FB: Region 4 fan poll

[smedindy]

Massey's got them miles apart, though...

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Massey's got them miles apart, though...

Massey also has Trinity (CT) as the #1 ranked team and has W New England ahead of Wittenberg so while useful, must be taken with a grain of salt

[USee]

I would take most of the pollsters on this boards ratings ahead of Massey.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I would take most of the pollsters on this boards ratings ahead of Massey.

I plan to continue completely ignoring Massey for football until he stops ranking NESCAC teams.  It is simply dishonest when using a computer program of results to 'rank' teams who are not really in D3 in football!

[Li'l Giant]

You also have some common opponents with Olivet and other NRFP teams: Benedicitine, Trine, Hope, Albion

There is plenty of data to argue Olivet should be ranked

I ranked them.

[smedindy]

Just throw them (the NESCAC) out. I do. Affects nothing about my analysis.If you can't make that adjustment then maybe you're just an obstinate luddite. 

And just because it removes emotion and wishcasting from the equation doesn't make it flawed. It's a reference point.

Western New England has basically rolled everyone - and they're helped by Springfield's close game against Hobart and them keeping SJF within an area code.Witt's hurt by the lower half of the NCAC and Denison, while 7-1, having close-ish games against Marietta and Allegheny.

Starting with week 7 or so, all of the relevant teams are 'connected' so there's real data to parse and these connections are helpful.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Yeah, to the extent that I DO reference Massey, I just ignore NESCAC.  But when a computer model includes teams which have ZERO bits of information, it makes me wonder about the competence (and ethics) of the programmer.  After all, "Garbage In, Garbage Out".  Since he is clearly putting garbage in, I gotta wonder what comes out.

[smedindy]

I'm just not sold on the MIAA:

MIAA non-conference wins:

Elmhurst
Wisconsin Lutheran
Benedictine
Concordia - Chicago (2)
Manchester (2)
Aurora (2)
Concordia - Wisconsin
Pacific
Lakeland
Rockford (2)
Oberlin

Some OK wins there, but all that says is that they're better than the NACC. The best two wins, I think, are Elmhurst and Pacific - mid pack in their conferences that have some elite teams and some meh teams. Would you like to see North Park play Lewis & Clark?

[smedindy]

Yeah, to the extent that I DO reference Massey, I just ignore NESCAC.  But when a computer model includes teams which have ZERO bits of information, it makes me wonder about the competence (and ethics) of the programmer.  After all, "Garbage In, Garbage Out".  Since he is clearly putting garbage in, I gotta wonder what comes out.

All he does is set the 'average' NESCAC team to the average college football team from all divisions. I think he should set them to the average D3 team. But I think he pays more attention to the entire rankings, since the entire rankings do affect his D1 rankings I believe. Anyway....

[Gregory Sager]

I'm just not sold on the MIAA:

MIAA non-conference wins:

Elmhurst
Wisconsin Lutheran
Benedictine
Concordia - Chicago (2)
Manchester (2)
Aurora (2)
Concordia - Wisconsin
Pacific
Lakeland
Rockford (2)
Oberlin

Some OK wins there, but all that says is that they're better than the NACC. The best two wins, I think, are Elmhurst and Pacific - mid pack in their conferences that have some elite teams and some meh teams. Would you like to see North Park play Lewis & Clark?

Sure, as long as the school is paying for my flight to Portland to call the game.

[HansenRatings]

Yeah, to the extent that I DO reference Massey, I just ignore NESCAC.  But when a computer model includes teams which have ZERO bits of information, it makes me wonder about the competence (and ethics) of the programmer.  After all, "Garbage In, Garbage Out".  Since he is clearly putting garbage in, I gotta wonder what comes out.

All he does is set the 'average' NESCAC team to the average college football team from all divisions. I think he should set them to the average D3 team. But I think he pays more attention to the entire rankings, since the entire rankings do affect his D1 rankings I believe. Anyway....

He doesn't "set" them to average, but that is how it works out. It's essentially a closed loop within a closed loop. So each closed loop inherently has the same average. Massey generally has good ratings relative to other systems, but he rates pretty much everything, and DIII football is probably pretty far down on his priorities. That said, it really doesn't affect the inputs: home/away, teams competing, and score.

[wally_wabash]

Week 9 NRFP:



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

[Mr. Ypsi]

I'm the third column this week.

I confess to voting by 'crystal ball' this week in one regard - I put Wabash ahead of Witt (despite the h-t-h) in the 'certainty in my mind' that the LGs will have little trouble with Denison this week.  (If I'm wrong, Witt will go back ahead next week.)  I still have Franklin pretty high because I discount the loss to Butler (making them effectively 6-1, not 6-2), their win over Thomas More is better than ANY NR team except NCC over Wheaton, and their narrow loss to RHIT is not looking all that horrible.

Now, about that voter who has Wheaton SIXTH ...??!!  

I might comment on the #8 vote for Carthage also, but that will presumably be rendered moot when Carthage picks up their third loss against NCC on Saturday.  IF Denison also falls decisively to Wabash, I guess my Titans WILL make it back into the poll after they SMASH BYE (I've heard BYE is so down this year they couldn't beat a Pop Warner team).

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

I'm the last column... I guess I'm the only one who believes in Denison more than John Carroll. Honestly, I don't trust anyone from 6 (on my ballot) on down

[Captain_Joe08]

I'm the third column this week.

I confess to voting by 'crystal ball' this week in one regard - I put Wabash ahead of Witt (despite the h-t-h) in the 'certainty in my mind' that the LGs will have little trouble with Denison this week.  (If I'm wrong, Witt will go back ahead next week.)  I still have Franklin pretty high because I discount the loss to Butler (making them effectively 6-1, not 6-2), their win over Thomas More is better than ANY NR team except NCC over Wheaton, and their narrow loss to RHIT is not looking all that horrible.

Now, about that voter who has Wheaton SIXTH ...??!!  

I might comment on the #8 vote for Carthage also, but that will presumably be rendered moot when Carthage picks up their third loss against NCC on Saturday.  IF Denison also falls decisively to Wabash, I guess my Titans WILL make it back into the poll after they SMASH BYE (I've heard BYE is so down this year they couldn't beat a Pop Warner team).

Makes my leaving out DePauw a few weeks back a look minor. Speaking of which, who is surprised that DePauw did not get any love this week despite beating Denison?

I am the next to last column. Kinda had it hard to move teams up from the bottom half of the poll.