2022 Bracket Announced

[Purple Mav Man]

So SOS for games that could have been set up YEARS ago is more important that beating teams on the field. That makes a lot of sense. Why are there even conferences if conference championships don't matter, just let everybody schedule 11 games against whoever they want.

Minnesota State lost a stinker to Northern State. Should Northern State be in the playoffs instead since they…won on the field?

[Turbonium]

Its easy to correct. Go to eight teams in each regional and no bye for first seed. This year they really messed up the SR2 seeds and no matter how you spin it Newberry got shafted by putting a nine seed in at six. CIAA historically is a weaker conference and that definitely was not considered this year. I personally think Fayetteville would have four losses minimal in the SAC and or GSC. If you had Massey run the head to head Fayetteville would have six losses in GSC and five in the SAC.

It might "fix" this single scenario sure. Next year when a 9th team is right on the cusp do you expand it to 9 teams? If not, why is 8 the answer and not 9 or more?

[Gliac_fan10]

At the end of the day it comes down to the age old argument, which is what is the playoffs for? 1. To crown a true and deserving champ or 2. to have a reward to strive for for a good season/create excitement across the sport.

Now it absolutely can be both, but one or the other is more important. If it’s option 1 then expansion should never be in the discussion. Now I am not the perfect historian but in my memory at least I can not remember when a team deserving and good enough to win a national championship has ever gotten snubbed from the playoffs. I am not diminishing any team and if they should have gotten in any given year or not but any given year there are only a handful of teams good enough and deserving to win it all.

If the bigger goal of the playoffs is to reward teams for good seasons then I think playoffs should be expanded. A 32 team playoff could be better for this case for example.

As has been discussed over and over, the best two solutions that accomplishes both would be to redo the regions or get rid of the regions all together and select them 1-28. I personally would prefer to see a playoffs without regions for selections and honestly if that were the case I’d almost prefer it to go back to 24 teams in that scenario.

Some teams this year were definitely snubbed and it creates an incredible amount of discussion, uncertainty and frustration but expansion will never solve that, just look at the D1 basketball tourney, they have 68 and still have the same issues.

[KleShreen]

So SOS for games that could have been set up YEARS ago is more important that beating teams on the field. That makes a lot of sense. Why are there even conferences if conference championships don't matter, just let everybody schedule 11 games against whoever they want.

After doing some research and sleuthing, I would advise you to read this document: https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/cha...iplesChart.pdf

Particularly point 2.

[OBUGrad]

Forgive me if this has been answered, but why do #of games not matter at all? For instance Ferris only played 9 D2 games (played one NAIA) Ouachita and Pitt played 2 more games, but are given no credit for those. Two more games increases the chances for a loss, gets players injured, and tires out a team more. Just seems like that should be in the SOS calculation.

[KleShreen]

Forgive me if this has been answered, but why do #of games not matter at all? For instance Ferris only played 9 D2 games (played one NAIA) Ouachita and Pitt played 2 more games, but are given no credit for those. Two more games increases the chances for a loss, gets players injured, and tires out a team more. Just seems like that should be in the SOS calculation.

They get credit by having a higher winning percentage if they have the same number of losses. That's why Ferris' winning percentage is only .889 instead of .900 (9-1) or .909 (10-1).

[GorillaTeacher]

Forgive me if this has been answered, but why do #of games not matter at all? For instance Ferris only played 9 D2 games (played one NAIA) Ouachita and Pitt played 2 more games, but are given no credit for those. Two more games increases the chances for a loss, gets players injured, and tires out a team more. Just seems like that should be in the SOS calculation.

It does matter in the sense of # or in region win% and win % over all.

a 9-1 win % is less then a 10-1 win%

[FSUBulldog27]

Stop crying and win your games - Are you afraid if we win and Pitt wins you will have to travel NORTH and play? was it 2 or 3 years ago we made a trip to the almighty OBU and what happened. We played most of our playoff games on the road that year. Ferris and Grand Valley are the top 2 teams in the country and happen to be in the same conference. Why are so many teams dropping out of our conference - I will give you a clue they can't win. Grand Valley was the 2nd best team last year and lost in regional final to Ferris. Do you think they could have beat Shepard in Semis. Its unfair that D2 isn't seeded nationally and the 1 vs 2 have to play in regional final - it is what it is - Just play and OBU just stop - you guys are like 1 and done every year

[dvaara]

Forgive me if this has been answered, but why do #of games not matter at all? For instance Ferris only played 9 D2 games (played one NAIA) Ouachita and Pitt played 2 more games, but are given no credit for those. Two more games increases the chances for a loss, gets players injured, and tires out a team more. Just seems like that should be in the SOS calculation.

Silo conferences like yours are the reason other teams have a tough time scheduling 11 d2 games

[DawgUp]

It's not as if Ferris went out looking to schedule only 9 D2 games. Should a team be penalized for no one wanting to play them? I'm tired of hearing "some" of the MIAA and GAC people complain about Ferris only playing 9 D2 or only x amount of regional games when their silo scheduling guarantees they have that every year. Your teams are not having to go out and search for teams to play or pay x amount of dollars just to have someone add you to their schedule. Most of these games we're either flying to or footing the bill to have someone fly in, while silo scheduling allows you not to have to deal with those expenses and headaches. Yet most D2 teams we contact are still telling us no. Which is why we (GLIAC) have to resort to "pay days" for NAIA and D3 teams.

So you get your guaranteed games, but they're at the expense of playing lesser competition setting you up for a .500 SOS and no one knowing how good you really are until you reach the playoffs (something Matt referenced on the Playoff reaction show). While GLIAC teams are able schedule teams like Lenoir Rhyne, Central Washington, Colorado Mines, Pueblo, Truman, Bowie St., Indianapolis, etc. that shows not only how we stack up against schools in our region, but schools in different conferences across the country. This increases a number of metrics in our favor (something that has been discussed on this board ad nauseam) and hinders silo teams.

Regardless of where anyone is ranked, playoffs gives silo teams an opportunity to prove their "we should have been ranked higher claims" when they go head to head.

[NWHoops]

It's not as if Ferris went out looking to schedule only 9 D2 games. Should a team be penalized for no one wanting to play them? I'm tired of hearing "some" of the MIAA and GAC people complain about Ferris only playing 9 D2 or only x amount of regional games when their silo scheduling guarantees they have that every year. Your teams are not having to go out and search for teams to play or pay x amount of dollars just to have someone add you to their schedule. Most of these games we're either flying to or footing the bill to have someone fly in, while silo scheduling allows you not to have to deal with those expenses and headaches. Yet most D2 teams we contact are still telling us no. Which is why we (GLIAC) have to resort to "pay days" for NAIA and D3 teams.

So you get your guaranteed games, but they're at the expense of playing lesser competition setting you up for a .500 SOS and no one knowing how good you really are until you reach the playoffs (something Matt referenced on the Playoff reaction show). While GLIAC teams are able schedule teams like Lenoir Rhyne, Central Washington, Colorado Mines, Pueblo, Truman, Bowie St., Indianapolis, etc. that shows not only how we stack up against schools in our region, but schools in different conferences across the country. This increases a number of metrics in our favor (something that has been discussed on this board ad nauseam) and hinders silo teams.

Regardless of where anyone is ranked, playoffs gives silo teams an opportunity to prove their "we should have been ranked higher claims" when they go head to head.

I'm not a fan of silo scheduling but you just made the biggest argument for silo scheduling in your post. NW had this problem for years, although I don't think it would be as big a problem these days.

[DawgUp]

I'm not a fan of silo scheduling but you just made the biggest argument for silo scheduling in your post. NW had this problem for years, although I don't think it would be as big a problem these days.

Agreed. I'm not arguing against silo scheduling per say, as it's simple to see how it's beneficial to the conferences and I understand why they do it from a financial standpoint, but I find it somewhat hypocritical to accept the benefits of silo scheduling and then want to penalize teams that have to go out and hustle just to fill in their schedule on a yearly basis.

[GorillaTeacher]

I don't think the SILO schedule helps SOS at all, it actually seems to hurt it.All of the non Silo teams in SR3 had >.500 SOS. The only benefits come from stability of scheduling and travel expenses. Zero competitive advantage, unless top to bottom the conference is strong. But as long as Lincoln and NSU are not committed to competing, then the MIAA will suffer with early playoff exits.

The last time the MIAA was nationally relevent, NWMSU was running rudshot over the conference with undefeated records, which I think will be a requisite for legitimate playoff relevancy.

[GorillaTeacher]

SR2 and SR3 are the only regions where all Playoff teams have SOS .500 or better.

[northwest missouri state]

NWMSU was 3-2 against teams above .500. So was Truman, who also had a better SOS, SOS+win% and PI than both Harding and NWMSU.

the committee knows you'd be 3-8ish (props to me for being generous) had you not fled the miaa for that joke of a schedule.