FB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[GRIZ_BACKER]

A lot hinges on what happens at DePauw and Wittenberg then next two weeks.  Bash can help Franklin by beating Witt.  My gut says Bash doesn't  make the playoffs. Hard to say.

[dc_has_been]

I see Franklin being able to beat play with any of those three teams.  It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.  I think Mount is going to host the East region, so it will be interesting to see what the North is going to look like.  Either North Central or Wheaton will probably be the #1 if the committee doesn't give it to Whitewater again. 

[70_dc_alum]

the questions I have are:

Is Franklin that God becuase they have killed the entire conference?

Is Defiance that improved, have killed everyone after getting manhandled by Franklin?

Is the rest of the HCAC just that bad?

Congrats to Ricky Powell for HCAC Player of the week.  after lost of heat from certian DC fans (myself included) that we need to find a QB that started about 2 years ago he has made a huge improvement.  this week against a decent RHIT defense he went 15-20 with 281yds 3TD and 118yds ruching with 5.7yds per carry.  that is several quality starts in a row...he may have figured this thing out!

[70_dc_alum]

sorry should read is Franklin that GOOD not God...didnt mean to bring religion into them killing teams

[SaintsFAN]

ok, guys...

for my not PC view of the week:

I hope to God (the one in the Franklin post by DC70), that Hanover doesn't represent the HCAC in the playoffs... any momentum from the MSJ/FC dual appearance in the playoffs will be gone with that. 

[dc_has_been]

I'm still trying to figure out who would be the team that would get the playoff bid if HC beats Franklin. 

[70_dc_alum]

dont think you have to worry about that SaintsFan but does make things interesting...Defiance already beat Hanover so if for some reason Hanover beat Franklin it would go to a 3 way tie that would take you to at least tiebreaker #5

5. Total winning percentage by non-conference opponents - TMC azzkicking record would swing this in Hanover's Favor but that only depends on how would they count Valpo for Franklin since they are not D3.  Nothing like a 50pt beat down from TMC to get Hanover into the payoffs, when Franklin put a 40 point whooping on 1AA Valpo to work against them

After that you get the Rose Bowl Rule which would put Defiance in since our last playoffs was 2001 and Hanover was 2002 before the MSJ/Franklin Run.  only DC gets in is if Franklin loses 2x and i have a better chance of looking down and seeing my feet (yes fat joke) than Franklin has of losing 1x

[cave2bens]

DC gets in is if Franklin loses 2x and i have a better chance of looking down and seeing my feet (yes fat joke) than Franklin has of losing 1x

LMAO, 70 -  Wait (or "weight") until you approach 60 - feet will be the least of your concerns!     A new definition for down under besides Australia and Suid Afrika, eh?

[KYGrizzly]

I'm still trying to figure out who would be the team that would get the playoff bid if HC beats Franklin. 

It looks like Hanover would have the edge with the win percentage of out of conference opponents at this time.

Hanover
Centre 4 - 4
Thomas More 8 - 0
Total 12 - 4 Win Percentage - .750

Defiance
Muskingum 3 - 5
Adrian 3 - 5
Total 6 - 10 Win Percentage - .375

Franklin
Carthage 5 - 3
Valpraiso 0 - 9
Total - 5 - 12 Win Percentage - .294
If you do not count Valpraiso Win Percentage would be .625

I do have a question in regards to tie breaker #5. If two of the teams are still tied after #5 scenario do all three teams go to #6 or just the two teams tied?

It looks like the Victory Bell game could have more at stake than just who takes home the bell if all three teams win this weekend.

[cave2bens]

Seeing Valpo's abysmal record, one has to wonder why the big WIAC schools aren't "relegated" to DII and smaller, wanna be giant killers like Valpo, and several southern colleges such as Davidson, Wofford, Presbyterian, and Furman (though the Paladins do have some strong runs) play with schools their own size?

Despite laments about the Kenosha debacle for Franklin, how badly will the Carthage loss really hurt?  Three games lost (two to undefeated clubs at present) and the third to Augie (which also lost to Wheaton, NCC, and 9-1 Central of Iowa)?  As with Adrian, who has lost to the aforementioned Augustana, three undefeateds (UWW, Trine, and Depauw), before last weeks' meltdown with Albion, is there any accounting for opponent's schedule strength within the mumbo-jumbo of selections or is it strictly opposition records?

For SaintsFan, Thomas More is what it is, and I won't hazard a guess at what happened in New Concord, OH to the Yellow Jackets unless looking for John Glenn...

[altor]

I do have a question in regards to tie breaker #5. If two of the teams are still tied after #5 scenario do all three teams go to #6 or just the two teams tied?

Though the version on the HCAC website never said (another one of my rants about this tie-breaking process), I think the general consensus is that if you eliminate one, but not all of the tied teams, you revert to tie-breaker #1 again for the remaining teams.

It doesn't matter this year, however, because there is no way for the Franklin or Defiance opponents to catch Hanover's.

[dc_has_been]

I think the HCAC needs to review their policy on how to determine the HCAC champ for playoff bid. 
I know a lot of Franklin fans are just laughing at this discussion, but it does offer some conversation on a very slow board this season. 
I also think it is great to see how much DC and Hanover have improved over the season.  I know that if Franklin had a do over they would be undefeated right now, but I also think if DC had another crack at Muskingum it would be a different outcome.  Adrian I would still leave that as a ?.  Despite their record and loss to Albion, which I agree with cave that it was a meltdown, I think they are an above average team.  Playing their schedule can really wear down a team.  Hanover's record would still be the same, but they are a much improved team too.

[GRIZ_BACKER]

I am glad Hanover is having a resurgence. For one it is good to see someone step up (Defiance) as win some games and maybe get on a roll recruiting wise etc.  Not that much fun to watch games that are essentially over midway thorugh the second quarter.

Secondly it will be more fun to see Hanover soundly whacked and sent home bellless for the 6th year in a row.  Stranger things have happended but if FC loses to Hanover at home with the team they have this year they dont deserve to make the playoffs.

[dc_has_been]

Griz,
I agree, especially with the last part.  Franklin has a solid team this year and has been dominate except one game that has been mentioned a thousand times (especially by me). 
In regards to DC, I agree winning will help them with recruiting, especially the field house that is being built will certainly help in that department as well.

[altor]

Is Defiance that improved, have killed everyone after getting manhandled by Franklin?

Meant to reply to this first, then I got sidetracked by the tie-breaker discussion.

With the exception of the Muskingum game (and perhaps MSJ), I'd say everybody in Defiance would tell you that this season is about what was expected.  They should have beat Muskingum (fumbled the opening kickoff for an easy Muskie score and again to end overtime).  The MSJ win was probably a pleasant surprise to some (including me).  But, when I got home from that game and saw Hanover beat Rose and Bluffton beat Manchester, I figured that it was very possible for DC to win out.  Still some work to be done, but that looks more and more likely every week.

I've only been able to get to two games this year, Franklin and MSJ.  Powell was pisspoor in both those games (combined 19-44, 200 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT).  As my dad said, his numbers don't make any sense when you watch him throw.  He throws nice, tight, spirals.  He doesn't have a rocket arm, but he doesn't lob them in there either.  The problem was he just couldn't hit the target.  He was out in front, or behind, or low on almost every pass.  Heck, one of the INTs bounced off the umpire.

I don't know if it was a timing thing that he's since worked out with the receivers.  Of course, the defenses he's seen since MSJ certainly are not that good, so perhaps that has something to do with it too.  But, I noticed on Saturday he went 15-20, 281 yards, and 3 TDs.  When you're talking about being not able to hit the target, that 15-20 is more than just playing a poor defense.

I'm going down to Bluffton in a couple weeks.  I guess I'll make a final decision after seeing it myself.