FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Just_that_kid]

DPU: The only thing worse than the field was the little "hut" Millsaps players were huddled beside during half time. It looked like an over-sized closet! In addition, outside the hashes the grass seemed like it was 4 inches high, so I do not think it favored anyone! Really great atmosphere, though! There sure were a lot of people! I just can't imagine what it's like for away teams when ol' man winter rolls in!!

[wally_wabash]

DPU: The only thing worse than the field was the little "hut" Millsaps players were huddled beside during half time. It looked like an over-sized closet! In addition, outside the hashes the grass seemed like it was 4 inches high, so I do not think it favored anyone! Really great atmosphere, though! There sure were a lot of people! I just can't imagine what it's like for away teams when ol' man winter rolls in!!

What happens when winter comes to Greencastle?  This is what happens...as fair warning downloading this video will probably drop the temperature in your home or office by at least 20 degrees...put on a jacket.   

[Ron Boerger]

The poll thing ... yeah, it's even money or better that none of the pollsters have actually seen Millsaps this year (one of the joys in being located in the widespread SCAC) so all they have to go on are stats and past results.   Like all polls there's a lot of inertia to overcome.  Fair or not, Millsaps probably won't sniff the top 25 unless they defeat Trinity. 

Re the snow thing ... right now I'd be happy for a day when the high wasn't in the 90's/upper 80's.  Maybe next weekend, they are saying.  Needless to say snow has become increasingly rare here in Far South Oklahoma. 

[frank_ezelle]

Ralph, I agree with you 100% and I totally understand why Millsaps wasn't ranked in the preseason and why they are still low on the voting list at the moment.  Let me list what I would think about Millsaps if I was a national voter and I wasn't extremly familiar with the program (SapHead, please note that I'm writing this from the viewpoint of another person):

Regarding the pre-season poll:
--Millsaps went 7-4 in 2006--that's not impressive.
--Millsaps lost to MC, Huntingdon, and Louisiana College in 2006--that's not impressive.
--Millsaps gave up 20.5 ppg last year--that's not impressive
--Millsaps beat Lincoln University, Centre, Austin, Sewanee and Rhodes--please don't kill the messager on this, but a national voter wouldn't find that impressive
--Millsaps beat DePauw and Trinity at home in a season that many would consider off seasons for those two teams--nice wins but they hardly make a team a lock for the top 25.
--Millsaps put up impressive offensive numbers against the above mentioned teams, but then they got into the playoffs and that 33 ppg turned into a goose egg once they faced an NCAA Playoff caliber team.

Regarding the current 2007 polls:
--Let's be honest, with Millsaps having 22 points in the preseason poll and MC having 9 points, a Millsaps win in that game would not have shot them up the rankings (with the win, MC only went to 12 points in the next poll).  It isn't that surprising to me that Millsaps went to zero with the loss--either because it confirmed all the points made above or because people were ticked off that Millsaps didn't give their best effort to win the game.
--Wins over LC, Austin, and Rhodes don't exactly prove that you should be in the top 25--please remember that I'm writing from the perspective of a national voter.
--A road win over DePauw is a nice win but they were missing their running attack.  Without Marks in the lineup, was that really such a big win?

OKAY, STOP RIGHT NOW BEFORE ALL YOU MILLSAPS PEOPLE CLICK ON THE REPLY BUTTON.  I know all of the situations and explanations behind the points that I made above.  I also know that a fair number of people from other SCAC might pick Millsaps to beat Trinity this season despite what the poll numbers show.  I also know that if I were voting on a top 25 out of 238 teams, I couldn't go and research all the oddities of every program. 

I fully understand why Millsaps isn't ranked at this time and why Trinity is, and I truly hope that Millsaps continues to stay unranked and Trinity gets up to #5 or so before the big showdown in Jackson.  That would be a plus for Millsaps, not a negative, and I know that Millsaps will be ranked in their proper spot, whatever that may be, when the season comes to a close.  I can wait.

[Pat Coleman]

I doubt Trinity will get up to No. 5 in our poll. The AFCA might move them there -- they have more of a tendency to promote teams just for not losing.

[DPU3619]

The AFCA might move them there -- they have more of a tendency to promote teams just for not losing.

This is the week for Centre!  I can feel it!  Go Colonels Go!   

[FerricMajor82]

I can't believe DePauw had a bad playing surface.  Typically, it is one of the nicest in the SCAC.  The field in Danville always ranks as the world's most terrible playing surface, but all SCAC fields are at worst decent.  I think DePauw gains a significant psychological edge with the tiny visitor's locker room.  It is like Indiana (I think, perhaps Iowa) painting their visitor's locker room pink.  That tiny thing really gets under people's skin.  When I played, I could have never imagined winning at Greencastle.  Too long of a drive, too tiny of a locker room.  I was usually on the brink of insanity before the kickoff.

[Ralph Turner]

+1 Frank!  I hope that your Millsaps friends will listen to your voice of sanity.

The next phenomenon that we see now in the Polls is what I call "float up".  A pollster won't "ding" a team too badly for "taking care of business"

In the D3Football.com, that is usually seen as:

1)  winning your games
2)  playing respectably against comparable or better competition. (#3 UW-Whitewater edges #6 UW-Lacrosse--no change for either team in the next poll, but solidified respect for the WIAC).
3)  understanding the issues that exist in the D3 rivalries (as the national media understands Auburn-Alabama, or Ohio St-Michigan, or OU-Texas).

Any progress by Trinity will be "floating up" as teams above them lose.  Millsaps probably gets very little boost, until they win a playoff game to designate that they are among the last 16 teams playing.

I really believe that the national voters are awaiting the declaration by Trinity and Millsaps that the SCAC is now a 2-team conference, and the "Texas sub-bracket" has 4 good teams.

[KentATM]

you mean national voters dont know the power of Kangaroo football?   



actually, one thing that really sticks in my craw is that NOBODY here calls it Austin.  Its Austin College or AC.  Does Colorado College go by Colorado?  Why does the College always get dropped?   Its not the biggest deal but its annoying.  It'd be like if people started calling Texas A&M or Texas Tech simply by the name Texas.

[consultant]

Things used to be simple in the SCAC when we could call each school by the first name.  Millsaps, Trinity, DePauw, Rhodes, Southwestern, Centre, Sewanee, Oglethorpe, Hendrix, and ooops Rose-Hulman.   Well, we got tired of having to use a double name for Rose and kicked them out of the conference.  But then we got Austin College, Colorado College, and Birmingham-Southern whom we have to call by the full name....makes life harder.  We tried to get Austin to go for with the first name...but to no avail.   

[Just_that_kid]

Frank: I entirely agree. Millsaps has a loss and from a national standpoint, I totally see why they're unranked at the moment. I think it will actually do wonders for the team, and the conference.
For years all anyone has heard about in the SCAC is Trinity, but now there is competition. All bias aside, I think it's wonderful for the conference! Millsaps has given Trinity a reason to work harder, and shown other SCAC teams it can be done. Those combined, there's a breeding ground for competition in the SCAC that will do nothing but enhance the conference on a national level, and definately prepare the SCAC winner for the national playoffs. So, regardless of who you root for, we can all just hope that the SCAC starts to garner more national attention, and maybe soon enough, we'll be talking about 2 or 3 SCAC teams that can compete with any of the top25 (...best teams... not just the polls) !

Ferric: The middle of the field was dirt with grass sprouts, and the perimeter was grass about 3" tall. It wasn't so much bad as it was inconsistent... if that makes sense.

[Pat Coleman]

actually, one thing that really sticks in my craw is that NOBODY here calls it Austin.  Its Austin College or AC.  Does Colorado College go by Colorado?  Why does the College always get dropped?   Its not the biggest deal but its annoying.  It'd be like if people started calling Texas A&M or Texas Tech simply by the name Texas.

Because there is no Austin University, but there is a University of Colorado.

[Bill McCabe]

KentATM, they do call them A&M and Tech!   

[KentATM]

just saying nobody here calls it Austin.  Its Austin College or AC.  I just wonder where dropping the College part came from b/c it seems to happen on other media outlets as well.

[Pat Coleman]

What I told you was why.