Monthly Archives: November 2008

Review: Out of the Comfort Zone

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This is the time of year I actually get to do some reading. Not because November, the crossover season between D3football.com and D3hoops.com, is some wonderful bastion of free time, but because every once in a while I have to get on an airplane to get to a playoff game.

This week I’ll be spending 16 hours in a car instead. but that’s beside the point.

There have been just a handful of books in the past decade that really speak to the Division III football experience. One of them came out in the past 12 months, however, and that’s Frank Agin’s Out of the Comfort Zone.

Former Principia and Capital wide receiver Lewis Howes has had some D-III football experiences himself, and he reviews the book for us.

Out of the Comfort Zone coverLewis Howes’ review of Out of the Comfort Zone (by Frank Agin)

If you have ever played, been a fan of or watched D-III football, you should read Frank Agin’s Out of the Comfort Zone — it is an exciting and enjoyable story.

Frank knows D-III football first hand, having played four years at Beloit College (Beloit, Wis.) during the early 1980s. In Out of the Comfort Zone, he crafts his experiences into one inspiring and yet very entertaining season of D-III football. Frank has a vivid writing style — he actually makes you feel the hits, sense the emotion and smell the game.

What I really enjoyed about Frank’s novel, however, is that while it centers on small college football players, Frank devotes a surprisingly little portion of the book to the game of football itself. Out of the Comfort Zone touches on the players’ camaraderie off the field, their romantic interests as well as the relationships they share with coaches. The story explores the rigors of being a true student-athlete in a demanding academic environment. And, the novel reminds us that no matter what we try to achieve, that there will be hard work, challenges and setbacks.

If you played (or play) D-III, Out of the Comfort Zone will bring back a rush of memories. If you haven’t, this novel with give you a first hand view of life as a small college football player. In Out of the Comfort Zone, Frank Agin will make you laugh … he will bring a tear to your eye … and, he will make you long for a chance at one more big time play — the kind that lives in your mind forever.

– Lewis Howes
D3 All-American, NCAA All-Division Record Holder

Bracket analysis, podcast

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If you think this bracket is good … and I do, at least a little … you should’ve seen the first version that went out. It had one extra flight in it, and that made a world of difference.

Instead, we have business as usual. And I mean business.

I’m in between show No. 3 and No. 4. I’ll be on North Central’s radio station later, where I’ll probably get asked most of the same questions, which is fine, because it’s a different audience. But there are a lot of things on people’s minds.

We took a ton of questions on our post-selection analysis show. If you missed it, it’s below, and it will end up in your feed if you’re a podcast subscriber.

We also talked with Wheaton coach Mike Swider, Willamette coach Mark Speckman, Mount Union quarterback Greg Micheli and Washington and Jefferson coach Mike Sirianni. Plus, you’ll get an interesting insight into the bracket that did not make ESPNews.

Thanks to the more than a thousand people who listened to the show live, and to the 75 percent of our audience that stuck with us even as we went 45 minutes longer than we planned. But we got to everyone’s questions.

ATN's Selection Sunday Analysis [ 1:40:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Final playoff projection

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Well, what an end to an odd day and an odd season.

With that, we have no choice but to unveil an odd bracket. A bracket with 11, yes 11, South teams. Though just six East teams, so it almost balances.

We’ll all find out during the selection show just after 3 p.m. ET what the NCAA thinks. But a process that was fairly easy last week had some new wrinkles added — losses. And more losses.

As a reminder, 32 teams form four eight-team brackets. And we know the champions of 23 conferences and the automatic bids. Three bids (Pool B) are set aside for independents or members of non-automatic bid conferences. The remaining six bids go to what’s called Pool C, which is everyone left over.

Our bracketology team debated the at-large teams, the seedings and the pairings. Here’s our result.

East bracket
1. Mount Union
2. Ithaca
3. Cortland State
4. Hobart
5. Wesley (B)
6. Plymouth State
7. Montclair State (C)
8. Lycoming
The East has had seasons before without an unbeaten team. But none of them came a year after Mount Union got moved out to the East as the top seed. And it’s time to do it again. First-round pairings here fall right according to the seedings: Lycoming at Mount Union, Montclair State at Ithaca, Plymouth State at Cortland State and Wesley at Hobart.

North Region
1. North Central
2. Trine
3. Case Western Reserve (B)
4. Otterbein (C)
5. Wabash
6. Franklin
7. Aurora
8. Thomas More
Another bracket where pairings go according to seed. Thomas More ducks the trip to Mount Union, thanks to Ithaca. Wabash cost itself a No. 2 or 3 seed with the loss.

South bracket
1. Millsaps
2. Mary Hardin-Baylor
3. Hardin-Simmons (C)
4. Muhlenberg
5. Washington and Jefferson (C)
6. Christopher Newport
7. LaGrange (B)
8. Randolph-Macon
Because of the money requirement of the NCAA, the pairings won’t go according to seed here. LaGrange is at Millsaps, Hardin-Simmons at Mary Hardin-Baylor, Randolph-Macon at Muhlenberg and Christopher Newport at Washington and Jefferson. We could only hope for an extra flight here, but it would really take three to make this bracket work right, and that isn’t happening. Muhlenberg’s loss makes it unreasonable.

West bracket
1. Willamette
2. Occidental
3. Monmouth
4. Stevens Point
5. Whitewater (C)
6. St. John’s
7. DePauw (C)
8. Wartburg
Yes, DePauw. And of course, the NCAA will pit the top two seeds in this bracket against each other. It’s their way. Wartburg at UW-Stevens Point, DePauw at Monmouth and St. John’s at Whitewater to finish out the pairings.

When DePauw was selected, Rowan, Wooster and Cal Lutheran were left on the board. All with two losses. All with opponents’ winning percentages over .530. DePauw with the best opponents’ opponents winning percentage. And DePauw with a win against a regionally ranked team, in Wabash, on the road at that. None of the others have that.

I have a stock response for fans complaining about the Top 25 poll: It’s not who you lost to, it’s who you beat.

For DePauw, it’s who they beat.

We are aware that Trinity has a similar record and a head-to-head win against DePauw and could also merit selection in this spot. But Trinity’s .448 OWP left them further down our list. Hampden-Sydney (.602 OWP) and Salisbury (.588) were significantly higher.

And DePauw has done something lately.