The NCAA’s regional rankings, through Week 9. Records are regional record, followed by overall record.
East Region
1. Hobart 7-0 7-0
2. Wilkes 8-0 8-0
3. Cortland State 7-0 8-0
4. Springfield 7-1 7-1
5. St. John Fisher 8-1 8-1
6. Union 6-1 6-1
7. Ithaca 6-1 7-1
8. Alfred 6-2 6-2
9. Curry 9-0 9-0
10. Rowan 4-1 5-2
North
1. Mount Union 8-0 8-0
2. Mount St. Joseph 8-0 8-0
3. Concordia (Wis.) 9-0 9-0
4. Capital 7-1 7-1
5. Wheaton 7-1 7-1
6. Franklin 7-1 7-1
7. Baldwin-Wallace 6-2 6-2
8. North Central 6-2 6-2
9. Wabash 6-2 6-2
10. Wittenberg 5-2 5-3
South
1. Wesley 5-0 8-0
2. Trinity (Texas) 7-1 7-1
3. Mary Hardin-Baylor 6-2 6-2
4. Hardin-Simmons 6-1 6-1
5. Carnegie Mellon 7-0 8-0
6. Dickinson 7-1 7-1
7. Washington and Jefferson 6-1 7-1
8. Christopher Newport 6-1 6-2
9. Averett 6-2 6-2
10. Washington and Lee 6-2 6-2
West
1. UW-Whitewater 7-0 8-0
2. St. John’s 9-0 9-0
3. Central 7-0 8-0
4. Whitworth 7-0 8-0
5. UW-La Crosse 4-1 6-1
6. Occidental 7-0 7-0
7. Linfield 4-1 5-2
8. Bethel 7-1 7-1
9. St. Norbert 8-0 9-0
10. Wartburg 7-1 7-1
Well at least they got the East rankings right here with respect to SJF and IC
Unsolvable triangles are pretty tough to solve in rankings. You can’t be right on every head-to-head battle in a triangle like that.
I find the movement in the bottom part of the North bracket to be quite interesting!
agree. the north bracket is quite interesting. seems like the committee is content w cap and wheaton as pool c but positioning franklin and bw should bw prevail vs cap. in addition they are positioning wabash/witt based on who wins NCAC. looks like MIAA winner is headed to alliance. NCAC winner looks to be headed to Mt St Joe and only to alliance in a regional final.
Two surprises to me in the East Region. Rowan losing so much ground to #10, and Springfield only dropping to #4. Rowan loses in OT and drops 7 places, Springfield gets thoroughly dominated, and drops 3?
Not sure if that makes sense to me.
rankings are tough – although Rowan’s only other loss was to a d1-aa/d2 team, having 2 losses will always drop you farther – especially right after losing to a team that was 2-2 in your own conference. a win over cortland this weekend should right the ship for Rowan.
Rowan’s losing to Robert Morris does not count towards why they are ranked where they are.
The Aggie Nation must be sick to realize just how much that Susquehanna loss cost them. Taking that game seriously and Bill Miller hitting a short field goal attempt up at Wilkes are the only things keeping them from a #1 or #2 ranking in the East. Not too bad considering losing their All-American QB, All-American center and the best running back in school history.
At the end though, none of it will matter when Mount Ohio State Union breezes to another NCAA Championship (my big school friends have no idea what I’m even talking about…….and I like it that way…..student first, athlete a distant second!!).
Occidental #6 in West region – likely due to their weak schedule. Although Oxy’s season has ended the last two year with a trip to Linfield the irony is this weekend they are likely hoping for a Linfield (#7) win over Whitworth (currently #4 in the region). Given the committee’s propensity to schedule west coast teams in the first round, a Whitworth loss would drop them below Oxy and mean Oxy would be the only undefeated west coast team in the playoffs. Therefore, they would likely get Whitworth (who would fall below them in the regional ranking) or Linfield (Linfield is less for sure as they might jump them in the ranking with a win) at home. If Whitworth wins, Linfield is out, and Whitworth continues to be ranked higher than Oxy, which means if the two west coast teams were to meet up in the first round (likely) Oxy may be looking at getting jobbed out of a home game yet again, despite being ranked in the top 10 on the d3poll the last two years. Ouch.
Yeah,
I wouldn’t panic if I were Rowan. They beat Cortland, they move up. Plus, Ithaca plays Alfred and Cortland State, and St. John Fisher plays Cortland State, so that’s three definite all-important losses coming for teams ranked ahead of them … they can move past Alfred if they lose either of their final two, and if they beat Cortland and then Cortland beats Ithaca, they’re a playoff lock at that point, IMHO.
Funny though, I don’t think East No. 9 Curry would beat East No. 10 Rowan, despite the records.
To whoever said they got the East rankings right … they’re kind of impossible to do right now, because of the three-way split among the Empire 8’s top three (no disrespect to Alfred).
I’m a little surprised that Ithaca’s final two games might not give them the SOS to leapfrog Springfield, but again, as I mentioned, the wins-over-regionally-ranked-teams criteria could put Fisher in a bind vs. those two.
D3Forme…If Linfield beats Whitworth, I think there is a real possibility they jump Oxy in the regional rankings. I don’t know if the NCAA would send Oxy on the road to Linfield in that scenario or not. I’m thinking they would…but…I think Whitworth still gets in with a loss and is sent to Oxy. If Whitworth wins I think you’re right, Oxy gets shipped to Spokane. I think this is an instance where Oxy’s Staypuff’d soft non-conference schedule hurts them.
D3Keith:
SJF does not play Cortland. They have a bye this week and finish with Alfred. If they beat Alfred they will finish 9-1 in a conference with three nationally ranked teams and 4 regionally ranked teams…not much of a bind there?
Think about this folks…the top 6 teams in the north get in along with Wis Lacrosse and Wartburg completing the bracket…two one loss Pool C teams move from the West because the West is loaded this year…especially if Bethel beats SJU(unlikely, but possible) and Linfield downs Whitworth(possible and likely)
pcole:
I agree completely….especially in light of the fact that the “triangle” includes 3 blow-outs. Typically you would expect the three games to be close when it appears that all three teams are of such equal strength. How do you explain SJF beating IC by 24 and then IC dominating the Pride who dominated SJF? I was just trying to ignore the Pride’s rout of SJF and compare SJF strictly with IC…very convenient of me huh? lol
downtown48, yeah I think Oxy going to Whitworth is pretty likely with a loss to Linfield. What will be more interesting is to see what the committee does with Linfield. Chance of a home game? Possible but probably not likely. Send them to Central? Maybe. Send them to UW-La Crosse (if they stay in the West)? Maybe. What if the committee ships Oxy to the South and/or thinks it is dropping too much coin on flights elsewhere? In that case I suppose we could even see a Whitworth/Linfield rematch, which would be pretty lame (probably not very likely though). Guess we’ll see.
VOJ, I could see a West team being shipped if 9 worthy West teams get in (possible). In that case, I would think UW-La Crosse being dealt to the North would be most likely, but who knows. There is talk about 3 Texas teams getting in in the South. If that’s the case, might Oxy be shipped to the South?
Sorry, that first line should read “Whitworth going to Oxy being likely with a Whitworth loss to Linfield.”
Typing too fast.
In my head it said: “Plus, Ithaca plays Alfred and Cortland State, and St. John Fisher plays Alfred”
But my fingers apparently typed: “Plus, Ithaca plays Alfred and Cortland State, and St. John Fisher plays Cortland State.”
Clearly Cortland can’t play Rowan and Ithaca and SJF.
See, D3forme mis-typed too … we all knew you meant Whitworth to Oxy with a loss … didn’t we?
Oxy to the south makes sense in the first round, and maybe the second, since Texas is about as close to L.A. as Spokane, but I’m sure the NCAA would hate to pick up the tab for Oxy at Wesley, should it get that far.
I think the two or three West Coast teams stay west and if someone is moved out of the west, it is into the North.
But that’s all conjecture 🙂
(likes using that word)
SJFF82:
The bind is this: if all three E8 teams finish 9-1 with losses to each other and wins over Alfred, Ithaca will also have a win against regionally-ranked Cortland, Springfield will have a win against regionally-ranked Union and SJF would need King’s or Rochester to sneak into the regional rankings, otherwise they would all have the same results vs. common opponents and the Pride and Bombers would each have a two-wins-to-one advantage in that significant official criteria.
SJF could still get in anyway. I don’t think the committee has to cap a conference at two teams if they all grade out better than their competition on the criteria.
Don’t worry though, there’s a lot of “ifs” for that to happen, and no one agrees with me anyway. They’re all in love with the QoW index.
I don’t know anyone who thinks Curry would beat Rowan. But this happens every year where the undefeated NEFC team gradually sneaks up in the polls until reality hits in the playoffs. No big deal though, the rankings look reasonable overall.
Cortland States plays Rowan and then Ithaca. They don’t play Alfred or SJF. Get your facts right.
You’re coming a little late to the party there, Cortlandguy.
dukefinadv
What do you mean Mount Ohio State Union? It is true they are both in the state of Ohio but I am missing any other connection. Oh and they both may end up being national champions this year.
Please enlighten me?
You are already enlightened Raiderguy. Have a little more faith please…….they will both win the national championship (thus the blending of the names) and as good as Mount Union is….they may wind up with the same number of NFL players off of the current rosters (Garcon is a D1 that inexplicably would rather pay for his education, but he’ll pay it off rather quickly with his NFL signing bonus!!!).
If you’ve been following……it was also a final poke at jim_rome before he was banished to the land where the former blogger D3knowitall currently resides!!
Have fun at another bloodletting tomorrow. Yours in enlightenment.
The Duke of Swarthmore
D3Keith:
I see what your saying.
How about this for thought though:
‘Everyone’ is saying that SJF should root for Ithaca to beat Alfred this weekend. This of course keeps IC in the 3 way tie, which as you know is the only scenario that keeps SJF in the E8/Auto-bid hunt. I say screw that….AU and their pep band should roll Ithaca. As you illuminated above (big word like conjecture…lol) SJF must likely loses out in the 3 way tie scenario anyways. If Ithaca has 2 losses (one of course being to SJF) there is no chance in heck that IC pulls a bid over or from SJF. And what are the chances that only Springfield goes from the E8???? Bottom lne for SJF is to beat AU themselves next week…get in at 9-1 and if somehow they pull out the E8….BONUS
I of course reserve the right to change my opinion if Springfield loses to either Hartwick or Norwich!!!!!!!
Besides , I refuse to say “GO BOMBERS” so that is why I concocted this scenario.
GO AUpepband!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(for this week only)
Chances are SPRINGFIELD does not lose either of their last two games,and I believe the selection committe realizes that if the game vs. Ithaca was not played in a mud pit the outcome might not have been the same .I believe Ithaca loses it’s last 2 games and is a non factor!
Springfield had a scare today though, only being up 4 late in the 3rd before pulling away.
With the Cortland and Hobart losses today Springfield will win the Empire8 and lock up the #1 seed in the east with a win next week at Norwich.
Pridefan – Since the scoreboard is down, do you have some great news to share regarding #2 Wilkes going down today?!
We have a functioning scoreboard. Links all over the place to it. Wilkes score is on it.
“With the Cortland and Hobart losses today Springfield will win the Empire8 and lock up the #1 seed in the east with a win next week at Norwich.”
Getting ahead of yourself a bit?
Wilkes is the #1 seed in the East as of now….
FYI, SC will get bounced in the first round….
pcole – I was trying to drive a point home with Pridefan without making it look obvious. #1 and #3 lose and #2 wins…….who is the new #1? I could figure that out without having gone to Swarthmore (now, how I ever got in is another question in and of itself!!).
Thanks for the link pcole!!
Sorry guys, I forgot that Wilkes has the same Quality Of Wins % and if they remain unbeaten will most likely Be #1. As for Springfield going out in the 1st round I doubt it unless they play on grass.
What are everyones thoughts on where Union should be ranked for the tourney? They destroyed Hobart today but lost to Springfield in the opening week. I’m thinking maybe a #2 seed ahead of Wilkes assuming Springfield is the #1. I don’t know too much about Wilkes and how strong their wins are.
Now this is one of the first years I have really followed d3 football, and I have a question about the regions. When looking at the west region it looks as if the top 6 teams are all in the top 11 in the rankings. Doesn’t this seem rather unfair to teams like Occidental who are rated near the top 10, but will end up playing a team that is ranked close to 5th in the top 25 for their first game, when other regions only have a few teams that are even in the top 25? Why does the NCAA do this and is the west usually loaded like this or is this the first year?
This has happened before in the West Region, generally considered to be the strongest when strength is measured by depth of good teams. Undefeated teams have had to play road games before in the playoffs in the West, but remember, we are less than 10 years removed from a 16-team playoff system that occasionally left undefeated teams out of the playoffs as it took only four from each region.
The top 25 polls, both D3.com and the AFCA, have no bearing on the playoffs or the way they are seeded/set up.
In other words, it’s not something the NCAA “does.” … the NCAA matches teams by region to manage costs (we’re lucky we can even afford a 32-team playoff, thank March Madness) and sometimes the regions don’t cooperate.
This year, Occidental and Whitworth, both unbeaten, don’t deserve to meet in the first round. But if St. John’s, UW-Whitewater and Central are all unbeaten, that’s at least five unbeatens in the West Region … someone has to go on the road as there are only four home games in the first round, and that being the case, you can expect the selection committee to match the teams whose flights will cost the least.
pcole,
I found one glaring mistake in the rankings that would greatly hurt my team. The Dickinson Red Devils are 7-0 in the south region because our only loss came to Hobart, an East region team. I hope that the NCAA catches this and takes it into consideration.
That is incorrect. The definition of a regional game changed this year. Hobart/Dickinson is indeed a regional game.
Pat, When will we see your projections as to who is in and who is out? I have always enjoyed reading your thoughts on the different regions. Also, under NCAA guidelines would the Johnnies leap over UWW to the top seed?
I’m hoping to do them tomorrow.
I don’t think St. John’s would jump UWW without UWW losing. In the past when a team has run the table, then come back and run the table the next year (Mount Union, Linfield, etc.), they’ve pretty much gotten the benefit of the doubt from the NCAA and I can’t say there’s any reason to argue.
I must have missed something how did Hobart get to the Union game undefeatted? Was not this game pretty much for the League,did anyone tell them that . Can’t believe I drove a day to watch what looked like a freshmen high School game.I have read posts that boast the strength of the L.L more likely a overall weakness.
Easy Cam08, a freahmen highschool game? Are you serious? I love people who insult student athletes. You insult both teams and all the hard work they do throughout the year. No one here boasts of the LL strength in comparison to the West and others, but it is good Div 3 football, with teams that can challenge into the second round of the tourney. A league that has gotton more competative this year with some exciting football week in and week out. An ignorant comment like that really makes you look like you follow D3 football really close. I think you should drive a few hours farther to Columbus and stick watch Ohio ST. I would hate for you to get disappointed again.
Your right I apologize to all High School Freshmen Football Players
Cam08 thanks, you are funny and make me laugh:)
Statistically SJF looks stronger than Union. However, after last week’s loss to RPI, the Dutchmen will be seeking redemption. This is a tough one to call. Execution, as always, will be the key.