FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[hoopstermom]

This is how I see it:

    W&L: -8 RMC, +26 E&H
           Has 18 net points, so W&L would win a 3-way tiebreaker over RMC (+1) and E&H (-19)
    Shen: -5 RMC, +3 E&H, ? W&L
           Has -2 net points, so Emory and Henry (+4) would win a 3-way tiebreaker over Shen (2-) and RMC (-2)

Thanks Algernon, for the corrections. 

[algernon]

Having read the tie-breaker link posted by hoopstermom, I think that the ODAC Five-Point Tiebreaker would be the first tiebreaker, but it would only settle things (and make W&L the champion) if HSC, EHC, W&L, and Catholic all win their games.

So I think a 3-way tie makes either W&L or E&H the champion (depending on who is the winner of the W&L/Shenandoah matchup on Saturday).

[jknezek]

As much a W&L fan as I am, I really hope RMC takes care of business.

[HSCTiger fan]

As much a W&L fan as I am, I really hope RMC takes care of business.

Why would you want that?  So they don't get to play another game?  So that they aren't back to back champs?  I doubt any player at WL feels that way.  I don't get it.  I bet there are not many WL fans that feel the same way.

If they win the conference they earned it.  As much as any team that's ever won one including last year's 10-0 team.  Ties are an inevitable part of conference football championships.

[jknezek]

As much a W&L fan as I am, I really hope RMC takes care of business.

Why would you want that?  So they don't get to play another game?  So that they aren't back to back champs?  I doubt any player at WL feels that way.  I don't get it.  I bet there are not many WL fans that feel the same way.

If they win the conference they earned it.  As much as any team that's ever won one including last year's 10-0 team.  Ties are an inevitable part of conference football championships.

Look I don't disagree with anything you wrote above. Not a thing. And for the guys it would be great. They worked hard all season and if the chips fall for them, I'll be happy for them. But I'd rather the conference not end in a 3 way tie. I'd feel this way regardless of the three teams that tie for the title. I prefer a clean champion, and we have that likelihood, even if it doesn't work out for my team.

[HSCTiger74]

As much a W&L fan as I am, I really hope RMC takes care of business.

Why would you want that?  So they don't get to play another game?  So that they aren't back to back champs?  I doubt any player at WL feels that way.  I don't get it.  I bet there are not many WL fans that feel the same way.

If they win the conference they earned it.  As much as any team that's ever won one including last year's 10-0 team.  Ties are an inevitable part of conference football championships.

Look I don't disagree with anything you wrote above. Not a thing. And for the guys it would be great. They worked hard all season and if the chips fall for them, I'll be happy for them. But I'd rather the conference not end in a 3 way tie. I'd feel this way regardless of the three teams that tie for the title. I prefer a clean champion, and we have that likelihood, even if it doesn't work out for my team.

   Not to mention that RMC might have an outside chance to host and maybe even win a first-round game, which would be good for the conference. That having been said, however, I will be pulling hard for the Tigers on Saturday.

[jknezek]

Well it's been a strange fall for W&L. Preseason coaches' polls had the Generals favored in every ODAC sport except women's soccer, where they were picked second. Men's and women's cross country lived up to their billing, taking both crowns. Men's soccer, women's volleyball and field hockey all fell in the ODAC title games. Women's soccer, the one team not picked to win, hosted and won the ODAC tournament. Football still has a shot at the tie breaker, but the loss last weekend wasn't a good look. Women's soccer claims an AQ, men's soccer is likely to get an at-large to the NCAA tournament, volleyball and field hockey are likely at the end of their seasons.

[HSCTiger fan]

As much a W&L fan as I am, I really hope RMC takes care of business.

Why would you want that?  So they don't get to play another game?  So that they aren't back to back champs?  I doubt any player at WL feels that way.  I don't get it.  I bet there are not many WL fans that feel the same way.

If they win the conference they earned it.  As much as any team that's ever won one including last year's 10-0 team.  Ties are an inevitable part of conference football championships.

Look I don't disagree with anything you wrote above. Not a thing. And for the guys it would be great. They worked hard all season and if the chips fall for them, I'll be happy for them. But I'd rather the conference not end in a 3 way tie. I'd feel this way regardless of the three teams that tie for the title. I prefer a clean champion, and we have that likelihood, even if it doesn't work out for my team.

   Not to mention that RMC might have an outside chance to host and maybe even win a first-round game, which would be good for the conference. That having been said, however, I will be pulling hard for the Tigers on Saturday.

HSC has hosted 3 times since 2009 and won a playoff game.  How do you feel that has helped the conference?   If you could look at the rosters of ODAC teams from 2008 to today I think you'd find about the same mix of players. It's not like a team has found a recruiting bounty from the success of HSC.  Even HSC has not capitalized on their success of 2013. I see nothing coming from a RMC championship that helps the conference. That's not a slam on RMC.  I don't think HSC's or even BC's success have made a difference. The ODAC is already a great conference. 

[tigerFanAlso2]

I don't think it has helped the conference and has not helped HSC as they forgot to use 2013 to it's recruiting advantage.
3-6 to date, 3 -8 in last 11 games, certainly no advantage has been realized. It will only help RMC if they are able to win the odac and use that to continue to out recruit rest of odac. Nothing will fall in their lap if they win the odac they must be smart enough to use it to their advantage, something HSC did not/has not done. On to the next recruiting class. Lets hope lots of O and D lineman show up, otherwise HSC will struggle until that happens. Football programs are no more successful than recruiting efforts/results. 

[HSCTiger74]

    I realize now that I should have been clearer in my previous post.
    Even though I stuck the word maybe in there my point was to host and win. Further, I wasn't thinking in terms of helping the conference in recruiting or the individual team in any aspect of its program. Rather, my thought was that RMC (or any ODAC team) winning a game or even two in the playoffs would perhaps help a future conference rep not be automatically sent on the road as a low seed. The more our teams can win playoff games, the likelier they would be to get the benefit of the doubt from the committee. 

[tigerFanAlso2]

and I think you might be correct about the committee. If the odac begins to win playoff games on a regular basis I think a 10-0, 9-1 odac champ might get the benefit of staying at home for the first round, but we are along way from that. Since the BC run, I believe HSC is the only team to win a playoff game and that speaks to how weak we are as a conference, at least on the national/regional scene. Look back 12 months, a 10-0 W&L team hit the road for a first round playoff game and a 9-1 Guilford team sat home and watched. not a whole lot of respect for the odac come tourney time and unfortunately, the odac has earned every bit of what it receives. So I guess this is what JK is referring to when he says he hopes RMC takes care of business and finishes 9-1, but for me, I hope HSC takes care of business and turns the odac upside down once again.

[Ralph Turner]

I see two dynamics in helping the ODAC in getting a first round home game.

Wesley has moved to the East Region so that takes a strong team out of the Regional Rankings.

Geographic proximity means that the NCAA is unlikely to fly strong South Region teams if they can be bussed.

So you have the geographic orphans like Huntingdon and Hendrix to go with the ASC teams. (We are looking at South Region #3 going to South Region #1 in the first round, unless the NCAA wants to fly 2 teams to Texas that are not Linfield and the SCIAC winner.  Hmm... I wonder about West Region #5 going to South Region #3 Hardin-Simmons and SCIAC Pool A going to UMHB.)

[jknezek]

I see two dynamics in helping the ODAC in getting a first round home game.

Wesley has moved to the East Region so that takes a strong team out of the Regional Rankings.

Geographic proximity means that the NCAA is unlikely to fly strong South Region teams if they can be bussed.

So you have the geographic orphans like Huntingdon and Hendrix to go with the ASC teams. (We are looking at South Region #3 going to South Region #1 in the first round, unless the NCAA wants to fly 2 teams to Texas that are not Linfield and the SCIAC winner.  Hmm... I wonder about West Region #5 going to South Region #3 Hardin-Simmons and SCIAC Pool A going to UMHB.)

It's so much more complicated than that Ralph. Don't forget about Berry. Should Berry win the SAA their ONLY non-flight likely playoff pairing is Huntingdon I believe. Huntingdon and Centre also work as does Huntingdon and UMHB. If the ASC is hoping to avoid a UMHB/HSU first round, better hope Berry doesn't win the SAA.

R-MC can easily travel to the CC, MAC, NJAC or many more. CWRU is 450 or so miles from R-MC. Hobart is less. R-MC can go so many places, though one important stop is out, they cannot go to TMC...

I have little hope 9-1, 0-0 RRO, .492 SOS (and getting worse after playing H-SC) R-MC will be home. They have significantly worse criteria than W&L last year.

[Ralph Turner]

I see two dynamics in helping the ODAC in getting a first round home game.

Wesley has moved to the East Region so that takes a strong team out of the Regional Rankings.

Geographic proximity means that the NCAA is unlikely to fly strong South Region teams if they can be bussed.

So you have the geographic orphans like Huntingdon and Hendrix to go with the ASC teams. (We are looking at South Region #3 going to South Region #1 in the first round, unless the NCAA wants to fly 2 teams to Texas that are not Linfield and the SCIAC winner.  Hmm... I wonder about West Region #5 going to South Region #3 Hardin-Simmons and SCIAC Pool A going to UMHB.)

It's so much more complicated than that Ralph. Don't forget about Berry. Should Berry win the SAA their ONLY non-flight likely playoff pairing is Huntingdon I believe. Huntingdon and Centre also work as does Huntingdon and UMHB. If the ASC is hoping to avoid a UMHB/HSU first round, better hope Berry doesn't win the SAA.

R-MC can easily travel to the CC, MAC, NJAC or many more. CWRU is 450 or so miles from R-MC. Hobart is less. R-MC can go so many places, though one important stop is out, they cannot go to TMC...

I have little hope 9-1, 0-0 RRO, .492 SOS (and getting worse after playing H-SC) R-MC will be home. They have significantly worse criteria than W&L last year.

(Thanks jk.)

And those teams can go to RMC, IF, RMC is in the top half (#1 thru #4) of the regional rankings.

So Huntingdon goes to Centre.
HSU goes to UMHB
Redlands goes to Linfield.

One plane flight in the first round.

Linfield/Redlands to UMHB/HSU in the second round, 1 flight.

Huntingdon/Centre to TMore/whoever, less than a 50% chance at a flight.

The Bean Counter's Bracket.

[jknezek]

Pretty much. I think R-MC's chances of being in the top half of the RR's is approaching 0. No RRO games. That alone is killer. The ODAC failed them. At least last year Guilford propped up W&L. But with 3 possible undefeated South teams, UMHB, JHU, and CWRU, and several likely 1 loss teams with RRO opponents, TMC, Huntingdon, and HSU come to mind, I don't see any possibility for R-MC to rank that high.

Plus, I'll be ticked if they host and W&L got hosed last year. Just saying...