Quote from: stlawus on November 24, 2025, 10:17:52 PMIs the top 25 about who are the best teams at the end of the season or who are the best teams right now?  Otherwise what is even the point of doing a poll if results aren't going to matter.

Didn't every voter react to results? Tufts moved down a bunch in the poll. I use results when forming my opinion of teams and constructing my ballot, but I'm specifically trying NOT to take my Top 25 ballot and turn it into a resume contest, at least no this early in the season. I'm still trying to decide who I think would win if teams played next week. We're early in the season and I still lean on my preseason expectations a fair bit. Tufts' play so far has eroded that expectation, but I still think they are good and will be good.

Thanks for bringing it up, I wasn't watching that part of the game, but Ryan Scott alerted me to your post here!

Quote from: Flying Dutch Fan on October 27, 2025, 12:50:44 PMHypothetical question (and I'm not overlooking any of the upcoming games):

Should Hope and Adrian win out (meaning an Alma loss in the final game of the MIAA) we would have a 3 way tie for first at 6-1.  So what is the tie-breaker to determine the automatic qualifier in that kind of scenario?  I would assume that with the same MIAA record, and the losses coming from each other, you have to then go to non-league record (which would eliminate Alma) but Adrian and Hope are still tied.  At that point does Hope get it for beating Adrian head-to-head? Do we at some point go to higher NPI?  Do we anticipate 2 playoff bound teams if we have have two 9-1 teams?

According to Logan Hansen's Simulation Summary Tool:
https://loghan.shinyapps.io/hansen-ratings-diii-football-season-simulation-distributions/

Adrian and Hope would almost certainly each get in with only one loss.

These are mutually exclusive events, but Adrian, Alma, Hope, and Calvin all seem to be in position to make the playoff with high probability if they win out. Of this group only Hope probably still has some life with an additional loss.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on October 27, 2025, 12:52:47 PMI don't know that there's any assuming with three-way tiebreakers in football. There are lots of different ways conferences try to deal with these and none of them are particularly great.

I looked on the conference site for tiebreakers the other day and came up empty. I have not yet contacted the conference office.

I looked on the MIAA site for any useful information about anything in any sport and came up empty. It has to be the worst conference website in all of NCAA athletics.

Quote from: sac on October 30, 2025, 09:27:58 AM

Quote from: Dark Knight on October 30, 2025, 08:17:01 AMMassey thinks Calvin should have lost that game by 13 points.

Ferris State has an interim head coach after their previous head coach resigned due to "personal health issues."

https://www.bigrapidsnews.com/news/article/ferris-state-not-commentjng-explosive-story-21092066.php

Yikes.

I don't think this Ferris St. team will enjoy the same level of success as the Bronkema (or Sall) teams did (I think a few of their top guys followed Bronk to CMU), but there's a lot of room for them to regress and still make this a quality-looking win for Calvin. I firmly believe the Knights have a top 6-7 guys in the rotation that can compete with anyone in the country, but the depth after that is still TBD.

Quote from: goodknight on October 29, 2025, 10:12:43 PMExhibition Final from the Wink Arena in Big Rapids:

Calvin 82
Ferris State 75

Jalen Overway led the Knights with 24 points and 10 rebounds
Parker Swartz added 22 on 5 of 8 from beyond the arc
And Jordan Scott dropped in 18

Starting lineup was Overway, Swartz, Winkle, Scott, Ressler

Calvin had two instances in the first half where they got themselves down ~10 but they were able to pull back to (relatively) even both times. Jordan Scott and Parker Swartz were instrumental in the first half as Jalen Overway started a bit slowly.

Jalen got more aggressive in the 2nd half, putting in 18 points and looking in near-vintage form.

It looks like Ferris St. took down the box score, but the starting backcourt of Scott and Luka Ressler combined for 7 or 8 assists and only two turnovers. The quickness and athleticism of the D2 guards got the Calvin guards into some foul trouble. Ressler and Ruckard had 4 each and Scott fouled out (I did not agree with every call  ).

Brady Ewing, Zion Ruckard, JT McIllwain, and Ben Heagle played off the bench. McIllwain and Heagle each probably only totaled single-digit minutes.

Newcomer Ruckard is a capable ball handler and should be able to defend at a good level. I think his points will only come opportunistically, but he's not going to be asked to be a primary scorer.

A random highlight for me: at one point Calvin had Overway, Ewing, Swartz, Winkle, and Scott on the floor. That's 6-10, 6-7, 6-7, 6-5, 6-5 which would be a lot for many D3 teams to contend with.

Andy Bronkema and Brooks Miller were in attendance.

Provisional Pipeline for 2025-26 (now confirmed)
Full Membership: Hartford, Lyon
3rd year provisional members: none
2nd year provisional members: Carlow, Penn State-Brandywine
1st year provisional members: Regent, Johnson and Wales (NC)

Provisional Pipeline for 2026-27
Applications expected: Azusa Pacific (reclassification from D2), St. Francis (PA) (reclassification from D1)

*Games against Year 3 provisional members count the same as games against full-members for NPI and tournament selection purposes (possibly changing to include provisionals that conform to all D3 bylaws but may be earlier in the pipeline)

Conference Changes Starting in 2025-2026
Anna Maria leaves GNAC for the MASCAC
Bryn Athyn (UEC) drops athletics
Ferrum leaves the ODAC for D2
Fontbonne (SLIAC) closes
Hendrix leaves the SAA for the SCAC
Hiram leaves the NCAC for the PAC
John Carroll leaves the OAC for the NCAC
Johnson & Wales (NC) joins the C2C
Johnson & Wales (RI) leaves the GNAC for the CNE
Keystone (UEC) is doing the limbo, but allowed to play
LeTourneau leaves the ASC for the SCAC
Northland closes
Regent joins the C2C
Southwestern leaves the SCAC for the SAA
St. Elizabeth leaves the UEC for the AEC
Trinity (Texas) leaves the SCAC for the SAA
Expecting 43 Pool A bids, 0 Pool B bids, 21 Pool C bids

Conference Changes Starting in 2026-2027
Alfred State leaves the AMCC for the SUNYAC
Alverno (Women only) leaves the NACC for the C2C
Asuza Pacific joins the SCIAC (full D3 member 2028-29 academic year)
Luther leaves the ARC for the MWC
Maryville leaves the CCS for the SAA
Marywood leaves the AEC for the MAC Freedom
McMurry leaves the SCAC for the ASC
Neumann leaves the AEC for the MAC Commonwealth
New Jersey City leaves the NJAC for the CUNYAC
Rosemont (UEC) ceases athletics (merging into Villanova)
St. Francis (PA) joins the PAC (full D3 member 2028-29 academic year)
Schreiner leaves the SCAC for the ASC
SUNY Cobleskill leaves the NAC for the SUNYAC
SUNY Delhi leaves the NAC for the SUNYAC
SUNY New Paltz leaves the SUNYAC for the NJAC
Wesleyan (Ga.) (Women only) leaves the D3 for NAIA

Conference Changes Starting in 2027-2028
Concordia (WI) leaves the NACC for the CCIW

Quote from: oldknight on April 03, 2025, 10:40:50 AMI am reliably informed that Jordan has grown since his freshmen year at Calvin, and that he now stands closer to 6'5" than 6'3". I'm certain Scott will get minutes at point guard, but the additional height means that the talented young man will likely play multiple positions for the Knights.

Calvin has a roster posted, and indeed Jordan Scott is now listed at 6-5. Score one for oldknight's reliable informant.
https://calvinknights.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2025-26

Quote from: WUPHF on September 12, 2025, 11:19:16 AM

Quote from: Ralph Turner on September 12, 2025, 10:22:54 AMDo we have rumblings of D4 again?  This appeared on D3Playbook.

https://stevedittmore.substack.com/p/what-ncaa-division-iii-schools-excelled?utm_source=www.d3playbook.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=is-it-time-for-division-iii-to-revisit-its-structure

This blog did not add much to the conversation, but this quote from a former president of Carleton College was interesting:

"Since there are very different interests of institutions within the current Division III, a new Division, comprising those institutions that would like to see intercollegiate athletics brought back into better balance with both the academic and the other co-curricular activities of our colleges and universities, still seems to me an outcome that could be highly beneficial"

If I could talk to the former president, I would ask him to imagine two subdivisions within Division III and then ask him to give examples of the institutions that would end up in the same subdivision as Carleton and examples that would end up in the other?

To me these comments read as "We resent having to compete [for attention/students/players] with institutions we deem to be lesser than ours. We would prefer if our institutional advantages were the only advantages allowed to exist."

Quote from: Grutte Dirk on September 20, 2025, 11:13:39 PM

Quote from: ADAWGISADAWG4LIFE on September 13, 2025, 08:00:08 PMAlso, big shout out to calvin. Looks like big improvement, knocking off Concordia.

And now Hieldburg. Now, when can we get close to the Flying Dutchpersons? I'm sure some Knight alums will see this 3-0 start as an indication of a close game this fall.

I think the step-up in competition level has been good for Calvin -- they sure appear to be ahead of schedule in year 2 of the program. But Hope is a Top 25 program and I'm still expecting the Knights to be a multi-score underdog on the road in November.

Quote from: KnightSlappy on September 02, 2025, 12:27:43 PMAll eight MIAA football teams are on the road in Week 1. It would be very nice to get 4 wins, anything more than that seems like it would be difficult for the league given the schedule. (Adrian is playing an FCS school, so leave them aside.)

Well, Adrian won vs. FCS Valpo, so congrats to them!

All eight MIAA football teams are on the road in Week 1. It would be very nice to get 4 wins, anything more than that seems like it would be difficult for the league given the schedule. (Adrian is playing an FCS school, so leave them aside.)

Their recommendation will be that the league needs to win more non-conference games. 

I agree that they've played themselves into a 1 or 2 seed. No underdog Cinderella next year, they are a favorite to advance the early rounds.

I posted this on social media as well, but here are the games We Are D3 has played in the last 3 TBT:

2025: Beat #2 Stars of Storrs (UConn) by 8
2025: Beat #1 Boeheim's Army (Syracuse) by 3
2025: Beat #5 Layne's Hope by 4
2024: Lost to #1 Heartfire by 2
2024: Beat #5 Sweet Home Alabama by 16
2023: Lost to #1 Mass Street (Kansas) by 3

After the blowout loss to Wichita the year before, Rejniak kinda blew things up and has been running the team more as a program than a collection of guys. It has really worked out and they've played like a top seed based on these results and scoring margins.