FB: Region 6 fan poll

[art76]

If you read the NWC board, you'd think that they get no respect. Seems that is not so with this group of pollsters.

[MonroviaCat]

If you read the NWC board, you'd think that they get no respect. Seems that is not so with this group of pollsters.

C'mon now--we have like 2 or 3 guys who are caught up on stuff that happened over a decade ago...some of us feel like we are getting too much respect at this point in time... 

[02 Warhawk]

Yup, most of the voters here still consider them a solid team in the West. I'm anxious to see where Whitworth goes from here. I mean, they should win out, along with Linfield.

[wm4]

A weekend worth of notable conference games was so welcomed, and helped clarify things.  Looks like the WIAC pecking order has been stabilized (though I have LaCrosse ahead of Platteville).

What to do with Monmouth?  Sweet win over Wartburg (who I was high on to begin the season), but now that Wartburg is stumbling, does that change the view on them?  I have Monmouth at #5 in my poll.  They don't have any marque games left, so I think it'll be tough for them to stay in the mix in the West as the season goes on.

As for Whitworth, I wasn't high on Linfield at all this year so they're win over Linfield doesn't carry much weight with me at this point.  I'm keeping an open mind though. 

Big games this week in the West:

SJU @ Bethel    6-Oct
Whit @ Gfox    6-Oct
UWO @ UWW   6-Oct

[02 Warhawk]

A weekend worth of notable conference games was so welcomed, and helped clarify things.  Looks like the WIAC pecking order has been stabilized (though I have LaCrosse ahead of Platteville).

What to do with Monmouth?  Sweet win over Wartburg (who I was high on to begin the season), but now that Wartburg is stumbling, does that change the view on them?  I have Monmouth at #5 in my poll.  They don't have any marque games left, so I think it'll be tough for them to stay in the mix in the West as the season goes on.

As for Whitworth, I wasn't high on Linfield at all this year so they're win over Linfield doesn't carry much weight with me at this point.  I'm keeping an open mind though. 

Big games this week in the West:

SJU @ Bethel    6-Oct
Whit @ Gfox    6-Oct
UWO @ UWW   6-Oct

What made you think Linfield was down this season? You seemed to be ahead of the curve on this, based on what you ranked them to start the year.

[smedindy]

I had Bethel and Redlands. Dropped LAX. Still not sold on Monmouth

[02 Warhawk]

I have Monmouth at #7. The fact they lost to Wheaton, who just destroyed NCC, improved that quality loss in my mind (if that makes sense). Plus they've outscored their previous two opponents 86-0, including a win over Macalester (who's only loss so far has been to Monmouth).

But I agree that quality win over Wartburg is looking less impressive with Wartburg losing at home to Simpson.

[wm4]

What made you think Linfield was down this season? You seemed to be ahead of the curve on this, based on what you ranked them to start the year.

Compared to other top teams in the West, they were returning very few starters on defense, which caught my eye.  On the other side of the ball, they were returning a bunch on offense, but 2017's offense for Linfield wasn't all the much to write home about, particularly in the second half of last year.  Collectively, that's why I had them #8 in the preseason.  I had them bunched w/ Concordia and Whitworth, with not much separation between those 3.  Through 3 games, their defense seems solid enough, but offensively they struggle to score points.

[miac952]

It is interesting to see 2-2 LaCrosse ranked, but 2-2 Concordia has fallen off the map to not receiving votes. Especially with a common opponent in hand, and that playing slightly to Concordia's favor. It is always a quandary on where to rank solid teams that have really tough schedules like the two noted above.

[02 Warhawk]

What made you think Linfield was down this season? You seemed to be ahead of the curve on this, based on what you ranked them to start the year.

Compared to other top teams in the West, they were returning very few starters on defense, which caught my eye.  On the other side of the ball, they were returning a bunch on offense, but 2017's offense for Linfield wasn't all the much to write home about, particularly in the second half of last year.  Collectively, that's why I had them #8 in the preseason.  I had them bunched w/ Concordia and Whitworth, with not much separation between those 3.  Through 3 games, their defense seems solid enough, but offensively they struggle to score points.

Fair enough. It's interesting because, like you stated, they returned 9 on offense and just 1 on defense. However, it's their experienced offense that's not getting it done this year, and their inexperienced defense that seems to be keeping it close.

Funny how that works out.

[jamtod]

It is interesting to see 2-2 LaCrosse ranked, but 2-2 Concordia has fallen off the map to not receiving votes. Especially with a common opponent in hand, and that playing slightly to Concordia's favor. It is always a quandary on where to rank solid teams that have really tough schedules like the two noted above.

Losses are similar, but UW-LaCrosse has a solid win AND Concordia got blown out this last week. Concordia won big against a couple of bad teams, but I have no idea how much weight those games should get.

[02 Warhawk]

It is interesting to see 2-2 LaCrosse ranked, but 2-2 Concordia has fallen off the map to not receiving votes. Especially with a common opponent in hand, and that playing slightly to Concordia's favor. It is always a quandary on where to rank solid teams that have really tough schedules like the two noted above.

I had neither in my top 10.

But I'm guessing most voters noticed they had UWL has a quality win (IL-Wesleyan) under its belt, which is something Concordia-Moorhead hasn't achieved yet. Plus UWL's first loss was to a scholarship program in the NAIA.

[Hemingway13]

02 Warhawk,
Appreciated your salient point about UWL's defeat by a scholarship NAIA team.


As a Fan Poll rookie, those opponents from outside of D3 have turned my evaluation of a couple teams' records from a mere head-scratcher into what Winston Churchill once characterized the Russians:  "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." 


Btw, muchas gracias for doing such a fine job running this WRFP!


Cheers,
Hem

[WW]

02 Warhawk,
Appreciated your salient point about UWL's defeat by a scholarship NAIA team.


As a Fan Poll rookie, those opponents from outside of D3 have turned my evaluation of a couple teams' records from a mere head-scratcher into what Winston Churchill once characterized the Russians:  "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." 


Btw, muchas gracias for doing such a fine job running this WRFP!


Cheers,
Hem

I dunno... Stevens Point is probably gonna go 2-8 and they put a shlobberknocker on one of those "scholarship NAIA" teams.

[02 Warhawk]

       2018 Week 6 West Region Fan Poll

Rank      Team           Previous    Points   
1)   St. Thomas (8)        1          89     
2)   UW-Whitewater (1)     2          79   
3)   St. John's            3          75       
4)   Whitworth             5          51
5)   UW-Platteville        6          43     
6)   UW-Oshkosh            4          42     
7)   Monmouth              8          30   
8)   Central               7          25 
9)   Linfield              9          22   
10)   UW-LaCrosse          10          15

Dropped Out: N/A

RV)  Redlands (9), Bethel (6), St. Olaf (4), Wartburg (3), Simpson (2)


Thanks to those who participated this week: art76, wartnight, wm4, doolittledog, desercat1, TwoArmedScot, smedindy, Hemingway13 and 02 Warhawk.