East Region Playoff Discussion

[Bombers798891]

PBR do you have anything resembling a solution? Should the whole season just be one long single-elimination tournament? Or should everyone have to have the exact same OWP somehow, which would destroy conferences, be impossible to predict, and just generally be ridiculous.

would really like them to reward  teams for playing tough schedules. very similiar to how the ncaa men's hoops teams are selected. I want to see teams play difficult ooc schedules and so should the ncaa

Here's the problems with that:

1) Not all conferences have the freedom to schedule OOC games. It's harder for a school with eight or nine conference games to schedule tougher opponents because they're at the mercy of their conference. And some teams play the same OOC games each year. IC is always going to play Cortland, and has played Springfield (I think) every year, even when they were D-II or in some other conference. I doubt Fisher would want to give up Rochester

2) It's still a regional sport, and with economic times what they are, you can't expect a D-III school to adopt an "anyone, anytime, any place" attitude. It's not like Ithaca cut Huntington a check for coming to Butterfield in 2006. And considering the average attendance for a D-III game was under 1,900 according to the NCAA in 2009, the sport's not exactly making schools money. Fresno State would make a lot of money from attendance in big games they got at home, and probably got straight cash for going to certain places (like USC). Is it economically viable to do that? From a institution/department wide cost-benefit standpoint, is it worth it?

Even if you keep it in region, that still benefits teams in tougher regions. Del Valley and Wesley can only play so many teams.

Here's what you get when you add up 10- or 9-game schedules, conference games, traditional OOC rivalries and the regional component: Not many options for great OOC challenges. Sure, maybe the Wick could schedule Wesley and it was great when Fisher took on MUC. But I don't think there are a lot of ways for teams to, in a widespread manner, do that.

times change...used to have a HUGE turkey day cross town rivalry w/ a high school. regularly drew 15K to the game....everyone thought that game being played on thanksgiving day morning would go on forever like it had previously...well the state of pa. instituted state playoffs...guess what, game got moved to the regular season, and state playoffs took over. My point being is don't count on ithaca/cortland or other rivalries forever. New coaches come in/administrations etc....change the focus and some may decide that the game might not be worth playing....would like to play different teams/change focus to ncaa playoffs and not play a tough team at the end of the season/etc...

That still doesn't address the conference schedules and the fact that the sport is largely regional.

guess u missed reading the part about "economics"....conferences will change as will rivalries....of course teams can't fly across the country to take on linfield or down to texas...but to me there is no reason why ithaca couldn't take on dvc/wesley/rowan/kean/etc/etc/etc/etc. Its not just wesley/dvc....you have other very good teams around like cortland/rowa/ithaca/hobart/montclair/etc....no reason to limit yourself to just a few top teams

But here's the thing: All these things can't be applied equally, which, if you want to apply on a national scale and "reward" teams, you may want. In NCAA basketball, which was the comparison you made each team has numerous OOC games, and therefore, has numerous chances to benefit from scheduling. So if you can't find a couple good teams to play, or you have eight patsies on your schedule, it's not like you didn't have your shot

In D-III football, a team in the NJAC has one chance to boost their schedule beyond luck of the conference. Same with the OAC. Is it fair to hold their scheduling efforts up against a team that has 4/5 games to choose from?

Here's another tough thing: I don't think there are as many certainties on the D-III level regarding how consistent a team is going to be, so setting these up aren't always going to reward you. You want to guess when Springfield is going to go 8-2 rather than 4-6? Union has gone from five to eight to likely two wins the last three years. Kean is going to go from 9 to 5. Heck, Del Valley was a 5-win team in 2007. Sure, it's not like D-I where these things need to be ironed out a decade in advance, but even if schools are on the lookout for the tougher games, I don't think it's as easy to find them. Yes, that volatility is present everywhere, but I think it's even more so in D-III football.

[labart96]

TGP's bracket and playoff prediction:

Round 1
1.  MUC vs. 8 SLU
4.  SUNY M vs. 5. ALFRED (this could be flopped)
2.  DVC vs. 7. Cortland
3.  Rowan vs. 6.  Maine-M

Round 2
1. MUC vs. 5. ALFRED
2. DVC vs. ROWAN

Round 3
1. MUC vs. 2. DVC

(note how f-ed DVC gets with this bracket - potentially the toughest trip to the regional finals of any team in the entire country but funny thing is, they might be able to beat MUC this year)

[dlippiel]

TGP's bracket and playoff prediction:

Round 1
1.  MUC vs. 8 SLU
4.  SUNY M vs. 5. ALFRED (this could be flopped)
2.  DVC vs. 7. Cortland
3.  Rowan vs. 6.  Maine-M

Round 2
1. MUC vs. 5. ALFRED
2. DVC vs. ROWAN

Round 3
1. MUC vs. 2. DVC

(note how f-ed DVC gets with this bracket - potentially the toughest trip to the regional finals of any team in the entire country but funny thing is, they might be able to beat MUC this year)

MUC over SLU are you serious 

[Frank Rossi]

TGP's bracket and playoff prediction:

Round 1
1.  MUC vs. 8 SLU
4.  SUNY M vs. 5. ALFRED (this could be flopped)
2.  DVC vs. 7. Cortland
3.  Rowan vs. 6.  Maine-M

Round 2
1. MUC vs. 5. ALFRED
2. DVC vs. ROWAN

Round 3
1. MUC vs. 2. DVC

(note how f-ed DVC gets with this bracket - potentially the toughest trip to the regional finals of any team in the entire country but funny thing is, they might be able to beat MUC this year)

Can't happen, TGP.  Maine Maritime is too far from Rowan.  If MME and Rowan get in (and Montclair does not), then there are only two choices:

In cement:

#1 UMU hosts #8 SLU
#5 SUNY-M hosts #7 MME

Four teams left

#2 DelVal
#3 Cortland
#4 Rowan
#6 Alfred

#3 and #4 cannot play in the first round, due to rematch implications.

So it's either:

#2 DelVal hosts #4 Rowan
#3 Cortland hosts #6 Alfred

OR:

#2 DelVal hosts #3 Cortland
#4 Rowan hosts #6 Alfred

The first one makes the most sense, though.

[Stlarry]

TGP's bracket and playoff prediction:

Round 1
1.  MUC vs. 8 SLU
4.  SUNY M vs. 5. ALFRED (this could be flopped)
2.  DVC vs. 7. Cortland
3.  Rowan vs. 6.  Maine-M

Round 2
1. MUC vs. 5. ALFRED
2. DVC vs. ROWAN

Round 3
1. MUC vs. 2. DVC

(note how f-ed DVC gets with this bracket - potentially the toughest trip to the regional finals of any team in the entire country but funny thing is, they might be able to beat MUC this year)

MUC over SLU are you serious 

Don't you know SLU can only beat teams they are supposed to get stomped by?  Things are setting up nicely for the Saints...

[labart96]

Maine travelled to Montclair last season - but I forgot that Glassboro is SOUTH (about a 100 miles apparently) of Montclair....so yeah, nix that.

What if Endicott wins the NEFC?

Do you think the NCAA would put SUNY M vs. Endi?

[Frank Rossi]

Maine travelled to Montclair last season - but I forgot that Glassboro is SOUTH (about a 100 miles apparently) of Montclair....so yeah, nix that.

Nix what?  I know nothing.

[gordonmann]

Rowan has been ranked in front of Cortland in the last couple regional rankings.  Maybe that changes if Cortland beats Ithaca but, if not, the Red Dragons would be the lower seed and travel to Del Val.

And, yes, Del Val would have a much harder route to the regional finals than they probably should.  I don't have a problem with the Aggies not getting the top seed.  But not to get a game against one of the three weaker seeds (SUNY Maritime, St. Lawrence or Maine Maritime) is a rough break. 

Of course the fans of teams on Division III islands (West Coast, Texas) will be able to relate.

[Frank Rossi]

Rowan has been ranked in front of Cortland in the last couple regional rankings.  Maybe that changes if Cortland beats Ithaca but, if not, the Red Dragons would be the lower seed and travel to Del Val.

And, yes, Del Val would have a much harder route to the regional finals than they probably should.  I don't have a problem with the Aggies not getting the top seed.  But not to get a game against one of the three weaker seeds (SUNY Maritime, St. Lawrence or Maine Maritime) is a rough break. 

Of course the fans of teams on Division III islands (West Coast, Texas) will be able to relate.

Cortland will have won the Pool A and will have a higher SoS -- and at that point, Rowan got in despite a head-to-head.  So my feeling is that Cortland would re-jump Rowan during the seeding process.

[gordonmann]

Certainly possible.  I predicted a Del Val-Rowan playoff match up in the first round a couple weeks ago.

[Frank Rossi]

Certainly possible.  I predicted a Del Val-Rowan playoff match up in the first round a couple weeks ago.

Honestly, G, ANYTHING is possible right now.  I said it to Pat last night -- you have to make two sets of predictions this year.  The "Way It Should Be" and the "Way It Probably Will Be" sets.  The Regional Rankings have done more to propel that this season (see the W&L between the two H-S's scenario in the South).

[AUKaz00]

Maine travelled to Montclair last season - but I forgot that Glassboro is SOUTH (about a 100 miles apparently) of Montclair....so yeah, nix that.

What if Endicott wins the NEFC?

Do you think the NCAA would put SUNY M vs. Endi?

Endicott has more options and would allow the normal pairing of seeds, I think.  I would guess they would be the 7th seed and sent to Doylestown.  Alfred would likely be the 6th seed and sent to an NJAC school.  And SUNY-Maritime would be matched up with the other NJAC team selected.

[rams1102]

I guess Cortland has won the NJAC and Rowan is the Pool C, I guess there is no reason to play football tomorrow.

[Pat Coleman]

Certainly possible.  I predicted a Del Val-Rowan playoff match up in the first round a couple weeks ago.

Honestly, G, ANYTHING is possible right now.  I said it to Pat last night -- you have to make two sets of predictions this year.  The "Way It Should Be" and the "Way It Probably Will Be" sets.  The Regional Rankings have done more to propel that this season (see the W&L between the two H-S's scenario in the South).

Here's what I did to avoid that matchup.

http://www.d3football.com/notables/2010/11/selection-show

[JT]

I guess Cortland has won the NJAC and Rowan is the Pool C, I guess there is no reason to play football tomorrow.

There are no guarantees and Cortland got screwed in the same fashion a few years ago when they lost to Rowan late in the season.

Play the game... if all win maybe we get three.  Still I'm rooting for Willy P, you understand.