FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[DuffMan]

GAC isn't going to beat Bethel.

[faunch]

How far does SJU drop in the polls? Will the MIAC not have a top 20 team this week?

[Redtooth]

One of the risks of moving to the "Divisional" pods in the MIAC is that the "Conference" games become irrelevant....as long as you are 4-0 in Division (Northwoods or Skyline) you play week 10 for a auto bid to the playoffs....that would be no different than the NFC North being decided solely on games against teams in the division or the American League Central decided only games between teams in the Central.  I hope the MIAC acknowledges the weakness of this format and makes a very simple modification.....play everyone, eliminate the "Championship" week and "Divisional" pods, best conference record takes the auto bid.  Funny how that worked for all the years before the weaker part of the conference eliminated UST and brought back Mac and brought in St. Scholastica.

It is quite possible that a one loss in "Conference" team will be playing the 3/4 game during "Championship" week while a multi loss "Conference" team plays for the auto bid.

Right, and you allude to it -- since you don't play everyone in the other division, the conference schedules are not even and using the conference record could create its own problems.

Pat.....I highlighted the problem that didn't exist until the brain trust created a solution and needed a problem to address.  It would be very easy for the conference schedules to even up....PLAY EVERYONE!  There is a ten game schedule and nine other teams....one NC game and 9 MIAC games.  Keep in mind part of the schedule building was designed to allow the bottom teams to avoid the top teams on an annual basis.

There is not one other conference in ANY collegiate level of football that has completely eliminated and neutered the full conference slate.....Only in the MIAC could a team lose both NC games, lose all three cross over games (as they are called), win 4 "Divisional" games and play for a "Conference" championship at 4-5.

Faunch, you hit the nail on the head!

[retagent]

There will be no Pool C bid for anyone in the MIAC. One word (?) WIAC.

[Redtooth]

GAC isn't going to beat Bethel.

Bethel isn't guaranteed to play for the championship.....If Concordia beats them, they are the Skyline champs.

[faunch]

The "Big 10" divisions are equal in stupidity to the MIAC....the idea that Minnesota, Iowa or Wisconsin should be playing in a "conference" championship is absurd. 

[Redtooth]

The "Big 10" divisions are equal in stupidity to the MIAC....the idea that Minnesota, Iowa or Wisconsin should be playing in a "conference" championship is absurd.

As bad as the Big 10 divisions are, at least its "conference" record that decides who plays for the championship...imagine if they decided based on "divisional" records.

[Robert Zimmerman]

After watching these 4 teams play football in the MIAC this fall:

Bethel-average
Augsburg-average
GAC-average
SJU-average

Adds up to a likely first round playoff loss for the MIAC, the league just isn't that good this year.

I have never liked the division format for numerous reasons since it was introduced. The entire thing seemed to be created to avoid SJU playing Hamline and MAC and Bethel would avoid playing Carleton (the Knights are improving!) and St. Scholastica (yes, yes, I know that can help strength of schedule for whoever wins the MIAC, that's about the only positive thing). The alternating host of the championship game is dumb rather than basing it on actual season results or just playing it on a neutral field. In most years, I think the division format hurts the chance that the MIAC gets two teams into the playoffs, now that Pool C is only 4 teams. I really hope SJU keeps scheduling top teams for its non-conference schedule, but an additional non-conference loss makes it less likely that Pool C is an option.

Rooting for Concordia to beat Bethel so we have Concordia and GAC in the championship game!

[Pat Coleman]

One of the risks of moving to the "Divisional" pods in the MIAC is that the "Conference" games become irrelevant....as long as you are 4-0 in Division (Northwoods or Skyline) you play week 10 for a auto bid to the playoffs....that would be no different than the NFC North being decided solely on games against teams in the division or the American League Central decided only games between teams in the Central.  I hope the MIAC acknowledges the weakness of this format and makes a very simple modification.....play everyone, eliminate the "Championship" week and "Divisional" pods, best conference record takes the auto bid.  Funny how that worked for all the years before the weaker part of the conference eliminated UST and brought back Mac and brought in St. Scholastica.

It is quite possible that a one loss in "Conference" team will be playing the 3/4 game during "Championship" week while a multi loss "Conference" team plays for the auto bid.

Right, and you allude to it -- since you don't play everyone in the other division, the conference schedules are not even and using the conference record could create its own problems.

Pat.....I highlighted the problem that didn't exist until the brain trust created a solution and needed a problem to address.  It would be very easy for the conference schedules to even up....PLAY EVERYONE!  There is a ten game schedule and nine other teams....one NC game and 9 MIAC games.  Keep in mind part of the schedule building was designed to allow the bottom teams to avoid the top teams on an annual basis.

There is not one other conference in ANY collegiate level of football that has completely eliminated and neutered the full conference slate.....Only in the MIAC could a team lose both NC games, lose all three cross over games (as they are called), win 4 "Divisional" games and play for a "Conference" championship at 4-5.

Faunch, you hit the nail on the head!

I didn't think it needed to be restated but of course, yes, that is why you have the schedule you have.

[faunch]

After watching these 4 teams play football in the MIAC this fall:

Bethel-average
Augsburg-average
GAC-average
SJU-average

Adds up to a likely first round playoff loss for the MIAC, the league just isn't that good this year.

I have never liked the division format for numerous reasons since it was introduced. The entire thing seemed to be created to avoid SJU playing Hamline and MAC and Bethel would avoid playing Carleton (the Knights are improving!) and St. Scholastica (yes, yes, I know that can help strength of schedule for whoever wins the MIAC, that's about the only positive thing). The alternating host of the championship game is dumb rather than basing it on actual season results or just playing it on a neutral field. In most years, I think the division format hurts the chance that the MIAC gets two teams into the playoffs, now that Pool C is only 4 teams. I really hope SJU keeps scheduling top teams for its non-conference schedule, but an additional non-conference loss makes it less likely that Pool C is an option.

Rooting for Concordia to beat Bethel so we have Concordia and GAC in the championship game!

The Absurdity Bowl...MIAC should just give out participation trophies.
If Concordia or GAC make it to the NCAA tournament and get knocked out in the first round the MIAC could end the season not having a top 20 team...and would likely start next season without a top 20 team. The Tommie$ would have mopped the floor in the MIAC this season.

[repete]

A second game at Edor Nelson, with no shot at postseason, is the seventh level of D3 hell.

[sju56321]

It's like a bowl invitation-we can decline right?

[art76]

Looking at the two remaining weeks of MIAC play for the teams mentioned that "could" be the AQ from the conference, here's what I can deduce:

1. St. John's has wins over St. Scholastica and St. Olaf. For them to get back into the title game in week 11, Gustavus must lose another game in the division.
2. Gustavus also plays St. Olaf and Carleton. They should win against the Oles.
3. Carleton plays Bethel first in a cross division game, then Gustavus, as mentioned above.
4. Bethel plays Carleton, then Concordia in week 10.
5. Concordia goes to Augsburg, then to Bethel.
6. Augsburg has Concordia, then goes to Macalester.

As has already been mentioned, for the Johnnies to get back to the championship game in week 11, the Gusties have to lose another game. Doesn't matter which one, as the results would be the same, because Carleton only has one more divisional game, and that is against the Gusties. And it also has been mentioned that if both the Johnnies and Carleton had the same divisional record, the head to head results would put the Johnnies into the game. Basically, in week 10, Johnnie Nation all become Knights fans should the Gusties win in St. Olaf this coming Saturday.

Over in the Skyline division, Concordia has the tougher row to hoe in the next two weeks, as both of their games are on the road against divisional opponents. First they go to Augsburg where they need to win to stay in contention for the title game against Bethel the following week. A win against Augsburg assures them of at least a second place position in the division. If they lose to the Auggies, and then were to somehow win against Bethel the last week, then all three of those teams would be knotted at the top. I don't know how the MIAC determines a three way divisional tie, where each of the three teams have all lost once to each other.

So here's what kind-of bugs me in this whole mess - D3 Football says from last year's results, that we're the second best conference in the land. Ok, that's great and all, but we know that 4 of the 6 of the teams mentioned above as possible contenders for the championship game aren't getting any love across the land. Last week St. John's received 455 points, and Bethel 7 points in the Top 25 poll. There seems to be somewhat of a disconnect between the poll and reality. Today, perhaps the Johnnies also drop out of the top 25 - but I don't think they will because of their history. But if the MIAC is as mediocre as some of you are proclaiming, then perhaps by the end of the season there will be no MIAC teams in the Top 25. However, if the MIAC is becoming somewhat WIAC-ish, where every year there are two or three teams that could take the conference, then hopefully the voters will take note of this and start casting some votes in the direction of the MIAC contenders. I recognize that there are only so many votes to go around, but I get the sense that "piling-on" happens to some of those teams from say number 5 in the country on down. I get that it's just easier to vote similarly to how you did the week before, and at this point in the season to not look any deeper into what is happening in all the conferences around the country. Perhaps UMHB's 3 loss start was a bit of a wake-up call to this ever-changing landscape we love called D3 Football. My rose colored glasses see that the MIAC is getting better, just nobody is noticing.

[repete]

Gusties will money stomp Carleton. Northwoods race is over.

[sfury]

I'm actually hoping to be home over Thanksgiving week

This made me smile.  How long have you lived in NYC?  I have lived in Australia for 30 years and yet "home" is still Grand Rapids.

My wife has observed that almost everyone in America is from somewhere else.  She was always amazed that "home" is where a person grew up and that almost everyone we knew didn't live at "home".  A lot of people will move "home", though, as they get older.

Coming up on 20 years in NYC but totally true. I sometimes give my folks a bad time for this. They lived in Fulda/southwest MN for the first 18 years of their life. They've lived in Janesville for 55 years. But anytime they're going back they say "we're going home for the weekend."

I'm probably a bit more sanguine about the Johnnies than others. Old age so I'm mellower, as happens to many folks? Well, probably not since I know there are posters here (much...) older than me who are more annoyed at the season. It has been frustrating, but the fact is it's kind of...natural, isn't it? Eight consecutive playoff years, perhaps a down year --which likely ends with them still being 8-2--is inevitable. There can be concerns about trends, since we were certainly national title contenders in 2018 and 2019 and probably weren't as much in that category in 2021 (even if Syverson doesn't go down) or last year or this year. Totally valid. But if you're not the Machine of Mount Union or WW from 2005 and for the 15 following years, it just seems like something that will happen to any program.

1997 was brought up before. An interesting year. Offense was average at best, defense was outstanding. But that down season--and I'd consider 6-4 much more down than 8-2 like this season could be--was followed by the greatest 10-year stretch in SJU history. So who knows.

Again, several frustrating games this year but also been some exciting moments. And I would still absolutely take a backing in to the MIAC title game and seeing what could happen. But if it doesn't happen, hey, at least my Lakers can still win an NBA title. Or maybe this is just that wide-eyed optimism those of us who call New York City home () are known for.