FB: Region 4 fan poll

[Mr. Ypsi]

I'm either the middle column or the far right column.  I've never before noticed two ballots being completely identical.  With only ten teams, I'm sure it happens, but you're not likely to notice it unless one of the ballots is yours!

So ... which one of you reprobates hacked my computer and copied my ballot?!

[wally_wabash]

No hack needed, Mr. Y.   

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

I'm either the middle column or the far right column.  I've never before noticed two ballots being completely identical.  With only ten teams, I'm sure it happens, but you're not likely to notice it unless one of the ballots is yours!

So ... which one of you reprobates hacked my computer and copied my ballot?!

Definitely wasn't me... I was column 1. I don't think I've ever been this different from the group before... and that includes when I had North Central ahead of Mount Union in the final poll after UMU beat them in the semifinals by 1 point.

I'm curious to hear why Carthage jumped so much. They went from 10 to off for me meaning the other 8 voters raised them 18 points (2.25 a ballot).
Also (purely from a Griz perspective) I'm a bit sad that everyone is off of Franklin now, especially after they played their best all around game I've seen in quite some time. Hopefully they'll creep back onto ballots as teams knock each other off.

[Mr. Ypsi]

No hack needed, Mr. Y.   

Just collect the ballots and copy your favorite, eh?

I'm either the middle column or the far right column.  I've never before noticed two ballots being completely identical.  With only ten teams, I'm sure it happens, but you're not likely to notice it unless one of the ballots is yours!

So ... which one of you reprobates hacked my computer and copied my ballot?!

Definitely wasn't me... I was column 1. I don't think I've ever been this different from the group before... and that includes when I had North Central ahead of Mount Union in the final poll after UMU beat them in the semifinals by 1 point.

I'm curious to hear why Carthage jumped so much. They went from 10 to off for me meaning the other 8 voters raised them 18 points (2.25 a ballot).
Also (purely from a Griz perspective) I'm a bit sad that everyone is off of Franklin now, especially after they played their best all around game I've seen in quite some time. Hopefully they'll creep back onto ballots as teams knock each other off.

If Franklin keeps winning, I'm sure they will be back on my ballot before season's end; same with JCU.

Carthage has held steady at #7 on my ballot ever since they destroyed Bethel (though that may not be the accomplishment I thought at the time, but they DID beat them worse than anyone else has, including Concordia-Moorhead and St. John's).  Walloping Augie and Carroll doesn't earn many points in my book.  They still have games AT IWU and AT NCC so they can rise or fall on the field (I suspect they will fall).

[smedindy]

I moved Carthage back in...

[Captain_Joe08]

Kicked one team off the list with a loss and nearly kicked another one off despite winning. Really tough voting this week.

[Dr. Acula]

I had Carthage 10 last week and 7 this week.  It was less a product of moving them up as it was moving down the teams I had just ahead of them (the NCAC teams).  I would have left Carthage near the bottom had everyone held serve, but after watching a good amount of NCAC football last weekend I couldn't just leave those teams where they were.  I felt like I had to move them down. 


 

[wally_wabash]

I had Carthage 10 last week and 7 this week.  It was less a product of moving them up as it was moving down the teams I had just ahead of them (the NCAC teams).  I would have left Carthage near the bottom had everyone held serve, but after watching a good amount of NCAC football last weekend I couldn't just leave those teams where they were.  I felt like I had to move them down.   

There's a weird thing happening in the NCAC right now where it sorta looks like the league is getting better because we're seeing some closer results between teams that don't always play close games, but in the end I'm with you, Dr. A.  I'm not convinced right now that the league bunching up is a product of more NCAC teams getting good as much as it is some other NCAC teams drifting toward average.  Maybe it makes for more entertaining games, but the November prognosis for whoever comes out of the league right now doesn't look awesome.  It's a pretty mushy top third of the league at the moment, iyam. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Barring a monumental upset in Tiffin, it looks to be a very quiet week for North Region voters this week.  In the CCIW, Carthage is idle and the three big dogs are all favored by Massey by 90+% (in fact, he has NCC 100% to NPU 0% -can't recall ever seeing that before!)  Witt plays Hiram.  There are only three games that will likely affect voters near the bottom of their ballots: Denison is at Wabash (I think everyone has at least one of the two on their ballot) and in the MIAA, 3-1 Hope hosts 3-1 Alma, while 4-0 Trine visits traditionally strong but 1-3 this season Albion.

Two other teams on the radar get no chance to prove anything this week: JCU plays Marietta; Franklin 'plays' Earlham.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

In the CCIW, Carthage is idle and the three big dogs are all favored by Massey by 90+% (in fact, he has NCC 100% to NPU 0% -can't recall ever seeing that before!)

There's 5 games this week listed as 100%/0% games including the Franklin/Earlham game. I'd be curious to see whether any of the 0% teams have ever pulled off the upset.
Edit: Had a quick look through this years games... there have been 20 such games so far in D3 (2 vs non D3 and 2 NESCAC). Whether you count Williams only losing by 8 to Trinity or not as the closest... the best non-NESCAC game was Earlham only losing by 22 points to Hiram.

[Mr. Ypsi]

In the CCIW, Carthage is idle and the three big dogs are all favored by Massey by 90+% (in fact, he has NCC 100% to NPU 0% -can't recall ever seeing that before!)

There's 5 games this week listed as 100%/0% games including the Franklin/Earlham game. I'd be curious to see whether any of the 0% teams have ever pulled off the upset.
Edit: Had a quick look through this years games... there have been 20 such games so far in D3 (2 vs non D3 and 2 NESCAC). Whether you count Williams only losing by 8 to Trinity or not as the closest... the best non-NESCAC game was Earlham only losing by 22 points to Hiram.

I guess it is pretty obvious that I don't generally follow Massey!   I only knew the CCIW odds because Gregory Sager posts the Massey picks each week - pretty sure this is the first time he has ever posted a 100-0 Massey prediction for the CCIW.

There is one other 'game' involving teams NRFP voters may be watching, but even though Oberlin is currently 2-2, I can't imagine they will give DePauw any trouble on Saturday.  Assuming DePauw moves to 5-0, I may have to give them a nod if anyone else falters.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

I feel confident in my top 4... after that I have no idea who I'll put where. Wheaton with their 2nd close loss in a row... Heidelberg getting thumped... while DePauw, Wabash and Trine keep a 0 in the loss column. Maybe I'll stick the Benedictine-Lakeland winner on my ballot next week

[smedindy]

Millikin may have played its way on here, too.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I feel confident in my top 4... after that I have no idea who I'll put where. Wheaton with their 2nd close loss in a row... Heidelberg getting thumped... while DePauw, Wabash and Trine keep a 0 in the loss column. Maybe I'll stick the Benedictine-Lakeland winner on my ballot next week

Agreed.  Since rankings are comparative, simple mathematics dictates that SOMEONE has to be the fifth best team in the region.  But I am having a devil of a time coming up with a team I can put fifth without gagging a bit.

The Machine is still The Machine, but losing THAT badly suggests Heidelberg had been overranked.  Same with Denison, who has lost two weeks in a row.  Wabash, DePauw, and Trine are all 5-0, but their list of victims is underwhelming (though Trine, at least, has been DESTROYING their opponents).  And I just can't quite come to grips with Millikin over Wheaton - was Wheaton THAT overrated (both losses came in the final seconds, but should the opponents have been close enough to matter?) or has Millikin been THAT overlooked (they did give 5-1 RHIT their only loss, AT RHIT)?

I'm tempted to vote for ten, but number the ranks 1-4, then 10-15!

[Mr. Ypsi]

Sent my ballot in a couple hours ago.  To me, at least, the top four are obvious (as is the order); beyond that I think there are about ten teams that you could select any six, put them in any order, and I wouldn't argue against you very strenuously!

So much for my post on Wednesday predicting a 'very quiet week' for NRFP voters!  I hadn't taken into the account the effects of UMU treating Heidi like they were Wilma, of Wabash reasserting dominance over Denison, and certainly not of Millikin upending Wheaton - I thought the season was supposed to eventually clarify things, not just get harder and harder!