FB: Southern Athletic Association

[HookEmVikes]

Berry moves to #11 in the D3 top 25 poll. It will be interesting to see where everything shakes out over the next 2 weeks. Berry needs to win at Trinity Nov. 10th to go 10-0. Not sure if they will be able to crack the top 10, but at 10-0, that should assure a 1st round playoff game. The second round home game would be awesome if they get to it, but not sure how things will fall and of course you have to win in round 2. Lose to Trinity and the 1st round home game could be in jeopardy.....A rematch with Maryville could be in the cards as a 1st round game.

[BerryViking92]

9-0 is sweet.  Much better performance this week than against Millsaps.  Saturday was a fun day in Rome. 

Congrats to Maryville for turning their season around.

Congrats to Centre on an impressive season.  Would be great to get 2 SAA teams in the playoffs.

[BerryCollegeFan]

I would think the committee would try to avoid re-matches, but I guess the travel concerns would be a bigger factor.

[BerryViking92]

I would think the committee would try to avoid re-matches, but I guess the travel concerns would be a bigger factor.

I think you are right ....

[jknezek]

Yes. We see this every year. They do try to avoid rematches, but for island teams it is what it is.

[Ron Boerger]

Travel ($) is always the #1 factor in D3 playoffs.   That's why you see things like a first-round match-up of two top-ten teams in Texas or on the West Coast (in all kinds of sports, not just football) when other opponents are 500+ miles away.   If they can make it work without flying a team, you get a fair first-round match-up.   

That said, with a win at Trinity a 10-0 Berry certainly should get the first-round home game it deserves, and a very good shot at the conference's (and school's) second NCAA playoff win - with potential for more. 

Centre ... going to be tough and they need some help.   In their favor:  "good" loss to Berry, high SOS (which will come down as they play sub-.500 Sewanee and .500-ish (depending on this weekend's result vs. Millsaps) B-SC).   Working against them:  no wins against regionally ranked teams.   This week's initial Regional Rankings should give us insight into where Centre is on the table regionally and what other Pool C candidates they will be competing against. 

[HookEmVikes]

I understand the travel / $$ criteria in the 1st round, but I also hate it. Has nothing to do with who I think Berry will play either. I don't want to see top ten teams play each other in the 1st round. IF it is a true bracket system of 32 teams, 1 should play 32, 2 should play 31 and so on. It will probably never be that way because of $$.

[Pat Coleman]

I understand the travel / $$ criteria in the 1st round, but I also hate it. Has nothing to do with who I think Berry will play either. I don't want to see top ten teams play each other in the 1st round. IF it is a true bracket system of 32 teams, 1 should play 32, 2 should play 31 and so on. It will probably never be that way because of $$.

I'd highly recommend the podcast we did last week with the national committee chair for more explanation of how it works.

http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/2018/10/25/around-the-nation-podcast-216-committee-chair-explains-it-all/

[Ron Boerger]

I understand the travel / $$ criteria in the 1st round, but I also hate it. Has nothing to do with who I think Berry will play either. I don't want to see top ten teams play each other in the 1st round. IF it is a true bracket system of 32 teams, 1 should play 32, 2 should play 31 and so on. It will probably never be that way because of $$.

Be thankful you're not impacted by it more; I can't tell you how many times a team has had to travel someplace to save the NCAA money.  It's sad when you're the top seed in a four-team bracket but have to play hundreds of miles away, or more  At least in football you almost always get the home game if you're the higher seed; the only way you don't is if you forget to file to host or don't have adequate facilities, the latter being exceedingly rare these days.   

[HookEmVikes]

I understand the travel / $$ criteria in the 1st round, but I also hate it. Has nothing to do with who I think Berry will play either. I don't want to see top ten teams play each other in the 1st round. IF it is a true bracket system of 32 teams, 1 should play 32, 2 should play 31 and so on. It will probably never be that way because of $$.

I'd highly recommend the podcast we did last week with the national committee chair for more explanation of how it works.

http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/2018/10/25/around-the-nation-podcast-216-committee-chair-explains-it-all/

Pat, podcast was great and the info was great. Loved the Wu Tang Clan information as well....lol. I understand the 500 mile radius and can appreciate the committee trying to put together some different match-ups when selecting seeds. I get it. If $$ was no object, you could fly teams wherever you wanted.

[BerryCollegeFan]

If Maryville wins, it is highly likely Berry will see them again in the 1st round.  I don't know all the other possible candidates, but maybe Franklin or Randolph-Macon are close enough if they win,  but those are still pretty long trips.

[jknezek]

If Maryville wins, it is highly likely Berry will see them again in the 1st round.  I don't know all the other possible candidates, but maybe Franklin or Randolph-Macon are close enough if they win,  but those are still pretty long trips.

You can use the NCAA TES Mileage Calculator to check. https://web1.ncaa.org/TES/exec/miles

Berry is 611 miles from RMC, 463 from Franklin. So Franklin will work for Berry. RMC and Maryville are possibilities for each other but RMC is not a bus trip from Berry.

[tigerFanAlso2]

BerryCollegeFan

Waste no time, at least right now trying to figure a first round game. Way too much football to be played and lots can happen to change things around.
In 2013 HSC won the ODAC, had 8-2 record. Everyone was thinking we were on our way to UMU for first round. Many upsets last week of season, HSC ended up hosting first round vs. Maryville and flew to Linfield for second round. My memory is like 11 8-1 teams got beat last week of regular season and that just completed changed everything.

Good luck to you guys going forward. Hope things fall your way, finish 10-0, host 1st round and fingers crossed for second round opponent/venue.

[MUC57]

Berry College fans

Where are all your posters? Here I am, a wanderer from Mount Union, down here to cheer you on and wish you the best. Seems like you have a pretty good program going down there in Georgia. And, as we know, success is a great recruiting tool. Keep it going. Not all of the best teams are in the upper Midwest. Berry College? Oh yeah, I've heard of them. They're pretty good. Go Vikings!

[BerryCollegeFan]

BerryCollegeFan

Waste no time, at least right now trying to figure a first round game. Way too much football to be played and lots can happen to change things around.
In 2013 HSC won the ODAC, had 8-2 record. Everyone was thinking we were on our way to UMU for first round. Many upsets last week of season, HSC ended up hosting first round vs. Maryville and flew to Linfield for second round. My memory is like 11 8-1 teams got beat last week of regular season and that just completed changed everything.

Good luck to you guys going forward. Hope things fall your way, finish 10-0, host 1st round and fingers crossed for second round opponent/venue.

Being an off week for Berry, the conversation is more passing time than anything.  I understand the goals of the NCAA when they set-up the playoffs.  I also know that if more fans attended the playoff games regularly each year, the NCAA would have more flexibility in their travel constraints.  Fans can make a difference.