FB: USA South Athletic Conference

[narch]

I had a feeling athletic departments at each school sent in a play, but someone has to make the call on which 3 make the final cut.  At any rate, TigerFan has shown me the error of my ways. He's right; it's doesn't really matter. I was brash. Should've not said anything about it.

But speaking of plays of the week, I came across this nice little memory (at least for my guys  ) the other day. It was the d3football POTW and really started the recent rivalry with MU, at least the years I was there and this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nipX8czNwk

i don't think you're wrong to want your team to get a little love...

two things really bother me about that play...#1, what the hell was that db thinking trying to take the ball out? #2, that wasn't pass interference

...worst part...that was a 2 point loss by the monarchs

recent mu/m'ville history....

2009 36-30 m'ville, 4 ot
2010 17-14 mu
2011 26-24 m'ville
2012 28-24 m'ville
2013 35-26 m'ville

18 points separating the two teams over a 5 year period...it's as good a rivalry as any in the usasac, in my opinion, but mu needs to win a few more

[Scots13]

After Huntingdon just because that's where Coach Rader is from and OL Coach Bailey played there, MU is the next game we circle on the schedule.  Of course being in the same conference longer leads the MC/MU to be a deeper rivalry, and the fact there's an 18 pt separation over the last 5 years makes it truer than true, I guess you can say.

All I can tell you is, better luck next year. And I hope I say that next season too 

But will it be hard!

[hasanova]

Scots13, I guess all I've got to say is it's called "Play" of the Week, not "Game" of the Week.  In my mind, you can have the best "Play" of the Week and still lose. 

[Scots13]

That's true.
But that wasn't even the best play they had, to be completely honest. The blocked PAT return where the guy had to drive at the pylon to score was a lot more impressive.

[batteredbard]

If I'd been picking, the blocked PAT return by Greensboro would have been a much better nominee. But then that might have gotten awkward seeing how it ended and how far back up the sideline the official was when he signalled the return was good for 2 points. Still it was one heck of a return and one heck of a chase scene to the pylon the last 20 yards.

I think Pat cleared this up already, but yes next two seasons are an 8-game conference schedule. My understanding is that if CNU then departs it would go back to 7, provided that no one else is added and that no current full members, currently without it, start football.

Isn't it ironic that MU has first unsettled then settled things in the standings in consecutive years to Maryville's benefit? I can't remember these two ever having an easy game against each other, the scoreboard has been deceptive a couple times on how close things were. I don't see that changing anytime soon but I could see the implications being more recognized earlier. It would be a longshot but if there was a mood for a darkhorse Pool C in the committee room, I'd really like to see Reber abuse someone out of conference with a full cranked up offense and not one still coming together the first few weeks.

After reading Keith's column and looking at regional rankings, I think Maryville's best interest is to pull for Millsaps and give the committee an obvious pairing in Miss. The Johns Hopkins thing is just odd enough to work though I wish I knew how coach Dunlevy as a Va. guy views I-81 — curse or cruise.

[Scots13]

Millsaps plays at Rhodes this weekend. I think it'll be a good game. If they happen to lose and Thomas More doesn't get the PAC AQ but W&J does, I wonder if that is enough for Maryville to get a 4 seed in South?

So can Maryville jump Millsaps if Rhodes wins, and where does TMC fit in without the AQ?

This weeks RR's:
1. UMHB
2. JHU
3. Millsaps
4. Wesley
5. Thomas More
6. Maryville
7. TLU
8. Wash. U.
9. HSC
10.W&J

[jknezek]

With an SOS of 188, which should improve after this weekend, Maryville has a very, very small shot at hosting. Bordering on non-existent unless they committee really decides to limit flights by sending Millsaps to UMHB and the ODAC champion to Maryville. I would think Millsaps losing would make that more possible. The thing to remember is there won't necessarily be 4 South teams hosting. The brackets just aren't that regional anymore.

Not sure how Maryville could go to JHU without a flight, TES shows 542 miles.

As for Methodist, they don't have a prayer of making the tournament. They aren't regionally ranked and while they could slip into the final rankings somewhere near the bottom, they won't jump TMC, TLU, or Wash U provided any of them win their final game. There are 4 basic locks for C spots and one toss up that COULD go to the South team up for discussion. That toss up won't get Methodist on the table from the South, so they won't be discussed as a possibility against whoever is left.

[jknezek]

FWIW -- TMC and W&J will also be within 500 miles of Maryville. So ODAC champ, PAC Champ/runner up, and Millsaps. I checked Leb Valley, Wesley, JHU are all out of bus range. Also Franklin, Wabash and Wittenberg oddly enough are within range

[Hawks88]

If Methodist were to sneak into the final regional rankings it would give Maryville a win over RRO and if things fell right could help to host a 1st round game.

[Scots13]

FWIW -- TMC and W&J will also be within 500 miles of Maryville. So ODAC champ, PAC Champ/runner up, and Millsaps. I checked Leb Valley, Wesley, JHU are all out of bus range. Also Franklin, Wabash and Wittenberg oddly enough are within range

Just looking at google maps, it looks like Franklin, Wabash, and Wittenberg are safely in the range, and are basically due north.

To get a sense of just how far a "straight" 500 miles and to waste time, I got directions from campus to Toledo. All but 20 miles is on I-75 and is still in the range.

[narch]

If Methodist were to sneak into the final regional rankings it would give Maryville a win over RRO and if things fell right could help to host a 1st round game.

that would be a really long sneak...at least 8 yards

i guess in theory it could happen, though...

w&j has a tough game against waynesburg...if waynesburg wins, i'm not sure they jump mu based on sos (ranked 225 vs. mu at 60) but perhaps they [waynesburg] do based on a win vs. a regionally ranked opponent - if w&j loses and mu is currently 11th (unknown), i could see mu getting w&j's 10th spot in the regional rankings, but just as easily i could see waynesburg getting w&j's spot

hsc is ranked 9th, and a loss would move them out of the rankings, but could move rmc into the rankings...macon's sos is currently 55th best, but will move up in relation to mu - mu and rmc are both 2-1 vs. common opponents, but rmc would then have a win vs. a regionally ranked opponent, as well - i think the winner of that game would be ahead of mu in regional rankings

the bigger question in my mind is why is hsc currently ranked ahead of mu and rmc? mu has a higher sos (60 vs. 98) and both are 3-1 vs. common opponents...perhaps the svu game (below) is impacting this, giving mu a .750 win% vs. hsc's .777 win% - perhaps mu's loss to ehc is hurting more than hsc's loss to cnu, and i get that - macon has a bigger beef, as they are #55 in sos, and have an identical record vs. common opponents - rmc has played a much tougher schedule, has the same overall record and has the same record vs. common opponents, yet is ranked behind hsc? doesn't make sense to me...

wash u has a good sos (ranked 36th, and may go higher) and is playing a game they are likely to win - i don't see mu leapfrogging them

tlu is unlikely to lose to howard payne, but i would have said the same thing about their game last week at hardin-simmons (4-5), who beat them badly (73-44) - tlu has a sos rank of 214...it would be interesting to see if mu gets into the rankings if tlu falls out

...perhaps if tlu AND w&j lose AND mu wins the monarchs have an outside shot of being regionally ranked...perhaps

i didn't realize that southern va was still provisional in d3...it's a bummer that the win vs. svu doesn't count for the monarchs regional record and the svu record doesn't count in mu's owp or oowp (the owp would help - svu is likely to be 3-2 (including the loss to mu) vs. d3 competition - while the oowp would probably hurt...) - a 7-2 record right now would look better than the 6-2 record does

[Scots13]

narch, I've been meaning to ask you...is Reber in your banner thingamabob?

[narch]

narch, I've been meaning to ask you...is Reber in your banner thingamabob?

yup

[Scots13]

Ok. You win the 2013 USAC Super Fan of the Year.

[narch]

Ok. You win the 2013 USAC Super Fan of the Year.

it was there in 2012, too...can i get that award posthumously