Potential Playoff Selections / Seedings

[Ralph Turner]

retagent- clarify how the West is strongest region lately?  Over the past ten years the west won 3 & the rest came from the north.  I agree one of the strongest based upon those numbes b/c 7 go to the north & 3 to the west & none to east or south, but other than that how are they strongest region lately.

And who from the North has won a Stagg Bowl other than MUC?

UW-Whitewater who was seeded #1 in the north last year.

Good point, altho' the brackets are no longer named by Regions, but by the Top seed in the bracket.

West Region teams have won in 1999 (Pac Luth), 2003 (St John's), 2004 (Linfield) and of course, 2007 (UW-Whitewater).

Even a better point.

  Thanks!

The West has had champs from 3 conferences, too.  That is why I think that it is the strongest region.

[wally_wabash]

It's tough to grade the North overall because the only team that makes the Stagg Bowl (or the semifinals even) is MUC.  I think over the years there have been some Stagg Bowl caliber teams in the North that don't get there because they can't get by Mount Union...which is nothing to be ashamed of.  A handful of years ago John Carroll was placed in the East and made the semifinals...where they lost to Mount Union. 

I really like what the committee did last year by moving some teams around to different "regions"...I hope they keep that philosophy moving forward as the interregional mathcups that we get when they do are a nice barometer for discussions like this. 

[K-Mack]

I think at this point it's probably tough to try to forecast whole brackets, because what's left to be decided -- knowing we have a committee who will take advantage of the ability to move top seeds -- involves so many moving parts that one region coming up one team short could shift the entire thing.

Or one team in one region could ... i.e. 5 deep south playoff teams could shift one to the West, which opens up a spot somewhere else, etc.

What might be more prudent at this point is to look at potential No. 1 seeds in each bracket.

North:
Mount Union
North Central
Wabash

East:
Cortland State
Mount Union
Muhlenberg

South:
Millsaps/Trinity
Muhlenberg
Washington & Jefferson

West:
Willamette
Occidental

I don't see UMHB as a potential 1 seed because there are too many unbeaten candidates in the south. Although the non-division loss won't damage them in a major way, it will be taken into consideration as part of their in-region record (or rather, as not part of it, same with the Southern Nazarene game). So if Muhlenberg is 10-0 in-region, Millsaps is 10-0 in region and UMHB is 8-0, guess who's the three seed?

If Cortland State wins out, I think they get the East seed. Same with Willamette in the West.

That leaves possibly three North unbeatens and three South unbeatens for two spots. Someone's not going to be happy.

If, say, Ithaca beats Cortland State (and DePauw Wabash let's say), then the door for Mount Union or Muhlenberg going East opens up, depending on who is stronger out of North Central or Millsaps/Trinity for the other seed.

Wouldn't you say?

Don't be shocked if you see some of these thoughts repeated in ATN

Stunning that for as many South Region teams as have made the Stagg Bowl there's only been one winner.

[wally_wabash]

What might be more prudent at this point is to look at potential No. 1 seeds in each bracket.

North:
Mount Union
North Central
Wabash

East:
Cortland State
Mount Union
Muhlenberg

I like the idea of MUC playing in the North and East.  Maybe if they have to split squad it everybody else will have a better chance.   

[Ron Boerger]

More likely they would win the east and the north and end up facing themselves in the Stagg Bowl.   

[retagent]

I could be wrong, but with the exception of UMHB and Rowan, the two finalists have been Mt Union and a West Region team for the past ten years.

[pg04]

I could be wrong, but with the exception of UMHB and Rowan, the two finalists have been Mt Union and a West Region team for the past ten years.

Bridgewater in 2001 (? I think) was from the south. 

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity (TX) in 2002, BC in 2003, UMHB in 2004.

[pg04]

Trinity (TX) in 2002, BC in 2003.

Yeah, 2003, that's it

[Ron Boerger]

No, you were right the first time.  BC in 2001, Trinity 2002, UMHB 2004.

[pg04]

Oh, wow.     I should have remembered since Bridgewater shouldn't have been there in the first place...

[K-Mack]

Oh, wow.     I should have remembered since Bridgewater shouldn't have been there in the first place...

Even so it wouldn't have been a West Region team.

But yeah, how could an Eastie forget that one.

[K-Mack]

I could be wrong, but with the exception of UMHB and Rowan, the two finalists have been Mt Union and a West Region team for the past ten years.

No, you were right the first time.  BC in 2001, Trinity 2002, UMHB 2004.

True.

Also, there were West Region teams the years Mount Union wasn't in it, so ret ... you got all kinds of wrong coming out of that post.

1999 PLU 42, Rowan 13
and
2004 Linfield 28, UMHB 21

are both within the past 10 years.

But point taken.
UWW 3
SJU 2
Lin 1
PLU 1

is a lot of West representation in Salem.

Should I mention that UWW technically represented the North and MUC the East last year?

[Mr. Ypsi]

I could be wrong, but with the exception of UMHB and Rowan, the two finalists have been Mt Union and a West Region team for the past ten years.

No, you were right the first time.  BC in 2001, Trinity 2002, UMHB 2004.

True.

Also, there were West Region teams the years Mount Union wasn't in it, so ret ... you got all kinds of wrong coming out of that post.

1999 PLU 42, Rowan 13
and
2004 Linfield 28, UMHB 21

are both within the past 10 years.

But point taken.
UWW 3
SJU 2
Lin 1
PLU 1

is a lot of West representation in Salem.

Should I mention that UWW technically represented the North and MUC the East last year?

Depends on how you want to parse it - to the NCAA they represented the 'MUC' and 'UWW' brackets (the North and East teams just came along for the ride).

[K-Mack]

Should I mention that UWW technically represented the North and MUC the East last year?

Depends on how you want to parse it - to the NCAA they represented the 'MUC' and 'UWW' brackets (the North and East teams just came along for the ride).

True. I mean they're still North and West region teams no matter what bracket they're in.