Tag Archives: playoffs

How to watch Saturday’s semifinals

Posted on by

ESPN is televising the Division III football semifinals as it did last year, but those expecting to simply click on a link and watch video feeds like we do most of the season might run into trouble on Saturday. The best advice I can give is to test out whichever method you plan to watch the game well in advance of kickoffs, as there are several hoops to jump through.

  • D3football.com scoreboard page, with audio, video, live stats

    • ESPN3 is showing the live feed of both games. The network’s online channel also archives the games, so in case you miss it, you’ll be able to pull it up later. This is also good if you’re interested in both games, since they run concurrently.

    ESPNHere’s the link for Mary Hardin-Baylor at Mount Union. That kicks off at 2 p.m. EST, not noon local time, which is standard for D-III playoff games.

    It also airs on ESPNU on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. ET.

    ————-
    ESPNHere’s the link for UW-Oshkosh at St. Thomas, which kicks off at 3.

    It also airs on ESPNU on Friday, Dec. 14 at 1 p.m. ET

    Our D3football.com scoreboard page is still the best place for live updates during the games, and links to live stats, audio and the video.

    ESPN3 is not necessarily available to everyone, though. You need to subscribe to certain cable or internet providers to get access. The game is not being televised live on any channel. It’s online, and you need to figure out which ESPN3 rules apply to you. Here’s their FAQ. (There’s a distinction between ESPN3 and WatchESPN explained there too, but I’m not sure it’s terribly important for our purposes).

    Me, for example, I wouldn’t get access through my television provider because I use DirecTV, which is not on the list. However, I get internet through Verizon and I have an XBox Live account, so that gives me two options. I’ve also downloaded and tested the Watch ESPN iPhone app.

    I would advise you to read through all these rules and test out your system during a non-D-III live event on Friday night or early Saturday morning. It might be easy for you. It might be a hassle. But the last thing you want is to wait until kickoff to find out.

    Failing those options, here’s a link I found on how to set up a free ESPN3 account when your ISP provider doesn’t give you access. I haven’t tested it out, but if you’re this far down the list of options, anything is worth a shot.

    The games will be replayed on ESPNU, as noted above, but next Thursday and Friday, at 1 p.m., meaning it’s probably only useful to rewatch the teams who advanced as they get ready for Friday’s 7 p.m. Stagg Bowl. The national championship will be televised live on both ESPNU and ESPN3.

    If you’re anywhere near St. Paul or Alliance, Ohio on Saturday, your best bet is to just be there in the stands.

    ATN Podcast: Guest Brad Bankston, committee chair

    Posted on by
    Mike McCarthy
    How exactly did Bridgewater State get into the field? We get as much info for you as we can.
    Bridgewater State file photo

    Subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in iTunes.

    We know you have plenty of questions about how teams were chosen for the Division III playoffs and why. While we’re always glad to answer them to the best of our knowledge, it’s good to hear something a little more authoritative, so we’re glad to be joined by Brad Bankston, the chair of the NCAA Division III football championships committee.

    Bankston and Pat Coleman talk about everything from those invisible final regional rankings, the at-large decision-making process, and as much detail as possible about how Bridgewater State got in and how Concordia-Moorhead (and others) didn’t. Will the trend of two-loss teams getting at-large bids continue? Why don’t all four regions rank their teams the same way? How has the committee’s conference call changed technologically, and how might that affect the actual decision-making process?

    It’s a good conversation, and Bankston is about as frank as any national committee chair has been in the past decade. This is not just the party line. Listen in.

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

    Around the Nation Podcast: Brad Bankston, guest [ 37:33 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

    You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in iTunes. You can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/?feed=podcast

    Although Keith McMillan participated in putting the questions together, he was unable to take part in the interview because of scheduling. However, there will also be a full Around the Nation Podcast with Pat and Keith for Monday morning.

    Game Day: Just four games

    Posted on by
    Mike Asiedu
    Mike Asiedu and the Wesley defense face a potent UMHB offense.
    Wesley athletics photo

    We have two interesting cross-region quarterfinals, where two East teams can give the region some long-awaited credibility with games against West Region opponents. We also have a 2002 quarterfinal rematch and a multiple-time rematch in the South. You’ve already seen our picks, and thanks to those who have weighed in there as well.

    We’ll be following along all day with our live chat below, and you can join in the chat window or by using the #d3fb hashtag on Twitter. Just one noon game and three 1 p.m. games, so Mount Union-Wabash gets center stage to start off.

    Not that you can watch it.