FB: Region 3 fan poll

[jknezek]

IF THE MARYVILLE VOTE NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED...DON'T SAY ANYTHING. I BEG YOU. 

Hopefully we'll grow on the other voters within the next few weeks. First things first. Beat LaGrange!

Maryville has their chance over the next two weeks to show they belong. I've got them on a watchlist at the moment. That list has been considerably whittled down, so wins in the next two weeks would have me very interested in the Scots. Right now, I look at who they have played and shrug. They haven't proved they belong, but they certainly haven't shown they don't...

[Scots13]

IF THE MARYVILLE VOTE NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED...DON'T SAY ANYTHING. I BEG YOU. 

Hopefully we'll grow on the other voters within the next few weeks. First things first. Beat LaGrange!

Maryville has their chance over the next two weeks to show they belong. I've got them on a watchlist at the moment. That list has been considerably whittled down, so wins in the next two weeks would have me very interested in the Scots. Right now, I look at who they have played and shrug. They haven't proved they belong, but they certainly haven't shown they don't...

And I would agree with you 100%. I'm really shocked we even have 1 point.  We haven't proved we are one of the top 10 teams in the region yet, but with a somewhat back loaded schedule the next few weeks will tell the story.

I hope my boys don't disappoint you.

[Toby Taff]

I was the one who Ralph was verifying last night because I had a questionable placement given a result from Saturday. He was right. I had a brain fart. But I think my brain fart points to something odd about this season. I'm looking at teams and results differently than before. I am most familiar with the ASC because I am an alumnus of UMHB and HSU and live a few blocks from McM. I've watched many-a-d3 game over the last 9 years with a good sampling of south region and NWC teams.  It has been my experience and opinion that the ASC has had a superior product in comparison to most of the region and my Poll has weighted that way. I can't say that there is much to that assessment this season, save for UMHB who seems miles ahead to me right now even though they seem to struggle through the first half sometimes. I have seen some very bad football by traditionally good teams like HSU and a hunch of mediocre football, but no standout and scream at me good football. I have the same top four as the other voters and we are getting closer on the next 6, but I can't help but think this won't be settled until November. It's a little frustrating, but I have to say I like it. Anytime I find myself picking HPU over HSU in a pick'em for HSUs homecoming game something's is strange, but that strangeness actually has me looking at the south region differently than in in the past and I can't wait to see where it goes. Who knows; maybe Maryville picks up another vote next week.

[Ralph Turner]

Just a word about the South Region Fan Poll...

I was asked by Bridgewater Kid, the BC fan (not sure about his current handle) in the early 2000's to participate in HIS poll, the current South Region Fan Poll.  He sought a total of 5 voters whom he knew would try to do the most accurate job on the ballots.  The participants were consistent and reliable.

When he moved on to another job that prevent him from continuing the Poll, I took it over.

I have tried to find fans who have contributed on the message boards with logical postings.  They put in the effort to submit a quality ballot.  They are reliable in their commitment and participation.  I know when to anticipate the ballot.  I do not suspect conference or team bias in their ballots.  As I said, they try to get it right. I think those attributes make for a good Poll about which we can generate good conversation.

Thanks to all of them for their commitment each season.

[DGPugh]

I was never asked to participate (in either of my previous handles of AF4 and AF4Hawk or the presnt one
but.............just as well as  i would always vote for either Huntingdon or Auburn, and against Murrville and Alabama 

Doc i pray you and yours are well
War Eagle (for your Daughter and mine) and Hawk em for everyone else

keep the faith

[Toby Taff]

I was never asked to participate (in either of my previous handles of AF4 and AF4Hawk or the presnt one
but.............just as well as  i would always vote for either Huntingdon or Auburn, and against Murrville and Alabama 

Doc i pray you and yours are well
War Eagle (for your Daughter and mine) and Hawk em for everyone else

keep the faith

let me just say to that...

WAR EAGLE!

[DGPugh]

WAR EAGLE and Go Hawks 

[Scots13]

I was never asked to participate (in either of my previous handles of AF4 and AF4Hawk or the presnt one
but.............just as well as  i would always vote for either Huntingdon or Auburn, and against Murrville and Alabama 

Doc i pray you and yours are well
War Eagle (for your Daughter and mine) and Hawk em for everyone else

keep the faith

Oh come on now.. What happened to only when we play?

[tigerfanalso]

Not that it matters, but I'm surprised RMC is behind HSC in the latest poll given RMC loss was to the #2 team in the South and HSC loss was to CNU, a good team but certainly not a JHU caliber team. 

[jknezek]

Not that it matters, but I'm surprised RMC is behind HSC in the latest poll given RMC loss was to the #2 team in the South and HSC loss was to CNU, a good team but certainly not a JHU caliber team.

It is hard to compare losses. I wouldn't say R-MC's loss, at home, to JHU was a particularly impressive loss. They took it a bit on the chin. H-SC's loss to CNU was tight, despite H-SC's best efforts to make it a blowout loss. But while losing to a good team is a better idea than losing to a bad team, losing in general is mostly losing. Neither team has a great win, both took down 3-0 ODAC teams that didn't have great resumes, and both are 4-1 on the back of mostly weaker competition.

At the moment I have no ranked ODAC teams, preferring to reward Millsaps and Ursinus for being undefeated, CNU, TLU and Huntingdon for quality wins, and La Col because they have what I think is the best loss of H-SC, R-MC, Bridgewater and La Col grouping (late game loss to Huntingdon on road trumps blown out at home by JHU, nasty game at CNU, and a mellon at Shenandoah).

However, those three ODAC teams sit at the very top of my watchlist which also includes Rhodes, Maryville, Waynesburg and a two loss Trinity team. Considering Millsaps and La Col both have difficult assignments this week (Trinity and UMHB respectively), it is likely an ODAC team will reappear on my ballot. Most likely would be H-SC if they get past Bridgewater. Millsaps losing might be the best shot, as La Col would have to have a truly murderous loss to UMHB for me to reconsider their position. Just losing to No 1 won't do it...

It's a bit of a muddle, but you just have to take your logic for those bottom 3 or 4 teams and ride it until a better idea happens. At this point, I struggle with just having the assumed best ODAC team in the poll, since no ODAC team has a quality win and all have nasty blemishes.

[tigerfanalso]

Jk

I understand your logic. It is a shame the ODAC has no really good win in OOC play. Maybe we can get one at Wabash next year !!!

[jknezek]

Jk

I understand your logic. It is a shame the ODAC has no really good win in OOC play. Maybe we can get one at Wabash next year !!!

Yeah. There is nothing really new here. I think I've beaten the ODAC's OOC schedule to death since the spring (and probably last year as well). I also think Catholic, E&H, and Bridgewater got EXACTLY what they deserved based on their OOC schedules in ODAC week 1. Sadly I think W&L got what they deserved based on how they played...

[Swish3]

That was a pretty steep drop for CNU, wasn't it boys?  They did lose to Methodist, but do any of the other teams listed have two quality wins, besides UMHB and Wesley?

[roocru]

That was a pretty steep drop for CNU, wasn't it boys?  They did lose to Methodist, but do any of the other teams listed have two quality wins, besides UMHB and Wesley?

Not much more than in the D3 Top 25 poll where they went from #22 to receiving one 25th place vote.

[jknezek]

That was a pretty steep drop for CNU, wasn't it boys?  They did lose to Methodist, but do any of the other teams listed have two quality wins, besides UMHB and Wesley?

Probably not. But none of the listed teams have a loss to a team as mediocre as Methodist. Plus, I don't think we were all that sold on CNU, as the vote dispersion in the previous weeks showed. While we mostly respected the quality wins, the Salisbury game came with a big question mark, an option team breaking in a mostly new backfield, and the HSC game smells a bit fluky if HSC QB was limping around as bad as later caem out.

Plus CNU is kind of known for dropping those odd games in season, which invariably has led to a very bad showing against the top of the region in the early rounds of the playoffs. So the Captains shot up the charts on the basis of two seemingly good wins, regardless of any extenuating circumstances, and then dropped down the chart on the basis of extenuating circumstances and an ugly loss.

For the record, I'm one of the "9" voters for the Captains, believing the wins earned them a little leeway. But they used up what I'm willing to provide last week so they need to win convincingly going forward to get me excited about them again.

I am a little curious about who put HSC above CNU. Since I'm one of the 9 votes, but I didn't vote for any ODAC teams, someone dropped a 7 on HSC and below a 7 on CNU (it is also possible someone dropped a 9 on CNU and a 10 on HSC, and a 10 on HSC and nothing on CNU, or it is possible that two people dropped a 10 on HSC and nothing on CNU. There are also a few other permutations, but I'm bored of thinking about them). I'm not a believer that winning a game gives you seeding priority for the rest of the year, but HSC's resume of wins is none to impressive. So I can't find a reason to push HSC above an "on field" result at this point in the season, but we all use different methods to come up with our numbers.