Potential Playoff Selections / Seedings

[Teamski]

In Division III, you still get your shot to be the best by beating the best no matter where they place you.

Probably one of the best statements of all time!  Well said.

-Ski

[willierobin]

How about this in the South (barring upsets):

Milsaps hosts Huntington/LaGrange winner
MHB hosts HSU
Muehlenburg hosts Catholic
Wesley hosts CNU

Thomas More goes north
HSC and W&J stay home (unless the Mules or Wesley go East)

[Mr. Ypsi]

From the great pool C analysis (post 138) it does look like the west will have 7 (if form holds and Northwestern Mn is not in), which lends to the NCC to west discussion.  Since Redlands is really the last pool c legit option and on the outside looking in, a trip to northern Ill is probably in the cards for a west team.  At least this should help with some of the other logjams.

IF Redlands doesn't get in, a west coast team to Naperville would still mean two flights (and a 2 or 3 having to travel first round).  But you did give me an idea - how about NCC as #1, WU as #2, Oxy as #3, and fly two teams to the coast?  Then, if WU and Oxy win, 2nd round is the natural pairing of 2 vs. 3 anyway.  (I believe all other teams to Naperville avoid flights?)  If the current West rankings hold up, yet Oxy flies to WU, we will know that economics ABSOLUTELY trumps seeds.  (We've seen it before, but has a 2 ever had to go on the road to a 1 in the first round?

Ypsi, I was thinking more like a "west" team being Wartburg as the 8 seed to NCC which would not require a 2nd flight.  I like your thinking though.

The two flights I had in mind were teams going to WU and Oxy (since they have BOTH earned a home game).

[Danimal814]

I think the main thing the committee needs to focus on is moving at least MUC, NCC, or Wabash to another region.  I remember Linfield in 2005 when they had an absolute brutal road to through the play-offs playing I think 3 or 4 top 10 teams on their way to eventually losing.  I think forcing a team to play that many quality opponents and having another team play weaker competition leads to an unfair advantage.  The goal is to find the best team, not the team that is the best in a region and beats a team decimated by attrition.

[Bob.Gregg]

Danimal,

Welcome to the party.

The ultimate goal is to find the best team.  That's why D-III has a national championship game determined by a playoff system.

For many years, though, the NCAA's preliminary goals included determining a REGION's best team.  That team would then play another REGION's best team in the semifinals with those winners meeting in the A.A. Stagg Bowl.

Over the past two years, we've seen a shift, a change, a morphing of the preliminary goals, more toward what you wrote.  The AA appeared last year to make a major shift toward setting up their perceived four best teams to meet in the semifinals.

Whether that was a quirk, a shift, a morph, or a real change remains to be seen.

[Black n Gold]

I know it's a long shot..........

But could anyone tell me who I should be cheering for on Saturday as a Wooster Fighting Scot fan
(Assuming they win, with a tough game against Wittenberg)

Who do we need to lose or win......or are there way too many things that need to happen?

[HScoach]

I know it's a long shot..........

But could anyone tell me who I should be cheering for on Saturday as a Wooster Fighting Scot fan
(Assuming they win, with a tough game against Wittenberg)

Who do we need to lose or win......or are there way too many things that need to happen?

Cheer for 2009.

[Black n Gold]

I know it's a long shot..........

But could anyone tell me who I should be cheering for on Saturday as a Wooster Fighting Scot fan
(Assuming they win, with a tough game against Wittenberg)

Who do we need to lose or win......or are there way too many things that need to happen?

Cheer for 2009.

............

[Ralph Turner]

I think the main thing the committee needs to focus on is moving at least MUC, NCC, or Wabash to another region.  I remember Linfield in 2005 when they had an absolute brutal road to through the play-offs playing I think 3 or 4 top 10 teams on their way to eventually losing.  I think forcing a team to play that many quality opponents and having another team play weaker competition leads to an unfair advantage.  The goal is to find the best team, not the team that is the best in a region and beats a team decimated by attrition.

How about the 2004 UMHB team?  They went on the road and beat #7 Trinity by 29, #3 HSU by 14 , #5 W&J by 36, #1 MUC by 3 before losing to #2 Linfield 28-21 in the Stagg.

South Region Top 10 teams.

[Bob.Gregg]

I know it's a long shot..........

But could anyone tell me who I should be cheering for on Saturday as a Wooster Fighting Scot fan
(Assuming they win, with a tough game against Wittenberg)

Who do we need to lose or win......or are there way too many things that need to happen?

You should cheer for EVERYONE playing any of the 10 teams ahead of you in the current POOL C chase.  Of course, you have to figure out whether a win by one of those "C" teams could give them an "AQ" and knock the current "AQ" leader into the "C" frey and behind your team.

While there has never been a monumental "C" collapse the likes of which you probably need to get an invite, it has happened in "B".  Several years ago, the entire "B" pool collapsed on the final day.  The whole thing.  THUD!  So, there is hope.

2009 looks more hopeful, though, to be completely honest.

[HScoach]

As a MUC guy, I'm not worried about the relative strength of one region versus another.  The best team will make it thru, and since more times than not, it has been my team.  Therefore I'm not too concerned.  When you have to go back to 1994 for find a season that your favorite team failed to make the Semi-Finals, you get a little "ho-hum" about the brackets.

However for the fan of a team trying to gain national attention, a stacked bracket is an unfortunate case of bad luck.  The CCIW teams have been ones most impacted by this in my opinion over the years.  That's a darn good conference whose champion is easily Top 5 material most years, but they're not making it out of the North Region if they have to play MUC.   

I have a large amount of respect for the CCIW and that's why I'm pulling for Mount and NCC to be in separate brackets.  I'd really like to see what a CCIW team could do without an early match-up with Mount.

I have a bigger problem with the Texas sub-bracket than I do with the relative strength of one region over another.  Having the #1 and #3 teams play in the first round is crazy.  I know why the NCAA does it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.



And the argument about how un-fair it is that one region is stacked and another is weak is just the luck of the draw.  I know the West Region was stacked a couple years ago, but it's cyclical and this time it's the North.  And it's been the North before. 

Back in 96 and 97, Mount's toughest game by far was the 1st round match-ups with Allegheny (31-26 in '96 and 34-30 in '97).  After that, it was smooth sailing to the title as the next closest game in '96 was an 18 point win in the semi's over LaCrosse and the next closest in '97 was a 47 point win over Simpson in the semi's. 

[HSC85]

If the committee wants to minimize cost, a possible South Region bracket could look like this:

Millsaps/Huntingdon-LaGrange winner
UMHB/HSU
Catholic/Wesley
HSC/CNU

Thomas Moore to North and Mulenburg to East.

I just don't know how cost containment plays against rewarding the deserving teams. 

[usee]

If the committee wants to minimize cost, a possible South Region bracket could look like this:

Millsaps/Huntingdon-LaGrange winner
UMHB/HSU
Catholic/Wesley
HSC/CNU

Thomas Moore to North and Mulenburg to East.

I just don't know how cost containment plays against rewarding the deserving teams. 

You have to look at all the brackets. You can't just move "Thomas More to North" since there are currently 8 teams in that bracket. And if you move MUC to the east (if Ithaca wins) to make room for TM, then you can't move Muhlenberg to the East. There are more issues than just the South out there.

The easiest scenario for the committee it would seem to me is if Ithaca wins and they move MUC east. that solves a number of current issues:

-East gets stronger
-Thomas More goes North and solves South problem
-CWR gets a home game as an undefeated team (if brackets stay same they travel in round 1 to Trine)
-balances North bracket logjam

I have a feeling, however, that Cortland isn't going to be very cooperative.

[Danimal814]

As a MUC guy, I'm not worried about the relative strength of one region versus another.  The best team will make it thru, and since more times than not, it has been my team.  Therefore I'm not too concerned.  When you have to go back to 1994 for find a season that your favorite team failed to make the Semi-Finals, you get a little "ho-hum" about the brackets.

However for the fan of a team trying to gain national attention, a stacked bracket is an unfortunate case of bad luck.  The CCIW teams have been ones most impacted by this in my opinion over the years.  That's a darn good conference whose champion is easily Top 5 material most years, but they're not making it out of the North Region if they have to play MUC.   

I have a large amount of respect for the CCIW and that's why I'm pulling for Mount and NCC to be in separate brackets.  I'd really like to see what a CCIW team could do without an early match-up with Mount.

Two things.  First, while Mt. Union has been to the semi-finals, I'm pretty sure anything less than a national title is a disappointment for you guys.  Look at div. 1 this year.  Texas had to play 4 straight top 12 opponents and that probably had something to do with them barely losing to Tech.  I'd hate to see the same thing happen to anyone including MUC because some team had a pass not playing anyone in the top 10 while you have to play 3 or 4 top 10 teams. 

Second, I agree about the CCIW (and the NCAC.)  NCC and Wabash are trying to gain respect and become a national title contender every year instead of making the play-offs and losing in one or two games in.  I know last year Wabash had a bit of a cake walk to the final 8 and that was a great experience for everyone on campus.  Karma could come back this year and have us playing the #2 team in the nation on the road in the second round.  I'd just prefer to see the committee try its best to change that.

Finally, anyone know if Wabash could, not saying they should, but if they could go South?  I'm just wondering for future reference because I know Depauw is a South region team despite being 27 miles South of us.

[usee]

I know it's a long shot..........

But could anyone tell me who I should be cheering for on Saturday as a Wooster Fighting Scot fan
(Assuming they win, with a tough game against Wittenberg)

Who do we need to lose or win......or are there way too many things that need to happen?

Cheer for 2009.

Apologies to Woo fans but that was really funny.

Wooster needs a lot to happen to have a chance not the least of which is they have to beat Wittenberg this Saturday!