D3boards.com

Division III football (Post Patterns) => Region 3 football (South Atlantic-ish) => Topic started by: Ralph Turner on July 01, 2007, 07:41:31 PM

Title: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on July 01, 2007, 07:41:31 PM
Our East Region friends have started this board for their region.  How about a South Region board for the same time period.

1)  2004 UMHB -- (13-2) Did it Ginger Rogers style.  (Refers to the old joke, who was the better dancer...Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers?  Rogers did everything that Astaire did, backwards and in high heels.)  Was a Pool C bid, back when there were only 3.  Beat #7 Trinity by 29, #3 HSU by 14, #5 W&J by 36 and #1 Mount Union by 3 on the road.  Lost to Elliott's #2 Linfield in the Stagg, 21-28.

2)  2001 Bridgewater -- (13-1)  #1 South Region seed.  Made the trip down to Salem and lost to MUC in primetime on Saturday night, 27-30.

3)  2007 UMHB -- (12-2) #4 South Region seed only because they had the "cojones" (a little Texas lingo there) to schedule a home-and-home with the 2005 Stagg Bowl runner-up two years before the game was played.  Defeated a strong #6 seed (sic) Trinity team for the "Barbed Wire and Mesquite" (unofficial title of the Texas Sub-bracket), and annihilated a #8-seeded NCWC team that won its first playoff game ever at #1 seed Washington and Jefferson.  (NCWC was only in its 4th year of play!)  The Cru avenged their losses at Wesley, 27-10, in the Regional Finals.  In the semi-finals, UMHB dug a big hole in losing the regular season UWW game and then lost to the 2007 Stagg Bowl champs, 16-7 in a great game notably for the "Texas unfriendly" conditions in Whitewater in the semis.

34)  2002 Trinity -- (14-1)  Beat UMHB 48-38, W&J 45-10, won at Bridgewater 38-32, beat St John's 41-34.  Star QB celebrates too hard on Paseo del Rio and Stagg is history.  (MUC wins 48-7, on a very windy day).

45)  1999 Trinity -- (12-1) #1 Seed and gets bye.  Beat Western Maryland and  HSU (40-33) before losing to Stagg winner Pacific Lutheran, 28-49 in Semis.

56)  2000 HSU -- (12-1)  Had the bye and #1 seed in South and is #2 in the playoffs.  Beat Western Maryland 32-10 and Trinity 33-30.  Lost to Finalist SJU, 14-38 in Abilene.
 
67)  2005 Wesley -- (12-2)  Cinderella.  Gets a Pool B bid.  Beats Ferrum, wins at UMHB, beats Bridgewater and then messes up the shoe thing on the snow/ice at Whitewater, 6-58.

78 )  2006 Wesley -- (13-1)  #1 Seed. Beat Dickinson, CMU* and UMHB before losing at UW-W (7-44) in the proper shoes.

89)  1999 HSU -- (12-1) Beat WashU and W&J before losing (33-40) at Trinity in South Region finals.

910)  2002 UMHB -- (10-1)  "Bracketgate" game.  UMHB is #5 in polls and #3 South Region Seed.  Sent to Trinity (#4 in polls and #2 South Region seed) in the first round because of geographic proximity.  Loses at Trinity 38-48.

1011)  2003 Bridgewater -- (12-2) Squeaked out of a weak but very balanced South Region and then lost at MUC 0-66.

(Revised after the 2007 Stagg Bowl.)

(* Thanks to WCLegacy for the proofreading and the correction.)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: K-Mack on July 01, 2007, 11:45:47 PM
Ralph,
I like your list, and not much to quibble (word fo teh day?) with off the top of my head.

Bracketgate game, you should mention, was a first-round matchup.

The D3football.com era begins in 1999 ... one thing you could mention, however, is that the MAC was South Region for much of this time, so maybe that squeaks someone like Widener 2000 into the top 10, or maybe you want only to include the current South Region teams.

I see you mostly have Stagg Bowl teams, regional champions and such on the list too. Probably wise.

The 66-0 Bridgewater team really wasn't that bad; that score (and it could've been 74-0, easy) was the result of schematic disaster that was actually rooted in a good idea. Bridgewater (built on speed, remember) would cover Mount Union receivers 1-on-1 so it could rush enough people to keep the Purple Raiders' QBs from sitting back and picking them apart. However, MUC seemed to pick up the blitzes, and the twin 6-foot-4 WRs made catches against Bridgewater's smaller CBs all day, and it got ugly in a hurry.

Definitely the 2001 Bridgewater team and the 2004 Mary Hardin-Baylor team are two of the best in a long time. I wouldn't beef with anyone who flipped the order there, although UMHB's road run was definitely the more impressive accomplishment, and the Rowan/Bwater semifinal too ... yeah, I'll agree with UMHB at No. 1, but that Lutz/Cruz, etc. team was a powerhouse.

I still think UMHB running the ball down 14 at MUC in the 4th quarter, and it working, was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen in D3 football. Had it not been for The Catch (immortalized on UMHB football building walls) though, I wouldn't remember it as such.

Just some ramblings to support your rankings, I suppose.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on July 02, 2007, 11:00:58 AM
Good morning K-Mack,

I thought about that 2000 Widener team as I looked at the MAC teams.  Their regular season loss was to "Western Maryland" who was soundly defeated by HSU in the playoffs that year.

I also thought about the 2003 Lycoming team which beat ASC Tri-Champ ETBU in OT only to fall to Bridgewater the next weekend.

I thought that the South Region in 2003 was very balanced but not very stellar.  UMHB, HSU and ETBU were tri-champs.  ETBU beat Trinity in the first round at home in OT.  #1 seed Lycoming beat ETBU in near-freezing weather at home in OT.  Bridgewater beat a "Lanetti-less" Lycoming 13-9 in Williamsport PA.  Many ASC fans thought that both UMHB and HSU "matched up" better versus Lycoming.  With only 3 Pool C bids to give that year, a better ASC tri-champ may have been sitting home, but that there wasn't a "touchdown's worth" of difference between those 6.

The South Region has been very well balanced.  I think that the first 10 are solid picks, but the next 10 get very difficult.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Pat Coleman on July 02, 2007, 11:17:08 AM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on July 02, 2007, 11:00:58 AM
Good morning K-Mack,

I thought about that 2000 Widener team as I looked at the MAC teams.  Their regular season loss was to "Western Maryland" ...

Great game, by the way -- Keith and Ray Martel and I called this game. Memorable for a wind that baffled Widener return man Jim Jones, who fumbled two punts and had to fall on a third to maintain possession.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: PrideSportBBallGuy on July 02, 2007, 12:50:42 PM
Usually with every "Best" top 10 list, there always a "worst" top 10 list.  Is there even a possibility of having a worst list?  I think there will have to be another list at the time of d3football's 10 year anniversary.  Maybe that one will be on a more national scale.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Josh Bowerman on July 02, 2007, 02:16:37 PM
That's a slippery slope, Pride.   :)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: PrideSportBBallGuy on July 02, 2007, 02:22:48 PM
Quote from: Josh Bowerman on July 02, 2007, 02:16:37 PM
That's a slippery slope, Pride.   :)

I am not encouraging it.  I am only saying there is usally an opposite to goes with every list.  "Best"/"Worst" "Underrated"/"Overrated" "Best Stock Picks"/ "Worst Stock Picks" etc.  You get the picture  :)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on July 02, 2007, 02:28:57 PM
Quote from: K-Mack on July 01, 2007, 11:45:47 PM
Ralph,
I like your list, and not much to quibble (word of the day?) with off the top of my head.

Bracketgate game, you should mention, was a first-round matchup.

The D3football.com era begins in 1999 ...

I see you mostly have Stagg Bowl teams, regional champions and such on the list too. Probably wise.


Definitely the 2001 Bridgewater team and the 2004 Mary Hardin-Baylor team are two of the best in a long time. I wouldn't beef with anyone who flipped the order there, although UMHB's road run was definitely the more impressive accomplishment, and the Rowan/Bwater semifinal too ... yeah, I'll agree with UMHB at No. 1, but that Lutz/Cruz, etc. team was a powerhouse.

I still think UMHB running the ball down 14 at MUC in the 4th quarter, and it working, was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen in D3 football. Had it not been for The Catch (immortalized on UMHB football building walls) though, I wouldn't remember it as such.

Just some ramblings to support your rankings, I suppose.
Keith, thanks for the kind words...

I stayed pretty "close to the top of the playoffs" on that punditry.

With the geographic proximity issues, I wonder if the 2004 HSU team that split with UMHB shouldn't be in the "Top 10 list".  After all, they gave UMHB as good a game as anyone else that season.  I don't want to seem too provincial altho' I am proud of the ASC teams and how we have done in the playoffs as we have had to contend with the "Texas sub-bracket".
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Josh Bowerman on July 02, 2007, 02:33:21 PM
That's the only team I'd have added, Ralph--given they were the only team other than Linfield to beat UMHB that season, that is.

I think your list is pretty solid, though.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on July 02, 2007, 04:12:52 PM
Josh, 2004 HSU (http://www.d3football.com/top25.php?year=2004&week=11) was ranked #3 at the end of the regular season.

We may need to look more carefully.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Josh Bowerman on July 02, 2007, 04:19:39 PM
Maybe, but getting it done in the playoffs is still the measure of greatness, in any sport.

I do think the fact that the AA continues to pair up Texas (and more specifically, ASC teams) in the first round of the playoffs does merit at least a caveat, though.   :)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: SU97 on July 02, 2007, 09:33:24 PM
While I would like to be able to add value to this thread in regards to the Bridgewater 2001 and 2003 teams, the truth is, I've only seen Bridgewater twice - the inagural SU home game (a 40-16 spanking) in 2000 (technically it was at local Sherando HS) and the BC2005 model that ran through us like a buzzsaw. 

In fact, I was sort of there for the BC2004 version that packed 7,000+ into Shentel Stadium...  was enjoying a quality pre-game beverage session with some fellow SU grads and we had the pre-game show on in the parking lot, provided by oldies95 radio, and thought we should head up to the stadium when we decided to crack one more cold one...  well, BC ran back the kickoff, recoved an SU fumble and were up 14-0 before we had even put the cooler away.  It was something like 4 minutes into the game...  At that we all decided to bag the game and head down to old town funchester.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: K-Mack on July 03, 2007, 02:02:24 AM
Ralph and Josh,
I agree about the South Region in '03, the games were 42-41 and 13-9 and such. I also think you can fairly take a look at a Texas team that took an early-round exit to a Texas team who went on to do big things. Maybe not very high on the list, but one could consider them.

Was '99 impressive at all? Drawing a blank on who ... oh yeah, you mentioned Trinity getting in PLU's way.

That might be my favorite champion. A lot of fun Stagg Bowls, but that team was real unique.

In any case, I digress.

What about the top 10 playoff games of the era?

(expects more digression)

P.S., Funchester, ha!
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on July 03, 2007, 07:50:14 AM
Quote from: K-Mack on July 03, 2007, 02:02:24 AM
...

Was '99 impressive at all? Drawing a blank on who ... oh yeah, you mentioned Trinity getting in PLU's way.

That might be my favorite champion. A lot of fun Stagg Bowls, but that team was real unique.

...
I think that the historical context of the 1999 season is what makes those references so important.

In 1998, HSU's only loss was to a D2 and they stayed home, along with a bunch of others.

In 1999, I think that the "old guard" of D3 may have been surprised when these new members of D3 (and I would include Trinity TX as guilty by association) easily handled traditional D-3 powers (soon to be D-IV powers ? ), Washington-St Louis and W&J.  The UAA went 6 years without a football playoff bid after the WashStL loss to HSU.  Then HSU beat W&J, an even more highly respected football power.

One can look back at the 1999 playoffs and see that the geographic center of D-III football supremacy moved westward and southward.

Trinity's move in the 1999 playoffs probably confirmed their place in the highest echelon  of D-III for the next decade.

PLU's win definitely attracted attention that the new D-III members from the old NAIA power Columbia Football Conference would be annual forces with which to reckon.

Since that time, Trinity, the ASC and the Northwest Conference have been at the top of D-III football playoff considerations.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: gordonmann on July 12, 2007, 10:18:13 AM
Great work, Ralph.  I can't think of anyone better suited to put this one together.

I like your pick of UMHB version 2004 over Bridgewater version 2001. 

UMHB had big wins on the road, none bigger than the upset in Alliance.  Then they pushed Linfield to the limit.  As you pointed out on the West Region Top 10 list, that game hinged on a couple key plays.

The same could be said about the Bridgewater (Va.) Stagg Bowl but their trip to Salem was somewhat less impressive (narrow win over a good Trinity team at home, win over Widener at home, and the clock game at Rowan). 

Based on the video, the Eagles got an incredible break against Rowan and probably should not have won considering when the break happened (end of the game eliminating the "we could have made other adjustments" argument).

You can't detract from the talent of the Bridgewater team or what they accomplished.  You can't discount how they played in the Stagg Bowl.  But you can discount the way they got there in a subjective list such as this one.

Besides, your list has some internal consistency with the others (Rowan 2001 as top east team and Linfield 2004 or SJU 2003 as top west team).  And consistency is nice. :)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: ACRULZ on July 22, 2007, 04:40:07 PM
Does anyone know much about Independent Huntingdon College in Alabama???
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on July 22, 2007, 04:50:47 PM
I will take a shot at this...

How may we help you?

And we can move this conversation to the MIAA board...
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: ACRULZ on July 22, 2007, 05:59:16 PM
Ralph:


Thanks for the help!  I am an Adrian Football fan and their first home game will be against Huntingdon.  Just looking for some basic info about them.  That would be great if we could move this to the MIAA board!  Thanks!
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: K-Mack on August 01, 2007, 01:39:33 AM
Quote from: gordonmann on July 12, 2007, 10:18:13 AM
But you can discount the way they got there in a subjective list such as this one.

Wait, what? Subjectivity? Some of the posters on the East version of this discussion think it should be banned.  ::)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Just_that_kid on August 07, 2007, 09:36:22 PM
Quote from: ACRULZ on July 22, 2007, 04:40:07 PM
Does anyone know much about Independent Huntingdon College in Alabama???

They're a very well coached, disciplined team.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: K-Mack on August 08, 2007, 02:41:11 AM
Like what kind of discipline? Do they run laps when they jump offsides in practice?
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Tom33 on August 24, 2007, 03:03:05 PM
So anyone here anything about the Colorado College squad this year?
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ron Boerger on August 24, 2007, 04:43:39 PM
Quote from: Tom33 on August 24, 2007, 03:03:05 PM
So anyone here anything about the Colorado College squad this year?

You might be better off asking this on the SCAC board.

My bet is that not too many people know much about CC.  There is some stuff in Kickoff (http://www.d3football.com/kickoff), tho.   ;D
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: muchacho on September 04, 2007, 03:24:26 PM
Catching onto this thread late, but its very interesting research. As for bottom 10 in the D3football.com era. The 0-10 season for the 2004 Catholic Cardinals would have to be on there. Not only did they lost all 10 games on their schedule, but they were shutout in 3 of them.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: K-Mack on December 10, 2007, 11:34:21 PM
So where does UMHB's 2007 fall?
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 11, 2007, 12:13:27 AM
Quote from: K-Mack on December 10, 2007, 11:34:21 PM
So where does UMHB's 2007 fall?
I am waiting to see how strong UWW can be.  If they defeat MUC, then we have to think that the UMHB game that we saw them play in very "un-Texan" conditions was significant.

;)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: old ends on December 11, 2007, 07:51:53 PM
Quote from: K-Mack on August 01, 2007, 01:39:33 AM
[Wait, what? Subjectivity? Some of the posters on the East version of this discussion think it should be banned.  ::)
Vae Victis

Enjoyable reading and knowledge by all
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 15, 2007, 09:45:09 PM
Quote from: K-Mack on December 10, 2007, 11:34:21 PM
So where does UMHB's 2007 fall?
K-Mack, I think that this year's UMHB team slots in as a strong third.  Making it to the Stagg is one thing, but playing the eventual champion on the road in "Texas unfriendly" conditions is impressive.

I know that I am knocking the 2002 Trinity team down a notch, but "fifth quarter" activity made the "head-to-head" (MUC-Trinity TX) assessment impossible.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 15, 2007, 10:14:55 PM
I have updated my South Region Top 10.  (Please see the first post (http://www.d3sports.com/post/index.php?topic=5306.0).)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 15, 2007, 10:59:01 PM
The Barbed Wire and Mesquite...

The NCAA trophy is affectionately called the Walnut and Bronze.  Since we have more barbed wire and mesquite than walnut and bronze, perhaps that should be name of the trophy for the Winner of the Texas Sub-bracket!

1999 --  Trinity over HSU 40-33 (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/99/index.html).  1999 Playoffs. (http://www.d3football.com/schedule.php?year=1999&week=13)  #1 seed Trinity got the first round bye and edged Western Maryland (McDaniel), 20-17. #2 seed HSU got to eliminate Wash U 28-21, and W&J 51-3 before meeting Trinity in the South Region Finals.

2000 --  #1 seed HSU 33 #7-seed Trinity 30 in the South Region finals.  HSU got the bye and beat Western Maryland (McDaniel) in the second round 32-10.  #7-seed Trinity hosted and beat #3-seed Wesley, 21-3 and then beat #5-seed Bridgewater  47-41 OT in the semis.  2000 Bracket (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/00/bracket.htm)

2001 -- #4 Trinity 30, #5 UMHB 6.  #3 HSU lost to Wittenberg in Abilene in the first round of the Mount Union (North Region) bracket.  Here is the last playoff before the NCAA applies the onerous term, "geographical proximity" to the football bracketing.  2001 Bracket. (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/01/bracket.htm)  We had our chance to send teams to opposite brackets and muffed it!

2002 -- #2 Trinity 48, #3 UMHB 38.  The infamous "Bracketgate" game, and the beginning of the Texas Sub-bracket in practical application.  Please compare with the D3football.com projections (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/02/project1117.htm) from that year.  2002 Bracket (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/02/bracket.htm).

2003 -- #4 ETBU 42, #7 Trinity 41 (OT). ETBU was ASC Tri-champ, and neither UMHB nor HSU earned one of the three Pool C bids.   #4 ETBU lost at #1 Lycoming, 13-7 (OT). 2003 Bracket. (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/03/bracket.htm)

2004 -- #5 UMHB 42, #1 HSU 28.  Second round game after UMHB finally beat #4 Trinity in a playoff game.  #1 seed HSU was at the top of the Texas Sub-bracket and got a first round bye.  2004 Playoffs (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/04/) 2004 Bracket (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/04/bracket.htm)  

2005 -- #4 Wesley 46, at #3 UMHB 36.  I have to give the Barbed Wire and Mesquite to the Wolverines who came into "our house" and beat UMHB.  UMHB had defeated #1 seeded Trinity 35-6 in the first round game. (Another Bracketgate game!) 2005 Bracket (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/05/bracket.htm)

2006 -- #2 UMHB 33, #3 HSU 21.  Another "Bracketgate" game.  I maintain that someone in the NCAA office did not check that the new standard software for determining mileage and dropped the ball badly.  Pat Coleman used the correct software and even projected a clean bracket (http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?p=270) sending #7 Millsaps to #2 UMHB (under 500-mile bus trip) and #6 CNU to #3 HSU.  "WRONG!"  By the way, Millsaps was flown to Pittsburgh to play Carnegie-Mellon.  W&J, from Washington, PA, located 20 miles outside Pittsburgh, was sent to CNU.  Good figure!?!

2007 -- #4 UMHB 52, #6 Trinity 23.  I think that Trinity might have given #3 Muhlenberg a good game*.  UMHB beat Trinity in the first round and finally lost at (Stagg Winner) UW-Whitewater in a great game in the Semis, 16-7.  2007 Bracket (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/07/bracket.htm)

2008 -- #2 seed UMHB 38, #3 seed HSU 35.  Bracketgate IV!  UMHB's Alan Munoz kicked at 33-yd FG with 0:05 remaining to give the CRU the win in a real classic.  #2 UMHB the defeated #7-seed Wesley (victors at #4-seed Muhlenberg 20-0) in the second round by the score of 46-11.  UMHB then won the South Region championship over Washington and Jefferson by the score of 63-7. (W&J had defeated CNU at home, 35-29 and then beat Millsaps 35-20 in Jackson MS.)  Since UW-Whitewater was sent to Belton to play the semi-final game, let's give the Barbed Wire and Mesquite to the UW-W Warriors, who defeated UMHB 39-13, in one of the strangest games played on a very windy field.  The UWW took the wind to open the second half.  Trailing 12-10, UMHB tried an onside kick into a strong southerly wind to start the second half.  The officials did not recognize that the ball did go the required ten yards and awarded the ball to UWW.  The Warriors took it from there for the 39-13 win.  2008 Bracket (http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/2008/ncaa_bracket_DIII_football.html)

2009 -- Both ASC Pool A Mississippi College and Pool C UMHB went on the road in the first weekend.  The Choctaws went to Huntingdon College where they were 56-35 winners over the Hawks.  In week #2, they were flown to Wesley College to play the top seed in the bracket and lost 43-9.  UMHB was a "#6" seed, in a bracket that had no seeds, and defeated "#3" Central IA in Pella 42-40.  The next weekend, UMHB was flown to "#2" Linfield and lost 53-21.

There was no home playoff game in the ASC, and therefore, no trophy to award.   2009 Bracket (http://www.d3boards.com/playoffs/footballbracket2009.pdf)



*UMHB (Regular Season 9-1/South Region 9-1 with a 51-19 win over USA South runner-up CNU in Week #1 ) was seeded 4th due to a Week #9 loss to UWW 41-14 (http://www.d3football.com/school/UMHB/2007).  The committee seeded W&J (Regular season 10-0/South Region 7-0) #1.  The Presidents became the first #1 seed to lose to a #8 seed (NCWC), 35-34 OT.  NCWC came to UMHB the next weekend and lost to UMHB 64-0.  #2 Muhlenberg (also 10-0/10-0 South Region) lost at #3 Wesley (regular season 9-1/South Region 8-1) 38-21.  #4 UMHB went to #3 Wesley and beat the Wolverines 27-10.  Comparing scores, I think that we can make the claim that Muhlenberg-Trinity would been a close game.  As we look at the bracket, I also think that #6 Trinity was a stronger team than the seeding indicated.  I believe that the geographic isolation impacts the OWP/OOWP for Texas schools.  2007 South Region Bracket (http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/07/bracket.htm)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 21, 2008, 03:09:25 PM
Here is the update on Top 10 South Region teams since the creation of the Pools system in 1999.

1)  2004 UMHB -- (13-2) Did it Ginger Rogers style.  (Refers to the old joke, who was the better dancer...Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers?  Rogers did everything that Astaire did, backwards and in high heels.)  Was a Pool C bid, back when there were only 3.  Beat #7 Trinity by 29, #3 HSU by 14, #5 W&J by 36 and #1 Mount Union by 3 on the road.  Lost to Elliott's #2 Linfield in the Stagg, 21-28.

2)  2001 Bridgewater -- (13-1)  #1 South Region seed.  Made the trip down to Salem and lost to MUC in primetime on Saturday night, 27-30.

3)  2007 UMHB -- (12-2) #4 South Region seed only because they had the "cojones" (a little Texas lingo there) to schedule a home-and-home with the 2005 Stagg Bowl runner-up two years before the game was played.  Defeated a strong #6 seed (sic) Trinity team for the "Barbed Wire and Mesquite" (unofficial title of the Texas Sub-bracket), and annihilated a #8-seeded NCWC team that won its first playoff game ever at #1 seed Washington and Jefferson.  (NCWC was only in its 4th year of play!)  The Cru avenged their losses at Wesley, 27-10, in the Regional Finals.  In the semi-finals, UMHB dug a big hole in losing the regular season UWW game and then lost to the 2007 Stagg Bowl champs, 16-7 in a great game notably for the "Texas unfriendly" conditions in Whitewater in the semis.

34)  2002 Trinity -- (14-1)  Beat UMHB 48-38, W&J 45-10, won at Bridgewater 38-32, beat St John's 41-34.  Star QB celebrates too hard on Paseo del Rio and Stagg is history.  (MUC wins 48-7, on a very windy day).

45)  1999 Trinity -- (12-1) #1 Seed and gets bye.  Beat Western Maryland and  HSU (40-33) before losing to Stagg winner Pacific Lutheran, 28-49 in Semis.

56T)  2000 HSU -- (12-1)  Had the bye and #1 seed in South and is #2 in the playoffs.  Beat Western Maryland 32-10 and Trinity 33-30.  Lost to Finalist SJU, 14-38 in Abilene.

6T)  2008 UMHB -- (12-2) #2 Seed in the "Millsaps" (South) Region.  Defeated HSU 20-18 in Belton in the regular season and then third team All-American Alan Munoz kicked a last-minute FG to defeat #3 seed HSU in another "Bracketgate" game, 38-35.  UMHB then disposed of Wesley 46-14 and W&J 63-7 in the next two rounds.  The Semi-finals will be forever remembered for the south wind that dramatically impacted the game.  UW-Whitewater kicked off in the first half and netted a safety and field goal.  A UMHB kickoff into the estimated 30+ MPH south wind to start the second half touched the ground at UMHB 41 and then was blown back to the UMHB 24, where UMHB covered it.  This "legal kick" was missed by the officials. They gave UWW the ball at the UMHB 24.  UWW quickly pushed the lead to 18-10 with 14:53 left in the 3Q, and the course of the game was changed.  Stagg finalist UWW won 39-13.

8 )  2008 HSU (9-2) I believe that I must slip #3 seed HSU into this slot, by virtue of the games that they gave UMHB on the road.  UMHB's special teams made the difference in both games, and the margin of defeat is in the realm of "HFA", Home Field Advantage.  I slip HSU ahead of the 2005 Wesley team because of how dominant UMHB was versus the rest of the bracket.
 
6, 7, 9)  2005 Wesley -- (12-2)  Cinderella.  Gets a Pool B bid.  Beats Ferrum, wins at UMHB, beats Bridgewater and then messes up the shoe thing on the snow/ice at Whitewater, 6-58.

7, 8, 10 )  2006 Wesley -- (13-1)  #1 Seed. Beat Dickinson, CMU and UMHB before losing at UW-W (7-44) in the proper shoes.

8, 9, 11)  1999 HSU -- (12-1) Beat WashU and W&J before losing (33-40) at Trinity in South Region finals.

9, 10, 12)  2002 UMHB -- (10-1)  "Bracketgate" game.  UMHB is #5 in polls and #3 South Region Seed.  Sent to Trinity (#4 in polls and #2 South Region seed) in the first round because of geographic proximity.  Loses at Trinity 38-48.

10, 11, 13)  2003 Bridgewater -- (12-2) Squeaked out of a weak but very balanced South Region and then lost at MUC 0-66.

(Revised after the 2008 Stagg Bowl.  Thanks)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: @d3jason on December 21, 2008, 04:29:05 PM
Can't see slipping this year's HSU ahead of a team that went to the final four and beat a '05 UMHB squad in Belton that was as good as any I have seen, maybe the best.

The Texas sub Bracket stinks but you need to win a game to be ranked I would think. I can make a case for this year's Wolverines being in a tight game with the Cowboys.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 14, 2009, 02:55:28 PM
Hello, Conrad. 

Baseball is in its playoffs, and so football is around the corner!  Only 90 something days until we buy our 2009 editions of Kickoff.

When I made this list the first time, I did not think that the 2005 UMHB team was Top 10 calibre at that time.  I am not detracting from Wesley's feat (   ;)   ).  My thoughts on Wesley are based on that team's performance, in its own right.

Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ron Boerger on May 14, 2009, 05:38:20 PM
I'd have to agree with Conrad.  HSU-UMHB is a rivalry (if a one-sided one recently), and rivalry games are almost always much more intense than would otherwise occur.  If you're going to put 08 HSU in, they should be after '05 Wesley (at best).

Using similar logic, one could argue that 2000 Trinity, which only lost by three at HSU (e.g. within home-field advantage) in the third round after two upsets over higher-seeded opponents, also deserves a seat at the table.   1999 HSU (seven point third round road loser) is here, after all.   ;D
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: thewaterboy on September 27, 2010, 05:59:45 PM
Gonna have to update this  ;D
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on September 27, 2010, 06:19:01 PM
Quote from: thewaterboy on September 27, 2010, 05:59:45 PM
Gonna have to update this  ;D
Just waiting on another South Region team to make it to the Stagg Bowl.   :)

The 2009 Wesley was good, but I have a hard time putting them into the top 10 as we have developed it over the last few years.

Definitely top 12-15 tho', unless we slide them into current #10, and push Wesley 2006 out.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: thewaterboy on September 27, 2010, 07:20:18 PM
Id almost venture to say the 2009 team could have been the best in program history. Maybe not the best offensive team (I think thats 2005 that scored all those points behind Warrick) but I think the best overall team. So, maybe around the 6-9 area.

Hopefully we can get another South Region team in the Stagg this year too. Thatd be nice. Its been a while. Too much purple!  ;)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on September 27, 2010, 08:39:16 PM
Quote from: thewaterboy on September 27, 2010, 07:20:18 PM
Id almost venture to say the 2009 team could have been the best in program history. Maybe not the best offensive team (I think thats 2005 that scored all those points behind Warrick) but I think the best overall team. So, maybe around the 6-9 area.

Hopefully we can get another South Region team in the Stagg this year too. Thatd be nice. Its been a while. Too much purple!  ;)
The last South Region team to make the Stagg Bowl?

Purple, UMHB purple.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: crualum55 on September 29, 2010, 01:27:21 PM
Very good Top ten.  I enjoyed reading through those teams.  I of course enjoy most the UMHB has multiple teams on the list.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: CruAlum58 on September 30, 2010, 12:22:34 AM
Its not terrible being on the best team the South has produced.  8-)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: @d3jason on December 13, 2010, 08:04:56 PM
Thinking Wesley deserves a little more respect on this this list maybe not top 5, but a definite #6 for one of the past two years. They have proven themselves against the top South Region conference, the ASC, by going 4-2 over the last six years. Still think 2008 Cowboys have to go.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 13, 2010, 08:18:51 PM
Quote from: Conrad on December 13, 2010, 08:04:56 PM
Thinking Wesley deserves a little more respect on this this list maybe not top 5, but a definite #6 for one of the past two years. They have proven themselves against the top South Region conference, the ASC, by going 4-2 over the last six years. Still think 2008 Cowboys have to go.
Yep, it is time to update the list again.  (I last updated this in 2008.)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 20, 2010, 11:21:36 PM
Here is the update on Top 10 South Region teams since the creation of the Pools system in 1999.

1)  2004 UMHB -- (13-2) Did it Ginger Rogers style.  (Refers to the old joke, who was the better dancer...Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers?  Rogers did everything that Astaire did, backwards and in high heels.)  Was a Pool C bid, back when there were only 3.  Beat #7 Trinity by 29, #3 HSU by 14, #5 W&J by 36 and #1 Mount Union by 3 on the road.  Lost to Elliott's #2 Linfield in the Stagg, 21-28.

2)  2001 Bridgewater -- (13-1)  #1 South Region seed.  Made the trip down to Salem and lost to MUC in primetime on Saturday night, 27-30.

3)  2007 UMHB -- (12-2) #4 South Region seed only because they had the "cojones" (a little Texas lingo there) to schedule a home-and-home with the 2005 Stagg Bowl runner-up two years before the game was played.  Defeated a strong #6 seed (sic) Trinity team for the "Barbed Wire and Mesquite" (unofficial title of the Texas Sub-bracket), and annihilated a #8-seeded NCWC team that won its first playoff game ever at #1 seed Washington and Jefferson.  (NCWC was only in its 4th year of play!)  The Cru avenged their losses at Wesley, 27-10, in the Regional Finals.  In the semi-finals, UMHB dug a big hole in losing the regular season UWW game and then lost to the 2007 Stagg Bowl champs, 16-7 in a great game notably for the "Texas unfriendly" conditions in Whitewater in the semis.

3, 4)  2002 Trinity -- (14-1)  Beat UMHB 48-38, W&J 45-10, won at Bridgewater 38-32, beat St John's 41-34.  Star QB celebrates too hard on Paseo del Rio and Stagg is history.  (MUC wins 48-7, on a very windy day).

5) 2010 Wesley -- (12-1)  #1 Seed overall.  Beat Muhlenberg 53-14, Montclair State 44-14, and UMHB 19-9 before losing to Champion UW-Whitewater 7-27.

4, 5, 6)  1999 Trinity -- (12-1) #1 Seed and gets bye.  Beat Western Maryland and  HSU (40-33) before losing to Stagg winner Pacific Lutheran, 28-49 in Semis.

5, 6T, 7T)  2000 HSU -- (12-1)  Had the bye and #1 seed in South and is #2 in the playoffs.  Beat Western Maryland 32-10 and Trinity 33-30.  Lost to Finalist SJU, 14-38 in Abilene.

6T, 7T)  2008 UMHB -- (12-2) #2 Seed in the "Millsaps" (South) Region.  Defeated HSU 20-18 in Belton in the regular season and then third team All-American Alan Munoz kicked a last-minute FG to defeat #3 seed HSU in another "Bracketgate" game, 38-35.  UMHB then disposed of Wesley 46-14 and W&J 63-7 in the next two rounds.  The Semi-finals will be forever remembered for the south wind that dramatically impacted the game.  UW-Whitewater kicked off in the first half and netted a safety and field goal.  A UMHB kickoff into the estimated 30+ MPH south wind to start the second half touched the ground at UMHB 41 and then was blown back to the UMHB 24, where UMHB covered it.  This "legal kick" was missed by the officials. They gave UWW the ball at the UMHB 24.  UWW quickly pushed the lead to 18-10 with 14:53 left in the 3Q, and the course of the game was changed.  Stagg finalist UWW won 39-13.

8 9)  2008 HSU (9-2) I believe that I must slip #3 seed HSU into this slot, by virtue of the games that they gave UMHB on the road.  UMHB's special teams made the difference in both games, and the margin of defeat is in the realm of "HFA", Home Field Advantage.  I slip HSU ahead of the 2005 Wesley team because of how dominant UMHB was versus the rest of the bracket.
 
6, 7, 9, 10)  2005 Wesley -- (12-2)  Cinderella.  Gets a Pool B bid.  Beats Ferrum, wins at UMHB, beats Bridgewater and then messes up the shoe thing on the snow/ice at Whitewater, 6-58.


7, 8, 10, 11 )  2006 Wesley -- (13-1)  #1 Seed. Beat Dickinson, CMU and UMHB before losing at UW-W (7-44) in the proper shoes.

8, 9, 11, 12)  1999 HSU -- (12-1) Beat WashU and W&J before losing (33-40) at Trinity in South Region finals.

9, 10, 12, 13)  2002 UMHB -- (10-1)  "Bracketgate" game.  UMHB is #5 in polls and #3 South Region Seed.  Sent to Trinity (#4 in polls and #2 South Region seed) in the first round because of geographic proximity.  Loses at Trinity 38-48.

10, 11, 13, 14)  2003 Bridgewater -- (12-2) Squeaked out of a weak but very balanced South Region and then lost at MUC 0-66.

(Revised after the 2010 Stagg Bowl.  Thanks)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: D O.C. on September 01, 2011, 11:11:45 PM
Yes, I know this is off topic, but I was thinking before I found this board about my favorite win in the d3 era and I would have to say UMHB in 2009 playoffs in Mc Minnville.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 20, 2012, 07:08:25 PM
Here is the update on Top 10 South Region teams since the creation of the Pools system in 1999.

1)  2004 UMHB -- (13-2) Did it Ginger Rogers style.  (Refers to the old joke, who was the better dancer...Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers?  Rogers did everything that Astaire did, backwards and in high heels.)  Was a Pool C bid, back when there were only 3.  Beat #7 Trinity by 29, #3 HSU by 14, #5 W&J by 36 and #1 Mount Union by 3 on the road.  Lost to Elliott's #2 Linfield in the Stagg, 21-28.

2)  2001 Bridgewater -- (13-1)  #1 South Region seed.  Made the trip down to Salem and lost to MUC in primetime on Saturday night, 27-30.  That night, who would have thought this to be the pinnacle of ODAC football for the next decade plus?  (Thank Heaven for Stone Station!)

3)  2012 UMHB -- (13-1)  How close was this team to being the finest South Region team to date?  How about a grind-it-out/smashmouth Cru-style clock-consuming scoring drive in the late 4th quarter?  UMHB had 1st and 10 on the UMHB 22 with 3:34 left in the 4th quarter with the score tied 35-35.  The team that "had the ball last" won.  UMU forced a 3-and-out, got the ball "last" and then scored on a 6-play 71-yd drive to go ahead 42-35 with 0:05 left in the game.  The 48-35 final score misrepresents the closest of this game.  (This game was hailed as the "true #1 vs #2" when the brackets were released.  UMU and UMHB finish 1-2 in the Final Top 25 poll.  UMU beat St Thomas 28-10 in Stagg XL.)

3 4)  2007 UMHB -- (12-2) #4 South Region seed only because they had the "cojones" (a little Texas lingo there) to schedule a home-and-home with the 2005 Stagg Bowl runner-up two years before the game was played.  Defeated a strong #6 seed (sic) Trinity team for the "Barbed Wire and Mesquite" (unofficial title of the Texas Sub-bracket), and annihilated a #8-seeded NCWC team that won its first playoff game ever at #1 seed Washington and Jefferson.  (NCWC was only in its 4th year of play!)  The Cru avenged their losses at Wesley, 27-10, in the Regional Finals.  In the semi-finals, UMHB dug a big hole in losing the regular season UWW game and then lost to the 2007 Stagg Bowl champs, 16-7 in a great game notably for the "Texas unfriendly" conditions in Whitewater in the semis.

3, 4, 5)  2002 Trinity -- (14-1)  Beat UMHB 48-38, W&J 45-10, won at Bridgewater 38-32, beat St John's 41-34.  Star QB celebrates too hard on Paseo del Rio and Stagg is history.  (MUC wins 48-7, on a very windy day).

5 6T) 2010 Wesley -- (12-1)  #1 Seed overall.  Beat Muhlenberg 53-14, Montclair State 44-14, and UMHB 19-9 before losing to Champion UW-Whitewater 7-27.

6T) 2011 Wesley -- (12-2)  An early season loss to NJAC champion Kean 31-28 put Wesley into the #2 South Region seed. The Wolverines hosted Hobart 35-28 and Linfield 49-35 and then came to Texas and beat UMHB in the Region Finals, 27-24.  Wesley lost at Stagg runner-up Mount Union (UMU), 28-21.  Were their playoff opponents in 2011 better than 2010? I think so.  Too close for me to call between the 2011 and the 2010 Wesley teams.

4, 5, 6, 8)  1999 Trinity -- (12-1) #1 Seed and gets bye.  Beat Western Maryland and  HSU (40-33) before losing to Stagg winner Pacific Lutheran, 28-49 in Semis.

5, 6T, 7T , 9T)  2000 HSU -- (12-1)  Had the bye and #1 seed in South and is #2 in the playoffs.  Beat Western Maryland 32-10 and Trinity 33-30.  Lost to Finalist SJU, 14-38 in Abilene.

6T, 7T, 9T)  2008 UMHB -- (12-2) #2 Seed in the "Millsaps" (South) Region.  Defeated HSU 20-18 in Belton in the regular season and then third team All-American Alan Munoz kicked a last-minute FG to defeat #3 seed HSU in another "Bracketgate" game, 38-35.  UMHB then disposed of Wesley 46-14 and W&J 63-7 in the next two rounds.  The Semi-finals will be forever remembered for the south wind that dramatically impacted the game.  UW-Whitewater kicked off in the first half and netted a safety and field goal.  A UMHB kickoff into the estimated 30+ MPH south wind to start the second half touched the ground at UMHB 41 and then was blown back to the UMHB 24, where UMHB covered it.  This "legal kick" was missed by the officials. They gave UWW the ball at the UMHB 24.  UWW quickly pushed the lead to 18-10 with 14:53 left in the 3Q, and the course of the game was changed.  Stagg finalist UWW won 39-13.




8, 9, 11)  2008 HSU (9-2) I believe that I must slip #3 seed HSU into this slot, by virtue of the games that they gave UMHB on the road.  UMHB's special teams made the difference in both games, and the margin of defeat is in the realm of "HFA", Home Field Advantage.  I slip HSU ahead of the 2005 Wesley team because of how dominant UMHB was versus the rest of the bracket.
 
6, 7, 9, 10, 12)  2005 Wesley -- (12-2)  Cinderella.  Gets a Pool B bid.  Beats Ferrum, wins at UMHB, beats Bridgewater and then messes up the shoe thing on the snow/ice at Whitewater, 6-58.


7, 8, 10, 11, 13 )  2006 Wesley -- (13-1)  #1 Seed. Beat Dickinson, CMU and UMHB before losing at UW-W (7-44) in the proper shoes.

8, 9, 11, 12, 14)  1999 HSU -- (12-1) Beat WashU and W&J before losing (33-40) at Trinity in South Region finals.

9, 10, 12, 13, 15)  2002 UMHB -- (10-1)  "Bracketgate" game.  UMHB is #5 in polls and #3 South Region Seed.  Sent to Trinity (#4 in polls and #2 South Region seed) in the first round because of geographic proximity.  Loses at Trinity 38-48.

10, 11, 13, 14, 16)  2003 Bridgewater -- (12-2) Squeaked out of a weak but very balanced South Region and then lost at MUC 0-66.

(Revised after the 2012 Stagg Bowl.  Thanks for reading.)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: @d3jason on December 20, 2012, 08:47:28 PM
I think the 2011 Wesley team beats this year's UMHB IMHO. The Cru had pretty the same squad this year as last. Yes Bailey improved but I still have to take McSweeny. Certainly think that beating the Cru, Linfield, Hobart & racking up nearly 500 yards  on Mount in the semifinal makes a strong case. If not for some dropped passes and losing Chris Mayes against Linfield along with several other defenders maybe they get it done.

At any rate, the South is close to breaking through after pushing Mount the last two seasons. Will 2013 be the year?
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: @d3jason on December 20, 2012, 08:58:42 PM
I also think you could make case for this year's Wolverines being the third best in nation based on their strength of schedule and being in the game in the fourth both times against the number two team.

I'm not sure where to put them on this compared to the other WC teams on this list.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 20, 2012, 10:38:12 PM
I can see Wesley as the #3. They reflect favorably on the ASC teams that they played.

When you start comparing the 2011 Wesley team with this year's, then you are saying by extension that the loser to the 2011 Stagg Bowl runner-up is roughly on a par with 2012 Stagg Winner.

I will defer to Pat/Gordon/Keith on that one.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: HScoach on December 21, 2012, 07:39:37 AM
I can say with 100% certainty that the 2012 version of Mount is much, MUCH better than the 2011 or 2010 teams.    This season's team would beat either of the other two by 14 points, or more.   

And it's all because of the QB.    Mount played the 10 and 11 Stagg bowls with a back-up to a marginal starter.   2012 was played with a very good, young QB that has a chance to be one of the Mount greats.

Comparing south teams by how they played Mount the last few years is flawed because of how much different Mount has been over the last 3 years.    The 2012 team compares to the 2006 thru 2008 run.    Whereas '10 and '11 were some of weaker Mount teams in the last 10 years.   Not saying they still weren't really good D3 teams, just not good by Mount standards.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: @d3jason on December 21, 2012, 09:44:32 AM
What made Mount better in 2012. In my opinion, it was Burke. Otherwise, they are pretty much the same as in 2011. (The best team in the nation, beside UWW, who took a step back this year leaving them on top.) UMHB was slightly better this year and Wesley a bit less than in 2011.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: @d3jason on December 21, 2012, 10:13:04 AM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on December 20, 2012, 10:38:12 PM
I can see Wesley as the #3. They reflect favorably on the ASC teams that they played.

When you start comparing the 2011 Wesley team with this year's, then you are saying by extension that the loser to the 2011 Stagg Bowl runner-up is roughly on a par with 2012 Stagg Winner.

I will defer to Pat/Gordon/Keith on that one.

I don't think that you need to defer to Pat or Keith, since I have seen every UMHB/Wesley contest.... ;D

It wasn't like UWW went on to stomp UMU., so I don't think it's a stretch at all. Keith asked Nick Driskill who the best players he faced during his time at UMU and he said McSweeny and Coppage.

I watched a lot of Mount on STO this year, Burke was the difference. I remember thinking before the 2011 Wesley/UMU semifinal in 2011 when there was some question as to who would start at QB and hoping that it would not be Burke. (He had looked really good in limited duty in the games I had watched that year.)

I believe McSweeny was let down by his receivers in the 4th quarter of 2011 game (Three drops on perfectly thrown passes. One was the tying TD). Bailey had his chance with scored tied late in the fourth and went three-and-out.

Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: HScoach on December 21, 2012, 10:53:00 AM
Quote from: @d3jason on December 21, 2012, 09:44:32 AM
What made Mount better in 2012. In my opinion, it was Burke. Otherwise, they are pretty much the same as in 2011. (The best team in the nation, beside UWW, who took a step back this year leaving them on top.) UMHB was slightly better this year and Wesley a bit less than in 2011.

That's what I said in my post.  The difference was simply the QB play.  And it's by a WIDE margin.  The '10 and '11 teams made it to the Stagg IN SPITE of the QB.   The '12 made it to the Stagg BECAUSE of the QB.

The '10 and '11 teams were QB'd by the back-up to an injured starter that was marginal in the first place.  Burke as a sophomore beat out that senior 2-year starter who was returning from injury this summer and it made all the difference in the world.  If Mount had a Chuck Moore/Dan Pugh/Nate Kmic type running back and a great O-line on this team, it might not have mattered as much.  But this offense was all about getting the ball to a great WR corps, which made the QB the biggest key.


The '11 Wesley team was very good, but evaluating based on what I saw against Mount, the '12 MHB team was much better defensively and therefore was more dangerous than '11 Wesley.  McSweeney was a stud QB and reminded me very much of Rocky Pentello who led Capital to back-to-back 3 point losses to Mount in the regional finals in the mid-2000's.   It's hard for those outside of the OAC to grasp how big the difference really was, but the '12 version of Mount was significantly better than the '11 team.   If I had to set a line on those 2 teams playing each other, the '12 team would be favored by at least 14 points.  Maybe even 20. 
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: HScoach on December 21, 2012, 11:16:47 AM
Looking thru my Raider tinted glasses, I also think the 2001 Bridgewater team should get consideration for the #1 spot.   They played one of the better Mount teams to the very edge in the Stagg.  And if that game had another 3 minutes in it, they probably win the championship because Mount couldn't stop them.    B'Water also lost their stud TB for much of the game due to injury which really helped the Mount cause.   That was one scary 2nd half from where I was sitting.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: 02 Warhawk on December 21, 2012, 11:37:24 AM
Quote from: HScoach on December 21, 2012, 07:39:37 AM
I can say with 100% certainty that the 2012 version of Mount is much, MUCH better than the 2011 or 2010 teams.    This season's team would beat either of the other two by 14 points, or more.   

And it's all because of the QB.    Mount played the 10 and 11 Stagg bowls with a back-up to a marginal starter.   2012 was played with a very good, young QB that has a chance to be one of the Mount greats.

Comparing south teams by how they played Mount the last few years is flawed because of how much different Mount has been over the last 3 years.    The 2012 team compares to the 2006 thru 2008 run.    Whereas '10 and '11 were some of weaker Mount teams in the last 10 years.   Not saying they still weren't really good D3 teams, just not good by Mount standards.

UWW won the Stagg with their back-up QB in 2010. Brekke (unfortunately) went on to have a very marginal career at UWW.

Very interesting discussions here. Good reads!
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: GillCJ1 on October 31, 2014, 05:25:23 PM
I'm sorry for the necro-bump, but I was curious if someone more knowledgeable than I would make any changes here.  It appears the last update was in 2012.  UMHB made it to the semis last season, and were a narrow loss away from reaching the Stagg.  Where do you think that team would fit into the top 10 poll?

Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: ExTartanPlayer on October 31, 2014, 06:52:17 PM
Quote from: GillCJ1 on October 31, 2014, 05:25:23 PM
I'm sorry for the necro-bump, but I was curious if someone more knowledgeable than I would make any changes here.  It appears the last update was in 2012.  UMHB made it to the semis last season, and were a narrow loss away from reaching the Stagg.  Where do you think that team would fit into the top 10 poll?

In the top 4 for certain, arguably as high as the top spot.

They didn't make the Stagg, but...they 1) absolutely blitzed a Wesley team that took Mount to the wire and 2) lost by one to a UWW team that pummeled Mount...both of which suggest they were probably #2 in the nation last year. You could argue for them at #1 on this list. Absolutely no lower than 4th.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on November 01, 2014, 07:34:02 PM
Quote from: GillCJ1 on October 31, 2014, 05:25:23 PM
I'm sorry for the necro-bump, but I was curious if someone more knowledgeable than I would make any changes here.  It appears the last update was in 2012.  UMHB made it to the semis last season, and were a narrow loss away from reaching the Stagg.  Where do you think that team would fit into the top 10 poll?
I would put the 2013 UMHB team into the #3 slot. I thought that they would have beaten Mount Union.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: @d3jason on November 01, 2014, 07:39:05 PM
Agreed Ralph,

Not going for it on 4th and goal at the three against UWW still puzzles me.

Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: GillCJ1 on December 29, 2016, 09:16:32 AM
It probably goes without saying, but this year's version of the Cru would take over the top spot in most people's lists.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 29, 2016, 07:26:25 PM
Quote from: GillCJ1 on December 29, 2016, 09:16:32 AM
It probably goes without saying, but this year's version of the Cru would take over the top spot in most people's lists.
Yes.  With the 2013 CRU now in at #4.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 29, 2016, 07:40:14 PM
Here is the update on Top 10 South Region teams since the creation of the Pools system in 1999.

1) 2016 UMHB -- (15-0) Beat UW-Oshkosh 10-7 in the Stagg. Had a good run to Salem beating (unranked in Week #11 Top 25) Redlands, #8 Linfield, #13 Wheaton IL, #7 Mount Union in the CRUthedral.

1) 2)  2004 UMHB -- (13-2) Did it Ginger Rogers style.  (Refers to the old joke, who was the better dancer...Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers?  Rogers did everything that Astaire did, backwards and in high heels.)  Was a Pool C bid, back when there were only 3.  Beat #7 Trinity by 29, #3 HSU by 14, #5 W&J by 36 and #1 Mount Union by 3 on the road.  Lost to Elliott's #2 Linfield in the Stagg, 21-28.

2) 3)  2001 Bridgewater -- (13-1)  #1 South Region seed.  Made the trip down to Salem and lost to MUC in primetime on Saturday night, 27-30.  That night, who would have thought this to be the pinnacle of ODAC football for the next decade plus?  (Thank Heaven for Stone Station!)

4) 2013 UMHB -- (13-1) Lost 16-15 in the CRUthedral in the Semis to ultimate winner UWW who blew out Mount Union the next weekend. (Ouch!)

3) 5)  2012 UMHB -- (13-1)  How close was this team to being the finest South Region team to date?  How about a grind-it-out/smashmouth Cru-style clock-consuming scoring drive in the late 4th quarter?  UMHB had 1st and 10 on the UMHB 22 with 3:34 left in the 4th quarter with the score tied 35-35.  The team that "had the ball last" won.  UMU forced a 3-and-out, got the ball "last" and then scored on a 6-play 71-yd drive to go ahead 42-35 with 0:05 left in the game.  The 48-35 final score misrepresents the closest of this game.  (This game was hailed as the "true #1 vs #2" when the brackets were released.  UMU and UMHB finish 1-2 in the Final Top 25 poll.  UMU beat St Thomas 28-10 in Stagg XL.)

3) 4) 6) 2007 UMHB -- (12-2) #4 South Region seed only because they had the "cojones" (a little Texas lingo there) to schedule a home-and-home with the 2005 Stagg Bowl runner-up two years before the game was played.  Defeated a strong #6 seed (sic) Trinity team for the "Barbed Wire and Mesquite" (unofficial title of the Texas Sub-bracket), and annihilated a #8-seeded NCWC team that won its first playoff game ever at #1 seed Washington and Jefferson.  (NCWC was only in its 4th year of play!)  The Cru avenged their losses at Wesley, 27-10, in the Regional Finals.  In the semi-finals, UMHB dug a big hole in losing the regular season UWW game and then lost to the 2007 Stagg Bowl champs, 16-7 in a great game notably for the "Texas unfriendly" conditions in Whitewater in the semis.

3, 4, 5) 7)  2002 Trinity -- (14-1)  Beat UMHB 48-38, W&J 45-10, won at Bridgewater 38-32, beat St John's 41-34.  Star QB celebrates too hard on Paseo del Rio and Stagg is history.  (MUC wins 48-7, on a very windy day).

5, 6T) 8T) 2010 Wesley -- (12-1)  #1 Seed overall.  Beat Muhlenberg 53-14, Montclair State 44-14, and UMHB 19-9 before losing to Champion UW-Whitewater 7-27.

6T) 8T) 2011 Wesley -- (12-2)  An early season loss to NJAC champion Kean 31-28 put Wesley into the #2 South Region seed. The Wolverines hosted Hobart 35-28 and Linfield 49-35 and then came to Texas and beat UMHB in the Region Finals, 27-24.  Wesley lost at Stagg runner-up Mount Union (UMU), 28-21.  Were their playoff opponents in 2011 better than 2010? I think so.  Too close for me to call between the 2011 and the 2010 Wesley teams.

4, 5, 6, 9, 10)  1999 Trinity -- (12-1) #1 Seed and gets bye.  Beat Western Maryland and  HSU (40-33) before losing to Stagg winner Pacific Lutheran, 28-49 in Semis.

5, 6T, 7T, 9T , 11T)  2000 HSU -- (12-1)  Had the bye and #1 seed in South and is #2 in the playoffs.  Beat Western Maryland 32-10 and Trinity 33-30.  Lost to Finalist SJU, 14-38 in Abilene.

6T, 7T, 9T , 11T)  2008 UMHB -- (12-2) #2 Seed in the "Millsaps" (South) Region.  Defeated HSU 20-18 in Belton in the regular season and then third team All-American Alan Munoz kicked a last-minute FG to defeat #3 seed HSU in another "Bracketgate" game, 38-35.  UMHB then disposed of Wesley 46-14 and W&J 63-7 in the next two rounds.  The Semi-finals will be forever remembered for the south wind that dramatically impacted the game.  UW-Whitewater kicked off in the first half and netted a safety and field goal.  A UMHB kickoff into the estimated 30+ MPH south wind to start the second half touched the ground at UMHB 41 and then was blown back to the UMHB 24, where UMHB covered it.  This "legal kick" was missed by the officials. They gave UWW the ball at the UMHB 24.  UWW quickly pushed the lead to 18-10 with 14:53 left in the 3Q, and the course of the game was changed.  Stagg finalist UWW won 39-13.




8, 9, 11, 13)  2008 HSU (9-2) I believe that I must slip #3 seed HSU into this slot, by virtue of the games that they gave UMHB on the road.  UMHB's special teams made the difference in both games, and the margin of defeat is in the realm of "HFA", Home Field Advantage.  I slip HSU ahead of the 2005 Wesley team because of how dominant UMHB was versus the rest of the bracket.
 
6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14)  2005 Wesley -- (12-2)  Cinderella.  Gets a Pool B bid.  Beats Ferrum, wins at UMHB, beats Bridgewater and then messes up the shoe thing on the snow/ice at Whitewater, 6-58.


7, 8, 10, 11, 13,, 15 )  2006 Wesley -- (13-1)  #1 Seed. Beat Dickinson, CMU and UMHB before losing at UW-W (7-44) in the proper shoes.

8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16)  1999 HSU -- (12-1) Beat WashU and W&J before losing (33-40) at Trinity in South Region finals.

9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17)  2002 UMHB -- (10-1)  "Bracketgate" game.  UMHB is #5 in polls and #3 South Region Seed.  Sent to Trinity (#4 in polls and #2 South Region seed) in the first round because of geographic proximity.  Loses at Trinity 38-48.

10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18)  2003 Bridgewater -- (12-2) Squeaked out of a weak but very balanced South Region and then lost at MUC 0-66.

(Revised after the 2016 Stagg Bowl.  Thanks for reading.)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: D O.C. on December 30, 2016, 01:21:58 AM
So, what changes did Trinity have in their program after 2002 the led them just another baseball team?
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: emma17 on December 30, 2016, 01:11:13 PM
Ralph, thanks for taking the time to update that list, it was fun to read.  I know that there was very high praise by the UWW players for some of those UMHB teams, especially 2007 and 2013. 

d3jason,
You posted that you are still puzzled by the decision to kick a field goal on 4th and 3 in that 2013 game.  Are you saying you don't understand why he made that decision or just that you would not have made that decision?  I know Coach F took a lot of heat for that call, but I can certainly understand the logic to it.  The case can be made that UMHB had a better chance of winning by kicking two field goals than they did by scoring one touchdown.   
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: HansenRatings on December 30, 2016, 02:23:08 PM
This is a really cool idea (and maybe gives me an idea for a future study).

I decided to take a look at the 18 teams you have listed here, and ranked them according to their ratings in my system. I decided to use the average of the peak rating, final rating, and average rating throughout the season. This year's UMHB was pretty clearly the best, but 2001 Bridgewater wasn't anywhere near the top (they may be the worst team to reach the Stagg Bowl since '99).

(https://www.d3boards.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FOQi7RmY.png&hash=e3a8204052513f2c720350776b2d9249789c4a00)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 30, 2016, 09:49:42 PM
Thanks for the comment HansenRatings.

I first made the listing in 2006. At that time, there were only 3 South Region teams who had made the Stagg Bowl (in the "Modern Era".). I was impressed that they almost beat MUC that year, losing 30-27.  If you are calling 2001 BC the worst team to make the Stagg Bowl, then the 2001 Mount Union team is probably the worst team to win in the D3football.com era.

I will appreciate your running your computer model on the years of the D3football.com website.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ron Boerger on January 02, 2017, 01:57:46 PM
Quote from: D O.C. on December 30, 2016, 01:21:58 AM
So, what changes did Trinity have in their program after 2002 the led them just another baseball team?

Trinity had a leadership change around 2000 and the president of that era, John Brazil, IMO did not support athletics as did his predecessor.   The program declined markedly under his decade of, um, leadership, and has never recovered (and possibly never will with UMHB being such a draw).  The current president, who started last year seems to support athletics, but until they do something with the sub-par facilities I won't believe football is getting the support it deserves.  Stadium plans are out there and the overhaul is supposedly next up after the Bell Center (basketball/natatorium/workout facilities) upgrades complete.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: D O.C. on January 02, 2017, 08:07:23 PM
THX RB
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: @d3jason on January 17, 2017, 09:10:07 PM
Quote from: emma17 on December 30, 2016, 01:11:13 PM
Ralph, thanks for taking the time to update that list, it was fun to read.  I know that there was very high praise by the UWW players for some of those UMHB teams, especially 2007 and 2013. 

d3jason,
You posted that you are still puzzled by the decision to kick a field goal on 4th and 3 in that 2013 game.  Are you saying you don't understand why he made that decision or just that you would not have made that decision?  I know Coach F took a lot of heat for that call, but I can certainly understand the logic to it.  The case can be made that UMHB had a better chance of winning by kicking two field goals than they did by scoring one touchdown.   

I felt with UWW's ability to pound the rock, that they would never get the ball back. They didn't. (Well, I guess they did with a second left.)

One play to get to the Stagg Bowl! Go get it!. You miss and you still have them backed up where they have to play more conservatively. You stop them inside the 10 and you have a chance at better field position. I seem to remember a play action pass to convert on third down to a behemoth TE. Does LL call that inside his ten?
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: jhu on August 08, 2017, 09:51:58 PM
Checking in as we roll towards the start of the season.  Looking at the great teams since 1999 poll system was cool.  NIce work guys ... some great teams in the south that couldn't quite win it (MU & WW in the way for the most part).

How about a look at the top south programs since the poll systm started.  Not a ranking, but here are ones to consider:

Wesley
UMHB
Trinity
W&J
Thomas More
Muhlenberg
Johns Hopkins
Hampden-Sydney

I'm sure I'm missing some obvious ones to consider.  There were some very good Bridgewater and W. Maryland/McDaniel teams early in this era for instance, but were they good long enough since 99 to be included?
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: DFWCrufan on August 08, 2017, 11:46:37 PM
One scrappy program that is new is Southwestern. Newest program in the central/South Texas region, has handled Trinity et all and was the last SCAC conference champs. While not as old and established as the others one cannot discount that in such a shortish time they did make a splash in their area. This season they will be in ASC and facing some of the teams they did during their SCAC seasons HSU, ETBU and some others I would not count them out to stir some things up in ASC and, they make their games just fun to watch.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 31, 2017, 08:33:58 PM
Time to update this  board.

Here is the update on Top 10 South Region teams since the creation of the Pools system in 1999.

1) 2016 UMHB -- (15-0) Beat UW-Oshkosh 10-7 in the Stagg. Had a good run to Salem beating (unranked in Week #11 Top 25) Redlands, #8 Linfield, #13 Wheaton IL, #7 Mount Union in the CRUthedral.

1) 2)  2004 UMHB -- (13-2) Did it Ginger Rogers style.  (Refers to the old joke, who was the better dancer...Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers?  Rogers did everything that Astaire did, backwards and in high heels.)  Was a Pool C bid, back when there were only 3.  Beat #7 Trinity by 29, #3 HSU by 14, #5 W&J by 36 and #1 Mount Union by 3 on the road.  Lost to Elliott's #2 Linfield in the Stagg, 21-28.

2) 3)  2001 Bridgewater -- (13-1)  #1 South Region seed.  Made the trip down to Salem and lost to MUC in primetime on Saturday night, 27-30.  That night, who would have thought this to be the pinnacle of ODAC football for the next decade plus?  (Thank Heaven for Stone Station!)

4) 2017 UMHB -- (14-1) #1 overall seed. An outstanding defense and a Freshman QB lead the CRU to the Stagg.  A running-into-the-punter penalty nullifying a TD and a spectcular through-the-defenders hands UMU TD reception are the difference in UMU's 12-0 win.  (I am ranking them behind the 2004 UMHB and 2001 Bridgewater teams because they lost by 2 scores instead of one, for no other reason.)

4) 5) 2013 UMHB -- (13-1) Lost 16-15 in the CRUthedral in the Semis to ultimate winner UWW who blew out Mount Union the next weekend. (Ouch!)

3) 5)) 6)  2012 UMHB -- (13-1)  How close was this team to being the finest South Region team to date?  How about a grind-it-out/smashmouth Cru-style clock-consuming scoring drive in the late 4th quarter?  UMHB had 1st and 10 on the UMHB 22 with 3:34 left in the 4th quarter with the score tied 35-35.  The team that "had the ball last" won.  UMU forced a 3-and-out, got the ball "last" and then scored on a 6-play 71-yd drive to go ahead 42-35 with 0:05 left in the game.  The 48-35 final score misrepresents the closest of this game.  (This game was hailed as the "true #1 vs #2" when the brackets were released.  UMU and UMHB finish 1-2 in the Final Top 25 poll.  UMU beat St Thomas 28-10 in Stagg XL.)

3, 4, 6)) 7) 2007 UMHB -- (12-2) #4 South Region seed only because they had the "cojones" (a little Texas lingo there) to schedule a home-and-home with the 2005 Stagg Bowl runner-up two years before the game was played.  Defeated a strong #6 seed (sic) Trinity team for the "Barbed Wire and Mesquite" (unofficial title of the Texas Sub-bracket), and annihilated a #8-seeded NCWC team that won its first playoff game ever at #1 seed Washington and Jefferson.  (NCWC was only in its 4th year of play!)  The Cru avenged their losses at Wesley, 27-10, in the Regional Finals.  In the semi-finals, UMHB dug a big hole in losing the regular season UWW game and then lost to the 2007 Stagg Bowl champs, 16-7 in a great game notably for the "Texas unfriendly" conditions in Whitewater in the semis.

3, 4, 5, 7) 8)  2002 Trinity -- (14-1)  Beat UMHB 48-38, W&J 45-10, won at Bridgewater 38-32, beat St John's 41-34.  Star QB celebrates too hard on Paseo del Rio and Stagg is history.  (MUC wins 48-7, on a very windy day).

5, 6T, 8T) 9T) 2010 Wesley -- (12-1)  #1 Seed overall.  Beat Muhlenberg 53-14, Montclair State 44-14, and UMHB 19-9 before losing to Champion UW-Whitewater 7-27.

6T, 8T) 9T) 2011 Wesley -- (12-2)  An early season loss to NJAC champion Kean 31-28 put Wesley into the #2 South Region seed. The Wolverines hosted Hobart 35-28 and Linfield 49-35 and then came to Texas and beat UMHB in the Region Finals, 27-24.  Wesley lost at Stagg runner-up Mount Union (UMU), 28-21.  Were their playoff opponents in 2011 better than 2010? I think so.  Too close for me to call between the 2011 and the 2010 Wesley teams.




4, 5, 6, 9, 10) 11)  1999 Trinity -- (12-1) #1 Seed and gets bye.  Beat Western Maryland and  HSU (40-33) before losing to Stagg winner Pacific Lutheran, 28-49 in Semis.

5, 6T, 7T, 9T, 11T ) 12T)  2000 HSU -- (12-1)  Had the bye and #1 seed in South and is #2 in the playoffs.  Beat Western Maryland 32-10 and Trinity 33-30.  Lost to Finalist SJU, 14-38 in Abilene.

6T, 7T, 9T, 11T ) 12T)  2008 UMHB -- (12-2) #2 Seed in the "Millsaps" (South) Region.  Defeated HSU 20-18 in Belton in the regular season and then third team All-American Alan Munoz kicked a last-minute FG to defeat #3 seed HSU in another "Bracketgate" game, 38-35.  UMHB then disposed of Wesley 46-14 and W&J 63-7 in the next two rounds.  The Semi-finals will be forever remembered for the south wind that dramatically impacted the game.  UW-Whitewater kicked off in the first half and netted a safety and field goal.  A UMHB kickoff into the estimated 30+ MPH south wind to start the second half touched the ground at UMHB 41 and then was blown back to the UMHB 24, where UMHB covered it.  This "legal kick" was missed by the officials. They gave UWW the ball at the UMHB 24.  UWW quickly pushed the lead to 18-10 with 14:53 left in the 3Q, and the course of the game was changed.  Stagg finalist UWW won 39-13.

8, 9, 11, 13 ) 14)  2008 HSU (9-2) I believe that I must slip #3 seed HSU into this slot, by virtue of the games that they gave UMHB on the road.  UMHB's special teams made the difference in both games, and the margin of defeat is in the realm of "HFA", Home Field Advantage.  I slip HSU ahead of the 2005 Wesley team because of how dominant UMHB was versus the rest of the bracket.
 
6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14) 15)  2005 Wesley -- (12-2)  Cinderella.  Gets a Pool B bid.  Beats Ferrum, wins at UMHB, beats Bridgewater and then messes up the shoe thing on the snow/ice at Whitewater, 6-58.


7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15) 16 )  2006 Wesley -- (13-1)  #1 Seed. Beat Dickinson, CMU and UMHB before losing at UW-W (7-44) in the proper shoes.

8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16) 17)  1999 HSU -- (12-1) Beat WashU and W&J before losing (33-40) at Trinity in South Region finals.

9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17) 18)  2002 UMHB -- (10-1)  "Bracketgate" game.  UMHB is #5 in polls and #3 South Region Seed.  Sent to Trinity (#4 in polls and #2 South Region seed) in the first round because of geographic proximity.  Loses at Trinity 38-48.

10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18) 19)  2003 Bridgewater -- (12-2) Squeaked out of a weak but very balanced South Region and then lost at MUC 0-66.

(Revised after the 2017 Stagg Bowl.  Thanks for reading.)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: D O.C. on December 31, 2017, 09:14:27 PM
Cannot find fault with the analysis, Ralph.
I'm amazed how many of those games i remember.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 30, 2018, 01:40:00 PM
Here is the update on Top 10 South Region teams since the creation of the Pools system in 1999, through 2018.

1) 2018 UMHB -- (15-0) Toughest run to the Stagg since the 2004 team. UMHB never left the state for the playoffs. The rankings are from Week #11. In consecutive rounds, beat #7 HSU by 21; #20 Berry by 66 points, #3 St John's by 3, #5 UW-Whitewater by 17 and #1 Mount Union 24-16 in Shenandoah TX.

1) (2)2016 UMHB -- (15-0) Beat UW-Oshkosh 10-7 in the Stagg. Had a good run to Salem beating (unranked in Week #11 Top 25) Redlands, #8 Linfield, #13 Wheaton IL, #7 Mount Union in the CRUthedral.

1, 2) 3)  2004 UMHB -- (13-2) Did it Ginger Rogers style.  (Refers to the old joke, who was the better dancer...Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers?  Rogers did everything that Astaire did, backwards and in high heels.)  Was a Pool C bid, back when there were only 3.  Beat #7 Trinity by 29, #3 HSU by 14, #5 W&J by 36 and #1 Mount Union by 3 on the road.  Lost to Elliott's #2 Linfield in the Stagg, 21-28.

2, 3) 4)  2001 Bridgewater -- (13-1)  #1 South Region seed.  Made the trip down to Salem and lost to MUC in primetime on Saturday night, 27-30.  That night, who would have thought this to be the pinnacle of ODAC football for the next decade plus?  (Thank Heaven for Stone Station!)

4) 5) 2013 UMHB -- (13-1) Lost 16-15 in the CRUthedral in the Semis to ultimate winner UWW who blew out Mount Union the next weekend. (Ouch!)


6) 2017 UMHB -- (14-1) Shutout by UMU in the Stagg, 12-0. A roughing-the-kicker penalty took a UMHB punt return for a TD off the board. That would have made the score 7-0.  A 4th quarter safety was called the play of the game.

3, 5, 6) 7)  2012 UMHB -- (13-1)  How close was this team to being the finest South Region team to date?  How about a grind-it-out/smashmouth Cru-style clock-consuming scoring drive in the late 4th quarter at Alliance OH?   The team that "had the ball last" won. UMHB had 1st and 10 on the UMHB 22 with 3:34 left in the 4th quarter with the score tied 35-35.  UMU forced a 3-and-out, got the ball "last" and then scored on a 6-play 71-yd drive to go ahead 42-35 with 0:05 left in the game.  UMU got a 25 yd fumble recovery on the kickoff for the final score. The 48-35 final score misrepresents the closeness of this game.  (This game was hailed as the "true #1 vs #2" when the brackets were released.  UMU and UMHB finish 1-2 in the Final Top 25 poll.  UMU beat St Thomas 28-10 in Stagg XL.)

3, 4, 6, 7) 8) 2007 UMHB -- (12-2) #4 South Region seed only because they had the "cojones" (a little Texas lingo there) to schedule a home-and-home with the 2005 Stagg Bowl runner-up two years before the game was played.  Defeated a strong #6 seed (sic) Trinity team for the "Barbed Wire and Mesquite" (unofficial title of the Texas Sub-bracket), and annihilated a #8-seeded NCWC team that won its first playoff game ever at #1 seed Washington and Jefferson.  (NCWC was only in its 4th year of play!)  The Cru avenged their losses at Wesley, 27-10, in the Regional Finals.  In the semi-finals, UMHB dug a big hole in losing the regular season UWW game and then lost to the 2007 Stagg Bowl champs, 16-7 in a great game notably for the "Texas unfriendly" conditions in Whitewater in the semis.

3, 4, 5, 7, 8) 9)  2002 Trinity -- (14-1)  Beat UMHB 48-38, W&J 45-10, won at Bridgewater 38-32, beat St John's 41-34.  Star QB celebrates too hard on Paseo del Rio and Stagg is history.  (MUC wins 48-7, on a very windy day).

5, 6T, 8T, 9) 10T) 2010 Wesley -- (12-1)  #1 Seed overall.  Beat Muhlenberg 53-14, Montclair State 44-14, and UMHB 19-9 before losing to Champion UW-Whitewater 7-27.


6T, 8T, 10) 10T) 2011 Wesley -- (12-2)  An early season loss to NJAC champion Kean 31-28 put Wesley into the #2 South Region seed. The Wolverines hosted Hobart 35-28 and Linfield 49-35 and then came to Texas and beat UMHB in the Region Finals, 27-24.  Wesley lost at Stagg runner-up Mount Union (UMU), 28-21.  Were their playoff opponents in 2011 better than 2010? I think so.  Too close for me to call between the 2011 and the 2010 Wesley teams.



4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12)  1999 Trinity -- (12-1) #1 Seed and gets bye.  Beat Western Maryland and  HSU (40-33) before losing to Stagg winner Pacific Lutheran, 28-49 in Semis.

5, 6T, 7T, 9T, 11T , 13T)  2000 HSU -- (12-1)  Had the bye and #1 seed in South and is #2 in the playoffs.  Beat Western Maryland 32-10 and Trinity 33-30.  Lost to Finalist SJU, 14-38 in Abilene.

6T, 7T, 9T, 11T , 13T)  2008 UMHB -- (12-2) #2 Seed in the "Millsaps" (South) Region.  Defeated HSU 20-18 in Belton in the regular season and then third team All-American Alan Munoz kicked a last-minute FG to defeat #3 seed HSU in another "Bracketgate" game, 38-35.  UMHB then disposed of Wesley 46-14 and W&J 63-7 in the next two rounds.  The Semi-finals will be forever remembered for the south wind that dramatically impacted the game.  UW-Whitewater kicked off in the first half and netted a safety and field goal.  A UMHB kickoff into the estimated 30+ MPH south wind to start the second half touched the ground at UMHB 41 and then was blown back to the UMHB 24, where UMHB covered it.  This "legal kick" was missed by the officials. They gave UWW the ball at the UMHB 24.  UWW quickly pushed the lead to 18-10 with 14:53 left in the 3Q, and the course of the game was changed.  Stagg finalist UWW won 39-13.

8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15)  2008 HSU (9-2) I believe that I must slip #3 seed HSU into this slot, by virtue of the games that they gave UMHB on the road.  UMHB's special teams made the difference in both games, and the margin of defeat is in the realm of "HFA", Home Field Advantage.  I slip HSU ahead of the 2005 Wesley team because of how dominant UMHB was versus the rest of the bracket.
 
6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16)  2005 Wesley -- (12-2)  Cinderella.  Gets a Pool B bid.  Beats Ferrum, wins at UMHB, beats Bridgewater and then messes up the shoe thing on the snow/ice at Whitewater, 6-58.


7, 8, 10, 11, 13,15, 17 )  2006 Wesley -- (13-1)  #1 Seed. Beat Dickinson, CMU and UMHB before losing at UW-W (7-44) in the proper shoes.

8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18)  1999 HSU -- (12-1) Beat WashU and W&J before losing (33-40) at Trinity in South Region finals.

9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19)  2002 UMHB -- (10-1)  "Bracketgate" game.  UMHB is #5 in polls and #3 South Region Seed.  Sent to Trinity (#4 in polls and #2 South Region seed) in the first round because of geographic proximity.  Loses at Trinity 38-48.

10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20)  2003 Bridgewater -- (12-2) Squeaked out of a weak but very balanced South Region and then lost at MUC 0-66.

(Revised after the 2018 Stagg Bowl.  Thanks for reading.)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: GillCJ1 on January 08, 2019, 08:42:30 AM
Thanks as always for keeping up with this, Ralph.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on September 14, 2021, 08:43:51 PM
Here is the update on Top 10 South Region teams since the creation of the Pools system in 1999, through 2019.  Only 2 schools are left.

I will leave the board to knowledgeable Region 3 fans to fill it out.


2, 3) 4)  2001 Bridgewater -- (13-1)  #1 South Region seed.  Made the trip down to Salem and lost to MUC in primetime on Saturday night, 27-30.  That night, who would have thought this to be the pinnacle of ODAC football for the next decade plus?  (Thank Heaven for Stone Station!)

3, 4, 5, 7, 8) 9)  2002 Trinity -- (14-1)  Beat UMHB 48-38, W&J 45-10, won at Bridgewater 38-32, beat St John's 41-34.  Star QB celebrates too hard on Paseo del Rio and Stagg is history.  (MUC wins 48-7, on a very windy day).

4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12)  1999 Trinity -- (12-1) #1 Seed and gets bye.  Beat Western Maryland and  HSU (40-33) before losing to Stagg winner Pacific Lutheran, 28-49 in Semis.

10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20)  2003 Bridgewater -- (12-2) Squeaked out of a weak but very balanced South Region and then lost at MUC 0-66.

(Revised after the 2018 Stagg Bowl.  No South Region team made it to the Semifinals in 2019, usually a criterion for inclusion after 20 years.  Wesley is gone. UMHB and HSU were shipped to Region 6. Trinity is an affiliate member of the SAA. Thanks for reading.)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Toby Taff on December 20, 2021, 02:58:28 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on September 14, 2021, 08:43:51 PM
Here is the update on Top 10 South Region teams since the creation of the Pools system in 1999, through 2019.  Only 2 schools are left.

I will leave the board to knowledgeable Region 3 fans to fill it out.


2, 3) 4)  2001 Bridgewater -- (13-1)  #1 South Region seed.  Made the trip down to Salem and lost to MUC in primetime on Saturday night, 27-30.  That night, who would have thought this to be the pinnacle of ODAC football for the next decade plus?  (Thank Heaven for Stone Station!)

3, 4, 5, 7, 8) 9)  2002 Trinity -- (14-1)  Beat UMHB 48-38, W&J 45-10, won at Bridgewater 38-32, beat St John's 41-34.  Star QB celebrates too hard on Paseo del Rio and Stagg is history.  (MUC wins 48-7, on a very windy day).

4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12)  1999 Trinity -- (12-1) #1 Seed and gets bye.  Beat Western Maryland and  HSU (40-33) before losing to Stagg winner Pacific Lutheran, 28-49 in Semis.

10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20)  2003 Bridgewater -- (12-2) Squeaked out of a weak but very balanced South Region and then lost at MUC 0-66.

(Revised after the 2018 Stagg Bowl.  No South Region team made it to the Semifinals in 2019, usually a criterion for inclusion after 20 years.  Wesley is gone. UMHB and HSU were shipped to Region 6. Trinity is an affiliate member of the SAA. Thanks for reading.)
you going to update this with the 2021 team, ralph?
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 20, 2021, 03:23:44 PM
Yes, Toby. Where does this team compare with the other 2 winners of the Stagg Bowl game?
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Toby Taff on December 20, 2021, 03:56:28 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on December 20, 2021, 03:23:44 PM
Yes, Toby. Where does this team compare with the other 2 winners of the Stagg Bowl game?
That's a hard one. I was just following a twitter thread where a cru fb Alumnus asked the question of former cru players. This years team is just so different. 2021 is the deepest team talent wise I remember. You have the "super seniors" but you also have 2 d-lines that could be starters...no drop from 1-2. Young O Linemen that bc of the spring season stepped in unphased if a starter went down. A QB3 at years start that became qb2 when qb2 moved to safety, who the Oline took a half to get used to cadence wise and then played like a qb1. Then you have a reciever corps that when it came time to fly CruAir no team had the Db's to stop. 2021 KJ Miller was off the chain money! I spent half of the stagg bowl yelling, "you can't cover him!" King was amazing at QB with crazy accuracy and the WRs made him look even better. That's just scratching the surface.

I think if you look at the whole season's body of work, I probably give the nod to 2018. The defense was Filthy from day 1. HSU would never have been up on that team like they were in the 1st half this year. Had 2 quality QBs, Markieth. 3 great WRs. Baylor Mullins, Fritz.....At the Stagg that year when UMHB scored their 20th point I looked at umhb2001, who was sitting behind me, and said ball game. No team has scored over 20 on us the whole year.

If the comparison is the team as constituted when the Stagg hit double zero's I might lean 2021. What I saw in Canton, was not a surprise to me from an offensive perspective. 2021 KJ compared to 2018 KJ at WR is steps up, and 2018 KJ was no slouch. Jordan was a beast when he was focused and looked like he wanted to play. There were times when  it looked like he was as invested, but when fully vested a herculian task to stop him at best. I think with the skill position guys and the opening up of the offense I give the Offensive edge to 2021 and I think by seasons end the defense was at least equal to 2018.

2016 is special for different reasons, but 2018 or 2021 play oshkosh that year and that is not a super close game.

Just my 2 cents
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: D O.C. on December 20, 2021, 10:35:58 PM
Thanks, Ralph. Informative. Enjoyable.
I miss Wesley.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Etchglow on December 21, 2021, 09:06:24 AM
Quote from: Toby Taff on December 20, 2021, 03:56:28 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on December 20, 2021, 03:23:44 PM
Yes, Toby. Where does this team compare with the other 2 winners of the Stagg Bowl game?
That's a hard one. I was just following a twitter thread where a cru fb Alumnus asked the question of former cru players. This years team is just so different. 2021 is the deepest team talent wise I remember. You have the "super seniors" but you also have 2 d-lines that could be starters...no drop from 1-2. Young O Linemen that bc of the spring season stepped in unphased if a starter went down. A QB3 at years start that became qb2 when qb2 moved to safety, who the Oline took a half to get used to cadence wise and then played like a qb1. Then you have a reciever corps that when it came time to fly CruAir no team had the Db's to stop. 2021 KJ Miller was off the chain money! I spent half of the stagg bowl yelling, "you can't cover him!" King was amazing at QB with crazy accuracy and the WRs made him look even better. That's just scratching the surface.

I think if you look at the whole season's body of work, I probably give the nod to 2018. The defense was Filthy from day 1. HSU would never have been up on that team like they were in the 1st half this year. Had 2 quality QBs, Markieth. 3 great WRs. Baylor Mullins, Fritz.....At the Stagg that year when UMHB scored their 20th point I looked at umhb2001, who was sitting behind me, and said ball game. No team has scored over 20 on us the whole year.

If the comparison is the team as constituted when the Stagg hit double zero's I might lean 2021. What I saw in Canton, was not a surprise to me from an offensive perspective. 2021 KJ compared to 2018 KJ at WR is steps up, and 2018 KJ was no slouch. Jordan was a beast when he was focused and looked like he wanted to play. There were times when  it looked like he was as invested, but when fully vested a herculian task to stop him at best. I think with the skill position guys and the opening up of the offense I give the Offensive edge to 2021 and I think by seasons end the defense was at least equal to 2018.

2016 is special for different reasons, but 2018 or 2021 play oshkosh that year and that is not a super close game.

Just my 2 cents

That was a fun twitter thread lol.  I'm kind of like you.  The 18 team played consistently at a higher level than the 21 team did while the 21 team may have peaked higher than the 18 team did.  Numbers wise, KJ Miller and Aaron Sims were way better in the return game in 18 than 21.  Avila had a better year in 18 as well.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Toby Taff on December 21, 2021, 09:59:28 AM
Quote from: Etchglow on December 21, 2021, 09:06:24 AM
Quote from: Toby Taff on December 20, 2021, 03:56:28 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on December 20, 2021, 03:23:44 PM
Yes, Toby. Where does this team compare with the other 2 winners of the Stagg Bowl game?
That's a hard one. I was just following a twitter thread where a cru fb Alumnus asked the question of former cru players. This years team is just so different. 2021 is the deepest team talent wise I remember. You have the "super seniors" but you also have 2 d-lines that could be starters...no drop from 1-2. Young O Linemen that bc of the spring season stepped in unphased if a starter went down. A QB3 at years start that became qb2 when qb2 moved to safety, who the Oline took a half to get used to cadence wise and then played like a qb1. Then you have a reciever corps that when it came time to fly CruAir no team had the Db's to stop. 2021 KJ Miller was off the chain money! I spent half of the stagg bowl yelling, "you can't cover him!" King was amazing at QB with crazy accuracy and the WRs made him look even better. That's just scratching the surface.

I think if you look at the whole season's body of work, I probably give the nod to 2018. The defense was Filthy from day 1. HSU would never have been up on that team like they were in the 1st half this year. Had 2 quality QBs, Markieth. 3 great WRs. Baylor Mullins, Fritz.....At the Stagg that year when UMHB scored their 20th point I looked at umhb2001, who was sitting behind me, and said ball game. No team has scored over 20 on us the whole year.

If the comparison is the team as constituted when the Stagg hit double zero's I might lean 2021. What I saw in Canton, was not a surprise to me from an offensive perspective. 2021 KJ compared to 2018 KJ at WR is steps up, and 2018 KJ was no slouch. Jordan was a beast when he was focused and looked like he wanted to play. There were times when  it looked like he was as invested, but when fully vested a herculian task to stop him at best. I think with the skill position guys and the opening up of the offense I give the Offensive edge to 2021 and I think by seasons end the defense was at least equal to 2018.

2016 is special for different reasons, but 2018 or 2021 play oshkosh that year and that is not a super close game.

Just my 2 cents

That was a fun twitter thread lol.  I'm kind of like you.  The 18 team played consistently at a higher level than the 21 team did while the 21 team may have peaked higher than the 18 team did.  Numbers wise, KJ Miller and Aaron Sims were way better in the return game in 18 than 21.  Avila had a better year in 18 as well.
Ruck's quetion popped up on my twitter timeline and I followed it there. Then I went to Campetelli's twitter and followed a thread from a Haston Adams comment and it was highly entertaining. Dudes from 2016 hyping that defense (rightly so). Dudes with 2 rings comparing their teams... My favorite exchange:

Haston: 18 not scoring on 16...big Con, Jenk, and Corbin gonna get Blake in for 7 some type of way. That's all we need

De Jackson:  Y'all had Blake but we had DenerianT

Haston: We had ALL of y'all on 16 too  :D :D like cmon

Reggie Rashad Cole: But we weren't playing then  :D

Haston: And why weren't you playing?

So, Ralph, the teams are discussing it on twitter all because of gary Ruckman.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: UMHB03 on December 21, 2021, 11:28:58 AM
I think the 2018 team was more consistently great, game to game. Along with the previously mentioned better special teams play in 2018, that teams defense was also more opportunistic when it came to defensive scores. It seemed like that team had a pick 6 or fumble return TD almost every game.

However, I think the 2021 team's ceiling was higher than the 2018 team's ceiling, mainly due to the passing offense.

In other words, 2018 would not have struggled against Trinity or HSU, but they also wouldn't have curb stomped this year's Linfield and NCC teams the way the 2021 team did. As good as the 2018 Mount Union team was, I honestly think the end-of-season 2021 UMHB team would beat them by multiple scores.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on December 22, 2021, 12:35:25 AM
While UMHB fans and former players are debating the best UMHB teams, let's revise the list.

2021 UMHB beat #16 TUTx 13-3; #19 BSC 42-7; #7 Linfield 49-24; #3 UWW 24-7; #1 NCC 57-24.

I want to consider where this year's Trinity team should go. It is awfully hard to knock the 2002 Trinity team that made the Stagg without its star QB who partied too hard on the Paseo Del Rio. The wind that day was also horrendous.

But most of us consider the TU-UMHB to be the best game in the UMHB playoff run, and suitable for semis or the Stagg. This was a 6-3 game until 58 minutes when UMHB finally scored a TD. In the other 4 games, UMHB 172, Opps 62!

I put 2021 Trinity after the 2002 Trinity team and ahead of 2010 Wesley.

When you consider 22 years of teams, it gets hard to limit the "Top 10".

I am happy for TUTx's resurgence. I think that it is good for D3 football in this part of the country. You wonder if/when BSC takes off. There have got to be a bunch of good D3 types in the South who are a half-second too slow, 30 lbs too light and 3 inches too short, but will work their hearts out and make very few mistakes. You can root for BSC and Auburn or that team in Tuscaloosa (  ;)  War Eagle!) at the same time.  (For those who do not know, I sent 2 daughters to Auburn and got 4 grandkids from it.)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Cowboy2 on December 22, 2021, 01:36:18 AM
I think you said it best in that 22 years of teams, lots of good teams, hard to get them all in.

Like comparing the UMHB teams, Trinity had a lot of great teams as well, just haven't had the yearly dominance they once had back in the 90s-early 00s.

After the former president went away from sports, with a focus more on arts and academics,  they became stagnant. Rising tuition and admission requirements made it hard when the school didn't have the focus they did in the 90s. Now however, they've been competing and very successful in all their other sports. The  new president has been a huge success. With new improvements and facility additions the past three years, turf field, Jumbotron, stadium etc. the Tigers are entering a new era.

The 2002 Trinity team was very, vvvvvvery good. Lots of good players from top to bottom on that roster. I think they had something crazy like 5 all Americans on offense and 1 or 2 on defense. Not having Roy Hampton (RIP) in the Stagg Bowl hurt. I know the critics may think otherwise, but I think they could have won or made it close that game;  had he been allowed to play. He was very special and could run, and is possibly the best passing QB the south has ever had...including Mike Burton. The '02 tigers franchised at half of Most games. I remember being there at the stagg bowl. MU was huge. They wore down the Black Flag defense. Mount Union would just run play after play with Dan Pugh. Offense couldn't do anything but they didn't have their QB which hurt - so it's hard to really put that last game as a way to remember them.

This year's Trinity team was very good but underrated. They had a chip on their shoulder after the spring and a strong group of seniors that wanted to win the SAA. I'm not sure if they realized how good they were until after the UMHB game performance. This includes not having  their Pre season all American running back and prior starting QB. Crazy thing is that they had a very young team. I don't think many outside of SAA knew what to expect. It will be interesting to see how they respond next year and if they gain confidence from 2021.

The 2002 Tigers were made up of a lot of players that traveled as freshman with/on a strong 1999 team that lost at home in the semis to Stagg Bowl champs PLU. Majority started or traveled as sophomores in 2000. They had three years to build chemistry and grow. They didn't  experience losing much and the foundation was there from the prior decade of excellence.

This years Trinity team reminds me a lot of how the 2000 Tigers were when they lost to HSU in Abilene in the playoffs. They didn't have a kicker that game and lost to the Cowboys on a last second incompletion in the end zone. Then next two years they grew and kept pushing further into the playoffs and were dynamite in 2002.

I think this years team could play with anyone this year, HSU, UWW, MU NCC  because they had nothing to lose. Trinity has had a lot of great players, but not the depth to compete into the playoffs since 2007 or 2011.

I'd give the 2002 team the nod in apples to apples for south region top
10.. Then maybe the Burton led tigers of 1998 or 1999. The 2021 Tigers after that. But since they played so well against this years stagg bowl winner, a UMHB that destroyed all other playoff completion, it's hard to not include them somewhere in the list either.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on January 19, 2022, 08:35:37 PM
Here is the update on Top 10 South Region teams since the creation of the Pools system in 1999, through 2021.

1) 2018 UMHB -- (15-0) Toughest run to the Stagg since the 2004 team. UMHB never left the state for the playoffs. The rankings are from Week #11. In consecutive rounds, beat #7 HSU by 21; #20 Berry by 66 points, #3 St John's by 3, #5 UW-Whitewater by 17 and #1 Mount Union 24-16 in Shenandoah TX.

2) 2021 UMHB -- (15-0) 2021 UMHB beat #16 TUTx 13-3; #19 BSC 42-7; #7 Linfield 49-24; #3 UWW 24-7; #1 NCC 57-24. Please see the comments above about the 2018 vs 2021 UMHB debate. The #16 TUTx team leap-frogged to #12 in the final poll. IMHO Trinity TX was a Top 8 to Top 10 team. Most of us consider the TU-UMHB to be the best game in the UMHB playoff run, and suitable for semis or the Stagg. This was a 6-3 game until 58 minutes when UMHB finally scored a TD. In the other 4 games, UMHB 172, Opps 62!

1, 2) 3)2016 UMHB -- (15-0) Beat UW-Oshkosh 10-7 in the Stagg. Had a good run to Salem beating (unranked in Week #11 Top 25) Redlands, #8 Linfield, #13 Wheaton IL, #7 Mount Union in the CRUthedral.

1, 2, 3) 4)  2004 UMHB -- (13-2) Did it Ginger Rogers style.  (Refers to the old joke, who was the better dancer...Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers?  Rogers did everything that Astaire did, backwards and in high heels.)  Was a Pool C bid, back when there were only 3.  Beat #7 Trinity by 29, #3 HSU by 14, #5 W&J by 36 and #1 Mount Union by 3 on the road.  Lost to Elliott's #2 Linfield in the Stagg, 21-28.

2, 3, 4) 5)  2001 Bridgewater -- (13-1)  #1 South Region seed.  Made the trip down to Salem and lost to MUC in primetime on Saturday night, 27-30.  That night, who would have thought this to be the pinnacle of ODAC football for the next decade plus?  (Thank Heaven for Stone Station!)

4, 5) 6) 2013 UMHB -- (13-1) Lost 16-15 in the CRUthedral in the Semis to ultimate winner UWW who blew out Mount Union the next weekend. (Ouch!)

6) 7) 2017 UMHB -- (14-1) Shutout by UMU in the Stagg, 12-0. A roughing-the-kicker penalty took a UMHB punt return for a TD off the board. That would have made the score 7-0.  A 4th quarter safety was called the play of the game.

3, 5, 6, 7) 8)  2012 UMHB -- (13-1)  How close was this team to being the finest South Region team to date?  How about a grind-it-out/smashmouth Cru-style clock-consuming scoring drive in the late 4th quarter at Alliance OH?   The team that "had the ball last" won. UMHB had 1st and 10 on the UMHB 22 with 3:34 left in the 4th quarter with the score tied 35-35.  UMU forced a 3-and-out, got the ball "last" and then scored on a 6-play 71-yd drive to go ahead 42-35 with 0:05 left in the game.  UMU got a 25 yd fumble recovery on the kickoff for the final score. The 48-35 final score misrepresents the closeness of this game.  (This game was hailed as the "true #1 vs #2" when the brackets were released.  UMU and UMHB finish 1-2 in the Final Top 25 poll.  UMU beat St Thomas 28-10 in Stagg XL.)

3, 4, 6, 7, 8) 9) 2007 UMHB -- (12-2) #4 South Region seed only because they had the "cojones" (a little Texas lingo there) to schedule a home-and-home with the 2005 Stagg Bowl runner-up two years before the game was played.  Defeated a strong #6 seed (sic) Trinity team for the "Barbed Wire and Mesquite" (unofficial title of the Texas Sub-bracket), and annihilated a #8-seeded NCWC team that won its first playoff game ever at #1 seed Washington and Jefferson.  (NCWC was only in its 4th year of play!)  The Cru avenged their losses at Wesley, 27-10, in the Regional Finals.  In the semi-finals, UMHB dug a big hole in losing the regular season UWW game and then lost to the 2007 Stagg Bowl champs, 16-7 in a great game notably for the "Texas unfriendly" conditions in Whitewater in the semis.

3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9) 10)  2002 Trinity -- (14-1)  Beat UMHB 48-38, W&J 45-10, won at Bridgewater 38-32, beat St John's 41-34.  Star QB celebrates too hard on Paseo del Rio and Stagg is history.  (MUC wins 48-7, on a very windy day).

11) 2021 Trinity (9-1) SAA conference Pool A champion. My bracket suggested this was a #1 seed UMHB versus no-worse-than-#4 seed TUTx team; another "Bracketgate" scheduled for "geographic proximity". I want to consider where this year's Trinity team should go. It is awfully hard to knock the 2002 Trinity team that made the Stagg without its star QB who partied too hard on the Paseo Del Rio. The wind that day was also horrendous. It is hard to rank this TU team above the 2002 team. If the 2002 team had had their starting QB, what would have been the score against Mount Union? I think that this pair of TU teams would likely be higher.

5, 6T, 8T, 9, 10T) 12T) 2010 Wesley -- (12-1)  #1 Seed overall.  Beat Muhlenberg 53-14, Montclair State 44-14, and UMHB 19-9 before losing to Champion UW-Whitewater 7-27.


6T, 8T, 10T) 12T) 2011 Wesley -- (12-2)  An early season loss to NJAC champion Kean 31-28 put Wesley into the #2 South Region seed. The Wolverines hosted Hobart 35-28 and Linfield 49-35 and then came to Texas and beat UMHB in the Region Finals, 27-24.  Wesley lost at Stagg runner-up Mount Union (UMU), 28-21.  Were their playoff opponents in 2011 better than 2010? I think so.  Too close for me to call between the 2011 and the 2010 Wesley teams.



4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12), 14)  1999 Trinity -- (12-1) #1 Seed and gets bye.  Beat Western Maryland and  HSU (40-33) before losing to Stagg winner Pacific Lutheran, 28-49 in Semis.

5, 6T, 7T, 9T, 11T, 13T), 15T)  2000 HSU -- (12-1)  Had the bye and #1 seed in South and is #2 in the playoffs.  Beat Western Maryland 32-10 and Trinity 33-30.  Lost to Finalist SJU, 14-38 in Abilene.

6T, 7T, 9T, 11T, 13T), 15T)  2008 UMHB -- (12-2) #2 Seed in the "Millsaps" (South) Region.  Defeated HSU 20-18 in Belton in the regular season and then third team All-American Alan Munoz kicked a last-minute FG to defeat #3 seed HSU in another "Bracketgate" game, 38-35.  UMHB then disposed of Wesley 46-14 and W&J 63-7 in the next two rounds.  The Semi-finals will be forever remembered for the south wind that dramatically impacted the game.  UW-Whitewater kicked off in the first half and netted a safety and field goal.  A UMHB kickoff into the estimated 30+ MPH south wind to start the second half touched the ground at UMHB 41 and then was blown back to the UMHB 24, where UMHB covered it.  This "legal kick" was missed by the officials. They gave UWW the ball at the UMHB 24.  UWW quickly pushed the lead to 18-10 with 14:53 left in the 3Q, and the course of the game was changed.  Stagg finalist UWW won 39-13.

8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15), 17)  2008 HSU (9-2) I believe that I must slip #3 seed HSU into this slot, by virtue of the games that they gave UMHB on the road.  UMHB's special teams made the difference in both games, and the margin of defeat is in the realm of "HFA", Home Field Advantage.  I slip HSU ahead of the 2005 Wesley team because of how dominant UMHB was versus the rest of the bracket.
 
6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16), 18)  2005 Wesley -- (12-2)  Cinderella.  Gets a Pool B bid.  Beats Ferrum, wins at UMHB, beats Bridgewater and then messes up the shoe thing on the snow/ice at Whitewater, 6-58.


7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17), 19 )  2006 Wesley -- (13-1)  #1 Seed. Beat Dickinson, CMU and UMHB before losing at UW-W (7-44) in the proper shoes.

8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18), 20)  1999 HSU -- (12-1) Beat WashU and W&J before losing (33-40) at Trinity in South Region finals.

9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19), 21)  2002 UMHB -- (10-1)  "Bracketgate" game.  UMHB is #5 in polls and #3 South Region Seed.  Sent to Trinity (#4 in polls and #2 South Region seed) in the first round because of geographic proximity.  Loses at Trinity 38-48.

10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20), 22)  2003 Bridgewater -- (12-2) Squeaked out of a weak but very balanced South Region and then lost at MUC 0-66.

(Revised after the 2021 Stagg Bowl.  Thanks for reading.)
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: UMHB03 on January 20, 2022, 10:06:25 AM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on January 19, 2022, 08:35:37 PM

4, 5) 6) 2013 UMHB -- (13-1) Lost 16-15 in the CRUthedral in the Semis to ultimate winner UWW who blew out Mount Union the next weekend. (Ouch!)

That one still stings. We were so close that year, and I still maintain UMHB wins if they go for it on 4th & short rather than settling for a FG so late in the game.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: crufootball on January 21, 2022, 09:11:00 AM
Quote from: UMHB03 on January 20, 2022, 10:06:25 AM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on January 19, 2022, 08:35:37 PM

4, 5) 6) 2013 UMHB -- (13-1) Lost 16-15 in the CRUthedral in the Semis to ultimate winner UWW who blew out Mount Union the next weekend. (Ouch!)

That one still stings. We were so close that year, and I still maintain UMHB wins if they go for it on 4th & short rather than settling for a FG so late in the game.

So many things about that last few minutes could have got us back to the Stagg Bowl a few years earlier. Everyone remembers kicking the field goal, I remember on 3rd down Zach Anderson hitting an open receiver in the end zone who couldn't come up with the pass.

Knowing Coach Pete I wasn't surprised when we kicked the field goal because it still put us in position to win with another field goal or touch down. Then the last turning point after we kicked off, 3rd and 6 with still 3:12 left in the game and UWW converts to essentially seal the game.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: UMHB03 on January 21, 2022, 09:32:55 AM
Quote from: crufootball on January 21, 2022, 09:11:00 AM
Quote from: UMHB03 on January 20, 2022, 10:06:25 AM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on January 19, 2022, 08:35:37 PM

4, 5) 6) 2013 UMHB -- (13-1) Lost 16-15 in the CRUthedral in the Semis to ultimate winner UWW who blew out Mount Union the next weekend. (Ouch!)

That one still stings. We were so close that year, and I still maintain UMHB wins if they go for it on 4th & short rather than settling for a FG so late in the game.

So many things about that last few minutes could have got us back to the Stagg Bowl a few years earlier. Everyone remembers kicking the field goal, I remember on 3rd down Zach Anderson hitting an open receiver in the end zone who couldn't come up with the pass.

Knowing Coach Pete I wasn't surprised when we kicked the field goal because it still put us in position to win with another field goal or touch down. Then the last turning point after we kicked off, 3rd and 6 with still 3:12 left in the game and UWW converts to essentially seal the game.
For sure. The 4th down FG always sticks in my mind because there was no reason for it. Even if the Crusaders hadn't converted on 4th down, UWW would have been pinned inside the 5 yard line, and if we get the defensive stop (which we'd have to do either way), we get the ball back with great field position.

I guess the one thing you can say is that Fredenburg learned from the experience and managed to get the job done a few years later.
Title: Re: The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era
Post by: Ralph Turner on January 02, 2023, 12:09:29 PM
Looking back on this year's playoffs, I was ready to talk about how strong the Texas sub-bracket was until the semi-finals. Yes, NCC probably had a chip on its shoulder the size of a railroad tie, but after watching the 2022 Semifinal games, the 49-14 "Monkey-Stomp" that NCC put on UMHB causes me to re-assess this year's team.

Here is the season wrap-up by Keith McMillan and Greg Thomas
https://www.d3football.com/playoffs/2022/we-are-all-mount-union

Had UMHB handily defeated the opponents outside the Texas Sub-bracket, I would be talking about
1) how much HSU needed to be boosted in the rankings from their #9 ranking in Week 11, and
2) how about boosting #6 Trinity to the Top 4. After all, was not that San Antonio rematch a "semifinal" quality game?

Last year, I talked about how good the 2021 Trinity team was in comparison to the turn-of-the-millennium teams. This TUTx team seemed just as good as last year's.

I just cannot rank this year's UMHB team higher than the current #10, the 2002 Trinity Stagg Bowl team.

Thanks to all of the Region 3 fans who contribute so much enjoyment to these boards each fall.