Author Archives: Pat Coleman

First 2012 NCAA regional rankings

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The first (and second-to-last) NCAA regional rankings have been released.

Remember that regional rankings primarily take regional games into account. Teams are listed with their regional record first, followed by their overall record. For more information about the playoff format and how participants are determined, check out our FAQ.

Teams which have clinched automatic bids are in bold.

EAST
1    Hobart    8-0    8-0
2    Widener    8-0    8-0
3    Cortland State   7-1    7-1
4    Rowan    6-1    6-2
5    Salisbury    5-2    6-2
6    Lycoming    6-2    6-2
7    St. John Fisher    5-2    6-2
8    Salve Regina    8-1    8-1
9    Framingham State    8-1    8-1
10    Bridgewater State    8-1    8-1

NORTH
1    Mount Union    8-0    8-0
2    Concordia-Chicago    8-0    8-0
3    North Central (Ill.)    7-1    7-1
4    Wabash    5-1    7-1
5    Elmhurst    7-1    7-1
6    Heidelberg    7-1    7-1
7    Wittenberg    7-1    7-1
8    Adrian    7-1    7-1
9    Ohio Wesleyan    6-1    7-1
10    Franklin    6-1    6-2

SOUTH
1    Mary Hardin-Baylor    7-0    8-0
2    Wesley    5-1    7-1
3    Johns Hopkins    8-0    8-0
4    Waynesburg    9-0    9-0
5    Huntingdon    4-2    5-2
5    Washington and Lee    6-2    6-2
7    Louisiana College    4-2    6-2
8    Muhlenberg    5-2    6-2
9    Hampden-Sydney    6-2    6-2
10    Hardin-Simmons    4-3    5-3

WEST
1    Linfield    6-0    7-0
2    Wisconsin-Oshkosh    7-0    8-0
3    St. Thomas    8-0    8-0
4    Bethel    7-1    7-1
5    Concordia-Moorhead    6-1    7-1
6    Cal Lutheran    6-1    6-1
7    Coe    8-0    8-0
8    Pacific Lutheran    5-2    5-2
9    UW-Platteville    6-2    6-2
10    Lake Forest    8-1    8-1

How to use these regional rankings: If you are an at-large candidate, you want to be sure you are the top at-large candidate in your region. That will ensure you get discussed by the national committee and have a chance to be put in the field.

For example, if you are Huntingdon, remember that Mary Hardin-Baylor, Johns Hopkins and Waynesburg will each get automatic bids if they remain undefeated. Wesley would get the one Pool B slot (set aside for teams without a conference or automatic bid to play for). Then Huntingdon would hit the table from the South Region and be discussed with the top candidate from each of the other regions.

There are 24 automatic bids, one Pool B bid and seven Pool C (true national at-large) bids. Selection Sunday is Nov. 11.

Being listed in these rankings is not a guarantee of selection to the playoffs. There is no guarantee an at-large team will be taken from each region.

ATN Podcast: There will be a new champ

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Kevin Burke
Kevin Burke and Mount Union are going strong, despite Heidelberg actually scoring this week.
Mount Union athletics photo by JT Higgins

Subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in iTunes.

Now at least we know we will have no more than one Purple Power in Salem for the Stagg Bowl, after the elimination of UW-Whitewater from any reasonable playoff hopes with its third overall loss and second regional loss this week. If Mount were to advance, who might join them? And what do the potential No. 1 seeds need to avoid? Keith and Pat talk about it in this week’s Around the Nation Podcast, sponsored by the City of Salem, hosts of Stagg Bowl XL. Tickets on sale now!

As the season winds down, there are just 22 conferences left to have teams clinch automatic bids, so there’s still a long way to go. Not all of them can clinch this week either, but some can, and some teams on byes can actually clinch from home. Plus, as at-large bids go, some teams played themselves out of consideration this week by picking up a second loss, while some two-loss teams actually have strong resumes for consideration.

Pat and Keith talk about a lot of teams this week, including both teams in the Mount Union-Heidelberg game. Check the tags at the bottom of this page to find out who is on the topics list.

Hit play below to listen, or subscribe to get this podcast on your phone or portable device.

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Postgame show

Here’s this week’s D3football.com reports and highlight packages.

And this week’s photo gallery from our friends at d3photography.com:

Regional rankings come Oct. 31

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The first NCAA regional rankings will be released Oct. 31. The NCAA rankings take primarily regional games into account.

For more information about the playoffs, game dates, what defines a regional game and the rest, check out our playoff FAQ. Meanwhile, we’ll have the regional rankings on Oct. 31, as soon as they are released.

Meanwhile, we will do a mock regional ranking in this week’s Around the Nation.