FB: American Southwest Conference

[Ralph Turner]

I think that this season's scheduling among the top teams, and I include Muhlenberg in that penumbra, was beneficial. Look at the Pool C bids. Who reached out to a non-conforming opponent to get a quality game that helped the committee decide the Pool C bids?

Bethel played a WIAC, UWP. That was a valuable data point in the mix.
UWL lost to UWW, who had played UMHB, Berry and SJU.
HSU went to Platteville.
Wheaton went to Trinity TX.

The UMHB UWW game was played with 4 home playoffs game on the line in the minds of fans, when it was scheduled.

I think that this type of scheduling should be rewarded... Results against Regionally Ranked Teams.

--------------------------

... and in the time that I could type a reply, 2 authoritative voices spoke up.

[crufootball]

I don't think we can count on anything being a norm since that committee changes so often. And that makes it unfortunate for coaches trying to read the tea leaves and schedule.

Prehaps because I have grown numb to the geographically challenges but that is probably the most frustrating thing about this. Non biased objective criteria is celebrated at the non FBS level as something that makes it special but sometimes just feels like a shield that is hidden behind as things are interpreted differently every year.

[Etchglow]

Looks like Connor Mullins is leaving UMHB:

https://twitter.com/_mullins33/status/1602364310088552456?s=20&t=GsgSBk9scAjg7nNcaD2u1w

[TheChucker]

Looks like Connor Mullins is leaving UMHB:

https://twitter.com/_mullins33/status/1602364310088552456?s=20&t=GsgSBk9scAjg7nNcaD2u1w

I honestly didn't think D3 players needed to enter the portal to transfer.

[Ralph Turner]

Looks like Connor Mullins is leaving UMHB:

https://twitter.com/_mullins33/status/1602364310088552456?s=20&t=GsgSBk9scAjg7nNcaD2u1w

UMHB will re-load.

[Etchglow]

Looks like Connor Mullins is leaving UMHB:

https://twitter.com/_mullins33/status/1602364310088552456?s=20&t=GsgSBk9scAjg7nNcaD2u1w

I honestly didn't think D3 players needed to enter the portal to transfer.

I don't believe they do.  But it has become the thing to do to announce entering the portal. 

Looks like Connor Mullins is leaving UMHB:

https://twitter.com/_mullins33/status/1602364310088552456?s=20&t=GsgSBk9scAjg7nNcaD2u1w

UMHB will re-load.

I get him leaving lol.  We only had 8 completions to tight ends all year.  Will McClintock (6'5" 240lbs) caught 5 for 109 and Connor Mullins caught 3 for 19 yards.  That's like 2.9% of the completions and 3.4% of the yards for the year lol.  We used to almost always play a TE but this year we played a lot more 4 WR sets so they didn't get involved except in the running game. 

[Joseph1]

Bottom line:

Last years UMHB team had some of the best defensive players to ever play D3 football.  UMHB was fast and physical team. You cant compare this year, you dont have the same playmakers on the field.  Last year UMHB was loaded with 2 deeps as talented as the starters.  The MVP of the stagg bowl was even a backup part of the time. 2021 UMHB was one of the greatest D3 teams ever assembled, its not fair to compare the 2 ….last year’s defense was Elite!  They will have to rebuild going forward, the run was fun but there will have to be some new playmakers to get back to championship form.

[crufootball]

Bottom line:

Last years UMHB team had some of the best defensive players to ever play D3 football.  UMHB was fast and physical team. You cant compare this year, you dont have the same playmakers on the field.  Last year UMHB was loaded with 2 deeps as talented as the starters.  The MVP of the stagg bowl was even a backup part of the time. 2021 UMHB was one of the greatest D3 teams ever assembled, its not fair to compare the 2 ….last year’s defense was Elite!  They will have to rebuild going forward, the run was fun but there will have to be some new playmakers to get back to championship form.

Absolutely, we as Cru fans have been spoiled for a number of years now but in particular on defense. Across the country there have been a number of programs that put up the offensive numbers we have but starting back in 2016 until now our defenses have been unbelievable. This years defense was not bad at all but in comparison to last year and the last few in general it didn't have that dominant unit or units that was so good they frequently outscores the opponents offense.

[kiko]

Don't know about other NCC'ers but going in, it seemed to me that UMHB was the scariest (is that a word?) team we would go up against. Much of that feeling was based on last year when the Cru looked like the biggest/toughest D3 team I'd ever seen. I expected more of the same this year. And, while I thought for a variety of reasons, that NCC would win, I never dreamed they would win by 35 points! I think anyone who says they did is telling a little, or more likely big, fib. 

So, have we seen the end of the top dogs in D3 scheduling each other in non-conference play? It seems like the UMHB close road loss to UWW and the UWW road loss to SJU dogged both of those teams this year in ranking and ultimately playoff seeding. There didn't seem to be an upside to playing those games for a team with national aspirations. Fan enjoyment was a big plus, of course.

UWW played at home with an 8-2 record, so I'm not sure their draw was really negatively impacted by losing to St. John's.  The SOS bump probably enhanced their position, if anything.  I was actually mildly surprised that UWW got a home game- the last 8-2 WIAC champion went on the road.  UMHB's losing at UWW did cost them at least one home game (2nd round), but that's also a game they probably should have won, no? 

The team that very notably did not play a big time non-con game is Mount Union.  Mount Union was directed to play their QF game on the road.  I think the committee properly rewarded the teams that played legitimately strong schedules with at-large invitations and home assignments to the extent that was reasonable.  I wouldn't at all say that those games were detrimental.  Maybe UMHB has a small regret? But I think they much more regret not punching that thing in from five inches away than playing the game in the first place.

Do you think what happened to Mount Union will become the norm in the future? By numbers it absolutely made sense that they went on the road but we all were surprised for good reason that they went on the road.

I am as outsidery as outsiders can be, but my POV on this is that, had Mount played in or won a recent Stagg Bowl, they would have still got the benefit of the doubt from 'previous playoff performance'.  But their last two seasons ended in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and if we are being fair, there are a lot of teams with that very near-in resume.  Had these exact same metrics been compared to DelVal in 2019, I strongly believe they would not have been put on the road in their QF game.

[kiko]

I think that this season's scheduling among the top teams, and I include Muhlenberg in that penumbra, was beneficial. Look at the Pool C bids. Who reached out to a non-conforming opponent to get a quality game that helped the committee decide the Pool C bids?

Bethel played a WIAC, UWP. That was a valuable data point in the mix.
UWL lost to UWW, who had played UMHB, Berry and SJU.
HSU went to Platteville.
Wheaton went to Trinity TX.

The UMHB UWW game was played with 4 home playoffs game on the line in the minds of fans, when it was scheduled.

I think that this type of scheduling should be rewarded... Results against Regionally Ranked Teams.

--------------------------

... and in the time that I could type a reply, 2 authoritative voices spoke up.

There was a period about 10ish years ago where North Central played tougher non-conference opponents for a short period.  Wesley come to mind as one juicy matchup, and there were also some strong WIAC opponents.  I suspect it had to do with finding opponents as much as anything.  I thought it was a good thing as playing that level of competition can help you, but there were a lot of voices on these boards at the time that said there was no benefit to this approach because if you lost and then didn't win your conference, it killed your Pool C chances.  Which was largely true at the time.  I'm glad to see this might be changing, and echo the idea that it is about results versus RROs and not only about winning every non-conference game.

[Ralph Turner]

I was saddened to hear of the death of Mike Leach. My niece was a twirler for the Goin' Band from Raider Land during the Mike Leach years. Her Christmas breaks were consumed by trips to Bowl Games, all four years.

My connection was with the Air Raid offense by Hal Mumme at McMurry from 2009 thru 2012. I especially remember how those 2-8 and 4-6 teams in 2009 and 2010 looked just on the edge of something bigger.

Then in 2011, McMurry was stomped by D-1 FCS Stephen F Austin, 82-6. (I attended that game. D-1 athletes versus D-3) The next week, McMurry defeated UT-San Antonio (D-1 FCS), 24-21, in its debut game before 31,634 fans in the AlamoDome, scoring on a TD pass with 19 seconds left. Jake Mullin passed for 372 yards against (younger) D-1 athletes.

The next week, McMurry headed to Belton High School to play the CRU. UMHB jumped to a 28-6 lead, but a 1-hour lightning delay permitted McMurry to re-focus. McMurry scored 21 unanswered points. Jake Mullin engineered a 9-play 91-yd drive and score with 1:47 left. The 2-point PAT was intercepted. Final, 28-27. Pool C McMurry beat SCAC Pool A Trinity in round 1 25-16 without an injured Mullin, and then UMHB handily won the second round game in the rain at Belton HS stadium, 49-20. Yes, UMHB hosts were hospitable.

I saw what Coach Mumme could do with the talent that he had. The Air Raid was fun to watch. The Seven-on-Seven events around Texas have made Texas a fertile ground for QBs and receivers.

For your holiday reading, I recommend The Perfect Pass, by S. C. Gwynne. It is an engaging informative read for the student of football.

[TheChucker]

Bottom line:

Last years UMHB team had some of the best defensive players to ever play D3 football.  UMHB was fast and physical team. You cant compare this year, you dont have the same playmakers on the field.  Last year UMHB was loaded with 2 deeps as talented as the starters.  The MVP of the stagg bowl was even a backup part of the time. 2021 UMHB was one of the greatest D3 teams ever assembled, its not fair to compare the 2 ….last year’s defense was Elite!  They will have to rebuild going forward, the run was fun but there will have to be some new playmakers to get back to championship form.

I agree regarding the past UMHB defenses. I'm a middle-aged MIAC guy and have played and watched a lot of D3 football including some top WIAC teams. My daughter is a student at UMHB and I had the pleasure of attending my first UMHB game in 2018 during a prospective student recruiting event. I was blown away by the talent on the defensive side of the ball. I hadn't personally seen that level of talent on a D3 team (though I've never seen Mount Union play in person).

[justafan12]

Looks like Connor Mullins is leaving UMHB:

https://twitter.com/_mullins33/status/1602364310088552456?s=20&t=GsgSBk9scAjg7nNcaD2u1w

I honestly didn't think D3 players needed to enter the portal to transfer.

If you enter the portal your name gets put on list for all coaches to see.  My son entered the portal from a D3 and got emails from schools he had never heard from.

[TheChucker]

Looks like Connor Mullins is leaving UMHB:

https://twitter.com/_mullins33/status/1602364310088552456?s=20&t=GsgSBk9scAjg7nNcaD2u1w

I honestly didn't think D3 players needed to enter the portal to transfer.

If you enter the portal your name gets put on list for all coaches to see.  My son entered the portal from a D3 and got emails from schools he had never heard from.

I was wondering if this might be the case. Thanks for the response.

[crufootball]

Looks like Connor Mullins is leaving UMHB:

https://twitter.com/_mullins33/status/1602364310088552456?s=20&t=GsgSBk9scAjg7nNcaD2u1w

I honestly didn't think D3 players needed to enter the portal to transfer.

If you enter the portal your name gets put on list for all coaches to see.  My son entered the portal from a D3 and got emails from schools he had never heard from.

I was wondering if this might be the case. Thanks for the response.

And it appears to have worked as he has already been offered by SFA.