Those of you who know me or have followed what I write for this web site know I'm not a fan of the NCAA's playoff selection process.

I just don't think you should use mathematics to pick playoff teams.
But anyway, I'll give credit to the much-maligned NCAA for getting it right in this case. Some fans have been upset about the fact the PSAC only got two teams in the playoffs, but I think it was the right number, and Kutztown and California were the right teams.

Fact is, the Golden Bears and Vulcans are playing the best in the league right now.

Slippery Rock can take solace in its West Division championship, but that stunning loss to Gannon two weeks ago is what knocked The Rock out of the playoff picture, not so much the loss to Kutztown in the state game.

Bloomsburg is in the same boat. Maybe the Huskies would have been in the playoff picture if they hadn't lost to C.W. Post three weeks ago. But Bloomsburg did lose that game, and it's what sealed their fate, more than a loss to Kutztown.

The point being this: California and Kutztown took care of business down the stretch, when they absolutely had to. Slippery Rock and Bloomsburg did not.

Maybe the NCAA's playoff selection process isn't perfect. But the truth remains out there in the open: if you want to get to the playoffs, you must get there on your own and not rely on others.

ABOUT FACE: If any of the IUP faithful needed a glimpse into the future, they got it Saturday at West Chester.

First-year head coach Curt Cignetti wrapped up the season with what you could call a signature win. Since he was hired to replace Lou Tepper, Cignetti promised a physical style of ball where his team would break the opponents' will. That's what happened against the Rams, and West Chester, it seemed, packed it in long before the clock struck zero.

Early on, IUP and West Chester seemed destined for a back-and-forth shootout, but then IUP dished out a physical beating that led to a 20-0 run to end the game for a 34-7 win.

Maybe West Chester had little to play for and was uninspired. Head coach Bill Zwaan hinted that his team had gone through a rough week (assistant coach E.J. Sandusky is the son of former Penn State assistant Jerry Sandusky, and you all know his story) and the Rams just couldn't muster much emotion.

That much might be true, but IUP sure looked impressive. It's just a sad way for the Rams to wrap up their second straight losing season.

KUDOS: Speaking of impressive, you have to hand it to Kutztown. The Golden Bears did something few teams in their position do: they rallied in the face of adversity.

Kutztown is a program that has little success over the years, with this season's East Division championship being the school's first since 1980. But a few weeks ago, when the Golden Bears lost to Shippensburg, they regrouped knowing another loss would be fatal and they went unbeaten the rest of the way.

That's a characteristic you see in a veteran team, not usually one that has little or no playoff experience.

Sadly, though, the Golden Bears might have to go without their leader, QB Kevin Morton, who has a knee injury. The Reading Eagle reported this week that Morton is "day to day," but it doesn't seem promising for this week in the first round against Concord. (http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=346758)

POWER RANKINGS
1. Kutzown (10-1)
2. California (9-2)
3. Bloomsburg (9-2)
4. Slippery Rock (8-3)
5. IUP (7-3)
6. C.W. Post (7-4)
7. Edinboro (7-4)
8. Gannon (4-7)
9. Mercyhurst (4-7)
10. Shippensburg (7-4)
11. West Chester (5-6)
12. East Stroudsburg (3-8)
13. Clarion (3-8)
14. Millersville (3-8)
15. Cheyney (1-10)
16. Lock Haven (0-10)


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