With Pat Coleman in the midwest and Keith McMillan on the east coast, our podcasters don’t often have the opportunity to meet in person and record an interview, let alone an entire podcast, but that’s what happened this time. As Pat traveled across the country in May, he chatted with Illinois Wesleyan coach Norm Eash and Westminster (Pa.) coach Scott Benzel, and then Pat and Keith met in Washington, D.C., where they both chatted with Catholic U. coach Mike Gutelius. They then barricaded themselves in his office to finish the rest of the recording.
This month’s podcast is about keeping alumni connected to the program, and how older alumni can do that even when the traditions and stadium and coach have changed. Plus, Eash talks about the values of an overseas trip for a team, as well as a destination coaches should consider. Later on, Pat tells what he knows about the suspension of Pete Fredenburg. That and more on the May 2018 podcast.
The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan and guests covering the wide range of Division III football.
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The story goes, one day on a long ride to a playoff game at Thiel (which tells you how long ago this happened), Pat and Keith decided to pass the time by guessing not just the winner of each first-round playoff game, but the score. And there was born the expectations game: Do we expect a close game? A high-scoring game? A blowout? Does everyone agree on who will win? Those are the factors worth looking at.
Keith McMillan, Ryan Tipps, Pat Coleman, Adam Turer, Frank Rossi and Greg Thomas each take their guesses at scores for each first-round game. We also looped in the Hansen Ratings, updated with playoff experience as a factor, for anther objective take. The algorithm takes into account both home-field advantage and playoff experience, so a game such as Hardin-Simmons and Linfield, between teams with identical team ratings, ends up with Linfield given a 65 percent chance to win.
Hansen odds to advance: Wesley, 91%
Consensus: Wesley makes it final: No upsets expected in this bracket.
Here’s more data from Hansen Ratings. Select any two playoff teams to see how they would compare in a real or hypothetical matchup
We invite you to add your predictions in the comments below, or tweet at @d3football. Download the Around the Nation podcast on Mondays, where Pat and Keith review the picks and the highlights from the first round.
So, we’ve become accustomed to a bracket with two flights in the first round, instead of one. Last year they told us it was no longer a one-time thing, and this year they followed through on that. But why is it that we can only keep two highly ranked teams apart for a round? Why do No. 5 and No. 8 play in order to potentially play No. 1 in the next round? You can find out more in this week’s D3football.com Around the Nation podcast.
This week, D3talent is the sponsor of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. Find out more on our site, or at our Fanraise store.
Pat and Keith hand out game balls, find the hidden highlights, the interesting stats and then a whole bunch of bracket-specific items in the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. You do not want to leave this podcast early, before you hear the bonus picks.
The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan and guests covering the wide range of Division III football.
Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device. [display_podcast]
