FB: Empire 8

[Knightstalker]

Latest regional rankings posted:
http://d3blogs.com/d3football/2010/11/03/ncaas-second-regional-rankings/

So this has probably been discussed before, but, how much stock should we put into these regarding playoff chances for the teams listed? I know they don't always include Pool A teams with bad records, and in the East's case, doesn't take into account the inevitable move of someone to the region, but generally speaking, if you're around 7-10, are you usually in the discussion for the possibility of a Pool C?

The final regional poll (which is not released) is used to determine the Pool C teams and to help determine matchups. 

[AUPepBand]

Big game this saterday and it's been quiet on the boards, so I'll take this time to announce the return of the Saxon Sillies!  Well, at least the cow costume.  I'll be playing my kazoo in black and white with plastic utters at Merrill in hopes of catching some of that late 90s Saxon basketball mojo.

On Saxon Warriors!

This Saterday could be udderly ridiculous!

Pep saw that the Bombers had over 100 yards rushing against Utica...and committed to the run, with 36 rushes to 33 passes. In the Springfield game, IC aired it out a little more, gaining only 22 yards on 33 rushes, while getting 300 yards on 28-for-40 passing.

Against Utica, Dan Ruggiero netted 20 yards on 11 carries. Is that the same Ruggiero who ran wild (25 carries for 194 yards) against the Saxons in 2008?

Pep will be curious as to which Saxon squad shows up Saterday. Will it be the near-perfect team that dominated a talented Fisher team or the inept squad that faltered against an inspired swarm of Yellowjackets? Stay tuned!

Any IC posters making the trip out to wild and wonderful Western New York? Hey, it's not the end of the earth.....BUT you can see it from here.

On Saxon Warriors!

[Bombers798891]

Big game this saterday and it's been quiet on the boards, so I'll take this time to announce the return of the Saxon Sillies!  Well, at least the cow costume.  I'll be playing my kazoo in black and white with plastic utters at Merrill in hopes of catching some of that late 90s Saxon basketball mojo.

On Saxon Warriors!

This Saterday could be udderly ridiculous!

Pep saw that the Bombers had over 100 yards rushing against Utica...and committed to the run, with 36 rushes to 33 passes. In the Springfield game, IC aired it out a little more, gaining only 22 yards on 33 rushes, while getting 300 yards on 28-for-40 passing.

Against Utica, Dan Ruggiero netted 20 yards on 11 carries. Is that the same Ruggiero who ran wild (25 carries for 194 yards) against the Saxons in 2008?

Pep,
Regarding Ruggerio, amazingly, it is still him. He has run for fewer yards this season than he did in that game, due to injury issues and an offensive line that is much worse

[Pat Coleman]

You need to be the first or second Pool C candidate in a region's rankings to get real consideration, wherever that leaves you overall.

[Bombers798891]

You need to be the first or second Pool C candidate in a region's rankings to get real consideration, wherever that leaves you overall.

Thanks as usual

[AUKaz00]

It's a useless poll.  By this account, if all three teams in the North Region finished undefeated, then there would be no way that they would send MUC to the East.  If this thing carries any weight what-so-ever, it is ridiculous.  Not to mention that Maine-Maritime, the same Maine-Maritime that lost to a 1-8 Fitchburg State team, is the 7th best team in the East Region???  Please...(aimed at the poll...not you Bombers)

We need to consider that the season isn't over yet with these rankings.  If all three North Regioin teams win out their records will increase uniformly, but their SoS, OWP and OOWP will not.  I'm sure we could venture a guess how those numbers will change, but there are too many moving parts to be certain.  By and large these rankings will work themselves out over the next week and a half.

[Yanks 99]

It's a useless poll.  By this account, if all three teams in the North Region finished undefeated, then there would be no way that they would send MUC to the East.  If this thing carries any weight what-so-ever, it is ridiculous.  Not to mention that Maine-Maritime, the same Maine-Maritime that lost to a 1-8 Fitchburg State team, is the 7th best team in the East Region???  Please...(aimed at the poll...not you Bombers)

We need to consider that the season isn't over yet with these rankings.  If all three North Regioin teams win out their records will increase uniformly, but their SoS, OWP and OOWP will not.  I'm sure we could venture a guess how those numbers will change, but there are too many moving parts to be certain.  By and large these rankings will work themselves out over the next week and a half.

Agreed to a point...but if everything follows suit, and the winner of (according to this poll) #1) Wheaton vs. #2) North Central this weekend gets ranked #1 next week (why wouldn't they after either beating the #1 or #2 ranked team in their region in this poll) and wins their last game, and MUC wins out as they will...how can MUC get pushed over to the East if they are considered only the second best team in their region, when there are multiple other teams that will be undefeated to finish the year that are probably closer to the East in terms of travel?  It is like they are trying to be cute by ranking MUC 3rd in their region, knowing full well come selection time they will give them that easiest path to the finals and place them on opposite sides of the bracket of UWW.

I just think this poll is ridiculous...MUC ranked third in their region right now?  It's crazy...that and the fact that the NCAA uses this poll to build Pool C bids is terrible.  Like I stated...how a Maine-Maritime team that plays in one of the weakest conferences in all of college football with a loss to a 1-8 Fitchburg State team gets any votes at all tells me that this is a lazy poll at best, and that the NCAA is simply looking at records and not who is playing who. 

[AUKaz00]

It's a useless poll.  By this account, if all three teams in the North Region finished undefeated, then there would be no way that they would send MUC to the East.  If this thing carries any weight what-so-ever, it is ridiculous.  Not to mention that Maine-Maritime, the same Maine-Maritime that lost to a 1-8 Fitchburg State team, is the 7th best team in the East Region???  Please...(aimed at the poll...not you Bombers)

We need to consider that the season isn't over yet with these rankings.  If all three North Regioin teams win out their records will increase uniformly, but their SoS, OWP and OOWP will not.  I'm sure we could venture a guess how those numbers will change, but there are too many moving parts to be certain.  By and large these rankings will work themselves out over the next week and a half.

Agreed to a point...but if everything follows suit, and the winner of (according to this poll) #1) Wheaton vs. #2) North Central this weekend gets ranked #1 next week (why wouldn't they after either beating the #1 or #2 ranked team in their region in this poll) and wins their last game, and MUC wins out as they will...how can MUC get pushed over to the East if they are considered only the second best team in their region, when there are multiple other teams that will be undefeated to finish the year that are probably closer to the East in terms of travel?  It is like they are trying to be cute by ranking MUC 3rd in their region, knowing full well come selection time they will give them that easiest path to the finals and place them on opposite sides of the bracket of UWW.

I just think this poll is ridiculous...MUC ranked third in their region right now?  It's crazy...that and the fact that the NCAA uses this poll to build Pool C bids is terrible.  Like I stated...how a Maine-Maritime team that plays in one of the weakest conferences in all of college football with a loss to a 1-8 Fitchburg State team gets any votes at all tells me that this is a lazy poll at best, and that the NCAA is simply looking at records and not who is playing who. 

Well, it's not really a poll, but the accumulation of the criteria which the NCAA uses to seed and choose teams for their playoffs.  Yes, winning games helps, but so does the teams you've played this year winning their games and their opponents winning theirs.  We don't even really know how much separates #1 from #3.  In the D3 Top 25 or the ERFP we can see the stratification between spots by comparing the total votes column.  Without that bit of information and without computing potential OWP and OOWP we can't be certain that all three teams winning their remaining games will result in the status quo.  Nearly 20% of the data is still missing for the NCAA criteria, so if these teams are only separated by a few percentage points they could shuffle positions while all winning out.

[Yanks 99]

Well, it's not really a poll, but the accumulation of the criteria which the NCAA uses to seed and choose teams for their playoffs.  Yes, winning games helps, but so does the teams you've played this year winning their games and their opponents winning theirs.  We don't even really know how much separates #1 from #3.  In the D3 Top 25 or the ERFP we can see the stratification between spots by comparing the total votes column.  Without that bit of information and without computing potential OWP and OOWP we can't be certain that all three teams winning their remaining games will result in the status quo.  Nearly 20% of the data is still missing for the NCAA criteria, so if these teams are only separated by a few percentage points they could shuffle positions while all winning out.

I am sure it will all work itself out, and ultimately any team that gets into the tournament can/will change opinions, if you will, by how they perform on the field.  But if this is one of the tools that the NCAA uses to help place teams for the tournament, it is beyond flawed.  This isn't Week #1, where things still have time to be sorted out.  This late in the year and MUC is still #3...in their region?  It just doesn't make sense.  Especially because we all know that no matter what, they will end up a #1 seed somewhere.  If the "missing" 20% is backroom handshakes and team/region reps jockeying for position, that just makes it worse.  Just my $.02.

[AUKaz00]

Well, it's not really a poll, but the accumulation of the criteria which the NCAA uses to seed and choose teams for their playoffs.  Yes, winning games helps, but so does the teams you've played this year winning their games and their opponents winning theirs.  We don't even really know how much separates #1 from #3.  In the D3 Top 25 or the ERFP we can see the stratification between spots by comparing the total votes column.  Without that bit of information and without computing potential OWP and OOWP we can't be certain that all three teams winning their remaining games will result in the status quo.  Nearly 20% of the data is still missing for the NCAA criteria, so if these teams are only separated by a few percentage points they could shuffle positions while all winning out.

I am sure it will all work itself out, and ultimately any team that gets into the tournament can/will change opinions, if you will, by how they perform on the field.  But if this is one of the tools that the NCAA uses to help place teams for the tournament, it is beyond flawed.  This isn't Week #1, where things still have time to be sorted out.  This late in the year and MUC is still #3...in their region?  It just doesn't make sense.  Especially because we all know that no matter what, they will end up a #1 seed somewhere.  If the "missing" 20% is backroom handshakes and team/region reps jockeying for position, that just makes it worse.  Just my $.02.

The missing 20% I alluded to are the two weeks out of eleven total weeks of results for more than 200 teams.

[saxontad]

Won't it be great tomorrow if the guys really come to play!!  I have a feeling they are going to.

On Saxon Warriors!!

[AUKaz00]

Won't it be great tomorrow if the guys really come to play!!  I have a feeling they are going to.

On Saxon Warriors!!

Yes, but so long as they come to play football and not in the band...

[Bombers798891]

Won't it be great tomorrow if the guys really come to play!!  I have a feeling they are going to.

On Saxon Warriors!!

What is this nonsense?

A week ago, you were convinced they were going to go 6-4 and Ithaca would win by playing an "average" game. Now you're all happy-go-lucky? You Alfred guys, with your bands of kazoos and triangles and sitars...your flip-flopping makes me sick. Sick, I say! 

[saxontad]

Won't it be great tomorrow if the guys really come to play!!  I have a feeling they are going to.

On Saxon Warriors!!

Yes, but so long as they come to play football and not in the band...

Agreed!

[saxontad]

Won't it be great tomorrow if the guys really come to play!!  I have a feeling they are going to.

On Saxon Warriors!!

What is this nonsense?

A week ago, you were convinced they were going to go 6-4 and Ithaca would win by playing an "average" game. Now you're all happy-go-lucky? You Alfred guys, with your bands of kazoos and triangles and sitars...your flip-flopping makes me sick. Sick, I say! 

I admit I was a victim of "Post debacle psychosis",  a disorder first described in a paper written by a grad student in the AU School Psychology program.