskies/Zags.  But what happened to Whitworth caught even his attention.  I will paste it here because linking directly to the site wont work (readers need a log-in to read the material).

John Blanchette
The Spokesman-Review
November 13, 2007

True believers are anticipating with glee the college football head-on a few weeks hence when a half-dozen one-loss teams arrive at the intersection of B, C and S.

To say nothing of two potential unbeatens with pablum schedules.

The outrage from those left out of the national championship game will be measured in megatons, pointing out again the injustice of one-game matchmaking by man and computer and the purity of the tournament approach employed in college football's smaller subcultures.

Uh-huh. Good luck selling that to the Whitworth Pirates this morning.

The Pirates' exclusion from the 32-team NCAA Division III playoff bracket this week never reached the outrage stage because A) that's not exactly their style, and B) they're numb with disbelief.

But now they are certainly aware that the imperfections of casting tournament football are no less painful than a BCS snub. If anything, they're more so – there's still a bowl game somewhere to console the teams who don't make it into the title game in New Orleans.

Whitworth's season is over when it should be starting again.

"It's a kick in the stomach," admitted Whitworth athletic director Scott McQuilkin. "You start scrolling through on the computer looking at the selections and you think your eyes aren't working, that you still must be sleeping."

It would be easy to suggest that it's the Division III selectors who slept through this one, but in fact this was a careful, conscious decision – that the committee whiffed on, whatever dubious math might be invented to rationalize it.

McQuilkin attempted on Monday to retrieve just such an explanation from the committee, knowing that it will change nothing and that whatever criteria was used to pick Wisconsin-Eau Claire out of the West Region instead of Whitworth, it could just as easily not apply next year with a different group of selectors.

The Pirates and Eau Claire both finished 8-2. Whitworth was the undefeated champion of the Northwest Conference – which will not have an automatic bid to the playoffs until next year – while the Blugolds were two games behind WIAC winner Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The selections are based on the usual laundry list, of which two in particular apply: record against regional D-III opponents (Whitworth 8-1, Eau Claire 5-2) and strength of schedule, which favored the Blugolds by a few percentage points. Interestingly, while WIAC teams were 10-4 against outside D-III teams to the Northwest's 9-9, they were just 1-2 against the NWC.

Overlooked was the damaging loss: Eau Claire stumbled against 3-7 Wisconsin-River Falls, which alone should have bumped the Blugolds from the field.

In any event, Whitworth was ranked ahead of Eau Claire in the regional rankings released Nov. 4. But somehow, though both teams won last Saturday, that changed.

"That's what we're not clear about – by what criterion did they move ahead of us?" McQuilkin said.

Well, the only one that counts: the politics of the non-smoking room.

This is not meant to disparage the well-meaning committeemen – McQuilkin has done time on the baseball committee – but they're all human and susceptible to preconceptions, bloc voting or even just name familiarity. There is a regional balance to the committee but as McQuilkin himself said, "You can have a regional voice, but that doesn't mean they can hold the day."

Or perhaps even care to.

Strength of schedule is a popular flag to wave in the selection endeavor, but in fact in Division III it has limited relevance – especially regarding the remote Northwest schools where budget and travel are concerns. Non-conference games are mostly against California schools, and this year those three Wisconsin games. So the crossover is so small to be statistically insignificant.

That's why historical results almost have to be considered, contrary to policy – and two NWC teams have won national championships since 1999, while the league's playoff record since then is second among all D-III leagues except the one Mount Union bullies.

The underappreciated statistic, simply, is winning. The Pirates were undefeated in a league that is good, every year.

This is bad enough for 17 seniors who won't get another chance, but it's also enough to make a school paranoid. You may recall a 30-6 softball team shafted out of a tournament spot last spring, or the 22-3 women's basketball team of 2005 staying home.

"It's sobering for everyone," McQuilkin said. "We'd like to get some answers, but we also know there will be no satisfaction."

Only a reminder that mythical national championships aren't limited to the BCS.

[MonroviaCat]

Thanks for posting the article Pinecone...nice to know that it's not just us posters who are upset by this snubbing!

[Bubs1856]

Just got of the Dixie Rotary Bowl conference call.  WOU is in...as much as it pains me to say it, i will...congrats Wolves on the opportunity for post season play.

[Tezbaseball]

Swede,


OK, what did you do to get Gene Foreman in trouble in archery? Who did you shoot with an arrow?

Coco
Those large round archery targerts stood against the back of the right field baseball fence this was nothing new it was always done that way. P.E. was my last period of the day and that week we were out there with or bow and arrows and Loyal Rich was having infield practice (game day) I had the bow and arrow above my head and when bringing it down I pulled the string back before I should have and OOPS the arrow slipped from my grasp and went high and straight at the second baseman. a split second before it stuck nicely in the ground coach Rich hit one to the second baseman causing him to move. The coach yelled for eveyone to come in. I can't remember what Gene said but that was the last time they ever had target practice there. I doubt Gene would ever forget this one.

Where is Gene now?

Ace (Forman) lives in the Riddle area. He just retired from coaching football at Days Creek. You should go hunting with him.

[bluenote]

Adam Johnson....I didn't see a word about the Whitworth snub in your Around the West Column? That's the biggest story out there as far as I'm concerned. We'd like to see some timely investigative reporting......we want to know why UWUC and Ithica got in ahead of Whitworth.

This snub of Whitworth in my opinion is just plain sickening. And with d3football.com being the most respected of the websites dealing with DIII Football, it would make sense for their reporters to get to the bottom of it and inform us on the details of the situation.

Also I would encourage anyone on this board no matter what school you are from to email Mr. Burrow and demand the specifics of the decision process they went through to take UWEC and Ithica ahead of Whitworth.

Thanks for the article pineconefan!

[D O.C.]

I can give you a 4 on a 4 point rubric, Blue (the A having gone the way of the Dodo), for your tenacity, but, you must know, this site has moved on faster than an ass bandit in a strip club. Way out West means WAY out West and the NWC is not a part of this season any more.
Got to win it all for even partial respect.

[criswyly]

Pat I think you and the guys to excellent job...I really hope that you do see the significance of this unfair selection on the part of the committee....It is not just about the NWC...If money is the issue and I think it is...I believe there are many schools who would be willing to put up all, most or part of the travel expense for at least the first round in order to participate.  Nobody should be left out because of money..."where there's a will there's a way."

[MonroviaCat]

Way to not be demanding Blue    .....seriously though, we need to respect the fact that d3football.com and the guys writing for it have better things to do than chase the dead-end that they will run into by trying to unveil the decision making process that resulted in the Rat snub.  Last I checked, they (Pat and co.) made no claims to be investigative journalists and I don't think it is fair for us to expect them uncover anything new.  We've gotten the "Official Response" from the NCAA guy and that is not likely to change---that's how politics work....stick with your quote and just keep repeating it.....So, as GHC says, Flush It......

[bluenote]

I hear you D O.C.....I think one of the things that sticks in my mind is something that several people have brought up. In the last 10 years there has been 3 teams that have won the DIII Title that aren't named Mount Montezuma, whoops I mean Mount Union. And 2 of those 3 teams have been from the NWC. All these other leagues are wannabies if you ask me! We're the real deal along with SJU when they are on.

And look on the front page of this site...who has the 2nd best winning % in the playoffs...US! Our scout team would Monkey Stomp Ithica, believe me!

The reason Whitworth isn't in the playoffs is because there are some idiots back east who are money grubbing nerdly roaches who wouldn't show there ugly faces in the light of day!

Monroviacat....I don't give up like you do. I fight for what I think is right! So FLUSH THAT!

[Pat Coleman]

Adam Johnson....I didn't see a word about the Whitworth snub in your Around the West Column? That's the biggest story out there as far as I'm concerned. We'd like to see some timely investigative reporting......we want to know why UWUC and Ithica got in ahead of Whitworth.

Adam reads this board even less than I do. Consider e-mail.

[Pat Coleman]

Pat I think you and the guys to excellent job...I really hope that you do see the significance of this unfair selection on the part of the committee....It is not just about the NWC...If money is the issue and I think it is...I believe there are many schools who would be willing to put up all, most or part of the travel expense for at least the first round in order to participate.  Nobody should be left out because of money..."where there's a will there's a way."

I don't get why it would be a travel consideration. One flight in the bracket whether Whitworth flies to Redlands or Redlands flies to St. John's.

we need to respect the fact that d3football.com and the guys writing for it have better things to do than chase the dead-end that they will run into by trying to unveil the decision making process that resulted in the Rat snub.  Last I checked, they (Pat and co.) made no claims to be investigative journalists and I don't think it is fair for us to expect them uncover anything new. 

I guess you guys have forgotten that we asked this question of the NCAA already. They gave the same answer and refused to elaborate. Exactly what are we supposed to do, torture them? This isn't 24.

It was the first question I asked Saturday morning when I saw the bracket. It was the first question we answered on the front page after the selection show. On the air, I said I didn't know why UWEC was in the field. Not sure what else you expect here. We have to move on to the actual games.