Pool C -- 2014

[jknezek]

Guilford was probably the best playing team at the end of the ODAC season. They lost in OT to H-SC at H-SC second to last week. Took an ugly mid-season loss to Shenandoah. Killed a pretty good E&H team in the last game. I don't really think they have cause to complain, but over a four year period they have gone from ODAC doormat to the team that will most likely be pre-season ODAC #1 next year. That might breed some overzealous fans.

The ODAC ended in a 4 way 5-2 conference tie which H-SC "won" on the tie-breaker. Year in and out, the ODAC is one of the most competitive conferences in D3. That doesn't tend to get you a lot of 10-0 type teams, let alone the 9-1 types needed for a "C" bid.

[AO]

ICYMI - here's our interview with Selection Chair Duey Naatz:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ith/2014/11/17/in-the-huddlle--liberty-league-football-talk-show

At approximately the 30:00 mark.  MIT didn't submit the paperwork to host.  Oops.

Actually they did, so Duey got that one wrong. Frank asked the MIT AD and she responded that MIT did apply to host. Apparently their seating area while older, has been "grandfathered in" with regards to NCAA / standard expectations for hosting.

Interesting.

UNFAIR!!!! just because Husson has such a huge endowment so they can afford modern bleachers.....

[ITH radio]

K+

Posted the MIT AD's full response on the NEFC boards in the ERPP if anyone cares to check it out.

[ExTartanPlayer]

I think the blog posting has some complaints from two-loss teams.

I didn't really look at that until now...wow.  Je-sus Christ.  I'll stay in here.

My favorite is actually the clowns complaining that the NCAA should put Mount and UWW in the same side of the bracket "because it would be a great semifinal" and other excuses to basically "let" someone else make the Stagg Bowl.  I'm pretty sure UMHB and Wesley want to earn their way to the Stagg Bowl by beating one of the giants, not because of a gift from the NCAA.

[GillCJ1]

I think the blog posting has some complaints from two-loss teams.

I didn't really look at that until now...wow.  Je-sus Christ.  I'll stay in here.

My favorite is actually the clowns complaining that the NCAA should put Mount and UWW in the same side of the bracket "because it would be a great semifinal" and other excuses to basically "let" someone else make the Stagg Bowl.  I'm pretty sure UMHB and Wesley want to earn their way to the Stagg Bowl by beating one of the giants, not because of a gift from the NCAA.

I know I don't speak for my school's players or other fans, but as far as I'm concerned you're dang right we want to earn it.  What's the point in showing off a championship otherwise?  No one will respect you for it.  You need to earn it.  And right now, the only way to do that is to beat either UWW or UMU.  Hope the Cru can pull it off this year.

[SaintsFAN]

I think the blog posting has some complaints from two-loss teams.

I didn't really look at that until now...wow.  Je-sus Christ.  I'll stay in here.

My favorite is actually the clowns complaining that the NCAA should put Mount and UWW in the same side of the bracket "because it would be a great semifinal" and other excuses to basically "let" someone else make the Stagg Bowl.  I'm pretty sure UMHB and Wesley want to earn their way to the Stagg Bowl by beating one of the giants, not because of a gift from the NCAA.

I read some of that on Sunday night -- there are some people on there who need to be educated on how things work in Division Three Football. 

My personal favorite was either the person who was saying they"couldn't wait until the NCAA goes down and loses money once the athletes are allowed to profit from their own likeness" or the moron who said that he wouldn't care if his team wasn't involved this season after he griped about Mount Union and Whitewater not being on the same side of the bracket.  His team was Muhlenberg, so he won't have to care too long.

[Teamski]

I think the blog posting has some complaints from two-loss teams.

I didn't really look at that until now...wow.  Je-sus Christ.  I'll stay in here.

My favorite is actually the clowns complaining that the NCAA should put Mount and UWW in the same side of the bracket "because it would be a great semifinal" and other excuses to basically "let" someone else make the Stagg Bowl.  I'm pretty sure UMHB and Wesley want to earn their way to the Stagg Bowl by beating one of the giants, not because of a gift from the NCAA.

I fully concur.  Parity comes from the competition, not an artificial seeding that allows another team into the final.  That simply results in an embarrassing and boring Stagg Bowl.....

-Ski

[smedindy]

I really hate carping about seeding (this goes for any tournament). If you're worried about who you'll play in the first and second round, then you're not really in the tourney to win it.

I'm sure Macalester is giddy about being in the playoffs, but for a lot of teams, they want to be THE team that beats a Purple, and whether that's playing them in Round 2 or the Stagg Bowl. Win your upcoming game. It will take care of itself.

(I'm also sure Macalester's players and coaches are going to try to win on Saturday, BTW...)

[PA_wesleyfan]

 I wonder how they did come up with WWW and MU in separate brackets? I honestly don't care but wouldn't the most logical way of looking at it as Wesley #4  and MU #1 which leaves us with WWW and MHB #2 and # 3.  I  would be surprised if WWW wasn't the #1. So ..draw your own conclusions. Like I said I don't care because all that matters in the end is that you win your last game!!

[wesleydad]

I wonder how they did come up with WWW and MU in separate brackets? I honestly don't care but wouldn't the most logical way of looking at it as Wesley #4  and MU #1 which leaves us with WWW and MHB #2 and # 3.  I  would be surprised if WWW wasn't the #1. So ..draw your own conclusions. Like I said I don't care because all that matters in the end is that you win your last game!!

Pa, I am figuring it was UWW 1 Mount 2 Wesley 3 and UMHB 4 since Wesley was ranked higher in the regional rankings as of last week.

[PA_wesleyfan]

 I forgot about that. I thought the loss would switch them. Just on record alone!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

The loss wasn't to a Division III school... in the grand scheme of things, the committee probably didn't even consider the loss.

[wally_wabash]

I wonder how they did come up with WWW and MU in separate brackets? I honestly don't care but wouldn't the most logical way of looking at it as Wesley #4  and MU #1 which leaves us with WWW and MHB #2 and # 3.  I  would be surprised if WWW wasn't the #1. So ..draw your own conclusions. Like I said I don't care because all that matters in the end is that you win your last game!!

Based on the performance in the previous year's championship criteria, it's pretty easy to make UWW 1 and UMU 2 overall.  There would have to be some pretty significant differences in the other primary criteria to order UWW and UMU anything other than 1 and 2 as long as they have 10-0 seasons and kick in that previous year's championship performance criterion. 

[wabndy]

I wonder how they did come up with WWW and MU in separate brackets? I honestly don't care but wouldn't the most logical way of looking at it as Wesley #4  and MU #1 which leaves us with WWW and MHB #2 and # 3.  I  would be surprised if WWW wasn't the #1. So ..draw your own conclusions. Like I said I don't care because all that matters in the end is that you win your last game!!

They came up with it because the committee aren't a bunch of fools. Nobody is going to dog mount Union or whitewater on strength of schedule or comparison RRO wins when they've earned the top two seeds year in and year out. Remember that results in last year's championship is the final tie breaking factor, so we don't need to get all conspiratorial about this. The committee is allowed to use their expertise to weigh different factors within several objective criteria. They and umhb were undefeated in their conference and against whoever was brave and foolish enough to schedule them, which at their level is not an easy calendar to fill.  Until somebody beats the two headed purple monster, they own the 1 and 2 seeds.
I doubt if there is even any real need to differentiate between #1 and #2, assuming they are going to get put on opposite sides of the bracket.  There is a slightly more interesting question to figure out who is #3 and who is #4 - except that Wesley is within a bus ride of Alliance - as is every other likely contender in the wesley bracket.  It is just a better fit to put those two brackets on the same side.  Assuming we get an all chalk semifinal round, we will just have to see if Whitewater or UMHB get picked to travel.  Even there - I would wonder if UMHB's best-in-class facilities and warmer climate make it a better choice to host the semifinal round anyway - just like last year.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yes... consider one major thing here: Dover, Delaware to Alliance, Ohio is less than 500 miles (405 per the NCAA mileage site). I am pretty sure the NCAA was not going to approve two flights in the semifinals (remember, charter flights) when they had a guaranteed bus trip should it be UWW, UMU, UMHB, and Wesley in the semis. Any other version of those four mixed and matched... is two flights (UWW to Mount Union is 507 - even if the travel team wants to bus, the NCAA can't bet on that decision).