FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

Regional rankings are out:
http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/2017/first-regional-ranking

[AO]

Fellas, I know I've explained this before.  1 loss to Eureka doesn't hurt the Johnnies SoS much.  St. Scholastica is still a great positive to the Johnnies SoS.  If the Johnnies played Eau Claire (or any other solid team with a bad record in a good conference) instead of Scholastica they'd be more nervous about the bid.  Same thing with Presentation.  If you can't schedule a team that will finish above .500 you would prefer to schedule no one or a game that doesn't count for SoS.  There are no bonus points awarded for beating a conference champ.

^^^
Speaking truth

Also, in regards to the Presentation game, it's definitely not "meaningless" to the committee. Those non-DIII games are only meaningless if they're wins, if it's a loss, that definitely hurts a team's chances (think of when UWO lost to two Top 25 NAIA teams and FCS South Dakota State, but finished 6-1 vs DIII).

I'm looking through the 2014 pool C discussion and I don't see convincing evidence that the out of division losses hurt them.  Their SoS was comparatively low and Platteville likely dropped out of the regional rankings at the end leaving them without a regionally ranked win.  You could say that if you don't play any Division 3 opponents you're not going to be competitive for a bid as you need a SoS boosting game (like Scholastica), not merely the lack of a bad SoS game.

I also believe we've heard from a committee chair in the past that 8-1=9-1.

I agree with your last statement, which is kinda the point I was making, but their SOS was not comparatively low. Here's UWO's SoS compared to those for the teams that did get a Pool C bid:

Wabash	0.520
Del Val	0.519
UW-Oshkosh	0.517
John Carroll	0.511
St. Thomas	0.502
Muhlenberg	0.500
Centre	0.440

Before the last week, Oshkosh was already ahead of St. Thomas in the West Regional ranking. UWO beat a 8-1 UWP team on the road in Week 11, and UST beat a 6-3 Gustie squad at home. UWP wasn't the only Regionally-Ranked team to lose that week either, as Bethel (who was one spot below them in the last public ranking) lost to Augsburg in that weird snow game, so I find it unlikely that UWP fell completely out of the Top 10 in the West.

I don't understand how you could make the argument that the out of division losses DIDN'T hurt UWO.

The committee chair said Oshkosh's out of division losses ultimately weren't the reason they got left out, though it may have pushed them back in the West a bit.  Other teams just had better criteria in other areas (which I presume to be regionally ranked opponents).  I suppose I should say the Oshkosh SoS is low for what a WIAC school would normally have.  .517 looks low, but that's not as low in Football as it would be in Hoops.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ith/2014/11/17/in-the-huddlle--liberty-league-football-talk-show Oshkosh talk starts about 37 minutes in. 

[art76]

Regional rankings are out:
http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/2017/first-regional-ranking

Johnnies are the top seed in the West for Pool C - this week.

[57Johnnie]

Happy Birthday John.

x2!

The Tommies have St. Glenn but John's birthday is a Holy Day of Obligation. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Happy Birthday John.

x2!

The Tommies have St. Glenn but John's birthday is a Holy Day of Obligation. 

I'll join in as a proxy - today would have been my dad's 99th birthday (but he 'only' made it to 93).

Next week would have been my mom's 100th (she made it almost to 99).  November has always been a difficult month for me, as the weather goes cold and grey, but it has become increasingly difficult recently.

[BDB]

Game 7.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Game 7.

Yeah, I was counting on Justin to end it in 6.

I hope he gets his Series ring, as long as he remembers to enter the HoF in a Tigers cap!

[wartknight]

Game 7.

Yeah, I was counting on Justin to end it in 6.

I hope he gets his Series ring, as long as he remembers to enter the HoF in a Tigers cap!

Ditto

[OzJohnnie]

I know the Astros are a great team and that this was a thrilling Series, but I still rate the ‘91 Series the best ever and Jack Morris’s game seven, 10-inning complete game shutout the best gut performance of all time. It still brings a tear to my eye to think about it. A hell of a Series.

EDIT: I was just remember the feeling when Jack walked out to take the mound in the 10th.  We knew he could pitch another blank.  Heck, we were sure he had three more innings in him.  He was an incredible workhorse.  I love that game.

[retagent]

ESPN (I think) just aired a feature on that series OZ. They mentionedTom Lawless (who filled in at 3rd base for the Cards) who I don't even remember. Brought back memories of Gaetti, Hrbek, Kirby, Brunansky and of course Morris.

[OzJohnnie]

ESPN (I think) just aired a feature on that series OZ. They mentionedTom Lawless (who filled in at 3rd base for the Cards) who I don't even remember. Brought back memories of Gaetti, Hrbek, Kirby, Brunansky and of course Morris.

Ah, you’re thinking of ‘87 against the Cardinals with Frankie “Sweet Music” Viola (it broke my heart when he went to the Mets). ‘91 was against the Braves.

A great series but not like ‘91. ‘91 is my favourite.

As an aside, my mom dated Davey Johnson, who managed Viola at the Mets and was a great second baseman for the Cards, in high school.

A second aside, one of my jobs in high school was a disc jockey at the Grand Rapids AM radio station. I sat through many a Saturday night or Sunday afternoon baseball game listening to the Twins lose 102 in ‘82.  Not a bad job. But a highlight was when Joe Angel (or it must have been Herb Carneal) named the side during a commercial break (I wish I had the presence of mind to record it). Two names stuck with me forever: Timmy “Don’t hit it to me” Tuffel (also traded to the Mets at great tragedy to that franchise) and Tom “strikes out more than a lonely bachelor” Brunansky.

[jamtod]

Anybody wanna discuss some MIAC football?

1. I was pleased to discover a few days ago that the WCCO St Thomas broadcasts are now available on my favorite podcast app. I've been listening to the Tommie-Johnnie game this week on my drives in to work.

2. I was less pleased to see St Thomas ranked behind Linfield and Wartburg in the first regional ranking, but it does seem justified given the SOS and the fact that Linfield's loss looks a heck of a lot better than ours. If Linfield gets a top seed or even just a home game for a few weeks, I'll try to get to their 2nd round game as I'll be out visiting my brother for Thanksgiving.  Outside of a top seed for St Thomas, I think best case scenario would be to get lumped in either Linfield's bracket or get sent out east (after a few games in St Paul).

3. St John's is in good position as the 1st at-large in the west and only looks to improve if they can beat Concordia. I think the same goes for Concordia if they beat SJU and move up a few spots.

4. Anybody have any insights into Gustavus? I know their #1 QB is out (Veldmann?). RB Ortiz put up some good numbers against St Olaf. I don't think I'll be at the game Saturday as we have something going on all weekend, but I should be able to watch the stream.

[OzJohnnie]

(I'm killing time in the Singapore airport waiting for my flight back to Melbourne and the biggest frickin' Samoan I've ever seen just walked up behind me. He looked seven foot tall and five feet wide at the shoulders. I think he eats steel bolts for breakfast. A walking mountain.  That's who we need for the Johnnie O line.)

[DuffMan]

4. Anybody have any insights into Gustavus? I know their #1 QB is out (Veldmann?). RB Ortiz put up some good numbers against St Olaf. I don't think I'll be at the game Saturday as we have something going on all weekend, but I should be able to watch the stream.

They will present very little challenge to U$T.  Their secondary is porous.  Replacement QB is shifty.  It'll be a Tommie blowout.

[jamtod]

4. Anybody have any insights into Gustavus? I know their #1 QB is out (Veldmann?). RB Ortiz put up some good numbers against St Olaf. I don't think I'll be at the game Saturday as we have something going on all weekend, but I should be able to watch the stream.

They will present very little challenge to U$T.  Their secondary is porous.  Replacement QB is shifty.  It'll be a Tommie blowout.

I originally mistook the f in shifty for a t. Maybe that applies too?