FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[AO]

Final Regional rankings are out on the NCAA site: https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/d3/regional-rankings
Region VI            
1   Wis.-La Crosse   7-1   9-1
2   Wis.-Whitewater   9-1   9-1
3   Saint John's (MN)   8-2   8-2
4   Whitworth   8-0   9-0
5   Bethel (MN)   8-2   8-2
6   Linfield   8-1   8-1
7   Wis.-River Falls   7-3   7-3

I fully admit that the following could be construed as a conspiracy theory, so I'm willing to be told off in spectacular fashion...

Any chance that the national committee overruled the RAC and bumped 9-1 Linfield over 8-2 SJU? Despite the Chair's statement that they're following the guidance of the RAC's, they do have the power to overrule if the RAC doesn't fit their worldview. With Whitewater as the obvious 1st Pool C and River Falls dropping to 7, everyone else is a Pool A leaving just the Cats or the Johnnies to go 3 rounds in the rankings. If record became more important to the national committee than RRO or SOS, its shady, but not inconceivable that Johnnies got stuck behind Linfield and never came to the table.

Coe 9-1, 1-1 RRO, .503 SOS over Linfield 9-1, 0-1 RRO, .510 SOS . With a win over an RRO, Coe is at least defensible from the committee in this scenario.

I fully agree with many on the board, it'd be nice to have more transparency on how to build your resume and then have the committee follow it consistently!

Those are the regional rankings used for selection, if the national committee made any changes to the advisory committee rankings they'd be shown here.

[hazzben]

Thinking this morning about this. What gets lost a bit is the gut punch for the SJU players. When there's consistency the experts have been pretty dialed in on who is getting selected and who isn't, sometimes some questions around the last team in. Everything I've seen had SJU as the 2nd Pool C off the board after UWW. Nothing is guaranteed, but you go into Sunday feeling pretty good about getting in and thinking more about matchups. That's a devastating shock to not even get in, and a brutal way to have your football career come to an end. People who didn't play don't understand the harsh finality of the last game. This isn't baseball, basketball or most other sports where there are still ways to play deep into middle age. The realization you'll never put on the pads again is terribly sobering.

[DuffMan]

People who didn't play don't understand the harsh finality of the last game.

I blubbered like a toddler all over Trinity's field. 

[sjusection105]

What will be interesting to watch during the off season is who SJU schedules for non-conference opponents in 2024.

[jakeMN91]

What will be interesting to watch during the off season is who SJU schedules for non-conference opponents in 2024.

I thought I heard Trinity was booked again in 2024, but I could be wrong.

[repete]

People who didn't play don't understand the harsh finality of the last game.

I blubbered like a toddler all over Trinity's field. 

Doesn't get much easier when it's your kid as well. Having a tough son of a gun collapse into your arms is one of parenting moments I'll never forget.

[Johns Knees]

Does anyone think Coe finishes with fewer than three losses against the Johnnies' schedule? Maybe they finish with two and don't lose to GAC. But then they play Bethel again and I'm not sure they win that.

That's why strength is schedule and RRO should matter more than simple wins and losses.

Of course, the Johnnies should have won the conference title if they wanted to clinch a playoff  berth.

If they're looking at resumes, that Trinity win by SJU, fluky as it was, gave them a very strong win. Better than any Coe had.

[Johns Knees]

What will be interesting to watch during the off season is who SJU schedules for non-conference opponents in 2024.

How come they never play the ARC in non-conference? Seems like a natural. For both schools. Coe, Central or Wartburg would all be good games and good for SOS and fairly close.

[oldsju67]

You know it's the postseason when oldsju67 crawls out of the woodwork!

I guess I could go watch the BBE Jaguars play in the state semis next Saturday...

Redtooth inspires me...

Maybe we're looking at the SJU snub all wrong?  First off, by MIAC standards, they're the 3rd place team in the league.  Regardless of SOS, region wins and whatever tea leaves we use, how can you take the 3rd place team in a league if you're not taking the 2nd place team?

On that note, Coe is the 2nd place team in the ARC, behind Warburg, who is 3rd in the D3 football.com rankings. Maybe Pat and crew's opinion is subconsciously more important than we know to the committee and they see the ARC this year as an overall stronger conference than the MIAC.  THIS IS PAT'S FAULT!!!!

Now that I kicked that hornets nest, I'll crawl back under my rock.

LEAVE NO DOUBT 2024!!!

[SagatagSam]

Busy weekend at my house, and did not get to watch the selection show. Still a bit stunned for the Johnnies, but that's the risk you take when you go into St. Peter and have an average-at-best Golden Gustie squad eat your lunch.

That being said, there has to be something done at the NCAA level about the number of auto bids/expansion. I tend to think the tournament is large enough as it is, and would prefer to stay away from playing the Stagg Bowl after Christmas or the New Year. I think the focus needs to be on taking the conferences that have fewer than 8 members and putting them into a "Pool B" that awards bids to the top 75% of those conference champions. So long as we have Pool C opened up to about 6-8(ish) teams.

[SagatagSam]

Now that I kicked that hornets nest, I'll crawl back under my rock.

LEAVE NO DOUBT 2024!!!

If the theme for 2024 in Collegeville is "Leave No Doubt," then my penchant for picking the Johnnies to beat/cover the spread should sit well next year.

Should we apologize in advance for hanging 85+ on St. Scholastica?

[hazzben]

People who didn't play don't understand the harsh finality of the last game.

I blubbered like a toddler all over Trinity's field. 

Doesn't get much easier when it's your kid as well. Having a tough son of a gun collapse into your arms is one of parenting moments I'll never forget.

Totally, it was harder as a coach watching my brother's career come to an end against UWL than it was for me. I can't imagine when it's a son.

Busy weekend at my house, and did not get to watch the selection show. Still a bit stunned for the Johnnies, but that's the risk you take when you go into St. Peter and have an average-at-best Golden Gustie squad eat your lunch.

That being said, there has to be something done at the NCAA level about the number of auto bids/expansion. I tend to think the tournament is large enough as it is, and would prefer to stay away from playing the Stagg Bowl after Christmas or the New Year. I think the focus needs to be on taking the conferences that have fewer than 8 members and putting them into a "Pool B" that awards bids to the top 75% of those conference champions. So long as we have Pool C opened up to about 6-8(ish) teams.

Totally agree. But I'm gonna be greedy and ask for both expansion and redrawing the minimum teams required for a conference. Our championship access ration is out of wack with published NCAA criteria. Require 8 teams for an auto bid. Have a Pool B bid or two depending on number of teams without a qualifying conference. And then dump the rest back into the Pool C mix of a 40 team bracket with 10 at large selections out there. The playoffs would be more compelling with teams like SJU, Linfield, JCU, Muhl, et al in the mix. I think it also adds to travel options and hopefully allows them to have better balanced brackets. And an improved regular season since teams have the confidence to go out and schedule great non-con matchups. Wins for everyone.

[oldsju67]

Now that I kicked that hornets nest, I'll crawl back under my rock.

LEAVE NO DOUBT 2024!!!

If the theme for 2024 in Collegeville is "Leave No Doubt," then my penchant for picking the Johnnies to beat/cover the spread should sit well next year.

Should we apologize in advance for hanging 85+ on St. Scholastica?

Yup, starting right now....

LEAVE NO DOUBT 2024!!!

[TheChucker]

Busy weekend at my house, and did not get to watch the selection show. Still a bit stunned for the Johnnies, but that's the risk you take when you go into St. Peter and have an average-at-best Golden Gustie squad eat your lunch.

That being said, there has to be something done at the NCAA level about the number of auto bids/expansion. I tend to think the tournament is large enough as it is, and would prefer to stay away from playing the Stagg Bowl after Christmas or the New Year. I think the focus needs to be on taking the conferences that have fewer than 8 members and putting them into a "Pool B" that awards bids to the top 75% of those conference champions. So long as we have Pool C opened up to about 6-8(ish) teams.

Agreed. An auto qualifier going to a 6-team conference is downright ridiculous. The spread in quality between the top and bottom conferences in D3 is already massive and that 6-team threshold made it worse. On a related note, this also is the time of year the "D4" conversation comes up like clockwork.

[sjujohnnie]

No more letting off the gas when we've put a game away! I like the "Leave No Doubt" mantra!