2018 Season - National Perspective

[blooter442]

Well Messiah lost their 2 First Place Votes this week and Chicago has racked up all of them except that one pesky biased voter who keeps giving St.Joe's(ME) the one first place vote that is not deserved.

Methinks OldNed has hacked his way into the voting process...

[PaulNewman]

NEsoccerfan, I must feel bad...I will bolster your thesis even further.  I wonder if Chicago will flirt with the highest SoS in D3 history.  The away games with Calvin and Trinity, teams that will win 19-20 with only 1-2 losses, Loras who likely will end up with only a couple of losses, and the others with very good win percentages with no teams with very poor records should push Chicago close to or over .700.

Uh oh...very sloppy today.  I missed Carroll and Elmhurst at a combined 1-21-2.  And a middling Carthage still to play.  So maybe no SoS record but a very impressive schedule nonetheless which of course includes the UAA gauntlet.

After rereading my post, it came off as quite snarky/rude. My apologies. I'm actually not even a Chicago supporter at all (full disclosure: Brandeis is my team, so I'm currently cheering against Chicago), but I have had the opportunity to watch them quite often over the last few years.

Messiah is undoubtedly the best program in D3 history, and arguably the bet program over the last 20, 10, and 5 year spans. However, rankings should be based on this year's results alone, and Chicago has the better schedule/results/resume.

I really do hope these two teams meet one another in the tournament, as it has the potential to go down as one of the best match-ups in the last number of years.

Yeah, I probably know you....like pretty well actually.

[PaulNewman]

Well Messiah lost their 2 First Place Votes this week and Chicago has racked up all of them except that one pesky biased voter who keeps giving St.Joe's(ME) the one first place vote that is not deserved.

Methinks OldNed has hacked his way into the voting process...

Common knowledge that OldNed hails from the old Soviet Union.

[OldNed]

Well Messiah lost their 2 First Place Votes this week and Chicago has racked up all of them except that one pesky biased voter who keeps giving St.Joe's(ME) the one first place vote that is not deserved.

Methinks OldNed has hacked his way into the voting process...

I wish I had the chops for that, Blooter, but no dice.  And as biased as I am, I can admit that one pesky voter is certainly misguided. 

[OldNed]

Well Messiah lost their 2 First Place Votes this week and Chicago has racked up all of them except that one pesky biased voter who keeps giving St.Joe's(ME) the one first place vote that is not deserved.

Methinks OldNed has hacked his way into the voting process...

Common knowledge that OldNed hails from the old Soviet Union.

You guys crack me up...

[NEsoccerfan]

NEsoccerfan, I must feel bad...I will bolster your thesis even further.  I wonder if Chicago will flirt with the highest SoS in D3 history.  The away games with Calvin and Trinity, teams that will win 19-20 with only 1-2 losses, Loras who likely will end up with only a couple of losses, and the others with very good win percentages with no teams with very poor records should push Chicago close to or over .700.

Uh oh...very sloppy today.  I missed Carroll and Elmhurst at a combined 1-21-2.  And a middling Carthage still to play.  So maybe no SoS record but a very impressive schedule nonetheless which of course includes the UAA gauntlet.

After rereading my post, it came off as quite snarky/rude. My apologies. I'm actually not even a Chicago supporter at all (full disclosure: Brandeis is my team, so I'm currently cheering against Chicago), but I have had the opportunity to watch them quite often over the last few years.

Messiah is undoubtedly the best program in D3 history, and arguably the bet program over the last 20, 10, and 5 year spans. However, rankings should be based on this year's results alone, and Chicago has the better schedule/results/resume.

I really do hope these two teams meet one another in the tournament, as it has the potential to go down as one of the best match-ups in the last number of years.

Yeah, I probably know you....like pretty well actually.

Just sent you a PM.

[PaulNewman]

I really hate to say this because I don't even like Tufts....but the Jumbos are really, really good.  No one is going to blow them out.  My only question is why they don't win by bigger margins, as that allows the chance of losing on one mistake, a ref error, PKs, etc.  They have a great combination of pressing, winning the ball back quickly, possessing, being physical when needed, just being a huge team in general but still with very good overall team speed and playmaking....Lane has really played well tonight.

Other than all of us getting our own faves through to the Final Four it sure would be a treat to see Tufts, Chicago, Messiah and Calvin get there.  Tufts may lose on Saturday to Conn College but based on watching the two big games today Tufts is head and shoulders better than Conn, Amherst and the rest of the NESCAC.

[Mr.Right]

Tufts is the most talented team in Nescac and have the most depth but are not head and shoulders better than anyone in Nescac except the bottom feeders. Seems like they easily handled Babson last night BUT they look much faster and more skilled on turf. They have only played one game on grass as Saturday at Conn will be their second game. Conn's starting 11(including Manoogian who will miss the game) is just as good as Tufts. It is the depth that gives Tufts such an edge over every other Nescac team. The game this past Saturday up at Midd was extremely even and Midd could have Won it. Tufts IMO has still not solved their issue of scoring goals. Braun has been getting it done lately but teams with big tough defenders can take him out of the game as Middlebury did which is why Shapiro went to Jacobs about 15 minutes in. Not sure if Conn will win the game but it will not be a half field scrimmage like last year I can promise you that,

[PaulNewman]

Very good game with Hopkins up on F&M 2-1 in 1st half.  Announcer spending ton of time with the JHU baseball play by play guy talking 2019 JHU baseball.

[PaulNewman]

Huge win for JHU....makes draw with Messiah look very legit.

Mary Washington loses at Salisbury.

Loras down 2-0 early to Simpson.

[PaulNewman]

Failed to mention SLU's win over Vassar, 3-1.

Tufts and Conn end 0-0.  I think both teams leave feeling pretty good about things.  Marcucci is special.  Tufts is deep.

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

MAF Top 25
1. Messiah
2. Tufts
3. Chicago
4. Calvin
5. St. Joe's Me
6. Lynchburg
7. CT College
8. Trinity
9. Montclair
10. Kenyon
11. Rochester
12. Cortland
13. Stevens
14. Lycoming
15. OWU
16. Case Western
17. Hopkins
18. CMU
19. F&M
20. Hope
21. MW
22. Texas Tyler
23. St. Norbert
24. Ithaca
25. Loras/North Park

[lastguyoffthebench]

MAF what's your Elite 8 // FINAL FOUR projections?

Chicago over Calvin
Messiah over Tufts

Messiah over Chicago

Elite 8:  Conn, Brandeis, JHU, probably Trinity TX

I really have no feel for the South Atlantic, have not watched the ODAC or CAC... NJAC is a mystery and I don't know if they will have a team reach Elite 8.   

Can Brandeis get in... what a brutal remaining schedule with Amherst, @ WashU, @ Chicago, @NYU.   SIX blemishes already and should finish out 3-1 or 2-1-1.  8 blemishes with that SOS should get them in, but probably not.

[PaulNewman]

Paul Newman's Own Top 25 (Oct. 15)

1)  Messiah
2)  Tufts
3)  Calvin
4)  Chicago
5)  Conn College
6)  Lynchburg
7)  St Joseph's (ME) -- OK, I capitulate!
8)  Cortland St
9)  Trinity (TX)
10)  CWRU
11) Montclair St
12) Rochester
13) Kenyon
14) Johns Hopkins
15) North Park
16) OWU
17) Lycoming
18) Amherst
19) Stevens
20) Franklin & Marshall
21) SLU
22) Washington & Lee
23) Gustavus Adolphus
24) Willamette
25) Texas-Tyler/Hope/Clarement-Mudd-Scripps

RV -- Carleton, Salve Regina, Mary Washington, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Williams, Loras, Rowan, Ramapo, RUC, Brandeis, CMU, JCU, Capital, Dickinson, Haverford, Salisbury, Redlands, NYU, Luther, Endicott, ECSU, Roger Williams, Mt. Union, DePauw, Oneonta St, Oglethorpe, St Thomas, Emory, Texas-Dallas, WPI, Babson, Eastern

[rudy]

 Do the NCAA regional rankings go up end of today?