2009 Playoff Bracket & Reactions

[K-Mack]

If you're not able to watch on ESPNews, we're posting the bracket at the very moment we're allowed by the NCAA and ESPN. Give us your snap reactions below, or on the Daily Dose. Follow @D3football and @D3Keith for analysis, and we'll have a podcast, team-by-team capsules and Around the Nation's annual Surprises and Disappointments playoff predictions column later in the week.

Enjoy.

http://www.d3boards.com/playoffs/footballbracket2009.pdf

[Voice of the Dutch]

Is Central or Linfield the #2 in the SJU bracket?

[sju56321]

Central has a difficult draw in MHB. When ONU didn't make the field, that threw out the Nathcon champ going "west." Should be fun in the SJU bracket. What will UWW put up on Lakeland-60?

[retagent]

The SJU Bracket has 4 undefeated teams, and a total of 4 losses, by far the toughest bracket if this is the determining factor. And that's with UWW moved to their own bracket.

[K-Mack]

Posted earlier but timed out and lost it.

Looks like from bracket placement that Lin is the No. 2, but I'll have to have Pat confirm. I love that you guys see no seeds and that makes it incomplete.

West bracket is by far the strongest, but they rank the No. 1 seeds at the top of each bracket, then put the bracket headed by the 1 vs. the one headed by the 4 and the 2 vs. 3.

I think the best interpretation, based on the fact that the MUC bracket appears to be playing the Wesley bracket, is that the Purple Raiders were the 1 and Wesley the 4.

But I guess UWW could be the 1 and SJU the 4 and it would produce the same pairings.

[K-Mack]

Some of my earlier reactions:

D3Keith Says:
November 15th, 2009 at 3:31 pm e

My quick reactions are

1. Wow, W&J in and ONU/St. Norbert left on the table. ... now they finally have to play Mount Union. Could be fun.

2. Backwards planning ... two flights guaranteed in second round, Hunt/Miss winner at Wesley/NCWC and Lin/CLU vs. UMHB/Central. Maybe also HSC/JHU winner vs. Thomas More/DePauw. A fourth if Maine Maritime wins, but that's nobody's fault.

3. UMHB at Central looks like GOTFR (game of the first round) and that bracket with SJU, Linfield, Central and UMHB is ouch.

Add North Central and Otterbein to the left-off list

[KitchenSink]

I think the Pool C's are pretty good.  Would've been tough to put in a 2 loss and bump out two 1 loss teams.  St N - tough break.

St John bracket - could be brutal.

Should be fun to watch!

[Bob.Gregg]

Add North Central and Otterbein to the left-off list

LOL WITH you, K-Mack.

[hornet]

ncc, onu, ott ,wheaton, can probaly beat 75% of teams in the field .

[Mugsy]

ncc, onu, ott ,wheaton, can probaly beat 75% of teams in the field .

Hornet,

Most years I'd agree that Wheaton could beat 75% of the teams in the field.  This year I don't think you can say that... Wheaton couldn't even beat 60% of the teams in their conference. They lost 3 of the last 4 games of the season to finish 7-3. 

[PA_wesleyfan]

ncc, onu, ott ,wheaton, can probaly beat 75% of teams in the field .

Hornet,

Most years I'd agree that Wheaton could beat 75% of the teams in the field.  This year I don't think you can say that... Wheaton couldn't even beat 60% of the teams in their conference. They lost 3 of the last 4 games of the season to finish 7-3.  

And the teams that got in beat 90% to 100% of the teams they played

[K-Mack]

ncc, onu, ott ,wheaton, can probaly beat 75% of teams in the field .

NIT?

[Mr. Ypsi]

ncc, onu, ott ,wheaton, can probaly beat 75% of teams in the field .

Hornet,

Most years I'd agree that Wheaton could beat 75% of the teams in the field.  This year I don't think you can say that... Wheaton couldn't even beat 60% of the teams in their conference. They lost 3 of the last 4 games of the season to finish 7-3.  

And the teams that got in beat 90% to 100% of the teams they played

Well, except for about a third of the AQs.

I DO wish the committee didn't have such a virtually total "one-loss in, two-losses out" mentality.  There are a number of published primary criteria, with no indication of relative importance.  But clearly, regional winning % was the ONLY real criterion.  There are several 2-loss teams (and some 3-loss teams) that you would have to spot me MORE than 20 points before I would take W & J.  And that is on their field!

[Ralph Turner]

Disclosure:  W&J has done very poorly against the ASC and Trinity, and NCWC upset them as a #8 seed.

That being said, it seems that the Presidents get more than enough love from everyone.

AD Joy Solomen did not elaborate on W&J over ONU, but my impression is that the second OAC loss negated a strong Pool C portfolio for ONU, almost as if they fell from the #2 or #3 Pool C bid to "left on the board" with that second loss.

I don't think that we will be able to discern how strong W&J is on the MUC outcome.

[usee]

I listened to the Joy Solomen intvw and a few observations:
-"we put the best 32 teams in the tournament"-Joy Solomen
-Pat Coleman grilled her hard on WJ v SNC. Pat did a great job and I'm not sure Dr S had a good answer. Actually seemed like Pat was more informed on the numbers. Dr S basically sadi it was a tough call but they all felt like WJ was the better choice. Her main argument was their closer loss to TMC vs SNC's wider loss to a lower ranked team (regionally). She obviously is not educated on the Pat C phrase "it's not who you lost to..."
-SHe basically said if there would have been an undefeated east team they would have made them a top seed.
-The ONU issue didn't seem to take much time to debate
-The national committee was on their call from 10pm Saturday til 4.15am