FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[HSCTiger74]

I wasn't really sure where else to put this, and I swear I'm not trying to restart the politics board, but I was interested to note that after the big upset yesterday both candidates in Virginia's 7th Congressional district are professors at Randolph-Macon.

[HSCTiger fan]

Hampden-Sydney was picked 10th in USA Today's preseason poll.  This preseason poll is interesting only because it was compiled by D3football.com's Pat Coleman.

Here's the top 10

1. Whitewater
2. UMHB
3. Mt. Union
4. Wesley
5. Bethel
6. Linfield
7. North Central
8. St. Thomas
9. Heidelberg
10.  Hampden Sydney College

[tigerfanalso]

I hope Pat is correct and the Tigers live up to those standards. First two weeks of the season will be interesting followed by the grind of the ODAC schedule. No game will be easy in conference.

[Scots13]

Was the poll only the top 10 or did it round out the top 25?

[HSCTiger fan]

Was the poll only the top 10 or did it round out the top 25?

Top 10 only.

[jknezek]

Considering I expect Wabash to be ranked in the top 15 or so, the winner of week 1 will still be in the 10-15 spot, the loser will probably drop out. It's kind of a hedge to have those teams in that area. At Wabash in week 1 would have me less inclined to put HSC that high. I also have a hard time putting HSC at that level based on essentially one half against Linfield, even given all that is coming back. But that is part of the fun of pre-season rankings...

[D3MAFAN]

Considering I expect Wabash to be ranked in the top 15 or so, the winner of week 1 will still be in the 10-15 spot, the loser will probably drop out. It's kind of a hedge to have those teams in that area. At Wabash in week 1 would have me less inclined to put HSC that high. I also have a hard time putting HSC at that level based on essentially one half against Linfield, even given all that is coming back. But that is part of the fun of pre-season rankings...

I think the ranking is correct  from the perspective of someone outside the program. Many times I see other teams from other regions get ranked high in the preseason polls based on prior year playoffs and returning starters that never really showed up in the prior year playoffs, then only to see teams from the South Region, other than that of UMHB and Wesley get ranked very low and/or not ranked at all. I think HSC recognition is due, they have been very consistent as far as competitiveness. I know that the ODAC has not been as successful in the playoffs over the last few years, but the first round matchups in those games was not easy as well. I think it is good for the South Region to get some other teams in the Top 15, yet alone the Top 10. Also, it is awesome that Pat is involved in those rankings.

[tigerfanalso]

JK

I know where you are coming from but the Linfield came was a 3 point game with 6 minutes to go. Linfield's final score was a fumble recovery in the end zone. Point is HSC traveled cross country to play the #2 team in the country and they were competitive. If you can compete with the #2 team, in the playoffs, on the road, I think that should play into preseason rankings. As you stated, the Wabash game will determine a lot for both teams as they certainly will both be ranked. Unfortuanetly, the loser will be forced to win their conference to earn a playoff spot, thus the problem with a tough OC schedule; plus HSC plays CNU second week. Tigers have a tough road in 2014.

[HSCTiger fan]

It should also be noted that HSC is one of only 16 teams to actually win a playoff game last year. Additionally they are one of only 3 teams that ranked in the top 31 in offense and defense in 2013. They return 7 starters on offense and 8 on defense. Not to mention a total of 60 upperclassmen return. Although Nance and Walker return as All-Americans on offense, it's the defense that will determine how good this team will be in 2014. The 2014 Tigers are going to hard to beat.

In my very biased opinion, 10th is a fair place to rank HSC to start the season.

[jknezek]

JK

I know where you are coming from but the Linfield came was a 3 point game with 6 minutes to go. Linfield's final score was a fumble recovery in the end zone. Point is HSC traveled cross country to play the #2 team in the country and they were competitive. If you can compete with the #2 team, in the playoffs, on the road, I think that should play into preseason rankings. As you stated, the Wabash game will determine a lot for both teams as they certainly will both be ranked. Unfortuanetly, the loser will be forced to win their conference to earn a playoff spot, thus the problem with a tough OC schedule; plus HSC plays CNU second week. Tigers have a tough road in 2014.

I know where you are coming from and don't take my saying I think 10 is too high as me saying HSC shouldn't be in the 15-20 range. HSC returns a lot from a good team, and that could make a great team. Certainly I think they are the top team in the ODAC going into the season. So I'm not saying 10 is completely unreasonable, I just think it's high.

As for the Linfield game being a 3 point game with 6 minutes to go, that's a fine way to look at it. From an HSC fan that is ABSOLUTELY how I'd look at it. As a non HSC fan, I think about it a little different. HSC's last score came with 12 minutes to go in the second quarter. From that point on, 18 minutes into the game, HSC's longest drive was only 35 yards. The Tigers only had two drives that went over 5 plays, they had something like 3 turnovers, 4 punts, and a turnover on downs.

So yes, the Tigers outplayed the #2 team in the country for 18 minutes. It was an amazing 18 minutes that built a good lead for the Tigers after crossing the country. Very impressive. But for the next 42 minutes, Linfield was completely in control while scoring 28 unanswered points and shutting down HSC's very talented offense. The end score was surprisingly close and we all respect the Tigers' effort and strong play, but looked at in my opinion, the Tigers weren't as close as the score indicates.

Finally, as for being one of 16 teams to win a playoff game I never put much stock in that. Winning that game is partly a function of the matchup. For geographic and dollar reasons, HSC and Maryville got a balanced game, with HSC having the advantage of playing at home. With 2 losses, both those teams easily could have been playing on the road at a much tougher seed, a la the ODAC champion of the last few years. A little luck is always a good thing to have, and HSC did need to beat Maryville, but IN CONTEXT, being one of 16 teams to win a playoff game is not necessarily a reason to be #10 versus #18.

Again, pre-season polls are fun to argue about, and I actually do hope the Tigers live up to their billing. That would be good for the ODAC. I'm just a little skeptical about a #10 ranking. It is really quibbling over hairs though, as I wouldn't have any problems seeing them at, say, #15...

[HSCTiger fan]

JK, your assessment of the Linfield game is not complete. Offensively HSC certainly struggled after the 18 minute mark.  But if you go back and look you'll see Linfield'd highly ranked offense did not exactly drive the ball down HSC's neck in the 2nd half. Their longest drive was in the 2nd half was 47 yards which resulted in a punt. They had TD drives after HSC turnovers of 32 yards and 27 yards and a fumble recovery in the the end zone.  If HSC plays defense that well this fall they will be fine.

Pre-season rankings are somewhat a reward for a job well done from the prior year. Winning a playoff game, playing the 2nd ranked team a good road game and having a lot of the same talent returning bodes well for the Tigers chances this fall and justifies a high pre-season ranking.

I know you think highly of HSC if you're thoughts are 15th. I don't disagree with you on that.  It's cool to see my favorite team ranked this high. I'm really excited about the upcoming season. It will all play out this fall.

[jknezek]

JK, your assessment of the Linfield game is not complete. Offensively HSC certainly struggled after the 18 minute mark.  But if you go back and look you'll see Linfield'd highly ranked offense did not exactly drive the ball down HSC's neck in the 2nd half. Their longest drive was in the 2nd half was 47 yards which resulted in a punt. They had TD drives after HSC turnovers of 32 yards and 27 yards and a fumble recovery in the the end zone.  If HSC plays defense that well this fall they will be fine.

Pre-season rankings are somewhat a reward for a job well done from the prior year. Winning a playoff game, playing the 2nd ranked team a good road game and having a lot of the same talent returning bodes well for the Tigers chances this fall and justifies a high pre-season ranking.

I know you think highly of HSC if you're thoughts are 15th. I don't disagree with you on that.  It's cool to see my favorite team ranked this high. I'm really excited about the upcoming season. It will all play out this fall.

All true. I'll say that in those last 42 minutes Linfield did put 270 yards on the Tigers, so it's not like the defense was stoning them. But considering the short fields and the bad spots they got put in, they certainly weren't bad. And yes, I think the Tigers are in VERY good shape for this season and if I were a Tigers fan I would be extremely excited as well.

[D O.C.]

"Nance and Walker return as All-Americans on offense" = #10

[tigerfanalso]

Jk

What do you know about Wabash and do you have any feel how HSC will match up/compete with them ?

[jknezek]

Jk

What do you know about Wabash and do you have any feel how HSC will match up/compete with them ?

Not a whole lot of specifics. They haven't lost more than 2 games in a season in about a decade. They are big, strong, and deep. Defensively they are extremely solid every year. This year they have a returning QB who may or may not be challenged by a few others that are probably close. The offensive line is typically solid, running game is usually strong. They play in basically a 2.5 team league. Witt and Wabash compete for the title with usually one other team from the conference rising up to present a challenge. It probably should be a two bid league, since both Witt and Wabash are generally at least playoff caliber, but that is a tall order. They are north region, and there are always more good north region teams than space, add that to the dearth of Pool C bids and the weakness of the rest of the conference along with the limited OOC games (only one per year) seems to bite them in the rear most years.

I think in a typical year Wabash is a better team than HSC. If you played this game each of the last 10 years at a neutral site I think Wabash wins 6 or 7 of them. This SHOULD NOT be a typical year for HSC, so I'm incredibly excited to see how the Tigers do. If it was a home game, I'd definitely have the Tigers as a favorite. On the road, this seems very much like a toss-up to me. First game of the season is always an oddity, so that complexity gets added in as well.

Overall it's just hard to tell. ODAC vs. NCAC matchups are extremely rare. And there aren't a lot of crossover opponents of opponents. If both teams don't have first game issues, this should be fascinating.

The NCAC board is very active and seems to be dominated by Wabash posters. Most seem pretty friendly outside of the annual Monon Bell game. I'm sure you could have some fun mixing it up with them.