Pool C -- 2011

[Ralph Turner]

The NCAA travel web server is down, but Google Maps has Pineville LA to San Antonio at 435 miles.

My thoughts are that all things being roughly equal, I give home field advantage in the first round to the Pool A bid.

I don't think that there is that much difference between TU and McMurry and LaCollege.

Margin of victory is not a criterion.  Like Trinity, McMurry is 2-0 over common opponents with TU (HPU and LaCollege). LaCollege will likely be 3-0, as will Trinity (HPU, TLU and Millsaps).

I think that Trinity is in good shape to host the first round.  Now all we need is for TU to do its job in the SCAC.

[Pat Coleman]

Results against common opponents is a criterion. It's not "winning percentage against common opponents." That means the committee has the latitude to consider things such as large differences in scoring margin, should it choose to do so.

[jknezek]

Results against common opponents is a criterion. It's not "winning percentage against common opponents." That means the committee has the latitude to consider things such as large differences in scoring margin, should it choose to do so.

Judging from some interesting matchups in the past, the committee can do pretty much whatever it likes! That being said, so long as we have a championship tournament I'm pretty happy. So long as that championship includes all conference champions, I'm ecstatic. The matchups may not always be what we would consider most fair, the tournament may not ever include the 32 best teams in the country, but the eventual champion will have earned that title for being the champion of the champions.

[Ralph Turner]

Results against common opponents is a criterion. It's not "winning percentage against common opponents." That means the committee has the latitude to consider things such as large differences in scoring margin, should it choose to do so.

Thanks for the refresher...


LaCollege

Millsaps  56-0                  +56
at HPU   42-14                 +28
at TLU  10/29/2011           ---
McMurry  11/05                 ---

McMurry

at HPU  50-3               +47
at TLU  60-16              +44
at LaCollege 11/5         ---

Trinity

at HPU         24-7          +17
TLU             43-14         +29
at Millsaps   10-3            +7

[K-Mack]

I wish I'd read this thread before doing all this research on my own right before Pat and I recorded this week's podcast.

[Top Notch]

I have to disagree with you Ralpha. I believe McMurry and LC are quite a bit better than Trinity.....Even if you are looking just at commmon opponents scores

[smedindy]

But again, it's not who is better - it's who has the best fit for the criteria.

[Mugsy]

There is a lot of football yet to play, but I posted this over on another North Region board.

Barring any serious upsets in the remaining CCIW play, it is quite possible for a 3 way tie for the CCIW crown.

If NCC beats IWU this weekend and Wheaton beats NCC on Nov. 5th, then that would leave NCC, Wheaton and IWU all at 6-1 in conference.  NCC would be 8-2 over all (due to a non-conference loss to Redlands) and both Wheaton and IWU would be 9-1. 

However it is possible NCC would be the AQ for the playoffs in that case based on point differential in games between the 3 teams (the next tiebreaker criteria used).  That would likely give IWU the nod for the best chance at Pool C given they beat Wheaton head-to-head and both teams were 9-1. 

Based on the status of other pool C contenders across the nation, it would leave a very, very remote chance that all 3 CCIW teams would make it - VERY REMOTE.

Not sure how likely this case is in reality (for a 3 way tie in the CCIW).  If it did occur, it seems more plausible that it represents a scenario where a 9-1 CCIW team fails to make the playoffs.

[Ralph Turner]

Okay everyone!

"Pool C" mode is in effect until the end of the season.

After tomorrow, we can list the favored Pool A candidates that we want to run the table.

That will leave more Pool C bids available for the rest of us.

As it looks now, the short list of Pool A favorites is UMHB, UWW, UMU, Del Valley, St Thomas and Salisbury.  We want those teams to run the table, and knock out as many other Pool C candidates as we can!

Please add others as you find them.

The CCIW needs to pare those teams.  I am in favor of someone other than North Central (with its loss to Redlands) going undefeated and winning the CCIW. I want NCC to finish with 2 in-region losses.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Mugsy and Ralph, I am confident that IWU will do their best to make such angst moot!

IF the Titans win tomorrow, the NCC-Wheaton game is probably to determine whether the CCIW is a 2-team or 1-team conference: I believe that NCC would effectively be eliminated (even if they beat Wheaton), while a 9-1 Wheaton would be nearly a lock.  IF UWO loses tomorrow but otherwise wins out (both of which I expect), they would certainly be deserving of a C, but I doubt any other 2-loss team would get in (though NCC would probably still deserve it if they finished 8-2).  All this assumes that NCC, Wheaton, and IWU otherwise do not stumble - in 2009, IWU beat both NCC and Wheaton and lost (at home on Homecoming!) to lowly Millikin, a loss which cost us in seeding, and meant our destruction by UWW a round earlier than expected).

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

These I believe are all the teams who could finish with 1 loss and not win their conference (and games against teams they could finish tied in conference with)
Of course some of these will sort themselves out in the next few weeks (like the MAC)
This doesn't take into account whether or not they're a worthy playoff team, just whether they'd have 1 loss.
*Asterisk means one of the listed teams will be in Pool A

ASC:  Mary Hardin-Baylor  6-0 (4-0) (@ Texas Lutheran)
      Louisiana College   5-1 (3-1) (none)
CC:   Johns Hopkins       6-0 (5-0) (@ Gettysburg, vs Ursinus)
CCIW: Illinois Wesleyan   6-0 (3-0) (vs North Central)
      Wheaton             5-1 (2-1) (@ North Central)
E8:   Salisbury           6-0 (4-0) (vs St John Fisher)
LL:   Hobart              4-0 (2-0) (vs RPI)
MAC: *Delaware Valley     7-0 (5-0) (@ Lycoming, vs Widener)
      Widener             6-1 (4-1) (vs Lebanon Valley, @ Del Val)
      Lebanon Valley      5-1 (3-1) (@ Widener, vs Lycoming)
      Lycoming            5-1 (3-1) (@ Lebanon Valley, vs Del Val)
MIAA: Adrian              6-0 (2-0) (vs Albion)
MIAC:*St Thomas           7-0 (5-0) (@ Bethel)
      Bethel              5-1 (3-1) (vs St Thomas)
      St Olaf             5-1 (3-1) (none)
MWC:  Illinois College    6-1 (5-1) (none)
NCAC: Wabash              6-0 (3-0) (vs Wittenberg)
NEFC: Endicott            7-0 (5-0) (@ Western New England, NEFC Championship)
NJAC: Montclair St        6-0 (5-0) (@ Rowan, vs Kean)
      Kean                5-1 (4-1) (vs Rowan, @ Montclair St)
NWC:  Linfield            5-0 (3-0) (vs Pacific Lutheran, vs Lewis & Clark)
      Lewis & Clark       5-0 (2-0) (@ Pacific Lutheran, vs Willamette, @ Linfield)
OAC:  Mount Union         6-0 (5-0) (vs Baldwin-Wallace)
PAC:  Thomas More         6-0 (5-0) (@ Westminster, vs Waynesburg)
SCAC: Trinity (TX)        6-0 (3-0) (vs Birmingham Southern, vs Centre)
      Centre              5-0 (2-0) (@ Millsaps, @Trinity)
      Birmingham Southern 5-1 (2-1) (@ Trinity, vs Millsaps)
SCIAC Redlands            4-1 (2-1) (none)
      Chapman             4-1
UMAC: St Scholastica      6-0 (5-0) (@ Eureka)
WIAC: UW-Whitewater       6-0 (3-0) (@ UW-Oshkosh)

Pool B
      Wesley              5-1
      Case Western Reserve 5-1

ECFC: None
HCAC: None
IIAC: None
ODAC: None
USAC: None

[Mr. Ypsi]

Better re-check your MWC listing!

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Better re-check your MWC listing!

College... Wesleyan... same thing right?  Fixed now

[Mr. Ypsi]

Better re-check your MWC listing!

College... Wesleyan... same thing right?  Fixed now

You get a pass, but we are IWU, not C.

(Which will come in handy since Iowa Wesleyan College has applied to D3!  If Indiana Wesleyan [College, I think, but not sure] goes D3 we are all screwed [as latecomers, they can be IWHS]!  Fortunately, I don't think there is an Idaho Wesleyan!)

[dahlby]

Redlands (along with Cal Lu) plays a 9 game schedule. If the Bulldogs win out, 8-1 would be the record.