NESCAC

[stlawus]

Admittedly, I don't understand the NPI. Explain it to me like I'm 5. How does a team with a losing record and only 5 wins, only one of which was against a decent team, sit on the bubble?

Since SOS is 85% of the of NPI formula, if you have one decent win it does extremely heavy lifting especially since it comes with extra NPI benefit from a quality win bonus.  Also since so many teams are top 10 in NPI on their schedule, the loss value against those teams is barely below their own NPI value so they don't get dinged a lot for losing.  It's just a circular chain of nonsense by virtue of simply being in the NESCAC.  A tie is usually worth around the value of your opponent's NPI, but Bates actually saw *benefit* from ties since the value was greater than their own NPI.  So they were essentially getting credited for a full win despite tying.   I have no idea why these were the dials to start, they were the biggest outlier out of all of the sports. NPI just means NESCAC Protection Index.  Thankfully they are weighing ties more towards a loss next year so some of this should be taken care of.

[SierraFD3soccer]

So the NPI right now is like in the old days when ties counted for 1 and wins 2?? That is what it sounds like, but will change?

[stlawus]

So the NPI right now is like in the old days when ties counted for 1 and wins 2?? That is what it sounds like, but will change?

Sort of, it does for the NESCAC at least lol. But next year instead of a tie being worth half a win and half a loss it will be worth .6 loss/.4 win.

[2Short2Slow]

The fact that Bates and Trinity were even close is unbelievable. NPI should be limited to regular season games and post-season conf tournaments should only be for the auto-bid and bragging rights. Then teams can be rewarded for scheduling tougher opponents but this mushrooming effect of the NESCAC tournament will be eliminated.  Removing the conf tourney from the NPI would also clean up the multiple games against one good opponent that skew the NPI (e.g Lynchburg vs W&L 3x this year??). The fact that SUNY Oneonta is in with their best win against NPI #88 shows that additional adjustments are needed to the algorithm.

[VASoccerDad]

The fact that Bates and Trinity were even close is unbelievable. NPI should be limited to regular season games and post-season conf tournaments should only be for the auto-bid and bragging rights. Then teams can be rewarded for scheduling tougher opponents but this mushrooming effect of the NESCAC tournament will be eliminated.  Removing the conf tourney from the NPI would also clean up the multiple games against one good opponent that skew the NPI (e.g Lynchburg vs W&L 3x this year??). The fact that SUNY Oneonta is in with their best win against NPI #88 shows that additional adjustments are needed to the algorithm.

I actually really like this idea. The UAA, an equally tough conference with TONS of travel, does not have a conference tournament due to the added travel expenses of hosting in one location. Because of that, their NPI doesn't get the bump that the NESCAC's and others may get from playing another round of tough competition.

I wonder if eliminating NPI points from tournaments has ever been explored?

[Kuiper]

The fact that Bates and Trinity were even close is unbelievable. NPI should be limited to regular season games and post-season conf tournaments should only be for the auto-bid and bragging rights. Then teams can be rewarded for scheduling tougher opponents but this mushrooming effect of the NESCAC tournament will be eliminated.  Removing the conf tourney from the NPI would also clean up the multiple games against one good opponent that skew the NPI (e.g Lynchburg vs W&L 3x this year??). The fact that SUNY Oneonta is in with their best win against NPI #88 shows that additional adjustments are needed to the algorithm.

I actually really like this idea. The UAA, an equally tough conference with TONS of travel, does not have a conference tournament due to the added travel expenses of hosting in one location. Because of that, their NPI doesn't get the bump that the NESCAC's and others may get from playing another round of tough competition.

I wonder if eliminating NPI points from tournaments has ever been explored?

I'm not sure it would make much difference if the NPI didn't count conference tournament games.  Unless they moved up the NCAA tournament dates for everyone (which, I think, SimpleCoach has suggested before), then conferences would replace the conference tournament, or earlier rounds of it, with more regular season conference games.  That's why both the UAA and NWC - two conferences that don't have end of season tournaments - had regular season games last week while other conferences were playing tournament games.  NESCAC would do the same and get the same NPI boost from playing more games against each other.

My very "hot take" is that declining NCAA finances (or the split off of top football/basketball conferences) and a growing divergence between D3 school budgets may eventually push D3 in the other direction.  Eliminate the NCAA tournament and only hold conference tournaments.  Schools already form conferences with teams with which they can be competitive because of similar sizes and finances, often with geography and reduced travel prioritized.  The NCAA tournament, much like national tournaments in big time youth club soccer, has always been a myth, creating the illusion of being suitable for determining the "best" team in America, while at the same time excluding many top teams because they adhere to a universality principle that gives every conference, no matter how weak, one automatic spot. 

The national tournament is therefore expensive, takes kids away from school for extreme travel at the most difficult time in the semester academically, and creates perverse incentives to form far-flung conferences and to play schools far away during the non-conference game portion of the regular season.  This is all with an eye to increasing your school's chances of making the NCAA tournament and potentially being crowned "mythical" national champion in a tournament that tries to serve two goals (excellence and universality) and ends up serving neither.

[SierraFD3soccer]

The national tournament is therefore expensive, takes kids away from school for extreme travel at the most difficult time in the semester academically, and creates perverse incentives to form far-flung conferences and to play schools far away during the non-conference game portion of the regular season.  This is all with an eye to increasing your school's chances of making the NCAA tournament and potentially being crowned "mythical" national champion in a tournament that tries to serve two goals (excellence and universality) and ends up serving neither.

Split seasons???  Hahahaha