FB: Region 4 fan poll

[wally_wabash]

Yes.  Been a busy week.  I owe you all the final regular season poll for the NRFP as well as Week 11 and final standings in the NCAC Pick 'Em.  I'll get those both out this evening.  Sorry for the delay!

[wally_wabash]

Final 2017 NRFP:


click to enlarge

The NRFP is voted on by: Captain_Joe08, Dr. Acula, FCGrizzliesGrad, HOPEful, Li'l Giant, Mr Ypsi, NCF,  smedindy, USee, and wally wabash.

Thanks to everybody who participated this year both with voting and the always good discussion in this forum.  This board is always one of my favorites on the site thanks to you all that contribute.  Let's do it again this fall. 

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Can we talk about the person who voted Wabash at 19? I know it's muddled down at the bottom of the ballot but that seems extreme

[Dr. Acula]

FWIW JCU was 6-4.  Had they been 7-3 with competitive losses to UWO and Mount they probably would have been my 10.

[wally_wabash]

Can we talk about the person who voted Wabash at 19? I know it's muddled down at the bottom of the ballot but that seems extreme

The worst part is that this is my column.  For shame.  Supposed to be 10 for Wabash there. 

FWIW JCU was 6-4.  Had they been 7-3 with competitive losses to UWO and Mount they probably would have been my 10.

Clearly I have some more cleaning up to do on this table tonight.  This week's NRFP post was inspired by the untidy work done by the selection committee this past weekend.   

[wesleydad]

Maybe the east is not the weakest region in the country.  3 and 4 in the north get trounced today, one by an east team who put up 35 on Wittenberg. 

[wally_wabash]

Maybe the east is not the weakest region in the country.  3 and 4 in the north get trounced today, one by an east team who put up 35 on Wittenberg.

Huh?  I don't know anybody in this forum had been taking shots at the East region.  I know that happens elsewhere, but the neeener-neener stuff is misdirected here I think.   

Great win by Frostburg today.  Absolutely handled Wittenberg.   

[smedindy]

Yeah, no one takes shots at the East here, especially this year when our leagues were meh or feasted on themselves.

Witt picked the wrong week to not show up.

[smedindy]

I think we've sorted out #1, #2 and #3 in the region, for keeps. And maybe #4, after faceplants by IWU and Wittenberg. Franklin put up a valiant effort out there in Iowa.

[pumkinattack]

Right, it's the geographically dispersed ones talking.  South folks still trying to lay claim to Wesley and Frostburg, perhaps after the vaunted HSU went down (tough first round matchup, I get it, but please let's stop complaining there isn't more D3 teams in the S/SW and NW/West Coast, it's still complaining about something silly), cause setting aside any artifice created by the NCAA (current conference construct in the entire NE is based on the AQ rather than historical relationships at this point) I tend to think of DE and MD as being very similar to TX and AL. 

But, after the 2012 Hobart playoff game and this one, I'm starting to drop Witt in the same bucket as W&J. Good, generally always at the top of their conference, which is middling, every time they are ranked between 15-20 they should probably be 5 or so lower, getting a reputation bump.  (understanding rankings and NCAA seeding/matchups are unrelated in theory)  Anecdotal, but my bias is heading in that direction.  There's always been a bit of an OH/PA rust belt reputation (tough physical dudes who worked summers at the steel mill) bump over the NE, but over a generation, wondering if that needs to go away. 

[Dr. Acula]

Aside from benefitting from a potential residual rust belt bump, Witt and W&J benefit from another key thing:  tradition.  Those are two programs that have been very good for a very long time.  Witt is #2 in most wins in D3 and I believe W&J is #3.  They've both made it to multiple title games although I don't think W&J ever won one.

[pumkinattack]

I know a little something about significant sports history.  It has a shelf life.  Didn't help W&J today against a pool C runner up to another school who lost by 21 to a NY state public school with very limited tradition. 

W&J and Witt are overrated in the national landscape pretty consistently. 

[wally_wabash]

Just a reminder that I'll put out a final NRFP.  There is but one North region team left standing.  I imagine we'll have all the data we need to put together final regional ballots after this weekend.  I'd like to put out the final poll by 12/17 and put the 2017 season to bed.   

[New Tradition]

(o)(o) peeking in

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

End of season polls are always a pain because there's always someone who seems to have disappeared. I'm still waiting on one ballot for the Top 25 poll too.