The Top 10 South Region teams of the D3football.com Era

Started by Ralph Turner, July 01, 2007, 07:41:31 PM

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Ralph Turner

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)

@d3jason

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.

Ralph Turner

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.


Ron Boerger

#33
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


Ralph Turner

#35
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.

thewaterboy

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!  ;)

Ralph Turner

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.

crualum55

Very good Top ten.  I enjoyed reading through those teams.  I of course enjoy most the UMHB has multiple teams on the list.
If it's not about winning and losing then why keep score?

CruAlum58

Its not terrible being on the best team the South has produced.  8-)
Six yards, seven yards Everybody loves PIZZA!
Living Legends
Shock the World
Its beginning to look alot like Christmas........

@d3jason

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.

Ralph Turner

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.)

Ralph Turner

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)

D O.C.

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.

Ralph Turner

#44
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.)