 The Framingham-Ithaca game is one of our first-round toss-up picks. Framingham State athletics photo |
For 32 teams across the country, the regular season has built up to this weekend and, if their hopes play out, more weekends to come. They now have the chance to prove their worth on the national stage.
D3football.com’s coverage will be going strong over the next few weeks, and that began with our 32-team capsules, one of the cornerstones of our postseason reporting. They offer insight on how to tell if a team is playing well or poorly, along with how far into the bracket we think each team can make it. We also took a long-view look at who might surprise and disappoint by the time the first three rounds are in the books.
The week’s features culminate with Triple Take, which we do a little differently for the postseason. From now until the second weekend in December, Pat Coleman, Keith McMillan and Ryan Tipps will not only pick the winners of games in Triple Take, but we’ll also project the scores. It’s a transparent test of our perceptions week in and week out. (And we each make our picks independently.)
MOUNT UNION BRACKET
Ryan’s take: Mount Union 63, Washington and Jefferson 10
Keith’s take: Mount Union 42, Washington and Jefferson 7
Pat’s take: Mount Union 63, Washington and Jefferson 6
Consensus: Mount Union by a lot.
Ryan’s take: Wittenberg 24, Lebanon Valley 20
Keith’s take: Wittenberg 28, Lebanon Valley 14
Pat’s take: Wittenberg 24, Lebanon Valley 10
Consensus: Wittenberg in a defensive battle.
Ryan’s take: Framingham State 28, Ithaca 27
Keith’s take: Framingham State 21, Ithaca 17
Pat’s take: Ithaca 19, Framingham State 16
Consensus: Split decision: a low-scoring toss-up game.
Ryan’s take: Johns Hopkins 38, Wesley 35
Keith’s take: Wesley 33, Johns Hopkins 28
Pat’s take: Wesley 35, Johns Hopkins 21
Consensus: Split decision: a high-scoring toss-up game.
BETHEL BRACKET
Ryan’s take: Bethel 45, St. Scholastica 7
Keith’s take: Bethel 41, St. Scholastica 6
Pat’s take: Bethel 63, St. Scholastica 7
Consensus: Bethel by a lot.
Ryan’s take: Illinois Wesleyan 21, Wartburg 13
Keith’s take: Illinois Wesleyan 21, Wartburg 14
Pat’s take: Illinois Wesleyan 21, Wartburg 10
Consensus: Illinois Wesleyan in a defensive battle.
Ryan’s take: UW-Platteville 35, Concordia (Wis.) 3
Keith’s take: UW-Platteville 42, Concordia (Wis.) 14
Pat’s take: UW-Platteville 42, Concordia (Wis.) 20
Consensus: UW-Platteville by a lot.
Ryan’s take: North Central 55, Albion 6
Keith’s take: North Central 45, Albion 14
Pat’s take: North Central 66, Albion 0
Consensus: North Central by a lot.
UW-WHITEWATER BRACKET
Ryan’s take: UW-Whitewater 49, St. Norbert 3
Keith’s take: UW-Whitewater 35, St. Norbert 0
Pat’s take: UW-Whitewater 71, St. Norbert 0
Consensus: UW-Whitewater by a lot.
Ryan’s take: Washington U. 28, Franklin 24
Keith’s take: Franklin 28, Washington U. 23
Pat’s take: Franklin 18, Washington U. 14
Consensus: Split decision, a toss-up.
Ryan’s take: Hampden-Sydney 38, Maryville 27
Keith’s take: Hampden-Sydney 35, Maryville 21
Pat’s take: Hampden-Sydney 47, Maryville 44
Consensus: Hampden-Sydney, by a variable amount.
Ryan’s take: Linfield 31, Pacific Lutheran 10
Keith’s take: Linfield 20, Pacific Lutheran 14
Pat’s take: Linfield 51, Pacific Lutheran 27
Consensus: Linfield, but the style of game up for debate.
MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR BRACKET
Ryan’s take: Mary Hardin-Baylor 45, Redlands 14
Keith’s take: Mary Hardin-Baylor 34, Redlands 17
Pat’s take: Mary Hardin-Baylor 66, Redlands 14
Consensus: UMHB, by a lot.
Ryan’s take: Rowan 21, Endicott 20
Keith’s take: Rowan 10, Endicott 9
Pat’s take: Rowan 35, Endicott 17
Consensus: Rowan, likely in a tight game.
Ryan’s take: John Carroll 35, St. John Fisher 17
Keith’s take: John Carroll 28, St. John Fisher 14
Pat’s take: John Carroll 37, St. John Fisher 17
Consensus: John Carroll, comfortably.
Ryan’s take: Hobart 49, Gallaudet 7
Keith’s take: Hobart 42, Gallaudet 14
Pat’s take: Hobart 60, Gallaudet 6
Consensus: Hobart, by a lot.
You guys are brave. Some of these games are just so hard to predict.
I think your all de-valuing Wittenberg. Expect them to easily win Round 1 and could easily be Mount’s toughest opponent in their bracket. Witt is an experienced, senior laden team with some ability.
That’s possible, yes. And more experienced than Leb Val in the playoffs. I wasn’t sure how Lebanon Valley would score, but maybe I didn’t give Wittenberg enough points.
Bad weather – Belton will be cold and wet – may not be a lot of points scored – who do you think that will favor.
I think it would only change the margin. I’d be worried if UMHB were still option-exclusive because of the ball-handling aspect but I don’t think it changes the victor in this case.
I tend to agree with hs coach on Wittenberg. They have a senior laden squad that won at Heidelberg last year. They would seem to be better this year than last. Lets see if they handle Leb Valley and if so…can they hang with Mt Union late into the game and have a chance? That could be an interesting game if Wittenberg’s defense doesn’t give up 45. Their offense looks capable vs anyone.
Mt Union 56 Wash and Jeff 0
Wittenberg 38 Lebanon Vall 17
Ithaca 28 Framingham 20
Wesley 35 Johns Hopkins 24
Bethel 52 St S 3
Illinois Weseyan 28 Wartburg 14
UW-Plat 49 Concordia 10
North Central 63 Albion 0
UW-Whitewater 63 St Norbert 0
Franklin 35 Washington 17
Hamden=Sydney 42 Maryville 35
Linfield 38 Pacific Lutheran 21
Mary Hardin-Baylor 35 Redlands 7
John Carroll 38 St John Fisher 13
Rowan 28 Endicott 7
Hobart 56 Gallaudet 0
I’ll be at the UMHB/Redlands game tomorrow. Should be a cold, wet, enjoyable time. I’m expecting lower scores than normal for this game, but I don’t really foresee any surprises in the end.
I will be at the UMHB and Redlands game as well. Bundle up is all I got to say, JACK!
I am playing the bracket challenge. What are the prizes for placing 1-5?
14-2 with one perfect score and one that missed by a point. Good, but not great. Missed badly on both losses. John Carroll and Illinois Wes were not even close. John Carroll was a turnover job to be sure. Six turnovers won’t cut it vs a good team like SJF.
Now come some less easy games to predict. I mentioned Wittenberg as undervalued and perhaps having for the upset at Mt Union. Mt Union’s bad game may have been a good thing for them. They usually rebound from a game like that….historically. Wittenberg’s offense is NC capable. They’ll need to light the board up and hope their defense gets a few turnovers. Mt Union’s offense will pile up yardage on Witt.
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