FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Ice Bear]

Ice Bear doesn't hate UMUC, he respects the **** out of what they have accomplished and continue to accomplish. Ice says that when it comes to races that he has no seal in, he usually supports the underdog, so most often he is rooting against the Raiders. Over the last two decades the Mighty ****ing Mount Mother****ers have taken on that NY Yankees/Dallas Cowboys/Patriots/etc type of reputation of D3 football, hence many would like to see them lose. Ice is admittedly one of them but certainly not one who does so with any hatred, crying/bitching (at least not recently
he thinks). Ice will say one thing, he was quite impressed with their never ****ing quit effort on Friday night. While Ice was happy NCC won, he respects the way that Raider team never quit and fought right until the end.

[SagatagSam]

Hey, I did ok on picking the top 10 - got the first 5 right.

Not sure why you would think Bethel is #5 above SJU. They split the season series, with the Johnnies having the point spread advantage. (I know Roste was out in the Championship game for a while), The Johnnies barely lost to Wartburg, who you have at #3, as does d3. Wartburg almost beat #2 UMU. Bethel had 3 losses, SJU 2. I would have put the Johnnies at #5. I know I may be biased, but I just gave my objective reasons above. But, in the end, it really matters little.

The whole thing is rigged. SJU split time of possession in both games against Bethel. If that isn't the most definitive stat in a football game, then I guess I've been wrong about everything football related for my entire life.

My understanding is that SJU's early season abusive advancement of a kick after someone else waved for a fair catch was what knocked them down.

Would write more, but have to run and put the snow tires on my corvette.

That'll get ya every time.

[art76]

Came in from shoveling - again - and listened to the final podcast for the season while cooling off. It's been a great season and I'll echo some of the banter mentioned in the podcast and throughout the year - that it has made for a better season for those of us "tuned-in" to D3 football when teams schedule tough opponents for their non-conference games at the beginning of the season.

Closer to home, what are the thoughts concerning the MIAC's play-off Saturday on the last Saturday of the season? I do not see the benefits they were hoping to get, as lesser teams are still getting hammered during the year. I think it makes it tougher on the playoff selection committee if the top two teams keep splitting the results during the year. However, I also recognize that going back to playing everyone in the conference would mean each team would only have one non-conference game every year. Nevertheless, I would favor going back at this point.

[TheChucker]

Came in from shoveling - again - and listened to the final podcast for the season while cooling off. It's been a great season and I'll echo some of the banter mentioned in the podcast and throughout the year - that it has made for a better season for those of us "tuned-in" to D3 football when teams schedule tough opponents for their non-conference games at the beginning of the season.

Closer to home, what are the thoughts concerning the MIAC's play-off Saturday on the last Saturday of the season? I do not see the benefits they were hoping to get, as lesser teams are still getting hammered during the year. I think it makes it tougher on the playoff selection committee if the top two teams keep splitting the results during the year. However, I also recognize that going back to playing everyone in the conference would mean each team would only have one non-conference game every year. Nevertheless, I would favor going back at this point.

I think the MIAC is doing everything it can to keep the conference together by doing the season-end seeding playoff. Doing divisions and the playoff means one or two fewer 7 touchdown monkey-stomps for Macalester, St. Scholastica, Hamline and maybe St. Olaf. I was under the impression the MIAC was in danger of splitting before St. Thomas left.

[SagatagSam]

The division format benefits the conference champion greatly as it boosts strength of schedule through the roof. And, as we saw with Bethel this year, it even can benefit a two-loss conference runner-up.

Heck, without Roste being hurt against Platteville, they likely win that game and my guess is Bethel ends up hosting a first and second round game.

[SagatagSam]

The divisional format is mutually beneficial to the bottom of the conference as well. St. Scholastica doesn't have to play both SJU and Bethel each year, same thing for Macalester and Hamline.

[DuffMan]

While the SOS boost is nice, I dislike playing a team 2x in a year, and I dislike having the championship host site predetermined.  I also dislike playing 4+/- games per season that are only competitive for 10 minutes.  I don't know what the solution should be.

[AO]

While the SOS boost is nice, I dislike playing a team 2x in a year, and I dislike having the championship host site predetermined.  I also dislike playing 4+/- games per season that are only competitive for 10 minutes.  I don't know what the solution should be.

Send 2 teams over to us in the UMAC.  They could stay in the MIAC for every other sport.

[TheChucker]

While the SOS boost is nice, I dislike playing a team 2x in a year, and I dislike having the championship host site predetermined.  I also dislike playing 4+/- games per season that are only competitive for 10 minutes.  I don't know what the solution should be.

This all circles back to the old argument about adding a D4 division (which will never happen). The real issue is that there are only a handful of nationally relevant teams in the country, and then only two or three dozen more that can reasonably compete with those teams. The top teams compete at a level that doesn't remotely resemble that of the bottom teams; and there aren't enough top teams to form conferences without a massive amount of travel. So here we are. It is what it is.

[DuffMan]

Send 2 teams over to us in the UMAC.  They could stay in the MIAC for every other sport.

Mac already tried that (yeah, I realize they never joined the UMAC, but...).  And do you want CSS back?

[MadRedFan]

While the SOS boost is nice, I dislike playing a team 2x in a year, and I dislike having the championship host site predetermined.  I also dislike playing 4+/- games per season that are only competitive for 10 minutes.  I don't know what the solution should be.

This all circles back to the old argument about adding a D4 division (which will never happen). The real issue is that there are only a handful of nationally relevant teams in the country, and then only two or three dozen more that can reasonably compete with those teams. The top teams compete at a level that doesn't remotely resemble that of the bottom teams; and there aren't enough top teams to form conferences without a massive amount of travel. So here we are. It is what it is.

And it seems to me that is sort of the "issue" at ALL NCAA levels. In FBS, you've got your Alabama, and Ohio State and Clemson, etc. etc.  In FCS you've got the Dakotas and Montanas and Mo.Valley FB Conference, and Colonial Athletic Conference and a few others, and in DII it's NW MO St and a couple of those Michigan schools and some of the Kansas/Neb schools, some of the NSIC schools, etc. etc. It's becoming a problem at all levels.

[DuffMan]

You forgot to mention U$T for FCS. 

[Baldini]

If schools and fans truly wanted balanced and competitive games for most of the season, they could implement a system like the English Pyramid System. Bethel and St. John's to the WIAC, Hamline and CSS to the UMAC, UW-Stevens Point to the MIAC, etc., etc. It is not a forever move to a conference, a team would need to continue to earn their spot, or they would be moved down. It could be set up in regions for the obvious reasons. There are plenty of possibilities, just not sure enough of the people make decisions care about having a quality product on a weekly basis. 

[jamtod]

You forgot to mention U$T for FCS. 

The Boston College of the Midwest?

Nah, the Northwestern (MN, UMAC edition) of the Pioneer League!

[hazzben]

While the SOS boost is nice, I dislike playing a team 2x in a year, and I dislike having the championship host site predetermined.  I also dislike playing 4+/- games per season that are only competitive for 10 minutes.  I don't know what the solution should be.

Send 2 teams over to us in the UMAC.  They could stay in the MIAC for every other sport.

The UMAC is our version of relegation...I could get behind this. The problem is, the top UMAC teams are still Monkey Stompville for the top of the MIAC. The SCC teams that ran through the UMAC like it was swiss cheese got annihilated by Bethel and UST in the first rd of the playoffs. But the sheer ignominy of being relegated would add some spicy storylines to that bottom of the standings final cross-divisional face-off. SCC vs. Hamline would become a little intriguing!