Well, this is a change of pace.
Normally I arrive fashionably late to the weekend Daily Dose parties, but this time I’m the first one here. So I’ll just throw in my two-cents (plink, plink), munch on some hors d’oeuvres and wait for someone else to arrive.
Wish you were here: In my opinion there are two Top 20 teams with must win games this weekend, No. 9 Mary Hardin-Baylor and No. 20 Ohio Northern. The next loss will be the second for either team and will put them firmly on the playoff bubble. In a perfect world I’d watch the Crusaders fight for their playoff life against Hardin-Simmons in Abilene.
UMHB can’t win the ASC because of its rain out versus Louisiana College, so Pool C is its only door to the postseason. Would a 7-2 national runner-up make the playoffs as a Pool C team? Maybe, but it certainly isn’t a slam dunk. And Cru fans know the pain associated with relying on an at-large bid.
This is as close as we’re getting to a playoff game in Week 8. Let’s get it on.
Game that will disappoint: Usually this is Pat’s department, but I’ll “borrow†it since it connects with my last point. It seems every year we go into the off season saying, “You know, if [insert OAC runner-up here] brings everyone back, in the right situation they can beat Mount Union next year…â€
Nope. Doesn’t happen. Just ask Baldwin-Wallace, Capital and John Carroll. And I can’t see it happening for ONU either, especially in Alliance.
Don’t sleep on this one: Trinity (Texas) hasn’t blown out anyone this season and I don’t see why that would change with 6-1 Centre in town. In the USAC Methodist gave Ferrum a fight last Friday night. I’d be surprised if they don’t do the same when CNU comes to their place tomorrow.
Most Likely Top 25 Team to Lose: There isn’t much to pick from other than the games involving two Top 25 squads. Maybe Brockport upends a travel-weary Wesley in New York.
Gordon’s Super Ridiculous Pick of the Night: Four words for you — Kenyon Lords, Conference Champs. If they beat OWU tomorrow, it becomes more than a mathematical possibility. PS — I still haven’t nailed one of these. I’m due.
Saturday Night’s Alright: After a quiet Week 7, west coast visitors and night owls get a treat when the other undefeated pacific coast team with an exciting QB plays Redlands. Occidental is the favorite and would be a very compelling Pool C candidate should the Tiger stumble. And it’s always fun when both broadcast teams do such a good job that you don’t know whom to listen to. We’ve got links to both broadcasts on the scoreboard.
Absolutely correct on the significance of the H-SU v. MH-B game. Likely correct on the Trinity v. Centre game. But Kenyon the NCAC champion? Not gonna happen. Mark the words of a 1970 Wabash grad (lg1970…)
Well, I’m covering a game this weekend that won’t have much impact on the national scene but should be a lot of fun. I priced out flights to get from Washington to Abilene for the Mary Hardin-Baylor/Hardin-Simmons game but nothing was particularly reasonable. I’ll have to settle for glancing at the live stats for the game when I’m in the press box. Otherwise I’ll be watching and shooting the Hampden-Sydney/Catholic game — you should read the Mark Simon feature on the brothers facing off at quarterback in this contest.
And now, on with the countdown.
Back on the charts: Welcome back to the Top 25, Hobart. The Statesmen have actually gotten votes in 17 consecutive polls but have been ranked in just three of them, 23rd at the end of the 2004 regular season, 21st at the end of the playoffs and 24th this week. If Hobart beats Union in Week 10 and we have a clear-cut leader in the Liberty League, I’m sure the Statesmen will get more support.
Long-distance dedication: Driving from Wash U to Carnegie Mellon for Saturday’s game? Have fun. Nothing’s more interesting than 620 miles of I-70. Well, unless it’s driving from Chicago to Denver, nothing like hours and hours of corn on I-80. But I digress.
Battle of the banneds: It’s conference rule, not NCAA rule, that keeps the NESCAC out of the playoffs. If they participated, people would be really interested nationall in the Trinity (Conn.)/Bowdoin game. Instead, it’s primarily of interest in New England.
One-hit wonder: Man, how bad does that Franklin and Marshall loss to Bethany look now that Bethany is 1-6? The Bison have been outscored by 17 a game since, and travel to No. 16 Washington and Jefferson.
The hits just stop coming: Baldwin-Wallace needs an upset win at Capital this weekend to keep its consecutive winning seasons streak alive. Then it also needs to beat Marietta and upset John Carroll. Best of luck with that.
Flashback: Widener at King’s was huge in 2002, where a 24-6 King’s loss put them in the playoffs and kept Widener at home. It won’t quite have the same effect this time around but King’s could deal Widener’s playoff and Top 25 hopes a big blow with a win.
Opening act: Christopher Newport goes to Methodist for what will either be a prelude to the Week 11 CNU/Ferrum game or a game that blows the tiebreakers wide open if Methodist wins and CNU beats Ferrum later.
For what it’s worth, PLU also has to run the table to keep their consecutive winning seasons streak alive. (We Linfielders obsess about these things, I know.) Unfortunately for the Lutes, they still have to play Whitworth and Willamette so it’s going to be tough.
“Reasonable” airfares don’t seem to exist these days. Maybe we should put out the word that D3football.com staff would love to make use of those millions of frequent flyer miles that our readers must have. 🙂
I will be at the UMHB-HSU game. It’s certainly more of a must-win for the Crusaders, as I don’t think 8-2 gets you in, runner up or no (having seen way too many other times runner up got you jack from a selection committee). Also bad news for the Crusaders is that both of the Galushas are healthy. UMHB has shaken up their two deep in an attempt to get a little more offense out of the team.
Trinity-Centre: Centre’s yet another “runs more than throws” team and that plays to Trinity’s strength. TU will be hoping to do to Adam Blandford what it did to RHIT’s Charlie Key (59 yds vs. his season average of 100). Centre’s defense is a little suspect … but can Trinity find a way to get the ball in the end zone this week? That has been a problem so far this season.
Hey, speaking of RHIT, they certainly have to be up there for “most improved team,” especially if they can win two of their last three. It won’t be easy as DePauw and Centre are the last two. They should defeat Sewanee (2-4) at home tomorrow to improve to 6-2.
McMurry(4-2) at Sul Ross (2-4): Two teams that have really improved this year face off in the most isolated Division III stadium in the country (with the possible exception of Colorado College, but at least you can fly there). McM’s renaissance has come almost singlehandedly thanks to senior QB Ty Sellers, who accounts for nearly 75% of the Indians’ offense. McMurry came within a two-point conversion of sending last week’s loss to Howard Payne into OT. Sully, for their part, kept it respectable last week against visting Hardin-Simmons and nearly defeated ETBU a couple of weeks earlier.
Huntingdon, the best 5-1 team that nobody in the country has heard of, has the week off before facing NAIA foe SAGU. I keep hoping someone will throw these guys a vote, they led Trinity into the fourth quarter in San Antonio a couple of weeks ago, and that’s their only loss of the season.
Pat – That’s why interstates are evil incarnate and I don’t take them unless I absolutely have to!
Though Hobart looks superior in a comparable scores context, I don’t think Union has played sixty minutes of the game it is capable of. Their rendezvous should be interesting, with Union’s tradition of excellence and Hobart’s recent ascent to LL superpower status inspiring each team. But we still have two more weeks to go. Going undefeated is tough. Strange things can happen. Witness Union’s Houdini like escapes this season.
Wow what a weekend for upsets. On the national scene—how about Wesley-they got shallacked–and Hardin-Simmons-at home!!! Divsion three football gets more and more balanced every year. It’s good to see such parity, because in the long run it really will save some of these smaller private schools.
In the ODAC, how about Guilford (they have one of the best QB’s in the Mid-Atlantic)? They spoiled W&L’s thoughts of going undefeated in the ODAC on a last second pass. E&H played BC too tough, so my guess is that BC overlooked them thinking of W&L.
In the USAC, Methodist beating CNU is not much of an upset. Methodist too has one of the best QB’s in the Mid-Atlantic (if not the nation) in Roncketti. If CNU can get past NCW and Averett, who won a close one at Greensboro (missed Greensboro FG with 11 secs.), then the tiebreaker scenario for Methodist, Ferrum, and CNU will loom large going into the last games of the season of Methodist and Shenandoah (what happened to these guys??? I wish them well because Coach Barnes is a good guy and deserves well) and CNU and Ferrum. From what I heard it comes down to point differential in conference play. That gives the edge to CNU, because of their sound defeat of Maryville by 50+. Should be a fun finish for my boys in Ferrum and the rest of the south and mid-atlantic. Go Panthers!!!
Occidental played a tough nut game against arch rival Redlands and won, 31-24. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but Oxy came back to lead 14-7. The Tigers took the lead for good at 28-21, and then came up big on defense in the 4th quarter, stopping Redlands on a 4th and inches with the Bulldogs driving for a tying score. Oxy also forced a couple of late turnovers which killed Redlands. Now that Oxy has beaten and Redlands they should win out in the SCIAC and be undefeated going into the playoffs. The Tigers have a good little team and will give anyone they play a run for their money. Eat ’em up, Tigers!