FB: Region 3 fan poll

[Ralph Turner]

Unanimity for the Top 9 teams.

[Ralph Turner]

South Region Fan Poll -- Week #8

Team	Record	Points	Votes
1)   UMHB	.	49	1,1,1,1,2
2)   Wesley	.	46	1,2,2,2,2
3)   JHU	.	39	3,3,3,3,4
4)   Wash & Jeff	.	36	3,4,4,4,4
5)    H-SC	.	28	5,5,5,5,7
.	.	.	.	.
6)   Thomas More	.	23	5,6,6,7,8
7)   Muhlenberg	.	18	6,7,7,8,9
8)   Centre	.	16	6,6,8,8,X
9)   Guilford	.	9	7,8,10,10,x
10)  Emory & Henry	.	6	9,9,9,x,x
.	.	.	.	.
RV)   Texas Lutheran	.	5	9,10,10,10,X
.	.	.	.	.
.

Corrections are appreciated!

[Ralph Turner]

South Region Fan Poll -- Week #9

Team	Record	Points	Votes
1)   UMHB	.	49	1,1,1,1,2
2)   Wesley	.	46	1,2,2,2,2
3)   JHU	.	39	3,3,3,3,4
4)   Wash & Jeff	.	36	3,4,4,4,4
5)   Thomas More	.	27	5,5,5,6,7
.	.	.	.	.
6)   Muhlenberg	.	24	6,6,6,6,7
7)   Centre	.	23	5,5,7,7,8
8)    H-SC	.	10	7,9,9,9,x
9)   Guilford	.	8	8,9,9,10,x
10)   Texas Lutheran	.	7	8,8,10,x,x
.	.	.	.	.
RV)  Emory & Henry	.	5	8,10,10,x,x
RV)  Hardin-Simmons	.	1	10,x,x,x,x	.
.

Corrections are appreciated!

[crufootball]

I guess I am a week late on this but I am surprised at the pick up of a first place vote for UMHB. Wesley played very good against their D3 schedule and has flat out killed the rest of their schedule. I see UMHB picked up the vote after the TLU game so I am assume it was because of that large victory.

Will be very interesting to see how much this poll resembles the regional rankings tomorrow.

[jknezek]

I guess I am a week late on this but I am surprised at the pick up of a first place vote for UMHB. Wesley played very good against their D3 schedule and has flat out killed the rest of their schedule. I see UMHB picked up the vote after the TLU game so I am assume it was because of that large victory.

Will be very interesting to see how much this poll resembles the regional rankings tomorrow.

That was me. I had Wesley 1 all season based on what the two teams were bringing back and I wasn't too impressed with UMHB relative to Wesley in the beginning of the year. However, the demolition of TLU was impressive and Wesley has demolished a series of uggh opponents. I almost switched it back this week as I was again unimpressed with UMHB but figured I'd leave it. Personally I don't have a clue who wins on a neutral field but I'd love to see the game.

[D3MAFAN]

I guess I am a week late on this but I am surprised at the pick up of a first place vote for UMHB. Wesley played very good against their D3 schedule and has flat out killed the rest of their schedule. I see UMHB picked up the vote after the TLU game so I am assume it was because of that large victory.

Will be very interesting to see how much this poll resembles the regional rankings tomorrow.

That was me. I had Wesley 1 all season based on what the two teams were bringing back and I wasn't too impressed with UMHB relative to Wesley in the beginning of the year. However, the demolition of TLU was impressive and Wesley has demolished a series of uggh opponents. I almost switched it back this week as I was again unimpressed with UMHB but figured I'd leave it. Personally I don't have a clue who wins on a neutral field but I'd love to see the game.

You may have to wait about 5 weeks or so for that game.

[hasanova]

I guess I am a week late on this but I am surprised at the pick up of a first place vote for UMHB. Wesley played very good against their D3 schedule and has flat out killed the rest of their schedule. I see UMHB picked up the vote after the TLU game so I am assume it was because of that large victory.

Will be very interesting to see how much this poll resembles the regional rankings tomorrow.

I would put very little stock in Wesley's 62-0 win over College of Faith.  It is an unaccredited 60-person "college" operating out of a church in Charlotte ... most of the students are athletes, but they have no weight room, facilities, etc.  I think they practice on a middle school field and probably play all games on the road.  For 2014, winless and pointless.  In fact, I think they set a collegiate record of -100 yards total offense in a game.  I realize everyone has to start somewhere, but it's not a "quality" win for anyone this season.

[tigerfanalso]

I guess Wesley cannot get anybody to schedule them. I'm thinking the odac champion very well may visit Dover in the first round playoff game. HSC did so in 07 or 09. Hung with them in first half, basic beat down in the second half.

[jknezek]

My change in vote wasn't so much anything Wesley did wrong, simply something UMHB did convincingly right. I didn't really put any stock in Wesley's wins versus Concordia-Selma, Menlo, VUL or COF other than they did what I expected them to do. Which is generally enough for me not to move things around. HOWEVER, UMHB did something I didn't really expect them to do, which was absolutely bury another good south region team.

I had a reason to put Wesley first from the beginning of the season, when I started as the only one listing them first. I think they brought more back, and they won tough games to open the season. But while they've buried cupcakes lately, not really their fault since they don't have a lot of choice in who they schedule, UMHB did something impressive. Will they stay this position? Maybe. I almost flipped them back after UMHB underwhelmed me this past weekend.

Wesley has a big game against UNC-C coming up. That will be real interesting. UMHB doesn't have a whole lot left on the schedule. I might end up flipping them again if either gives me a reason. Another lackluster UMHB win might be enough, or a Wesley win the last week of the season. But the teams are so close in my mind at this point it's just semantics.

[crufootball]

I guess I am a week late on this but I am surprised at the pick up of a first place vote for UMHB. Wesley played very good against their D3 schedule and has flat out killed the rest of their schedule. I see UMHB picked up the vote after the TLU game so I am assume it was because of that large victory.

Will be very interesting to see how much this poll resembles the regional rankings tomorrow.

I would put very little stock in Wesley's 62-0 win over College of Faith.  It is an unaccredited 60-person "college" operating out of a church in Charlotte ... most of the students are athletes, but they have no weight room, facilities, etc.  I think they practice on a middle school field and probably play all games on the road.  For 2014, winless and pointless.  In fact, I think they set a collegiate record of -100 yards total offense in a game.  I realize everyone has to start somewhere, but it's not a "quality" win for anyone this season.

I wouldn't say I was putting much stock in that particular victory but overall their last 4 games have all been serious blowouts. Blowouts against some teams that even last year gave Wesley more trouble. The game against Charlotte I imagine will be much more a test of the Wolverines.

[Ralph Turner]

UNC-Charlotte is now one year older as a football program. In the last few years, McMurry has beaten FCS UTSA as a D-3 school and FCS Houston Baptist as a D3-reclassifying school.  22 year old men are just different from 18 year-old newbies.

UNC-Charlotte may beat them 3 TD's.  UNC-Charlotte beat Pioneer Football League Campbell 33-9 early in the season.  UNC-Charlotte will be at the end of the second season as a scholarship team.

[tigerfanalso]

UNC-Charlotte beat Campbell,Johnson C. Smith & NC Central; lost to JMU 48 to 40, The Citadel 63 to 56, Charleston Southern 47 to 41 (Ot) and Elon 20 to 13. If Wesley can play with these guys Wesley can compete pretty well in the Southern Conference.

[umhb2001]

My change in vote wasn't so much anything Wesley did wrong, simply something UMHB did convincingly right. I didn't really put any stock in Wesley's wins versus Concordia-Selma, Menlo, VUL or COF other than they did what I expected them to do. Which is generally enough for me not to move things around. HOWEVER, UMHB did something I didn't really expect them to do, which was absolutely bury another good south region team.

I had a reason to put Wesley first from the beginning of the season, when I started as the only one listing them first. I think they brought more back, and they won tough games to open the season. But while they've buried cupcakes lately, not really their fault since they don't have a lot of choice in who they schedule, UMHB did something impressive. Will they stay this position? Maybe. I almost flipped them back after UMHB underwhelmed me this past weekend.

Wesley has a big game against UNC-C coming up. That will be real interesting. UMHB doesn't have a whole lot left on the schedule. I might end up flipping them again if either gives me a reason. Another lackluster UMHB win might be enough, or a Wesley win the last week of the season. But the teams are so close in my mind at this point it's just semantics.

I get this to some degree...

UMHB was down at the half, their first, first down came with like 8 minutes left in the 1st quarter, and they didn't rush over 100 yds, something unimaginable in the history of the team.

BUT...

Hardin Simmons is a rivalry...I don't care what their record is or how long it has been since they have beaten us, but anything can happen. Were these same thoughts given to UWW?

UMHB had 5 INT's, two pick six's, and utterly dominated the third, something they normally do. Their offense is very balanced, so I don't understand the thoughts of underwhelming people. They've taken care of business, won all their games, have beaten who they are supposed to beat, and dominated their in state rival. Sounds like a good thing to me.

[Ralph Turner]

First Regional Ranking by the Committee using Selection Criteria.

1 Mary Hardin-Baylor 8-0 8-0
2 Wesley 5-0 9-0
3 Johns Hopkins 8-0 8-0
4 Washington & Jefferson 8-0 8-0
T5 Texas Lutheran* 6-1 7-1
T5 Centre* 8-0 8-0
7 Muhlenberg 7-1 7-1
8 Thomas More 7-2 7-2
9 Hampden-Sydney 6-2 6-2
10 Hardin-Simmons 3-2 5-2

NR  USA South Pool A bid. (?CNU?)

*Pool B Framingham State is #5 in the East Region as well!


Projected Pool A in Bold.
Projected Pool B in Italics.

[jknezek]

I get this to some degree...

UMHB was down at the half, their first, first down came with like 8 minutes left in the 1st quarter, and they didn't rush over 100 yds, something unimaginable in the history of the team.

BUT...

Hardin Simmons is a rivalry...I don't care what their record is or how long it has been since they have beaten us, but anything can happen. Were these same thoughts given to UWW?

UMHB had 5 INT's, two pick six's, and utterly dominated the third, something they normally do. Their offense is very balanced, so I don't understand the thoughts of underwhelming people. They've taken care of business, won all their games, have beaten who they are supposed to beat, and dominated their in state rival. Sounds like a good thing to me.

Here's the thing. Wesley played a rivalry game with Salisbury. They did what they were expected and hammered them into the ground. UMHB played a rivalry game with HSU and won. I know people like to play the rivalry card, but if you are going to make exceptions for underwhelming games against a rival, shouldn't you also be extra impressed by truly dominant games against a rival? Isn't that a big plus for Wesley in comparison to UMHB?

UMHB has taken care of business and won all their games? So has Wesley, JHU and W&J. That alone doesn't score you top in the region. Dominated their in-state rival? Check to W&J and JHU as well. Wesley of course doesn't have an in-state rival, but they hammered everyone close who would come play them.

So we have to have another way to tell these teams apart. We know Wesley and UMHB are, almost certainly, a different class than JHU and W&J. So all of us move them above. But how do we tell apart Wesley and UMHB this year? That's where it gets hard. Doing the minimum, like coming from behind to win in the second half, is simply less impressive than dominating someone.

I expect the elite teams to dominate. We know they are a cut above. And when one doesn't, for example UMHB simply didn't dominate HSU, that's a little underwhelming. Especially since TLU did beat HSU pretty handily. We're down to splitting hairs for the top teams, and that game, in context of someone being the BEST TEAM IN THE REGION was underwhelming.

Was it underwhelming in terms of being a good D3 program? No, it was a really good win, but being the best team in the region is a different standard. Now I still have UMHB at the top, but for the purposes of who belongs there, it is hard to argue that the result last weekend would have helped their case. It didn't hurt much, but it certainly didn't help. That's what I meant by underwhelming.

It's not a knock on UMHB as a top team, it's just a small x-factor that goes into trying to tell them apart from Wesley.