One more week until regional rankings

It will be another week until the NCAA releases regional rankings. In a sense, that isn’t so bad because we have some great games this week that will help determine the pecking order, especially in the North and West regions.

I also wanted to remind people of some changes in the playoff selection process this year. One of the main criteria they use to rank and select and eventually seed teams has changed, because instead of using strength of schedule solely in regional games, now every game against a full Division III member counts in strength of schedule.
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Around the Nation podcast: McKoy and the conference showdowns


Ill. Wesleyan hasn’t been 7-0 since 1996.
Illinois Wesleyan photo by Marc Featherly

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If you are a regular listener to the Around the Nation podcast, you already knew who Western Connecticut running back Octavias McKoy is. This week the rest of college football found out, as he ripped off 455 rushing yards, setting the single-game rushing record for all levels of NCAA football. Hear from him and his coach at the top of the podcast. Continue reading

Triple Take: Back-loaded battles


Matt Behrendt made a splash when he came in off the bench at quarterback for UW-Whitewater last year vs. UW-Oshkosh. This year he’s the starter.
Photo by Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com

We can count on one hand the number of weeks left in the regular season. And there’s still a lot shaping up, with power conferences such as the OAC, CCIW and WIAC on the verge of decisive stretches that pit their undefeated teams against one another.

Regional rankings will also be here soon, which will provide our first glimpse of which teams could be among the highest seeded in the postseason and which are positioned best for the coveted five — or four…no, wait, five — Pool C bids. (Listen to this past Monday’s Podcast to see what that last sentence was all about.)

For Week 8, Pat, Keith and Ryan again bring you their Saturday predictions: Continue reading