Pool C -- 2014

[MonroviaCat]

I wonder how much favorable impact the plummeting price of oil will have on the cost of these charters.   One hopes the operators will pass some of the savings on to the AA.   Given the push to cut the division's budget, the result 20% lower prices could have a decent impact, assuming oil stays down.

That was the best joke I've read in a long time

[USee]

With the discussion above, would they cluster Wartburg and UWW as #1 seeds since they could easily be a 3rd round matchup without a flight?

Are we going to come to this?


/O'Bannoned....;

Maybe but I doubt it. They separated UWW and St Thomas as #1's in the past. The precedent for putting high seeds together in early rounds is usually due to travel. With the location in the midwest of Wartburg, UWW, etc those shouldn't be issues.

[Upstate]

Thanks to their epic let down of an offensive performance St John Fisher is out of Pool A consideration. Question now is do they have a chance to sneak in as a two loss at large bid again?

[smedindy]

They may thank their stars that Hobart won but they're going to fall behind Framingham and may not make it to the table.

[ITH radio]

Maybe not. Frank noted the Fisher SOS was wrong in the rankings. May not drop far after all?

[smedindy]

Maybe not. Frank noted the Fisher SOS was wrong in the rankings. May not drop far after all?

If there is a two loss team I think it's Bethel this season. The two non-conference teams Bethel played this year have lost one game between them.

[K-Mack]

Makes sense KM.

The Committee chair admitted to us in our interview last season they take a top 8, take 1&2 in each bracket and then build from there. Seedings are used, just not published since the 500 mile rule may necessitate non-traditional (3v6, 4v5 etc) matchups.

I disagree with the prior statement from KMack in the present bracketing.  The wording in the Manual has seemed to change to forcing a "clustering" of teams by geography, and the only way to create balance in brackets after clustering is to heed the 500-mile rule.  It seems to be a more strict set of sentences than what I previously remember.  The 2011 budget-busting bracketing may have forced more Round 2 and Round 3 flight awareness.

Okay, well Rowan played at UMHB in Round 2 last year, and H-SC played at Linfield, then in Round 2 SJFC went to UMHB and Linfield and Whitewater played. A more flight-conscious arrangement would have put the UMHB/Redlands Round 1 game in the path of the Linfeld/PLU game, and they weren't even in the same quadrant.

So whatever point you're trying to make might be correct, but it doesn't refute my original observation.

[K-Mack]

Saying this here since I don't know where else to bring it up: Southern Virginia counts as a D3 opponent. Wesleys SOS takes a little bit of a shot. Does this factor into seedings with Wesley, Wartburg and perhaps Bethel?

This is interesting because I've been thinking about this as well and Wesley might not be locked in to a #1 seed like we've thought.  Adding in the SoVirginia game does ding Wesley's SOS.  It goes from ridiculously beastly to just beastly.  They're fine on the SOS front.  Where Wesley stops being fine is that Rowan, Salisbury, and Louisiana College have gone on to post decidedly pedestrian seasons.  What could have been a 5-0 vs. D3 with a beastly SOS and as much as 3-0 vs. RRO is going to wind up as 5-0 vs. D3 with a beastly SOS and 1-0 vs. RRO.  Now, if they beat UNCC in Week 11, they win.  #1 seed, hands down, no argument.  If they don't though, here are some things to consider:

Wartburg - 8-0, .583 SOS (actually better than Wesley's currently, but that'll change), 1-0 vs. RRO with that one being what might be the MIAC champion and current West #3 Bethel.  And a beatemdown at that.  Very impressive. 

Delaware Valley - Sitting at 8-0 currently and ranked #1 in the east (in spite of my projecting Widener to win the MAC), could get to 10-0 with a respectable SOS and- check this out- 3-0 vs. RRO (Montclair State, Lycoming, Widener).  That's seriously heady stuff there. 

I think those two teams would both be in play for a #1 seed, along with Wesley, if Wesley loses to UNCC.

This was a good observation, but I wonder how Bethel and Montclair State losing change it.

[wally_wabash]

Saying this here since I don't know where else to bring it up: Southern Virginia counts as a D3 opponent. Wesleys SOS takes a little bit of a shot. Does this factor into seedings with Wesley, Wartburg and perhaps Bethel?

This is interesting because I've been thinking about this as well and Wesley might not be locked in to a #1 seed like we've thought.  Adding in the SoVirginia game does ding Wesley's SOS.  It goes from ridiculously beastly to just beastly.  They're fine on the SOS front.  Where Wesley stops being fine is that Rowan, Salisbury, and Louisiana College have gone on to post decidedly pedestrian seasons.  What could have been a 5-0 vs. D3 with a beastly SOS and as much as 3-0 vs. RRO is going to wind up as 5-0 vs. D3 with a beastly SOS and 1-0 vs. RRO.  Now, if they beat UNCC in Week 11, they win.  #1 seed, hands down, no argument.  If they don't though, here are some things to consider:

Wartburg - 8-0, .583 SOS (actually better than Wesley's currently, but that'll change), 1-0 vs. RRO with that one being what might be the MIAC champion and current West #3 Bethel.  And a beatemdown at that.  Very impressive. 

Delaware Valley - Sitting at 8-0 currently and ranked #1 in the east (in spite of my projecting Widener to win the MAC), could get to 10-0 with a respectable SOS and- check this out- 3-0 vs. RRO (Montclair State, Lycoming, Widener).  That's seriously heady stuff there. 

I think those two teams would both be in play for a #1 seed, along with Wesley, if Wesley loses to UNCC.

This was a good observation, but I wonder how Bethel and Montclair State losing change it.

Lots of results around the world today that affect a lot more than just Pool A.  Wednesday's rankings are going to be interesting. 

[K-Mack]

Haven't seen Emory & Henry discussed as a potential Pool C, but with an H-SC win over the good guys and an E&H win over Guilford, the Wasps are 9-1 but H-SC is ODAC champs by virtue of same conference record and h2h over E&H.

[smedindy]

They weren't ranked, though. They may be now.

[wally_wabash]

They weren't ranked, though. They may be now.

All of the zaniness today seemed to stay out of the South region, so I'm not sure where E&H can move up.  I believe the South's top 10 went 9-0 today (Wesley on the bye). 

[smedindy]

Do you think the West could so something so a 9-1 Carroll makes the board somehow? Or do they rank the MIAC, WIAC and NWC over them. They have a good SOS, but I can't think that a team that lost to Macalester is playoff worthy. (No offense, Scots, but, wow...)

The MWC did get two in a couple of years ago.

[USee]

Do you think the West could so something so a 9-1 Carroll makes the board somehow? Or do they rank the MIAC, WIAC and NWC over them. They have a good SOS, but I can't think that a team that lost to Macalester is playoff worthy. (No offense, Scots, but, wow...)

The MWC did get two in a couple of years ago.

I was thinking about that. Kind of like a 1 loss Centre. But that one loss.....yikes. It should be noted that Carroll is rejoining the CCIW (I think for 2016 but not sure).

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Here's the Pool A results as they stand plus any games involving teams that could win with their conference records (I don't know each conference's tiebreakers so there could be teams that can't win listed)

ASC: Mary Hardin-Baylor
CC: Johns Hopkins
CCIW: Wheaton
E8: Ithaca
ECFC: Husson (6-0) @ Mount Ida (5-1); Norwich (5-1) vs Castleton St
HCAC: Franklin
IIAC: Wartburg
LL: Hobart
MAC: Delaware Valley (8-0) @ Widener (8-0); de facto championship game
MIAA: Adrian (4-1) @ Trine (4-1); de facto championship game
MIAC: St John's (6-1) @ St Olaf; Bethel (6-1) vs Augsburg; Concordia-Moorhead (6-2) off; St Thomas (5-2) vs Gustavus Adolphus
MWC: Macalester (5-0) @ Illinois College (5-0); championship game
NACC: Lakeland (5-0) @ Benedictine (4-1); Wisconsin Lutheran (4-1) vs Concordia (WI)
NCAC: Wittenberg
NEFC: MIT
NJAC: Rowan (5-1) @ TCNJ; Montclair St (5-1) @ Kean; Morrisville St (6-1) off
NWC: Pacific (6-0) @ Linfield (5-1); de facto championship game
OAC: John Carroll (8-0) @ Mount Union (8-0); de facto championship game
ODAC: Hampden-Sydney (5-1) vs Randolph-Macon; Guilford (4-2) @ Emory & Henry (5-1); Bridgewater (4-2) @ Catholic
PAC: Washington & Jefferson
SCIAC: Chapman
UMAC: St Scholastica
USAC: Christopher Newport
WIAC: UW-Whitewater

Pool B contenders
Centre (9-0) @ Birmingham-Southern
Chicago (7-1) @ Case Western Reserve
Framingham St (8-1) vs Worcester St
Texas Lutheran (8-1) vs Southwestern
Wesley (9-0) @ Charlotte (D1-AA)

Teams with 2 or fewer losses not listed above (many have no chance... just listed for listing sake)
ASC: Hardin-Simmons (6-2) @ Louisiana College
CC: Muhlenberg (8-1) @ Moravian
CCIW: North Central (7-2) @ Elmhurst
E8: St John Fisher (7-2) @ Alfred
HCAC: Mt St Joseph (8-2) off
IIAC: Central (7-2) vs Dubuque
LL: St Lawrence (7-2) @ Merchant Marine
MAC: Lycoming (7-2) @ FDU-Florham
MWC: Carroll (8-1) @ Monmouth
NCAC: Wabash (8-1) vs DePauw
NWC: Pacific Lutheran (6-2) vs George Fox
OAC: Heidelberg (7-2) vs Baldwin-Wallace
PAC: Thomas More (8-2) off; Waynesburg (7-2) vs Wash & Jeff
SAA: Rhodes (7-2) @ Millsaps
UMAC: Northwestern (8-2) off
WIAC: UW-Oshkosh (5-1*) @ UW-Platteville (7-2)