Alright, well, I’ve had the bracket in my hands for almost five hours so I’ve probably come to grips with it, but you guys haven’t had it nearly as long so it’s time to let out those pent-up frustrations.
I would really like to get to the bottom of the Millsaps mileage issue. The folks on the committee told me that the number they got was higher than 500 miles, so I’d like to know what it takes to standardize these distances. There’s a Web site the NCAA mandates schools to use to determine whether a game is in-region and that is indeed the site I used. Why they got different numbers, neither of us is sure.
In the end, it just means we have a regional semifinal one week early.
Looking forward to the potential matchup of Rowan and Wilkes in the second round. That should be a great game. Rowan is just getting its offense in gear and I’m not sure that Hobart, which struggled with William Paterson and others, can keep up. Wilkes is strong on defense as well. I haven’t seen the field since September, so I wonder what it looks like now.
Springfield, as I mentioned on the air, is in shape to play two games on turf, which bodes well for their offense. They need a lower seed to advance out of the other half of the bracket so they can continue to host on turf. They would get that if Rowan were to beat Wilkes, but I also doubt the Springfield/St. John Fisher potential rematch in round two would replicate round one. Springfield will still be favored but that doesn’t mean the game will be the same.
Can anyone aside from Capital hang with Mount Union in the top bracket? Can Capital even do it?
Kind of a neat story to get two long-time playoff drought teams together in round one in Pittsburgh. Contrast in styles, too.
West, two storied programs meet in the first round in Pella, while Bethel tries again to get the first-round monkey off its back.
Floor open for your thoughts.
On the shortest possible distance setting?
The 532.3 was the quickest. Shortest distance was 491.8.
Not knowing the roads in Texas, maybe the “shortest distance” route contains roads which buses aren’t allowed?????
It doesn’t matter — the rules say measure using shortest distance. That doesn’t bind the bus driver to actually travel the route!
Looks like its gonna be UWW versus Mount Union once again. I can’t wait for the Rematch!
The new official database is msn.mappoint.com.
I get 492.1 miles on my query.
US 84 and US 79 in east Texas are very good roads. You get onto I-20 just before the Louisiana border.
Mandefense, the roads in Texas are better than at least 75% of the states in the union … and that is practical experience talking. You want to worry about roads, feel free to worry about those in Arkansas or Louisiana. 🙂
two of the one loss teams had to be left out and would have a good beef…….this was known before the selection show……i see lets play some football
I see alot of folks pickin’ Millsaps to upset CMU. Considering all the gripes about CMU’s schedule, I wouldn’t call it an upset if they lose. Now I haven’t said anything as far as predictions with CMU this year, but I do feel like CMU has a good chance at home. Millsaps apparently runs the spread, which CMU has seen 6 out of the last 8 weeks and Colorado College was the only team who ran it to put more than 7 on the scoreboard. (I know, weak schedule) I think it will all fall on CMU staying calm and focused and doing what they’ve done all year to give themselves a shot at winning this game. Good luck to all playoff teams.
to anyone who cares – just wanted to say “hats off” to the DelVal Aggies. I realize the system for D3 playoffs is very good and in the final analysis we did not warrant a spot based on a bad loss in week 7 … was it the worst thing that happened? … or the best!… since that game, we have had 3 shutout victories, 2 on the road against good teams (Kings and Widener). Would anyone have liked to see us coming in as a # 8 seed?? Couldn’t be prouder of the effort they put forth to close the season. I’ll cherish the memories of the ’04 and ’05 squads and was hoping for a chance with this year’s team, but we’ll settle for an ECAC game … got no choice … might just be the best thing anyway! Go Aggies!!
PS – Congrats to all in there … have fun with it.
PSS – I feel for you Cortland fans … If only you took care of Rowan – believe me, I know the feeling (twice over)
PSSS If only the Susquehanna bus had broken down 3 weeks ago … Oh well
Tough break for Cortland. If they had made the NCAA’s, would either of their top two QB’s be ready? If not, what were their real chances of getting to round 2?
If they have any beef, its shouldn’t be with the Pool C teams from the East that made it (SJF & Hobart), but with the selection of St. John’s in the West.
If you compare the respective losses of these teams, St. John’s lost decisively, Cortland lost in OT. There is obvious bias toward the selection of St. John’s given its past playoff success, and more importantly the presence of a legend on its sideline.
However, I think when you compare the MIAC with the NJAC, it’s no contest. Further, Cortland has a quality win in conference (Montclair) and non-conference (Ithaca), while SJU’s sole quality win is conference foe St. Olaf, whose 8-2 record was built on a weak non-conference schedule, losses to Bethel and SJU, and wins against the weak sisters of the MIAC.
Regardless, the system in place allows for 25 automatic qualifiers, and 7 at large bids. So if you fail to take care of business and get an automatic bid, you reap what you sow.
OK, I’ll be the first to predict it. Cap will FINALLY knock off Mount Union this year. Hey, it’s got to happen sometime. They aren’t going to dominate through the end of time (or until something better than football is invented). My brother says that’s true, but it won’t happen until Kehres retires. And he may be right. But since it will happen eventually, it may as well start now. And why not us? Yes, this is total homerism, I know, but what better reason is out there right now? Just remember that you read it here first :).
Does anyone out there give Springfield a chance to get beyond their first round game vs. Curry College? What was their regional seed? That wasn’t shown on ESPNnews.
Seedings are listed on our bracket:
http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/06/bracket.htm
Thanks for that info; how do you feel about SC’s chances to advance beyond the second round?
“Isn’t the geographic proximity about not missing classtime?”
I always thought it was about cost containment, specifically with regard to bus trips vs. flights.
In other words, the seedings will be followed unless they need to be broken to save the cost(s) of one or more flights.
As I have said before, D3 can’t afford to pay for itself, and if it was required to by the evil powers that be at the NCAA, as some of you paint it, we might have a playoff system where deserving playoff teams turn down bids they can’t afford.
All of this complaining is understandable on one hand, but it’s also biting the hand that feeds us.
spfldcolfan –
the second round opponent will be a rematch against either Union or St. John Fisher, teams Springfield beat earlier in the season. It would be unfair to say that the Pride would be an overwhelming favorite against either team – and if I were a betting man, I’d take the over, cause none of these three has a chance of stopping each other, especially on turf.
While the Pride should be favored in the first round – it should be reminded that no New England conference playoff team has ever won a game in the NCAA post season tournament, and every year presents an opportunity to get that monkey off their back. No offense to Curry, but I just don’t see it happening this year.
SJF/Union is also a toss up. These are two very similar teams that have shown flashes of offensive and defensive brilliance. The home field will provide a marginal advantage, as the new style turf is identicial to Union’s, virtually taking field conditions out of play. Expect both teams to put up some points in this one.
BDTartan: “Millsaps apparently runs the spread, which CMU has seen 6 out of the last 8 weeks and Colorado College was the only team who ran it to put more than 7 on the scoreboard.”
None of the teams they faced were top 25 in total offense as Millsaps is. Millsaps runs a spread, but still runs for 120+ avg. per game. Also, Millsaps moved the ball against Trinity’ “Black Flag” defense without throwing very much, and without the help of their starting tailback who left the game mid way through the first quarter.
You also have to consider how many points are scored on defense and special teams. Millsaps does alot of scoring through its’ non-offensive teams.
PCOLE, what do you think of the Millsaps/CMU matchup? I think it’s an awesome opportunity for a tradtionally/geographically southern team to go into the northeast and play against a team who they know nothing about, and who knows nothing about them.
It’s a shame that UMHB and UHS must play this early on, but the best teams will win regarless of when and where they play, and both schools are beyond admirable.
While I’m at it, I’ll make a run at the other East Regional games.
Wilkes/Washington & Lee. While I don’t see Wilkes as a long-term contender, it shouldn’t have a problem here. Washington & Lee’s presence in this tournament clearly illustrates the flaws of awarding automatic bids. Its two non-conference losses were to mediocre clubs, and it enters the tournament with 3 losses. Wilkes got a big break when the committee opted to move this team up North instead of Dickinson.
Rowan/Hobart. After shedding my LL bias, I’d have to go with Rowan here. I don’t know if it will be that close either. Its a long painful road trip for the Statesmen. I saw Rowan beat Union last year in a thriller. Both teams are well coached, but, on balance, Rowan’s athleticism on defense is a big edge. Moreover, they have a superb quarterback who has yet to hit stride with a young receiving corps. They usually seem to find this stride come playoff time, and playing at home in this spot is worth 2 touchdowns.
Round 2. Wilkes/Rowan. Sorry Wilkes, Prince Rowan will not be returning the glass slipper in this fairy tale season. Rowan makes its upteenth trip to a regional final after this one.
Dutchman89,
Your closing “reap what you sow” comment was on point, and Cortland might have a beef with St. John’s, but not for some of the reasons you stated.
“If you compare the respective losses of these teams, St. John’s lost decisively, Cortland lost in OT.”
True, but margin of victory/defeat is not part of the selection committee’s publicly listed criteria.
“There is obvious bias toward the selection of St. John’s given its past playoff success, and more importantly the presence of a legend on its sideline.”
By this logic, Lycoming should have made the playoffs too.
You sure it’s just not because the committee thought St. John’s was more deserving of a bid than Cortland? Had you even considered that?
“However, I think when you compare the MIAC with the NJAC, it’s no contest.”
In whose favor? I know you’re trying to say the NJAC is a power league and the MIAC is not, but when we’ve crunched the numbers, asked around and rated them, they usually grade out right alongside leagues like the CCIW, MAC and ASC in that second just-below-elite tier. Both the NJAC and MIAC have a historically dominant team and have had two other teams make the playoffs in recent years.
If you’re looking solely at this season, I think Bethel-St. John’s is comparable to Rowan-Cortland as a top two, and St. Olaf vs. Montclair State at three probably favors the MIAC a little bit. I thought the NJAC had good depth this year with West. Conn. and Kean and TCNJ all being competitive at times. How would they fare against Tommies and Gusties and Cobbers? Probably a pretty good split; feel free to crunch numbers on that.
I don’t think there’s anything to support the NJAC being a clearly superior league to the MIAC. You might be able to argue slightly, but it doesn’t seem like that would much factor into who gets the last at-large bid. Schedule strength certainly does, but Cortland and St. John’s each scheduled aggressively out of conference, even though all the teams didn’t end up having good seasons.
“Regardless, the system in place allows for 25 automatic qualifiers, and 7 at large bids.”
That would be 21 automatic bids and four bids for Pool Bs. There is no way for a Pool B team to “clinch” a bid before selection Sunday, and in case of a really good year in Pool B, some of those teams could spill over into the at-large pool and take one or more of the seven, although we have yet to seen it happen.
Although point taken. If you fail to win your conference, you leave yourself at the mercy of the selection committee, who has to apply the criteria to determine the seven at-large teams. You also become dependent on the success and failures of others. The at-large field was weak last year and had room for a two-loss bunch of Red Dragons. This year it had no room for a one-loss team. Them’s the breaks.
As I stated, I think a 9-1 team with an OT loss to an AQ should always get into the playoffs, but given the strength of the field this year, two one-loss teams were getting left out either way. Cortland and Franklin ended up being the two, and Wartburg eliminated itself by losing in OT to Dubuque yesterday.
I also agree that Cortland was severely limited by its QB situation and may not have gone far anyway, but they had a very legitimate defense and could have been a great challenge in the show.
I voted for them and Baldwin-Wallace in the teens on my final ballot.
dutchman89…
I agree with your assessment. I don’t recall that any NEFC team has won a first round game, hence the frustration of fans of all bubble teams out there. Perhaps this is the year the option works for SC, or not. Doesn’t matter, as no one expected much from them at the start of the season in the E8. They were picked to finish behind SJF and IC
While I’m on a roll, I’ll hit the rest of the brackets.
Lets start in the North. To CapWhenWeWereNobody. I’m going to step out on a limb here, except mine is not as weak as yours. Let’s skip all the early stuff, and get right to the title – Mount Union.
South.
Wesley will take care of Dickinson
Carnegie Mellon continues to have its doubters after beating unheralded Millsaps, another automatic qualifier with 3 unimpressive losses on its resume.
Wesley/CMU. Sorry Tartans – its brawn over brains in this one. Nice season, but home field carries the Wolverines in this one.
CNU/WJU – WJU. The presidents stubbed their toe in the opener, but have seemed to hit their stride. The long trip will not affect them, and they move on. Plus, the USAC hasn’t made any noise in the NCAA’s since Chris Warren played at Ferrum.
HS v. MHB. Texas draw. Rematch’s are tough. Its too bad it has to happen in Round 1. Bucking conventional wisdom, I’ll take the visitors. I must admit, I admire both these clubs for their strong non-conference scheduling. H-S win over Linfield (at home) is more impressive than MHB’s close loss to UWW (at home). In the end, HS exacts revenge.
HS v. WJU. While some President’s do well in Texas, the WJU Presidents do not. HS takes this game in a thriller.
Wesley v. HS. Lots of travel for HS. But flying is better than driving. This game is a toss up. In the end, I think HS pulls the mild upset.
D3Keith
1. Decisiveness of a victory does matter. An OT loss to an AQ (and perennial power) on the road is better than a two touchdown loss, at home, to an infrequent playoff interloper. Plus, late season wins/losses should count for something.
2. Lycoming has neither (i) the credentials this season, nor (ii) comparable playoff history success, nor (iii) comparable legend on the field. So this point borders on the ridiculous. While Coach Girardi is certainly a D-III legend in his own right, Coach Gagliardi is beyond compare in wins, and succeeds with an unconventional approach.
3. As for comparable conferences, you make a fair point. Given the breadth of D III football, the pendulum swings among the conferences from year to year make it difficult to rate them. Clearly an East Coast bias on that call. My bad.
On balance, I still submit that Cortland’s rivalry win v. Ithaca, the win over Montclair State (who, incidentally beat Rowan, I AA Iona, Salisbury, and lost to Springfield), edges the Johnnies, whose only quality win remains St. Olaf. And yes, I think the selection committee did take into account St. John’s strong showings in past playoffs and the reputation of its coach. While not official criteria in the selection process, its hard to imagine a committee comprised of individuals who are unaware of these facts. That’s just my opinion.
No need for another long winded reply.
I’m not sure you get to dictate the nature of replies, but so as not to offend you, I’ll keep mine short.
“1. Decisiveness of a victory does matter.”
Not to the NCAA. Read that in the criteria somewhere? It ain’t there. Doesn’t matter what you think measures a team, if it’s not in the criteria, it isn’t being considered.
“2. Lycoming”
Way to take a hypothetical exaggeration for effect and totally miss the point.
End.
“The rest of the brackets, save the Texas fiasco, are pretty much what everybody expected.”
I always expect a Texas fiasco.
lol
Dutchman89,
I am not good at giving up the last word. Plus, how you gonna be long-winded and tell me not to be? If you want to skip it, be my guest, but for the passive observers in the crowd:
dutchman89 Says:
“1. Decisiveness of a victory does matter.”
dutchman89 Says:
“2. Lycoming has neither (i) the credentials this season, nor (ii) comparable playoff history success, nor (iii) comparable legend on the field. So this point borders on the ridiculous. While Coach Girardi is certainly a D-III legend in his own right … “
dutchman89 Says:
“3. As for comparable conferences, you make a fair point. Given the breadth of D III football, the pendulum swings among the conferences from year to year make it difficult to rate them. Clearly an East Coast bias on that call. My bad.”
dutchman89 says:
“On balance, I still submit that Cortland’s rivalry win v. Ithaca, the win over Montclair State (who, incidentally beat Rowan, I AA Iona, Salisbury, and lost to Springfield), edges the Johnnies, whose only quality win remains St. Olaf. And yes, I think the selection committee did take into account St. John’s strong showings in past playoffs and the reputation of its coach. While not official criteria in the selection process, its hard to imagine a committee comprised of individuals who are unaware of these facts. That’s just my opinion.”
I think non-regional games SHOULD be considered in the future. the two WIAC schools both had huge non-regional wins: UW-Whitewater over MHB and UW-Lax over D-IAA South Dakota State 17-3. Both of those wins were huge for the program. MHB is the #5 team in the country and SDSU is undefeated in their conference. Those wins show the true power those teams have. Regional games should have higher priority, but if it comes down to it, a non-regional win over a team like MHB or SDSU is better than a win over an unranked regional team
Pat:
You yourself said, prior to going to see Cortland play in mid-season, that you thought they were underestimated, and then after they won the game you saw you proclaimed that they they were “officially the best team you had seen this year”.
Well the only thing that happened to the “best team….this year” was a loss to Rowan in OT. After all they were still ranked higher in the d3.com poll than several of the other at large East teams?
I am not secon-guessing the bracket as it followed its system and inevitably the last guy out has a gripe, however what I do not and cannot understand is the apparrent ease with which the #15 team in the country gets left out even though there are still teams in Cortland’s own region that were ranked lower…and before you blast me….I know that the d3.com poll is not the criteria for getting in….but then maybe the poll should be:
d3.dontlookatmeCortlandfansandthinkthatyouregoodenoughtogetinat#15inthewholefreakincountrypoll.com
Union guy above:
Fisher has shown a little more than “flashes of brilliance” on offense and defense this year.
They have 4 shutouts I believe and only two teams have scored more than 20…Springfield and Brockport
On offense no one has stopped them….just got outscored by Springfield (and crushed)
D3Keith
I think the “thought out reasoning” in my prior posts was self evident. It relies on apremise that some degree of subjectivity is part of the Pool C decisionmaking progress. If the process is purely objective, then I simply do not know all of the criteria.
I don’t think there is any conspiracy at play here.
As far as UW LaCrosse, it was a mid season loss to the #2 in the country. If subjectivity comes in to the decisionmaking, then a late season loss should weigh more heavily against a Pool C contender. I guess I’m simply borrowing logic from our flawed D IA polling system.
Look, in the mid-90’s, when regional committees set the 16 team field, there were several years where Cortland received bids, or its conference brethren received bids, against apparently equal or more worthy clubs in the East did not. At the time, the regional selection committee head was the Cortland AD.
My point is, the process today is as good as it gets. Its never going to be without some controversy, especially when a clearly deserving team stays home while automatic qualifiers get in with 2 and 3 loss seasons. But, as you say, them’s the breaks.
SJFF82
Maybe “flashes of brilliance” should be replaced with “flashes of mediocrity”. We know both clubs have the tools to put up some points. They’ve also both been exposed by Springfield’s running attack. I anticipate a high scoring affair, with a close outcome decided by turnovers.
The system aint perfect. Cortland fans are aggrieved and probably rightly so. The LL seems to garner little respect among the respondents. Union’s outing on Saturday was their worst showing of the season. Next week’s SJF game should be a good one, hopefully with the banner of the LL flying high afterwards.
Just a comment on the St. John’s issue. Does everyone forget they have been the #3 ranked team in the country all year? I never heard anyone complain that their ranking was not deserved. I will have to do my homework but what was the highest ranking that Cortland attained this year?
St. John’s is still the “co-champion” of the MIAC too. Is Cortland? (More homework)
The auto bid went to Behtel because of the head to head. Are you suggesting the #3 team in the country should get bounced with one loss?
Nobody has mentioned Capital….they were #4 until the loss and they aren’t even a co-conference champ and they got in. Was that unfair?
Win the league and (borrowing from the NWC with their permission)
LEAVE NO DOUBT.
Raiderguy
You’re absolutely right. Debating this point is a fruitless exercise.
As far as rankings go, there is not doubt that, until a team (or teams) from the East, beside Rowan, consistently advance to semi finals and finals, and bring home some championship hardware, they will always be relegated to the middle of the top 25 rankings. Most of the teams that hover in the top 10, at some point over the past several years, have challenged or beaten Mount Union, and have consistently beaten East teams in the playoffs. As a result, their rankings reflect a top 10 position.
SJF, Union and Hobart represent upstate NY in this year’s tournament. That’s more than adequate representation for the region. If any are to advance, it will somehow be connected with unseating Rowan. They will then have to achieve in the final four. Unless and until it happens, they will not be considered for the top spots in the polls.
The QOW index is useless. For an alternative index try the Massey Ratings.
http://www.masseyratings.com/
I think the Massey Ratings can offer additional criteria to help make picks, or confuse your instincts. They, of course, have the WIAC as the #1 conference.
Final Four prediction, and then some:
UW Whitewater
Mount Union
Mary Hardin-Baylor
Springfield
UW Whitewater wins it all!
Except for Mount Union, its a crapshoot to the final four.
Great point dutchman89! But you gotta feel for Cortland going 9-1 with an overtime loss to Rowan and not getting in!
How about that trip for Hobart down to South NJ to face Rowan, doesn’t sound like an easy trip!
But then again Hobart has been playing with lots of heart and on the edge all year, with the exception of their Union loss!
Lets hope one of the upsatate teams can catch some fire!
Why on Earth is Linfield still ranked?! They have only beaten one team with a winning record! The others they beat have weak records.
They are good, but I bet Baldwin-Wallace would rip them to shreds, or any number of teams not in the top 25.
They could not win a big game all year! Please leave them out of the final poll. They did not earn it this year. I respect them, but give it to someone that earned it.
Pridefan & Pat,
You are permitted to dress 52 players in uniform for all post-season games. However, each team gets 20 sideline credentials to be distributed by the head coach. The 20 includes any coaches that are on the sideline, but does not include coaches in the box. It also includes any trainers, equipment people, etc. If a coach wanted to have 20 coaches he could certainly do that. It just would not leave room for anyone else.
Leave it to the voice of the team to temper the reaction of Cortland fans because hey didn’t make it…We all know that there are strict NCAA rules and critieria for selections…but is it possible that the committee took a look at our QB situation and snubbed us ? Let’s face it, with abolutely no disrepect intended to those left standing at all, would you gamble on a 4th string quarterback giving a quality team a good game on the road ? I wouldn’t. The postseason is a the NCAA’s biggest chance to showcase their best…right now the Red Dragons are short at a key position…on paper we loook thin…and that’s what the committee sees, not what I saw in that true freshman who played his heart out and led his team to a win in relief. It’s a shame…I feel for them…but what can we do, except go out with a win in an ECAC bowl game now ? Go Dragons !!
I don’t think Cortland State was snubbed because of the QB situation – they better not have.
I personally think Cortland State should be in regardless of who is playing QB. A team is more than a QB.
The soon to be National Champion UW Whitewater lost a prized running back, and they still jammed.
I wish money was not an issue, then 32 teams could be picked regardless of where they are from. The 32 best.
Dlippiel –
Thanks for not hammering our Texas Cortland fan. I’m one of those Cortland fans who thinks highly of the LL and, especially the E8. As strong as I feel the NJAC is, the LL is a high quality conference in my opinion. I remember what Union did in the 1989 playoffs. That is still one of the best upstate teams I have ever seen. The E8 this season was the monster conference in Eastern Region in 2006. No fewer than 4 playoff contenders – pretty impressive.
I feel Cortland was better than Hobart this season, but since they didn’t play (not counting a meaningless scrimmage) there really is no way to say. Those are the breaks. I know it will never happen, but a regular season meeting once in a while would sure help to sort these things out.
What the heck though. I seriously doubt Cortland, Union, nor Hobart was going to beat Mt Union in the playoffs. 🙂 As I told a couple Cortland fans I have talked to the last 24 hours…there could be worse things than to have your final memory of 2006 be an OT victory over Ithaca in front of 10,000 fans. We’ll be interested in the ECAC pairings this afternoon…
Well that is enough for me on Cortland’s side of things. I am going to crunch some numbers on my computer rating system and offer some thoughts on the brackets later…
reddragonsplaybyplay,
A D3 veteran like you knows better than to propose that the “4th string QB” is the reason that Cortland did not make it.
That is preposterous. There were sufficient criteria to evaluate Cortland State’s credentials for the NCAA playoffs. To lay this at the feet of a hard-working 4th string QB, who would leave it all on the field, is unjust to that player. The player should not have it initmated that he is the reason that the Red Dragons are not in the playoffs.
The committee did its work. With the criteria that they have available, and the transparency that they have built into the process, it should come as no surprise that Cortland would fall just short of a bid. In fact, it is probably Bethel’s win over SJU that took your Pool C bid. the Royals knew it was win or stay home and they won!
Your alluding to any suspected future deficiencies in a player is not fair to any member of the Red Dragon team!
Snickers:
UWW/UMHB is a regional game this year.
Raiderguy,
Having watched the Cortland team mature over the past couple years, I had them on my ballet from week one. I really felt that they were a semi-final calabur club. I started them at #12 and as high as #6 later in the season. I think it is the regional voter that will initially bring out a club, then other regional voters take notice ala Whitworth for example this year. Cortland rose to #12 in d3football.com’s top 25 in week nine.
I saw little difference in the quality of defense between Cortland and Rowan. The Profs are essentially the same defense from 2005. Unfortunately, Cortland suffered a similar fate in 2006, losing not only the number one (at West Conn) but the number two quarterback (at Rowan).
Then Cortland rebounded by beating Ithaca in front 13,000 with the #4 QB. While I can’t say who should be left out given the current selection criteria, I am a little dismayed that the score a team loses by and the stakes of said loss doesn’t matter (a 14-7 OT loss to Rowan for the NJAC title).
If the NJAC can put out two consistent performers, it will be likely that they’ll start getting two bids. Cortland was in last year and just out this year. The NJAC needs to produce two more playoff contenders in 2007, then the conference might be considered over the Liberty League and E8.
ballot…. sp
LOL. Don’t knock it. Look what it did for Lynn Swan. 🙂
JTW,
calabur?…?
oops… ever since spell check my skills in that area have diminished. Maybe I’ll type everything in Word first.
As any Cortland Grad would be, I am completely crushed with the snub. The debate has been an ongoing topic among the NJAC, LL, and the E-8, but that is not the issue. Each conference plays solid football, and has its share of quality teams. The issue is that we are looking at a bunch of 1 loss teams. Cortand, Hobart, SJF, and Springfeild with 9 win, all obviously have qaulity victorys. So, all we can really do is compare losses, right? Cortland is snubbed for an OT loss on the road to perannual power house Rowan (down year or not). Both Hobart and St. John Fisher lose decisively at home to conference rivals. You have to win your big games at home, how do you make the playoffs other wise. And for what its worth Cortland continues to win games without key players, proving the strength, and their worth as a playoff team.