D3 Top 25 Fan Poll

[D3MAFAN]

I was asked how I would rank the Top teams - specifically Wabash, JHU, and Thomas More.  I'm going to stick to my earlier ranking process:

#1 UWW until proven otherwise
#2 MUC until proven otherwise
#3 Linfield
#4 St Thomas
#5 MHB
#6 UWO
#7 Wheaton
#8 Wesley
#9 St Johns
#10 UWP
#11 Hardin Simmons
#12 Wabash
#13 North Central
#14 JHU
#15 Thomas More

I'll adjust these after the semi's if need be.

Adjustments are in order!

#1 Mount Union - Until proven otherwise
#2 St Thomas - hate to see a healthy #23 behind that line!
#3 Linfield - Caveat is with a 100% healthy Sam Riddle... otherwise maybe #5
#4 UWW - Made it thru to the semis in a very tough bracket
#5 UWO - lost by 2 to a semifinalist
#6 MHB - Not much difference between them and Linfield
#7 Wabash - Impressive D to hold that Tommie running attack in check
#8 Wesley - Impressive O to score that many against MUC
#9 St Johns - Been the toughest out so far in 2015 for the Tommies - familiarity helps
#10 Thomas More
#11 Wheaton
#12 JHU - They were very competitive with Wesley and Wesley scored a bunch on MUC... Wesley's familiarity with MUC helps as I doubt that JHU does as well in Alliance
#13 UWP
#14 Hardin Simmons
#15 North Central

Its tough to argue anything, but the results on the field. However, I think the Stagg game is in order, because North Central has a case with its result with Wesley, Wheaton, and UWP. I think it is all about matchups. Some teams have great offenses (i.e. Mount Union and Wesley) and some great defenses (Wabash, Mount Union, and UWW). However, if Mount destroys UST, then we were all wrong regarding strength of bracket. If UST wins by a couple scores and is never really tested, then our early predictions will be right regarding the bracketology.

[Ralph Turner]

And very few teams have actually played an ASC team in post season competition aside from Wesley Linfield UWW and UMU...I wish we had the chance to play the ODAC, or JHU or Thomas More more frequently.

[wally_wabash]

Its tough to argue anything, but the results on the field. However, I think the Stagg game is in order, because North Central has a case with its result with Wesley, Wheaton, and UWP. I think it is all about matchups. Some teams have great offenses (i.e. Mount Union and Wesley) and some great defenses (Wabash, Mount Union, and UWW). However, if Mount destroys UST, then we were all wrong regarding strength of bracket. If UST wins by a couple scores and is never really tested, then our early predictions will be right regarding the bracketology.

North Central has a case for what?  They lost three games.  They're going to wind up ranked 14, 15, or 16.  You can't possibly give any team more benefit of the doubt than that.  Lose 30% of your games and still be ranked in the top 16 of Division III?  That's the jackpot, frankly.  You can't possibly be considering the idea that North Central should be ranked any higher than this. 

[ExTartanPlayer]

Its tough to argue anything, but the results on the field. However, I think the Stagg game is in order, because North Central has a case with its result with Wesley, Wheaton, and UWP. I think it is all about matchups. Some teams have great offenses (i.e. Mount Union and Wesley) and some great defenses (Wabash, Mount Union, and UWW). However, if Mount destroys UST, then we were all wrong regarding strength of bracket. If UST wins by a couple scores and is never really tested, then our early predictions will be right regarding the bracketology.

North Central has a case for what?  They lost three games.  They're going to wind up ranked 14, 15, or 16.  You can't possibly give any team more benefit of the doubt than that.  Lose 30% of your games and still be ranked in the top 16 of Division III?  That's the jackpot, frankly.  You can't possibly be considering the idea that North Central should be ranked any higher than this.

Before someone else jumps in and points out that those three losses came against really good teams - we know.  Using walla walla's most recent rankings for convenience, North Central lost to #7 by eight points, #8 by a point, and #10 by a touchdown.  Does that mean they're competitive with the top 10 teams?  Sure.  Playing close games against three really good teams can get you ranked somewhere just below those teams - which is exactly where they are. 

Next year North Central should go out and lose four games, but make sure they're all against top-10 teams.  We'll have someone making a case for them at #1.

[Bombers798891]

North Central has a case for what?  They lost three games.  They're going to wind up ranked 14, 15, or 16.  You can't possibly give any team more benefit of the doubt than that.  Lose 30% of your games and still be ranked in the top 16 of Division III?  That's the jackpot, frankly.  You can't possibly be considering the idea that North Central should be ranked any higher than this.

Seriously. I'd love to see an argument for North Central based on games they actually, you know, won. At some point, doesn't that have to enter the equation?

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

North Central has a case for what?  They lost three games.  They're going to wind up ranked 14, 15, or 16.  You can't possibly give any team more benefit of the doubt than that.  Lose 30% of your games and still be ranked in the top 16 of Division III?  That's the jackpot, frankly.  You can't possibly be considering the idea that North Central should be ranked any higher than this.

Seriously. I'd love to see an argument for North Central based on games they actually, you know, won. At some point, doesn't that have to enter the equation?

I think it should be based on the games they actually, you know, played... all of them.
A 1 point loss to Wesley is certainly a better result than a 20-30 point win over a majority of D3 teams. The fact that they had not one, not two, but three close results against ranked opponents further solidifies my belief that they belong right up there top 15ish.
Where would a hypothetical Montana Baptist Wesleyan that goes 0-10 with all one score losses and 2 in OT to Mount Union, St Thomas, Linfield, MHB, Wesley, UWW, UWO, Wheaton, Wabash, and Johns Hopkins be ranked? I could see them being up there quite comfortably in the top 15

[Bombers798891]

Where would a hypothetical Montana Baptist Wesleyan that goes 0-10 with all one score losses and 2 in OT to Mount Union, St Thomas, Linfield, MHB, Wesley, UWW, UWO, Wheaton, Wabash, and Johns Hopkins be ranked? I could see them being up there quite comfortably in the top 15

Unranked, like any 0-10 team should be. At some point, who you beat is more important than who you lost to. In this case, we'd have absolutely zero data to indicate this hypothetical team was capable of beating anyone else in the Top 25. It's a pretty strange argument that a team doesn't need to actually prove themselves by winning a game

[wally_wabash]

Where would a hypothetical Montana Baptist Wesleyan that goes 0-10 with all one score losses and 2 in OT to Mount Union, St Thomas, Linfield, MHB, Wesley, UWW, UWO, Wheaton, Wabash, and Johns Hopkins be ranked? I could see them being up there quite comfortably in the top 15

Unranked, like any 0-10 team should be. At some point, who you beat is more important than who you lost to. In this case, we'd have absolutely zero data to indicate this hypothetical team was capable of beating anyone else in the Top 25. It's a pretty strange argument that a team doesn't need to actually prove themselves by winning a game

Montana Baptist probably doesn't have the cachet that North Central or St. John's has.  So they would be unranked because in the hypothetical conversation about who Montana Baptist could beat, they'd get zero benefit of doubt.  Meanwhile, we have no problem whatsoever openly wondering (and sometimes flat out lobbying for) if North Central should be in the top ten or St. John's should be in the top five because, well, we don't know that they wouldn't beat some of those teams that might also be ranked that high.  It's crazy talk. 

[gordonmann]

Wait, we have a D3 team in Montana now? Pat, can you send me there to cover a hoops game?

[pg04]

Wait, we have a D3 team in Montana now? Pat, can you send me there to cover a hoops game?

You can cover both home games when Montana Baptist Wesleyan plays Palm Beach International Beach Bible College.

[bluestreak66]

Wait, we have a D3 team in Montana now? Pat, can you send me there to cover a hoops game?

You can cover both home games when Montana Baptist Wesleyan plays Palm Beach International Beach Bible College.

As if PBIBBC could ever give Montana Baptist Wesleyan a good game! Only their rival, Northwest Central Wyoming State ever comes close!

[Ralph Turner]

Wait, we have a D3 team in Montana now? Pat, can you send me there to cover a hoops game?

You can cover both home games when Montana Baptist Wesleyan plays Palm Beach International Beach Bible College.

I still think that the perfect road trip for D3football.com to take is the American Southwest Conference game when Belhaven College in Jackson MS goes to Sul Ross State in Alpine TX.

[jknezek]

Wait, we have a D3 team in Montana now? Pat, can you send me there to cover a hoops game?

You can cover both home games when Montana Baptist Wesleyan plays Palm Beach International Beach Bible College.

I still think that the perfect road trip for D3football.com to take is the American Southwest Conference game when Belhaven College in Jackson MS goes to Sul Ross State in Alpine TX.

Yeah. I think that's the longest conference road trip that I found. Absolutely horrible. 900 miles. On a bus. That's got to be 14-16 hours each way counting food stops. That alone would have me hoping someone else was recruiting me...

[Schwami]

Wait, we have a D3 team in Montana now? Pat, can you send me there to cover a hoops game?

You can cover both home games when Montana Baptist Wesleyan plays Palm Beach International Beach Bible College.

I still think that the perfect road trip for D3football.com to take is the American Southwest Conference game when Belhaven College in Jackson MS goes to Sul Ross State in Alpine TX.

Yeah. I think that's the longest conference road trip that I found. Absolutely horrible. 900 miles. On a bus. That's got to be 14-16 hours each way counting food stops. That alone would have me hoping someone else was recruiting me...

I'm guessing there were a lot of airline flights when the SCAC had Colorado College, Trinity TX, and DePauw --- or some really long bus rides.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Wait, we have a D3 team in Montana now? Pat, can you send me there to cover a hoops game?

You can cover both home games when Montana Baptist Wesleyan plays Palm Beach International Beach Bible College.

I still think that the perfect road trip for D3football.com to take is the American Southwest Conference game when Belhaven College in Jackson MS goes to Sul Ross State in Alpine TX.

Yeah. I think that's the longest conference road trip that I found. Absolutely horrible. 900 miles. On a bus. That's got to be 14-16 hours each way counting food stops. That alone would have me hoping someone else was recruiting me...

Soooo I don't know much about the respective institutions and their available resources, but I sincerely hope that they are able to find a way to get those poor kids a flight for that game.  900 miles on a bus is ridiculous.