FB: Region 4 fan poll

[DPU3619]

I use http://www.openoffice.org/ for my spreadsheet and document based needs.

I'll try this!  Thanks a lot!

[Mugsy]

It'll be REALLY interesting to see the fallout from the North Central / Illinois Wesleyan game. I think Ill. Wesleyan has proven itself this season. So I bet they stay close to NC and then I think they won't fall much if they lose.

I agree; if NCC wins, what happens in the NCC-IWU-Wheaton triangle?
And, the logical follow-up, which of them makes the strongest Pool C candidate?

Made even more cloudy if NCC beats IWU this weekend and Wheaton beats NCC on Nov. 5th.  Barring any crazy upsets in other conference games that would leave NCC, Wheaton and IWU all at 6-1 in conference.  NCC would be 8-2 over all and both Wheaton and IWU would be 9-1. 

However it is possible NCC would be the AQ in that case based on point differential between the 3 teams.  That would likely give IWU the nod for the best chance at Pool C given they beat Wheaton head-to-head and both teams were 9-1. 

Not sure how likely this case is in reality, but it represents a possible scenario where a 9-1 CCIW team fails to make the playoffs.

[USee]

You could also see the first time 3 CCIW teams make the playoffs. If Wheaton finishes 9-1 it would be hard to leave them out of pool C consideration given their SOS numbers and will have beaten at least 1 RRO. Of course this would require IWU to be taken pretty early in the Pool C process but that's for another thread.

[lakeshore]

CCIW is so tough...Wheaton beat Wabash by 30 points in the pre-season scrimmage yet is still ranked behind them.  Most other D3 conference champs would be a 3-4 team in the CCIW, OAC, WIAC

[Pat Coleman]

My official take: scrimmage, shmimmage.

[Mugsy]

CCIW is so tough...Wheaton beat Wabash by 30 points in the pre-season scrimmage yet is still ranked behind them.  Most other D3 conference champs would be a 3-4 team in the CCIW, OAC, WIAC

I wouldn't use the results of a scrimmage to weigh comparitive strength of opponents.  Some Wheaton/Wabash scrimmages (particularly when Coach Creighton was at Wabash) were even scripted to see how each team would react to specific situations.  Not sure the scrimmages go to that level of "openness" anymore.

Scrimmages include 2nd team vs. 2nd team, 3rd team vs. 3rd team, sometimes 1st team vs 2nd team get mixed in.  I didn't see the results of this year's scrimmage, but what if it was 10-7 during the 1st team session, while the 2nd team of Wheaton outscored Wabash's by 20+ points.  Does that mean Wheaton is 30 points better than Wabash?

I'd also like to point out that in 2008, Wabash actually "beat" Wheaton in the pre-season scrimmage, which had the Wabash faithful very hopeful for the 2008 season. Yet Wheaton beat Wabash in the playoff game 59-28.

Clearly there is some disparity in the strength of conferences, where as you point out a conference champ of one conference may not even be the 3rd or 4th best team in another conference.  But I would not use the result of a scrimmage as a measuring stick.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Agreed w/Pat and Mugsy.  Can't use a preseason scrimmage as conclusive evidence that one team is better than the other, for a number of reasons.  That said...

"Most other D3 conference champs would be a 3-4 team in the CCIW, OAC, WIAC."

This, I agree with.

[wally_wabash]

Relevant results today....CWRU and  Witt have close wins, but they are wins.  Trine loses at home to Hope, so their time in this poll and as a subject in any Pool C conversation is done.  I put JCU on my watch list last week, but they lost to ONU today, so that's done.  North Central blanked IWU...IWU will drop, but certainly not out.  B-W hung a 70-burger on Wilmington today.  Wow. 

Might we get a consensus 10 this week??

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Might we get a consensus 10 this week??

Consensus? In a poll? Inconceivable!
If Carthage can upset Wheaton then we'll be sure not to have consensus

[smedindy]

I kept the same teams, but rethought my 6-7-8 and dropped Illinois Wesleyan down.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

I haven't submitted yet because I like to sleep on it first, but at the moment I have a couple changes from last week (not counting IWU losing) as well.
Should be interesting to see how far everyone drops the Titans.

[DPU3619]

North Region Fan Poll Week 8:

1. Mount Union         60 pts (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1)
2. North Central        54 pts (2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2)
3. Wabash               45 pts (3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5)
4. Wheaton              43 pts (3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5)
5. Illinois Wesleyan    34 pts (4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7)
6. Adrian                 32 pts (5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6)
7. Baldwin-Wallace    22 pts (7, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8)
8. Franklin                21 pts (5, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9)
9. Wittenberg           12 pts (8, 9, 9, 9, 9, 10)
10. Heidelberg           4 pts  (9, 10, 10, -, -, -)

RV CWRU                  3 pts (10, 10, 10, -, -, -)



The North Region Fan Poll is voted on by Wes Anderson, wally_wabash, smedindy, Mr. Ypsi, ADL70, & FCGrizzliesGrad.

[wally_wabash]

Just had a derp! moment...didn't IWU beat Wheaton h2h?  I blew it...I wasn't the only one.  I'll get that corrected next week. 

[DPU3619]

All but one of us put Wheaton ahead of IWU, actually.  I intended to do that.  That was a close game in Bloomington.  If two teams are of a similar caliber, then I think the home team ought to win that game close, which is what happened.  To me, I can't automatically assume IWU > Wheaton because of that one close result at IWU's place a month ago.

I'm sure there's a degree of "what have you done for me lately" involved in that, too.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Just about as close to a consensus 10 as you can get.  Top 8 basically the same in everybody's poll, Witt at #9 in almost-everybody's poll, and Berg/CWRU at 10.  I think that Heidelberg deserves to be ranked ahead of CWRU at the moment, but they'll have to beat JCU and ONU to stay there. 

Supposing that they do, does anyone see Heidelberg as a darkhorse Pool C candidate as the possible OAC #2 (if B-W gets upset by John Carroll)?  I don't - I certainly would have them behind the CCIW's runner-up(s), UW-Oshkosh, and a few South teams - just fishing for different opinions.