FB: Region 4 fan poll

[smedindy]

Based on on-the-field merit there should not be a 2nd OAC team in the RR.  JCU has 3 losses.  Berg and ONU both lost to Etta.  That alone should automatically disqualify you IMO.   

Heidelberg's got a great SOS, now.

[USee]

Based on on-the-field merit there should not be a 2nd OAC team in the RR.  JCU has 3 losses.  Berg and ONU both lost to Etta.  That alone should automatically disqualify you IMO.   

Heidelberg's got a great SOS, now.

Heidleberg .580 0-1 v RRO
Wheaton .562  2-1 v RRO

IWU .495  2-1 v RRO
NCC .521 1-1 v RRO
Trine .456  0-0 v RRO
Witt .546  1-0 v RRO?

[Mr. Ypsi]

It's amazing to me that IWU can have played UWW, NCC, Wheaton, and Carthage, and has an SOS below .500!  SOS is fatally flawed.

[Pat Coleman]

Elmhurst, North Park, Carroll and Augustana went a combined 1-6 vs. D-III outside of the conference.

[Pat Coleman]

Elmhurst, North Park, Carroll and Augustana went a combined 1-6 vs. D-III outside of the conference.

Also, have to look at what Nebraska Wesleyan has done this year.

[smedindy]

It's amazing to me that IWU can have played UWW, NCC, Wheaton, and Carthage, and has an SOS below .500!  SOS is fatally flawed.

If you take the good, you gotta take the bad. Nebraska Wesleyan's 1-7, and then the IIAC is a whole pile of disappointing meh behind Wartburg (for the OOWP)

[Gregory Sager]

Elmhurst, North Park, Carroll and Augustana went a combined 1-6 vs. D-III outside of the conference.

Take NPU out of that equation, and you get 0-6.

[merlecanlas]

It's amazing to me that IWU can have played UWW, NCC, Wheaton, and Carthage, and has an SOS below .500!  SOS is fatally flawed.

I wouldn't say is fatally flawed, but I don't think its a great measure of a team A vs team B.  I don't have another way to measure strength of schedule, but I don't think it's "fair" for non-D3 to be worthless.  I understand that a team shouldn't be punished for playing up a level (D2), but (imo) teams should be punished for scheduling College of Faith or Virginia-Lynchburg.  For those games to not count for anything is almost a benefit to D3 teams.

Look at UWO this year, JCU is a great OOC game and should be rewarded in SOS.  But VA-Lynchburg would be a 1-9 or 0-10 type D3 team and bring down UWO's SOS tremendously, but instead it counts for nothing.  Plus in terms of the playoffs;  instead of filling a tenth game with a sub-par D3 team (record-wise) UWO is better off taking a bye.

I understand the travel and budget issues of D3 athletics, and there is no easy way to "fix" this.  But SOS is a strange thing in D3.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Yeah, I understand the math of how they are sub-.500 in SOS, but it still seems totally odd.  Already having to face NCC and Wheaton in conference (they have beaten both of them in the same season exactly ONCE in the 21st century), they go and take on perennial Stagg Bowl participant UWW in the OOC!  UWW was #3 in the pre-season poll, so who knew they would not only miss the Stagg but miss the playoffs, and who knew Neb Wes would be THAT bad?  They SCHEDULED well (one very daunting opponent, one decent opponent that would hopefully build confidence), but the future intervened.  And we're not about to quit the conference just because Elmhurst, et. al., currently stink.

With only Millikin remaining, we will probably finish just a shade over .500; but as far as expected high-quality opponents, IWU must rank in the top ten.

[Gregory Sager]

And we're not about to quit the conference just because Elmhurst, et. al., currently stink.

Yes, your former athletic director was famous for suggesting that other schools quit the conference for stinking ... which didn't exactly endear him, or your alma mater, to others.

[wally_wabash]

I wouldn't say is fatally flawed, but I don't think its a great measure of a team A vs team B.  I don't have another way to measure strength of schedule, but I don't think it's "fair" for non-D3 to be worthless.  I understand that a team shouldn't be punished for playing up a level (D2), but (imo) teams should be punished for scheduling College of Faith or Virginia-Lynchburg.  For those games to not count for anything is almost a benefit to D3 teams.

Look at UWO this year, JCU is a great OOC game and should be rewarded in SOS.  But VA-Lynchburg would be a 1-9 or 0-10 type D3 team and bring down UWO's SOS tremendously, but instead it counts for nothing.  Plus in terms of the playoffs;  instead of filling a tenth game with a sub-par D3 team (record-wise) UWO is better off taking a bye.

I understand the travel and budget issues of D3 athletics, and there is no easy way to "fix" this.  But SOS is a strange thing in D3.

Punished seems harsh.  I don't think Oshkosh wanted to schedule those games (and they basically got shamed out of the CoF engagement).  How many calls do you think got made before they landed on VA-Lynchburg?  They're definitely not going to repeat 2014 and stack up a bunch of Ls against scholarship schools- that decision cost them a place in the tournament.  I don't know what the "fix" is, but I don't think you can do anything punitive with Oshkosh if nobody inside the division will agree to play them. 

[smedindy]

There should be someone willing to play them - it's why some WIAC schools have shrunk to nine game schedules and on a couple of occasions played each other twice.

[Diezel1]

Trine's 55-34 win at Adrian was too close for me... (The game was tie 27-27 going into the 4th) I dropped them to be more in line with everyone else. Hope beat Adrian 22-3. An elite team doesn't allow Adrian to put up 34 points and I'm worried what happens to Trine in the playoffs when they play a team with a much better defense than any they've seen so far this season.

Adrian is 29th in the country in total yardage a game offensively, they are very explosive. The circumstances from the Hope game are not indicative to the talent Adrian has on the offensive side of the ball.

[merlecanlas]

I wouldn't say is fatally flawed, but I don't think its a great measure of a team A vs team B.  I don't have another way to measure strength of schedule, but I don't think it's "fair" for non-D3 to be worthless.  I understand that a team shouldn't be punished for playing up a level (D2), but (imo) teams should be punished for scheduling College of Faith or Virginia-Lynchburg.  For those games to not count for anything is almost a benefit to D3 teams.

Look at UWO this year, JCU is a great OOC game and should be rewarded in SOS.  But VA-Lynchburg would be a 1-9 or 0-10 type D3 team and bring down UWO's SOS tremendously, but instead it counts for nothing.  Plus in terms of the playoffs;  instead of filling a tenth game with a sub-par D3 team (record-wise) UWO is better off taking a bye.

I understand the travel and budget issues of D3 athletics, and there is no easy way to "fix" this.  But SOS is a strange thing in D3.

Punished seems harsh.  I don't think Oshkosh wanted to schedule those games (and they basically got shamed out of the CoF engagement).  How many calls do you think got made before they landed on VA-Lynchburg?  They're definitely not going to repeat 2014 and stack up a bunch of Ls against scholarship schools- that decision cost them a place in the tournament.  I don't know what the "fix" is, but I don't think you can do anything punitive with Oshkosh if nobody inside the division will agree to play them.

I'd love to see who paid to have VA-Lynchburg fly(?) to Wisconsin.  There has to be some D3 teams around instead of playing some joke school from NAIA (are they even NAIA?).  Maybe University of Phoenix or Southern New Hampshire can fill out the UWO schedule next year

[wally_wabash]

I wouldn't say is fatally flawed, but I don't think its a great measure of a team A vs team B.  I don't have another way to measure strength of schedule, but I don't think it's "fair" for non-D3 to be worthless.  I understand that a team shouldn't be punished for playing up a level (D2), but (imo) teams should be punished for scheduling College of Faith or Virginia-Lynchburg.  For those games to not count for anything is almost a benefit to D3 teams.

Look at UWO this year, JCU is a great OOC game and should be rewarded in SOS.  But VA-Lynchburg would be a 1-9 or 0-10 type D3 team and bring down UWO's SOS tremendously, but instead it counts for nothing.  Plus in terms of the playoffs;  instead of filling a tenth game with a sub-par D3 team (record-wise) UWO is better off taking a bye.

I understand the travel and budget issues of D3 athletics, and there is no easy way to "fix" this.  But SOS is a strange thing in D3.

Punished seems harsh.  I don't think Oshkosh wanted to schedule those games (and they basically got shamed out of the CoF engagement).  How many calls do you think got made before they landed on VA-Lynchburg?  They're definitely not going to repeat 2014 and stack up a bunch of Ls against scholarship schools- that decision cost them a place in the tournament.  I don't know what the "fix" is, but I don't think you can do anything punitive with Oshkosh if nobody inside the division will agree to play them.

I'd love to see who paid to have VA-Lynchburg fly(?) to Wisconsin.  There has to be some D3 teams around instead of playing some joke school from NAIA (are they even NAIA?).  Maybe University of Phoenix or Southern New Hampshire can fill out the UWO schedule next year

Who?  Serious question- who are the D3 teams around, and do you think they weren't approached at all?