FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[#1OacFan]

New Flash, the OAC Coaches aren't voting for Mount Union in a 3 way Tie! Get Ready for the Extra Points Bowl.

[D3fanboy]

New Flash, the OAC Coaches aren't voting for Mount Union in a 3 way Tie! Get Ready for the Extra Points Bowl.

then Berg needs to lose twice.  Saturday night is the first good opportunity for that. I would hope that Mount declines any bootleg "Bowl" game if we get to that point.

[BergAlum2]

Berg Beats Mount
BW Beats Berg
Mount Beats BW

That would be a three way tie right, between Mount, Berg, and BW? And if the other coaches objectively voted, they would have to pick Mount right?  If they compared the non-conference play, Mount played better games even though they were 1-1.  Especially imagine if Wheaton beats North Central next week, and if Grove City wins out and wins the PAC.  Certainly better faring teams than what the Berg or the BW played.

But if they don't put much value toward that and just look at record or points scored or something like that then maybe the odds aren't so great, better run up the score against the common OAC opponents. 

[D3fanboy]

Berg Beats Mount
BW Beats Berg
Mount Beats BW

That would be a three way tie right, between Mount, Berg, and BW? And if the other coaches objectively voted, they would have to pick Mount right?  If they compared the non-conference play, Mount played better games even though they were 1-1.  Especially imagine if Wheaton beats North Central next week, and if Grove City wins out and wins the PAC.  Certainly better faring teams than what the Berg or the BW played.

But if they don't put much value toward that and just look at record or points scored or something like that then maybe the odds aren't so great, better run up the score against the common OAC opponents. 

The other 6 OAC coaches vote.  if one team gets the majority, that's your AQ.  If we get a 3-3 tie, that other 3rd team is eliminated and that coach becomes the 7th vote.  The OAC re-votes and you should get at least a 4-3.

However, if the first vote goes 2-2-2...that is not in the OAC by-laws.  So who knows? The old OAC end-all tiebreaker was a coin-toss, but that was back in the 10 team era. 

In the NPI era, I would imagine that coaches would be told to use that metric to get the most OAC teams into the playoff.  If a couple of 9-1 teams were playoff locks via NPI, why not stick the 8-2 team into the dance as the AQ?  All three teams would claim an OAC Title


Three OAC teams in the playoffs would be best for the conference for sure. But I totally get why the little bros would want to pop big, old, bully Mount in the nose when they get the chance

[#1OacFan]

New Flash, the OAC Coaches aren't voting for Mount Union in a 3 way Tie! Get Ready for the Extra Points Bowl.

then Berg needs to lose twice.  Saturday night is the first good opportunity for that. I would hope that Mount declines any bootleg "Bowl" game if we get to that point.

Mount Union Blocked so many other OAC teams from having postseason opportunities for years. It's only been the past two seasons that the playoffs have expanded to capture more than three or four at large teams nationwide. So much work was put into giving the other OAC schools an opportunity for postseason play. I truly hope that Mount Union's arrogance would not keep them from accepting an opportunity to play at the Hall Of Fame against a high ranking school from the PAC or NCAC.

[D3fanboy]

New Flash, the OAC Coaches aren't voting for Mount Union in a 3 way Tie! Get Ready for the Extra Points Bowl.

then Berg needs to lose twice.  Saturday night is the first good opportunity for that. I would hope that Mount declines any bootleg "Bowl" game if we get to that point.

Mount Union Blocked so many other OAC teams from having postseason opportunities for years. It's only been the past two seasons that the playoffs have expanded to capture more than three or four at large teams nationwide. So much work was put into giving the other OAC schools an opportunity for postseason play. I truly hope that Mount Union's arrogance would not keep them from accepting an opportunity to play at the Hall Of Fame against a high ranking school from the PAC or NCAC.

Oh goodness, that sounds gross

[bleedpurple]

New Flash, the OAC Coaches aren't voting for Mount Union in a 3 way Tie! Get Ready for the Extra Points Bowl.

then Berg needs to lose twice.  Saturday night is the first good opportunity for that. I would hope that Mount declines any bootleg "Bowl" game if we get to that point.

Mount Union Blocked so many other OAC teams from having postseason opportunities for years. It's only been the past two seasons that the playoffs have expanded to capture more than three or four at large teams nationwide. So much work was put into giving the other OAC schools an opportunity for postseason play. I truly hope that Mount Union's arrogance would not keep them from accepting an opportunity to play at the Hall Of Fame against a high ranking school from the PAC or NCAC.

Wait...Mount Union "blocked so many other OAC teams from having postseason opportunities for years?" How so? By beating them at football? That's called competition. Or are you talking about something else? I'm so confused...

[#1OacFan]

Gang up on me if you want, but it's a bad look if they turn down the opportunity to play and compete in the post season bowl game. Not fair for the guys on the team that may not get another opportunity to play football. It will add to the downfall or could help them get better with a young team and return the team to glory.

Yes, they blocked them by beating them fair and Square on the football field. The same way they beat nearly every other team in the country Playing D3 football. Only BW, ONU, Heidelberg, JCU, Capital, Marietta, Otterbein, etc. 9-1 teams were being left out the tournament even from the OAC.

The Bowl games, have been a great edition and should be valued as such. It's disappointing to hear OAC fans not supporting these games. Sorry your team isn't as good this year as it has been in the past, but I promise you turning down opportunities to play football will not improve your chances of retaining the players you have, recruiting more high-quality players, or improving the players on your team. But if you wanna be arrogant and walk away from it, then the downfall won't just be a single season problem.

[Desertraider]

Was arrogant a word of the day recently? If so, I will play along. I think it is incredibly arrogant to think that playing 1 game in the Terry's Tire Town Bowl for a set of radials is the key to returning Mount to the mount. Mount, if chosen, would most likely put it to a team vote. The team would most likely vote NO - why risk injury in a game that no one will know was played?. In ADDITION, Mount prevented no one from being in the playoffs - the selection committee did. Other 9-1 teams were picked, THEY didnt pick Berg, Otters, etc.

[#1OacFan]

why risk injury in a game that no one will know was played?. In ADDITION, Mount prevented no one from being in the playoffs - the selection committee did. Other 9-1 teams were picked, THEY didnt pick Berg, Otters, etc.

Using this rationale, why would anybody even play any game? Sitting out of bowl game at the division 1 level happens because players are trying to make the NFL or nowadays transferring to other FBS programs to make big $. That's not happening at D3. They play because they Love Football! That was also LK question when meeting with recruits. Do you love football?
I did not indicate that Mount didn't pick OAC teams to be in the playoffs. Simply stating the fact that the opportunities were extremely thin for programs that didn't win their conference championship (until 2024). Mount Union has dominated the OAC since the late 80s. Mount has dominated D3, since the early 1990s. Giving good teams an opportunity to play in the postseason is important for the development of the league. If Mount Union doesn't make the playoffs and turns down an opportunity to play in the Hall Of Fame 20 minutes from Campus it's a very bad look! Makes you wonder how much they love the game of football. Which maybe that's where the problem lies. Only recruiting guys who want to win and play on ESPN rather than recruiting guys who truly love football. Think about the great players from the 90s and early 2000s. Would those guys turned down an opportunity to play one more game against a team like W&J, Wabash, Washington U, etc? (I vote to turn in my pads coach... soft! Quit when things don't go your way.)

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

Gang up on me if you want, but it's a bad look if they turn down the opportunity to play and compete in the post season bowl game. Not fair for the guys on the team that may not get another opportunity to play football. It will add to the downfall or could help them get better with a young team and return the team to glory.

Yes, they blocked them by beating them fair and Square on the football field. The same way they beat nearly every other team in the country Playing D3 football. Only BW, ONU, Heidelberg, JCU, Capital, Marietta, Otterbein, etc. 9-1 teams were being left out the tournament even from the OAC.

The Bowl games, have been a great edition and should be valued as such. It's disappointing to hear OAC fans not supporting these games. Sorry your team isn't as good this year as it has been in the past, but I promise you turning down opportunities to play football will not improve your chances of retaining the players you have, recruiting more high-quality players, or improving the players on your team. But if you wanna be arrogant and walk away from it, then the downfall won't just be a single season problem.

Florida allows High Schools to play in "Bowl Games" if they have a winning record and don't make the State Playoffs.  They are usually played on a Thursday night, many seniors opt out, and are not real competitive.  I would turn down a D3 consolation "Bowl" game if invited.

[IC798891]

I know Ithaca's Butterfield-era dynasty was never on the level of Mount's, but, FWIW, I remember similar conversations around the merits of ECAC bowls.

As I'm not part of the football side of things, here's where I come down as a fan:

Ithaca College football has been a part of my life since I was five. My father started taking me to games, and we'd go to almost every home game climbing up the bleachers at Butterfield Stadium to get the best view of the action. We usually went to one road game a year.

My dad is 85 now, and though he's in reasonably good health, things have changed a lot. First, we stopped going to road games, sticking to stadiums we know how to navigate. And then, we stopped climbing up those bleachers, as all of our knees got worse for the wear. And now, for the most part, we don't go at all. I've got three kids now so life is busy, and he really doesn't want to sit on metal bleachers (especially when it's cold).

But, despite all that's changed, we still watch the games. And I still call him afterwards, just to talk about them. So what ECAC bowls are, to me, one more week of Ithaca College football. One more chance to call my father up at 3:30 in the afternoon and talk about what we just watched. One more time to say "And what about that great catch in the second quarter?" To talk about whose career we were glad to see extended one extra week, and whose career we're excited to see grow the next year. One more chance to share in the experience of IC football.

We only get so many of these games. And one week, though I may not know it, it will be the last week I get to do it. And I say this with no judgement towards anyone who feels differently, honestly, getting one extra week to do that is a heck of a lot more important to me than worrying about What it Says About The State of the Program.

Hokey? 100%. Not your cup of tea? That's cool, too. just throwing in my two cents

[Patrick Coleman]

It would be interesting to see if the OAC No. 2 is required to play in this game, even, or if it can pass on the opportunity.

[D3fanboy]

Think about the great players from the 90s and early 2000s. Would those guys turned down an opportunity to play one more game against a team like W&J, Wabash, Washington U, etc?

Yes.  Playing in a meaningless "bowl game" is beneath the Mount Union football program.  Dartt has driven it down faster than anyone could have expected in 6 years, but we are not at the level of celebrating mediocrity...yet

Playing in the Swenson's Bowl would be more embarrassing than 2026 has been so far.  No chance it would happen.

Now, Heidelberg just lose your couple of games and this chat shouldn't even matter

[#1OacFan]

This type of arrogance is exactly why Mount Union is where they are. Much more so that than Geoff Dartt who is 68-7 (.907) as head Coach. By the way was the offensive coordinator on the 2017 national championship team. Mount Stopped having players that loved football and loved the process. Stopped having people who worked through adversity. Just point the finger blame other people and be focused solely on results. Good luck winning the National championship with that type of mindset.