2007 Playoff Field

[K-Mack]

Ralph - Whitworth or Millsaps? See that's a tough call.

I could make that call because Whitworth went undefeated thru a good conference and lost to the #5 team in the first week.  In-region 7-1 is as aggressive a schedule at they could reasonably have in the NWC.  They schedule the home-and-home with UW-Stout for '06 and '07.

These are inflammatory words, but I think that Ithaca got the old "eastern bias".   Three from the E8, and none from the NWC! 

Well whether we refer to it as "bias" or "human input" or "subjectiveness," ruling the other way on the tight calls doesn't necessarily mean there was any less of those things, it just means the sujectiveness was used to come up with a different outcome.

That's not a knock on you Ralph, that's probably more for the Whitworth folks who are lamenting the use of human input. If human input had gone the Pirates' way, I doubt there would be an outcry. Or rather, there would be, it would just be coming from a different fan base.

FWIW.

I definitely think three E8 and zero NWC is odd, and feels wrong .. but if you look at it how smedindy broke it down, which closely approximates the selection process, you can at least see who the teams on the board with Whitworth were.

Maybe all that comparing vs. UW-EC was for naught. Although they still would have had to pass them to get on the board first.

This is totally old news too, I should be concerning myself with Muhlenberg and TCNJ and NC Wesleyan ... but I also wanted to get caught up here.

[Ralph Turner]

HSU's OWP was .500 and OOWP was .490.

I wish I could throw HSU wins over Linfield and UW-Lacrosse into the computer, but I do not think that it would raise HSU's OWP/OOWP's appreciably.

Those values at 8-2 would have made HSU's OWP/OOWP lowest of all non-ASC teams  in D-3.

Miss Coll might have gotten some help on their OWP/OOWP at .459 and .501.

Furthermore, I think that the ASC teams go far in substantiating the claim (by Rick, with which I agree) that the large and isolated ASC will always have trouble getting a good OWP/OOWP.

(UMHB's OWP/OOWP were .557 (2nd best of 6 schools at 9-1 in-region and boosted by UWW and CNU) and .491 (6th of 6 of schools at 9-1 and pulled down by the 9-team conference ASC with virtually no in-region opponents within 500 miles).

Thanks for the chance for us to "air" this out.  I am sure that these discussions will be reviewed by the Competition Committee.

[Ralph Turner]

Re-focusing on this post by smedindy...

Let's look at it this way - when it comes to Pool C, the top ranked contenders in each region (for assumptions sake based on Nov. 7 rankings and the results on Saturday):

East - St. John Fisher
North - MSJ
South - Millsaps
West - St. John's

Taking SJF and St. John's with the first two picks (easy) leaves:

East - Hobart
North - MSJ
South - Millsaps
West - Eau Claire (!) (I have to assume they jumped Whitworth, right??)

So, I bet Hobart's the pick. Leaving:

East - Ithaca
North - MSJ
South - Millsaps
West - Eau Claire

MSJ is the logical choice there.

Now the board is:

East - Ithaca
North - Capital
South - Millsaps
West - Eau Claire

I'd choose Capital.

East - Ithaca
North - Wittenberg
South - Millsaps
West - Eau Claire

I would assume Eau Claire is next. The final board:

East - Ithaca
North - Wittenberg
South - Millsaps
West - Whitworth

Now here's the $64,000 question. These are all 8 or 9 in their regions, I assume. Why Ithaca instead of Whitworth or Witt or Millsaps?

Millsaps!  What a bridesmaid! 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Ralph, if HSU had beaten Linfield and LaX it would have lowered their OWP (afterall, their opponents would have two more losses).  If all their opponents played 10-game schedules, their OWP would have fallen from .500 to .480.

[Ralph Turner]

Ralph, if HSU had beaten Linfield and LaX it would have lowered their OWP (afterall, their opponents would have two more losses).  If all their opponents played 10-game schedules, their OWP would have fallen from .500 to .480.

Thanks!

Thus, the disadvantage of an isolated 9-team conference when the OWP and OOWP are considered!

[Mr. Ypsi]

But that is the 'disadvantage' for any team, isolated or not - you keep beating opponents and your OWP automatically takes a hit!  

(Though beating 'em is probably better than the alternative! )

[Ralph Turner]

But that is the 'disadvantage' for any team, isolated or not - you keep beating opponents and your OWP automatically takes a hit!  

(Though beating 'em is probably better than the alternative! )

Actually,  Appendix J in the Handbook shows that the game against "that" opponent is taken out of the calculation of OWP.  Therefore the impact on OWP is seen by other teams, not the team that we are considering directly.

When UMHB beat CNU, NCWC felt the impact of the change in OWP.

I think we are saying the same thing.  (I just referenced the Handbook one more time.)

[Ryan Tipps]

Not sure where would be the best place to post this, but the playoff thread seems a logical fit.

Scott Fowler, a McClatchy Newspapers columnist, gives a very intelligent look at why playoffs are important and at how lame the big schools are for clinging to the BCS system. The story focuses on this year's Div-1A happenings, but I think Fowler articulates what many of us feel about having playoffs.

Read it here

[CNU85]

Not sure where would be the best place to post this, but the playoff thread seems a logical fit.

Scott Fowler, a McClatchy Newspapers columnist, gives a very intelligent look at why playoffs are important and at how lame the big schools are for clinging to the BCS system. The story focuses on this year's Div-1A happenings, but I think Fowler articulates what many of us feel about having playoffs.

Read it here

I like the one comment from a reader who said he doesn't watch bowl games bt loves college football. I'm the same way with regards to 1-A football. I stopped watching about 2 weeks ago. I don't watch bowl games, either....they're a joke. Who wants to wacth 2 team play for a national championship and they haven't played  a game in 40 or 50 days....the quality sucks.....

and I'd buy tostitos even if they didn't sponsor a bowl game!

[Ryan Tipps]

and I'd buy tostitos even if they didn't sponsor a bowl game!

Haha! I love it.