Quick Hits: Don’t go 0-2

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Pat Coleman

Some teams can’t go 0-2 because they won last week and some can’t because they didn’t play. But either way, you don’t want to be 0-2 after Week 2. Who will be? Our guest this week is Greg Thomas, a Wabash grad known as Wally Wabash on our message boards and who has been part of our bracketology team. Since we already have a Wabash grad on the panel (Ryan Tipps), we figured we’d better bring Greg in during Wabash’s bye week.

— Pat Coleman

Where in Division III would you prefer to be this weekend?

Keith’s take: At Coast Guard, watching the Secretaries’ Cup game. It’ll be 78 in New London, Conn., on Saturday.	Ryan’s take: The Stevenson/Albright game, two teams that may be going different directions in this pollster’s eyes.	Pat’s take: Hotchkiss Field. That’s Gallaudet’s home field, to see Earlham and Gallaudet on a level playing field.
Adam’s take: Shirk Stadium, for Stevenson at Albright #MACtion.	Frank’s take: At my computer. I can watch Stevenson/Albright in the AM, Alfred/RPI, and the Secretaries’ Cup with the A/C on.	Greg’s take: New London, Conn. Seeing a rivalry game between service academies is a bucket list item.

Which Top 25 team is most likely to get upset?

Keith’s take: No. 18 Ohio Northern. I’d say they and every other Top 25 aren’t likely to lose but Utica has a shot at home.	Ryan’s take: None, a pick I try to make only once a season.	Pat’s take: No. 17 Wesley. Pardon me if I’m piling on here a little but now I’m selling on Wesley for the moment.
Adam’s take: No. 21 Huntingdon, vs. Birmingham-Southern.	Frank’s take: No. 18 Ohio Northern. Utica has a game played, ONU does not, and I’m not sold on ONU’s poll strength.	Greg’s take: No. 16 Cortland. Framingham State is due to get a big win over an E8 contender.

Which team is going to wish it had played in Week 1?

Keith’s take: Chapman. Playing Linfield is hard enough without it being a road season opener.	Ryan’s take: Massachusetts Maritime, as its rival already has a game under its belt.	Pat’s take: Merchant Marine. The Secretaries’ Cup is just the biggest game of the year. Coast Guard played last week.
Adam’s take: Chapman. A chance to tune up before Linfield would probably have been helpful.	Frank’s take: Rochester. With just a 75-man roster in camp, on-field experience is at a premium against a Catholic team that rallied for a Week 1 OT win.	Greg’s take: Wartburg. Monmouth can run away and hide if there is too much first-game rust on the Knights’ armor.

Which conference game will we be most likely to remember on Selection Sunday?

Keith’s take: Stevenson at Albright, in the MAC.	Ryan’s take: Frostburg State at Wesley, this one will get people’s blood pumping.	Pat’s take: Stevenson at Albright. Who wrote this question? Not enough choices. Oh wait, I did …
Adam’s take: Franklin and Marshall at Muhlenberg. Recent history shows that this is a playoff elimination game, even this early.	Frank’s take: Stevenson at Albright. The loser may be in the discussion for a Pool C bid in an interesting MAC race.	Greg’s take: Frostburg State at Wesley. With the Pool C safety net perhaps gone, every NJAC game is a big deal for Wesley.

Which game involving a non-Division III school should I care about?

Keith’s take: I had to look this up, but NAIA No. 18 St. Francis — not No. 4 — at No. 10 UW-Platteville.	Ryan’s take: Franklin at Butler, mostly because we care not to see any Griz players get hurt ahead of conference play.	Pat’s take: Brevard at Emory & Henry. You can’t make me care about too many non-Division III teams but Brevard is moving to D-III starting next year.
Adam’s take: St. Francis (Ill.) at UW-Platteville.	Frank’s take: Franklin at Butler. If Franklin loses the HCAC for some reason, this result could actually matter for Pool C purposes.	Greg’s take: Franklin at Butler. Interested to see how they back up the Thomas More win and after this the Grizzlies are in the weeds until November.

Which team starts a surprising 0-2?

Keith’s take: Texas Lutheran, which follows up the ETBU defeat with a UMHB L.	Ryan’s take: St. Norbert, but that means Benedictine will have to play tough to make this come true.	Pat’s take: Pacific. With both Adrian and Dubuque coming to town the first two weeks, you’d have thought one win …
Adam’s take: Hampden-Sydney.	Frank’s take: Probably none is a surprise. If forced, I’d say Thomas More may be flat after last week’s late loss.	Greg’s take: Texas Lutheran. Maybe less surprised at 0-2 than I am at the Bulldogs getting there via a pair of lopsided games.

We invite you to add your predictions in the comments below. Download the Around the Nation podcast on Mondays, where Pat and Keith review the picks that were prescient, and those that were terribly off base.

ATN Podcast: This is what happens when we actually play

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Pat Coleman

It never fails — once we start playing games, the surprise results start pouring in. Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan chat about a good number of them, then chat with Johns Hopkins coach Jim Margraff and look at some of the off-the-beaten-path highlights, the unusual stats and more from Week 1 of Division III football. Significant attention is paid to the Delaware Valley-Wesley game, the ETBU-Texas Lutheran game, the Albion-Wabash game and the Whitworth-Central game.

The Around the Nation Podcast is a weekly conversation between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan covering the wide range of Division III football. It drops on Monday morning weekly throughout the season.

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Welcome to Quick Hits

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Pat Coleman

Triple Take has had a nice long run — nine years of appearing in this space on Friday mornings with our predictions for the week. But it’s time for Version 2.0, and this is it: Quick Hits. We’ll give you a few more opinions, and they’ll be shorter and snappier. More entertaining? Sure. More timely? Yes, we’ll get them out a little earlier, hopefully. No noon Friday predictions. And we’ll have one guest each week. This week, former Thomas More quarterback Kevin Niehus, an occasional D3football.com contributor, joins us with his take. Oh shoot, I said take. I mean his hits. And we know he took some hits in his day!

— Pat Coleman

Which stadium would you rather be at this weekend?

Keith’s take: Titan Stadium. Interested in seeing what No. 18 John Carroll brings to the table at No. 6 UW-Oshkosh.	Ryan’s take: Sea Gull Stadium. Salisbury/ Albright will be a slugfest.	Pat’s take: Homewood Field. Thankfully, I can make it. Thursday night game between ranked teams.
Adam’s take: Faught Stadium, for Thomas More at Franklin (and the Griz Zone tailgate).	Frank’s take: Butterfield Stadium. Beginning of the Behrman era (Union), beginning of end of Welch era (Ithaca).	Kevin’s take: Faught Stadium. If I hadn’t just moved my family to Boston, I’d be there.

Which Top 25 team is most likely to get upset?

Keith’s take: No. 16 Albright. Facing No. 23 Salisbury’s triple option is a bit easier with all offseason to prepare.	Ryan’s take: No. 21 Texas Lutheran. Games between Texas teams are often big “what-ifs.”	Pat’s take: No. 16 Albright. Salisbury will have a big surge from opening its new stadium.
Adam’s take: No. 11 Thomas More. A lot of new Saints starters on the road against an experienced playoff team.	Frank’s take: No. 16 Albright, though tough to consider this an upset vs. Salisbury	Kevin’s take: No. 17 Cortland. Travels to Heidelberg in what could be a shootout.

Who is going to regret their long trip most?

Keith’s take: Central, to No. 19 Whitworth.	Ryan’s take: Adrian. But kudos for scheduling Pacific.	Pat’s take: Me. Because I’m pretty sure my daughter isn’t going to like the non-D3 colleges we visit.
Adam’s take: Southern Virginia. Traveling 433 miles to break an 11-game losing skid could bring a long drive home.	Frank’s take: TCNJ. Just a tough draw to open with at UW-Whitewater.	Kevin’s take: John Carroll, starting a new quarterback at UW-Oshkosh with no margin for error in the OAC.

Which high-profile quarterback will prove the toughest to replace?

Keith’s take: Joe Callahan. Great programs usually have someone in the pipeline, though.	Ryan’s take: Joe Callahan, in part because Wesley’s opener is so difficult	Pat’s take: Matt Pawlowski. Wesley has had a string of standout QBs over 15 years. Guilford has had just two.
Adam’s take: Joe Callahan, who is showing that he didn’t even peak at Wesley.	Frank’s take: Mike Lefflbine. (67% of St. Lawrence’s offensive yards in 2015)	Kevin’s take: Joe Callahan. Hosting Delaware Valley. Big game.

Over-under on Illinois College vs. Rose-Hulman

Keith’s take: 70. They scored 84 last year and 142 two years ago, but a 38-31 game wouldn’t break 70.	Ryan’s take: 61. Yup. Only that.	Pat’s take: 90. Tempted to do The Price is Right rules and just take one point over whatever the highest bid is.
Adam’s take: 92.5. I’ll lean under, slightly, due to improved Rose-Hulman defense	Frank’s take: 117.	Kevin’s take: 85.

Who breaks a 10-plus game losing streak?

Keith’s take: Someone. It’s 23 for Earlham and 11 for Southern Virginia. They meet in Week 1, and can’t tie, so …	Ryan’s take: Allegheny, under its new defensive-minded coach.	Pat’s take: Southern Virginia. Because if they don’t, not only is it a long ride home, but an even longer season.
Adam’s take: Earlham. And it will be cathartic for reasons beyond football.	Frank’s take: McDaniel, vs. Catholic	Guest’s take: Allegheny. New coaching staff. Saturday night home game vs. Thiel.