So what are you doing after graduation?

I used to flinch when people asked me that in 2000 as I got ready for life after college. The true answer was too long to relate to the well-meaning person — I don’t know, I’m looking but I’m not sure and frankly I’m a little anxious and would rather not talk about it. So I used a more moderate response, like “I’ve got some things I’m working on.”

Now the situation is reversed and I’m the one asking the dreaded question.

Some seem pretty focused. When I asked D3hoops All-American Forward Eli Cook about her plans in February, she knew she was headed to University of Delaware to study physical therapy.

Others may stay active in the sports they love. D3football.com All-American Quarterback Adam Knoblauch had a try out with the CFL with another to follow. All-American Center Damien Cieswicz is playing in the Great Lakes Indoor Football League as is their Del Val teammate Steve Cook. Cook is breaking into another sport, too, working out for the U.S. Olympic Bobsled team.

And there are countless other stories out there as the great men and women who play Division III take the next exciting step wherever they are headed.

If any would like to share their thoughts or plans below, we’d be very interested to hear them. The career plans highlight the hard work Division III athletes put into their studies and the bright futures that lie ahead of them.

And if you’re a senior who’s wrestling with your post-college plans, my two-cents (plink, plink) would be try not to worry about it too much. Even if you don’t know what’s coming after graduation day, you’ve got a lot of time to figure that out.

Congratulations on hitting this milestone in your life and thanks again for making Division III sports so special.

When my favorite football teams are eliminated from the playoff hunt, I like to see if the remaining teams have connections back to our world. As an Oakland Raider fan, I can get an early start since they have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs by Week 6 the past couple seasons.

In any event, you may know that Steelers ILB Clint Kriewaldt is a graduate of UW-Stevens Point. Or that D3football.com All-American Jerheme Urban (Trinity, Texas) has played for the Seahawks the past three seasons.

But did you know Ben Roethlisberger has a Division III connection?

According to the San Jose Mercury News “Big Ben” didn’t play quarterback until his senior year at Findlay (Ohio) High. That’s because he was behind Ryan Hite, son of the high school coach. Hite didn’t reach the same lofty, um, heights as Roethlisberger in football but still had a solid career at Denison where he played wide receiver and, evidently, some quarterback.

You can break that tidbit out while watching the big game this weekend. It would impress even the biggest NFL aficionados. Like former Seattle Seahawks Coach — and Juniata College Alum — Chuck Knox.

Two weeks ago I thought projecting the playoffs would be relatively easy this year.

We had about as many one-loss teams as there were Pool C bids. Simple enough — just plug and chug, maybe with one slot for a fifth Pool B or two-loss team.

Then St. John Fisher lost to Alfred. Wabash finished up the Monon Bell victory. Sean Salinas returned to upset Hardin Simmons. Now it’s not so simple.

Is Alfred the next best bet with one-regional loss and another against Washington & Lee? Will the SCIAC really get two bids? Does the Committee look more favorably on two-loss ONU who beat Mount Union or two-loss Capital who beat ONU?

The answers are seldom easy and the numbers will often surprise you. For example, we’ve crunched preliminary numbers on the Quality of Win Index and regional records for teams on the threshold. And the one who does best in those categories?

Wilkes. Then Cortland. Then Hampden-Sydney.

That doesn’t mean any of those teams get in, but it’s better news for three teams who seemed like real long shots before today’s games kicked off.

Feel free to post your thoughts below and on the message boards. We’ll be up late and then post our final projection ahead of Pat’s big appearance on ESPN News tomorrow around 1 PM.

Some other points to ponder…

Backing in: Ithaca and Ferrum may have lost a home game or two with their defeats against Cortland and CNU respectively. But will that carry over to the first round of the playoffs? Not necessarily.

Last season two teams lost their regular season finale and neither won their first round game. Willamette lost to eventual-champ Linfield and then Occidental in the first round. Aurora fell to non-D3 Valparaiso and came up short against Wooster.

But in 2003 those who lost their last regular season game went 6-6 in the playoffs. Bethel, Hope and Redlands dropped their first round contests but CNU got through by beating Muhlenberg. Ithaca made it to the regional final where they fell to RPI. The Red Hawks got thumped by Hobart 43-25 to end the regular season, but rebounded to win the East region.

Wish you were here: With apologies to Pink Floyd, I have a message to the undefeated (again) Trinity Bantams who will sit out the playoffs:

How I wish, how I wish you were here. You’re just one game short of a playoff sport, year after year. Running over the same old ground, what have you found? Time to turn in your gear. Wish you were here.

Then again, maybe I should’ve gone with “We don’t need no education.”

Don’t Stop Believin’: Keeping the classic rock theme, let’s tip our cap to a couple teams who ended 2005 on a good note despite some struggles along the way.

Allegheny may be, as one friend said, “the best 3-7 team in the country.” Five of the Ls are by 7 or less with another in OT. But they finish strong with wins against Earlham and Wittenberg.

Kenyon wrapped up its first winning season since the other George Bush was president (1990) thanks to a 39-yard Chad Rothschild field goal with four seconds left to beat Denison.

And Colorado College and Menlo put on a grande finale of their own in the Tigers’ 58-52 3OT win. Along with 1,325 yards of total offense combined, check out these QB stats:

CC Chris Neal 24-38, 403 yards, 3 TD passing 30-181, 2 TD rushing
Menlo Adam Hazel 25-41, 400 yards, 4 TD passing