2012 Playoffs: Bracket Reactions & more

[MonroviaCat]

Do we have a justification of the Mt. Union/UMHB pairing in the bracket from the committee? I would be curious to hear it. I'm not saying certain other conferences which are represented on the other side aren't good; but the way it seemed those 2 teams were playing would be the best showcase for the final game IMHO.

Linfield has a much higher SOS than UMHB, so that may be the big reason that the committee had Linfield as the second best team.

I was thinking they may have used some of the Regional Ranking criteria to seed teams--and I think Linfield may actually be considered the #1 seed based on the way the bracket is constructed (Mt U would be 2, MHB 3 and ST. Thomas 3)....  Linfield had the higest SOS of those teams and wins against (probably) 4 regionally ranked teams (1 from another Region--HSU)....not saying this how they decided it but if you looked at Linfield with those criteria it very well may have been.

[LaCollegeFan]

Just saw this on south regional board.. the top 4 seeds- 1. Linfield, 2. MU, 3. UMHB, and 4. St. Thomas.

[smedindy]

That makes sense - the criteria really pegs Linfield as the #1 seed.

[Pat Coleman]

Yep -- noted here with NCAA quote:

http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/2012/bracket-released

[MonroviaCat]

Of course the regional ranking criteria would probably put Mt. Union at 4th of the #1 seedes (weakest SOS and I think only 2-0 against regionally ranked opponents vs. MHB's 3-0 and St. Thomas' 2-0 but higher SOS)....but they do have a bit of a history.....

[wesleydad]

no issue with linfield 1, issue with mount at 2 over umhb.  sos and other criteria put umhb ahead of mount.

[smedindy]

That's definitely in the criteria, too. The only reference to past results are for comparing closely rated undefeated teams.

[MonroviaCat]

That's definitely in the criteria, too. The only reference to past results are for comparing closely rated undefeated teams.

Right, do they specify how far into the past those results can be considered?

[Knightstalker]

Tough draw for the CCIW.  Just hours after Pat & Company projected NCC to have won the bracketing lottery (playing CUC, surely one of the worst #2s in d3 history)), they go TO Cal Lu, and if they survive go TO Linfield!  Meanwhile, Elmhurst not only doesn't host, they travel TO a 10-0 Coe!

Tough draw indeed.  Meanwhile, Adrian loses to a CCIW team (Carthage), wins a conference that got slapped around by the CCIW's best and somehow still manages to draw a home game, while 9-1 Elmhurst travels 215 miles west. 

The NCAA folks work in mysterious ways.

Not mysterious, they pass the bong before each round of selections.

[ndoc]

Do we have a justification of the Mt. Union/UMHB pairing in the bracket from the committee? I would be curious to hear it. I'm not saying certain other conferences which are represented on the other side aren't good; but the way it seemed those 2 teams were playing would be the best showcase for the final game IMHO.

Just because d3football has MTU/UMHB #1 -#2, that does not mean at all they are the best two teams and would be the best final game.  Heck, UMHB gives up a TON of points to be ranked #2.  I'm suprised every week by that single #1 vote they get.  I see very little separating the top 6 teams.

[pg04]

Just saw this on south regional board.. the top 4 seeds- 1. Linfield, 2. MU, 3. UMHB, and 4. St. Thomas.

I guessed this about 3 hours ago here 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Tough draw for the CCIW.  Just hours after Pat & Company projected NCC to have won the bracketing lottery (playing CUC, surely one of the worst #2s in d3 history)), they go TO Cal Lu, and if they survive go TO Linfield!  Meanwhile, Elmhurst not only doesn't host, they travel TO a 10-0 Coe!

Tough draw indeed.  Meanwhile, Adrian loses to a CCIW team (Carthage), wins a conference that got slapped around by the CCIW's best and somehow still manages to draw a home game, while 9-1 Elmhurst travels 215 miles west. 

The NCAA folks work in mysterious ways.

Not mysterious, they pass the bong before each round of selections.

+k

BTW, Happy Veterans' Day to you!

[wally_wabash]

Do we have a justification of the Mt. Union/UMHB pairing in the bracket from the committee? I would be curious to hear it. I'm not saying certain other conferences which are represented on the other side aren't good; but the way it seemed those 2 teams were playing would be the best showcase for the final game IMHO.

Whether UMU or UMHB are 2 or 3 matters not...they'd wind up on the same half of the bracket either way.  The only spot where this matters is if they wind up playing in a semifinal.  But there are three games between now and then and we should probably go ahead play those out.  Cart in front of the horse and what not. 

[Pat Coleman]

That's definitely in the criteria, too. The only reference to past results are for comparing closely rated undefeated teams.

Right, do they specify how far into the past those results can be considered?

One season.

[K-Mack]

Back to cheap NCAA with two first-round in-conference matchups.

I have much less of a problem with it this year than in years when Hardin-Simmons would be 9-1 with a one-TD loss to UMHB, or 10-0 UMHB vs. 10-0 Trinity ... or even CLU getting sent to Linfield the past few years.

Here's why ... PLU and LC are two-loss teams that don't even get to the board in years when there are stronger crops of 9-1 teams. As two of the last four teams in, they should be going to play No. 1 or No. 2 seeds in Round 1 on the road. So it made sense geographically, without a doubt, but it's not like they're getting jobbed in the process.