If you’re not able to watch on ESPNews, we’re posting the bracket at the very moment we’re allowed by the NCAA and ESPN. Give us your snap reactions below, or on Post Patterns. Follow @D3football and @D3Keith on Twitter for analysis, and we’ll have a podcast, team-by-team capsules and Around the Nation’s annual Surprises and Disappointments playoff predictions column later in the week.
Enjoy.
http://www.d3boards.com/playoffs/footballbracket2009.pdf
Plus, Advantage Catdome archived the selection show and posted it to YouTube, where you can watch it below:
Well, Pat got the part about UMHB moving to an unusual bracket right. Nice call. This bracket, as expected, does give some unusual and interesting matchup possibilities, like the IWU/Wabash winner facing (presumably) UWW. A good chance to see how the Warhawks match up with some of the top North region teams.
So it looks like MUC got the last at-large team (W&J), but UWW is playing the statistically weakest team (Lakeland). Does this mean the committee ended up ranking the Warhawks ahead of the Purple Raiders? Do we know the bracket seedings?
My quick reactions are
1. Wow, W&J in and ONU/St. Norbert left on the table. … now they finally have to play Mount Union. Could be fun.
2. Backwards planning … two flights guaranteed in second round, Hunt/Miss winner at Wesley/NCWC and Lin/CLU vs. UMHB/Central. Maybe also HSC/JHU winner vs. Thomas More/DePauw. A fourth if Maine Maritime wins, but that’s nobody’s fault.
3. UMHB at Central looks like GOTFR (game of the first round) and that bracket with SJU, Linfield, Central and UMHB is ouch.
I wouldn’t read too much into that because of the geography.
I love that we have diehards who see a bracket without seeds or overall seeds as incomplete. We’ll have that for you ASAP
If I am remembering correctly, a few years ago NC Wesleyan (an 8 seed) beat Wash & Jeff (a 1 seed) in the first round. It’s a reminder that its the playoffs and you don’t get in without being good, seedings only mean so much, a first rounder is no sure thing especialy not with NC Wesleyan in the bracket. I am not so bold as to predict another upset like that, but I feel like Miss. College, UMHB, St. Thomas, Trine and Wabash all have a reasonable shot at pulling an upset.
Call me a homer but I take exception to the LL champ Susquehanna being labeled the “worst team” in their bracket. I could definitely see the Crusaders win going head-to-head over W&J, Maine Maritime, Albright, Alfred and possibly Montclair.
Sure Susquehanna is the only team in with 2 losses in the bracket but that does not make them the “worst”. Especially given one loss was w/o their starting QB and the other was back in week 2 when SUS had 4 turnovers. Since that game the Crusaders only turned over the ball 5x over their remaing 8 regular season games (SUS ended the year +14 in turnover ratio so clearly they fixed whatever the issue was after the Lyco game).
As usual the West bracket is rediculous. There is no reason a top 5 team should be on the road in the second round of the playoffs. Considering nobody besides Mount or a team from the West has won the Stagg for the last 15 years give or take, when can we just put together a tournament with all teams from the West and Mount Union. That way we could get some sacrificial lambs in the first few rounds like they do in the North/East/South every single year. We all know it’s going to be Mount vs. (team from the West), let’s just cut out all the middle men. Just kidding…kinda.
labart, to be fair, all the NCAA seems to look at is record, right? That’s where I drew that from. If a two-loss team can be better to the NCAA than all those teams then why isn’t a two-loss Ohio Northern in the field over W&J?
Why does the NCAA release the bracket incomplete?
I agree with some of the other postings here. Central in my opinion has gotten a lack of respect, there is no reason a top 5 team should have to play away in the second round (if they win Saturday).
So it would seem but in this case SUS is a two loss team that is a co-champ of a league and a Pool A winner which makes it a moot point. Pool A’s are the “easy picks” for the NCAA.
Not taking anything away from ONU, especially given their number (SOS, etc) and the fact that winning their league/Pool A is virtually impossible.
Just to confirm the obvious, add the d3 football rankings of the teams in each bracket (just use 40 for any of the teams not among the 39 that received votes) and it’s clear just how lopsided the West bracket is (again).
Sure, you have to beat the best sometime, but no bracket comes close to the West, where the “worst” team of the eight is No. 34. Six top-10s in a eight-slot bracket doesn’t show a lot of balance.
Sheesh, look at No. 38 Huntington (stomped by a 2-5 WIAC team) getting a home game while No. 7 UMHB and No. 10 UST (no tears here) hit the road.
The west region once again is the moster bracket, but why does Linfield get the nod for home field over Central? Was it the whole travel consideration because Cal Lutheran is in? Who had the strength of schedule? Central!
i agree the west gets a raw deal but unfortunately given the budget/travel constraints, etc “it is what it is”.
although the east/south/north benefit in some respects play-off wise; the plethora of options also delutes the talent base given the much larger number of d3 and other schools recruiting the same kids.
Very true labart, but has the NCAA thought about realigning the regons for balance, competition, and budget?
OK…enough with the W&J bashing…
Could it be that the committee factored in ranking? W&J was ranked 13th on the AFCA and 20th on D3’s ranking. St. Norbert is not ranked in the top 39 on the D3 site (meaning they did not get a vote). How can you expect to get an at large bid if every ranking system does not even have you in the top 32 teams? Please explain it to me. Maybe I am missing something.
Also W&J was the second at large team in the South and St Norbert was the third in the west. Could that have meant something? I dont know the answer.
Obviously, if the committee looks only at strength of schedule then St Norbert is a clear pick over W&J. But they would also be a clear pick over UMHB who has a strength of schedule on 178. In fact UMHB would not be in if you looked only at strength of schedule and record. I pointed this out earlier and said that obviously there is a subjective manner in which the teams are viewed. With some teams (W&J) everyone is looking at SOS almost in isolation while with other teams (UMHB) there is no mention of it. Yes, there is inconsistency.
You can make a case for any of the teams depending on how you spin it (ONU included). Enough bashing already. It is bad enough that the Presidents are going to be on the menu in Alliance. They dont need the extra negative energy.
Also, I agree that the west is loaded as usual. If I was Central, I would be very upset. UMHB followed by At Linfield…yikes……..
I am hoping for a Cal Lutheran upset so I could make the short trip to Los Angles to see Central play! 🙂 But I agree mille125!
Los Angeles sorry!
i would think the distance from iowa to los angeles is about the same as it would be to oregon?
mille25 – great points on W&J.
Unfortunately for Central, there’s no logical way they could be switched to another bracket to get 2 home games; the geography just wouldn’t work. Hypothetically, to win the championship, they’ll have to beat UMHB, Linfield, St. John’s, UWW, and Mount Union, in that order, with only UMHB at home. I would love to see them do it!
I know the distance is no different but I am in SoCal. I would love to see it also, hamst64, assuming there are no upsets!
There was no way the West (for lack of a better term) bracket could be evened up with the other three, but it seems like the committee could have done a little better than swapping out UW-W for UMHB. On the other hand, they could have left UW-W in the West.
SOS clearly isn’t the end-all, be-all for selection or seeding. Linfield’s SOS got hurt because Hardin-Simmons got hit by the injury bug. It would be a little strange if Linfield got dropped in the seeding because they knocked out HSU’s QB during their game.
Pat I watched the ESPNN you did a great job good facts good coments and no B S it made me feel proud to be a D3 fan
yep – agree with pat’s performance on espn – well done.
was it coincidence that Pat was wearing purple (i.e., the Raiders/UWW)?
Nah, It had to be for the Vikings who were playing at home today.
They kept the camera on pat at the end I think they were waiting for a “thanks for having me” or something of the sort haha I just kept laughing and Pat gives the little nod…way to keep a stiff upper lip and act like you belong there haha…good job though Pat…good luck to all teams in the playoffs…I hope my Warhawks can get back to the Stagg and come home with the Walnut and Bronze this year…the season won’t mean anything if they don’t get back to the Stagg…hell I’d even have to make the trip from Nebraska to VA to see it again!
When are they going to have the seeding out for the bracket?
Thanks. I didn’t have a monitor, so I had no idea if they were on me or waiting for me or what. 🙂
Any word on the seedings?
True, but also irrelevant to this discussion of the relative seeding of Susquehanna and Washington and Jefferson.
By the NCAA’s established precedent, Susquehanna should have been seeded lower than W&J.
I think the west will have the biggest upset of the first round with Coe beating St Johns. The west has 6 of it’s 8 teams ranked in the nations top 10. Because of this there will be some very good teams eliminated in the West Bracket first round due to it’s strength. Monmouth may be ranked higher than St Thomas but if Monmouth wins it will be an upset. If Monmouth wins against St Thomas look for Monmouth to come out of the West Bracket.
I have to agree with everyone that the west is a beast, but it’s not like this is the first time this has ever happened. I’d encourage everyone to go look at the road to the Stagg UMHB had to take in 2004. #8 UMHB played:
Rd 1 #7 Trinity
Rd 2 #3 HSU
Rd 3 #5 W&J
Rd 4 #1 MUC
Stagg #2 Linfield (who won)
I think the AA likes having at least one tough bracket
I agree with others. Great job, Pat….
I also agree with the seeding issue on W&J/Susquehanna… If susquehanna did not have an auto bid, they would not have qualified on the postseason.
Hey my name is Justin Linzy. I am a WR at ONU. I just want to thank those that support ONU football. Although I think the teams that all got had good seasons, we are still hurt by the NCAA’s selections. With all due respect we play in the OAC who always has at least three ranked teams every year. SOS means nothing to the NCAA, we played four ranked teams this year, and beat two North Central and Capital. We were tied 10-10 with Mount Union until the end of the third quarter. Otterbien beat us by two when we lost a fumble with seconds to go inside the 25 yard line. We are clearly one of the best and hottest teams in the country winning seven games in a row. #19
Good Luck MUC
So, what are the seedings already?
Does anybody else besides me think UMHB will beat Central?
j-linzy Thought your team was awsome when I saw them play MUC Thought you should have gotten a bid!
Dutch 1996,
If Cal Lutheran and Central advance, I believe the game would be AT Central.
Monmouth – St Thomas, Central – UMHB….wow. How many times have 4 top ten teams met in the first round in the same bracket?
The Scots will have their hands full with UST who I believe has been one of the strongest teams in the country since losing at SJU. The Scots have really played uninspired football since beating St Norbert. I hope they right the ship before the Tommies come calling. It’s the downfall of playing a weak schedule that doesn’t prepare them for this. Each week since the Norbs has been like a scrimmage for them. Last week they racked up 700 total yards but were careless in the redzone (led 7-0 at half after going 1-5 in the RZ against lowly Knox). They won 42-0, but it could’ve been 70-0 if they were sharp. I’m not an advocate of beating a team 70-0, the point is they weren’t very sharp and haven’t been at their best since week 6.
The positive side of this is that the Scots have really broken down a few barriers and reached heights never before seen by a MWC school (top 10 ranking in both polls, NCAA home game in back to back seasons, won 9 conference games by an average of 40 pts, etc). Going deep in the playoffs would cement their legacy as the best MWC team we’ve ever seen. I do agree, and no disrespect to the other schools, if the Scots beat UST Saturday they have a really good chance of winning the bracket.
Good Luck to everyone!
The other thing that worries me about the fact that Monmouth hasn’t been challenged this year is that they have only trailed once (3-0 in week 9) all season! These kids haven’t played in a game that was ever in question since Wartburg scored with 9 seconds left in the second round of ’08.
I agree – I have seen several Monmouth games this year and they were never challenged and this is a concern. What I have seen is a lot of sloppy play by way of penalties, turnovers inside red zone and just dumb mistakes. Because of Monmouths high powered offense and better than average defense, playing in a weak conference allowed them to win easily. Going up against a solid team from a lot stronger conference such as St Thomas will give Monmouth a chance to showcase their talent and display their disciplined play. Monmouth better be prepared to play a team that is a LOT better than the Wartburg team they lost to last year in the playoffs. If Monmouth has 50 yards or more in penalties and 2 or more turnovers St Thomas will most likely win. I am so excited to watch this game and will be there in person to cheer on the Scots.
swede70,
I’m excited as well. Maybe nervously anticipating the game would be a better way to put it.
Will St Thomas surprise the Scots and show that their below average schedule has left them vastly unprepared, or will Monmouth continue to dominate the way they have all season….maybe it’s somewhere in between, I don’t know. One thing is for sure, after making their 3rd appearance in 5 years, we can’t use the excuse that we didn’t know what to expect from this level of competition. I think it’s really a matter of which MC team shows up…the one that dominated St Norbert, or the one that let the Wartburg game get away due to poor clock management and senseless turnovers/penalties.
The Scots came in with lofty expectations and have so far fulfilled them by not stumbling in the regular season (which could’ve ended the season ie SNC)…let’s hope for a great playoff run!
Wow, what’s with the D3 national playoff brackets these days? The bottom right hand quadrant is just terrible!
I feel bad for St. Thomas – not only are they part of the tough bracket in this year’s football playoffs, but they also got stuck in the Bracket of Death during the last NCAA basketball playoffs in which 8 of the top 10 teams were in one quadrant.
This just tells what region of the country has the best athletic programs
Interesting for a Monmouth person to talk about a below average schedule. 🙂 While St. Thomas didn’t challenge itself in the non-conference schedule, the MIAC schedule made up for it.
No disrespect to Monmouth or swede70 but there is NO WAY Monmouth wins the West Region…. St. Thomas should beat Monmouth by at least 10 points and it could be a lot worse than that. I’m thinking blowout.
Pat,
I think you misinterpreted.
I meant that St Thomas may show that Monmouth’s below average schedule would leave them vastly unprepared for the Tommies, or Monmouth would show that the schedule doesn’t matter because they are just that talented.
Sorry for the confusion…
BellTower,
I won’t be surprised if St Thomas wins, but I doubt it will be a blowout. Some folks just refuse to believe that a MWC team could be good enough to beat anyone I guess. At the end of the day the only way Monmouth can lift the “can’t beat a quality opponent because they play in the MWC” shadow is to actually do it, and I realize that. But I think the manner in which the Scots have dominated, even a poor conference, deserves some respect. They aren’t ranked 8th in the Country in both polls because they’re going to roll over for UST.
See my comment at 9:15 if you think I, or anyone following Monmouth, has a lack of respect for UST. I refer to them being a possible “team to beat” in two separate statements.
My last statement in that comment simply refers to the fact that if MC can handle UST, I think they can play with anyone in the bracket…unfortunately it sounds like the brackets are without seeds and may not be brackets at all.
GoScotties, I hope you’re right that this year’s version of Monmouth is more competitive than past teams. In 2005, an undefeated (10-0) Monmouth team, which had defeated their opponents by an AVERAGE of 28 points/game, got waxed 62-3 in a first round NCAA playoff game at St. John’s… They better bring their “A game”!
So by “more competitive than past teams” you mean that they are specifically better than 2005 and completely ignoring 2008 right? There is absolutely no statistical relavance to your argument. IT WAS 5 YEARS AGO. For one thing, the entire team is different. Secondly, MC beat an average Carroll team 6-3 and came back from 20-7 down at that half to beat St Norbert 28-20. They were about as soft as a MWC champ could be. It was really the break through for them and it set the groundwork for where they are today.
That’s like saying that Monmouth has no business winning the MWC in 2009 because they were 3-7 in 2000. Or how about this one…St Norbert beat St Thomas in 2003 and Monmouth “waxed” St Norbert 52-24 in 2009 so there is NO WAY St Thomas can beat Monmouth…are you serious?
Look, if you think UST will win, fine, I wouldn’t be totally shocked either, but to cite a game that happened 5 years ago as the reason is just plain ignorant.