Video: Should Division II Overhaul the Playoff System? - with Mike Racy

[Matt Witwicki]

https://www.youtube.com/live/EfYRspa4ogQ?feature=share

FYI.

[Thunder]

I thought this was a very interesting conversation. While it was mostly centered on football, I think it is just as important for other sports, especially basketball and volleyball. There is quite a bit of fine tuning to be made on the ideas that were bantered about, but I think a framework is there. I think it is very possible to have much more even championship fields, without a significant increase in costs as well. I also think the idea that "This is how we've always done it" or "This way is easiest" are pervasive thoughts with D2 and need to be changed. Mike might catch some flack from his fellow conference commissioners when talking about reducing the funding the NCAA sends to conferences, but it shows he is willing to seriously address the D2 championships. I fear getting buy in from conferences outside of the middle of the country might be a difficult task.

[Try II]

I thought this was a very interesting conversation. While it was mostly centered on football, I think it is just as important for other sports, especially basketball and volleyball. There is quite a bit of fine tuning to be made on the ideas that were bantered about, but I think a framework is there. I think it is very possible to have much more even championship fields, without a significant increase in costs as well. I also think the idea that "This is how we've always done it" or "This way is easiest" are pervasive thoughts with D2 and need to be changed. Mike might catch some flack from his fellow conference commissioners when talking about reducing the funding the NCAA sends to conferences, but it shows he is willing to seriously address the D2 championships. I fear getting buy in from conferences outside of the middle of the country might be a difficult task.

At least the conversation is happening. I do think the lower level/weaker conferences will fight any big changes. Wrestling (4 regions) gave two of the stronger ones an additional qualifier for a year or two and that didn't go over well. Not fair!!

[GorillaTeacher]

Fair isn't equal.

[libertybearcat]

Maybe we should have Two Divisions in D2 the D2-C division where Schools want to be Competitive and D2-DEI for schools who want Diversity Equity and Inclusion...wouldn't that make everyone happy? :)

[GorillaTeacher]

Maybe we should have Two Divisions in D2 the D2-C division where Schools want to be Competitive and D2-DEI for schools who want Diversity Equity and Inclusion...wouldn't that make everyone happy? :)

Man, I'd want to be in both...

[laker]

I liked the idea of not having conference teams play each other in the first round. There were a lot of good things talked about- I just hope that the higher ups would listen.

[libertybearcat]

Man, I'd want to be in both...

Oh sure, way to ruin it for everyone! :)

[Predatory Primates]

Man, I'd want to be in both...

Lol.
I am 99% sure he meant those terms as they apply to opportunities for football teams, not as they apply to groups of people in general. I mean, you expect the worst from bearcat fans, but I think he may be innocent on this one.

[libertybearcat]

Lol.
I am 99% sure he meant those terms as they apply to opportunities for football teams, not as they apply to groups of people in general. I mean, you expect the worst from bearcat fans, but I think he may be innocent on this one.

You are correct PP! :)

[IUPNation]

This was basically just an MIAA Whine Fest.

It came off to me that he wants most of his schools in the foosball playoffs at the expense of conferences other than the GSC in Regions 1 and 2...despite these 2 regions having the majority of schools sponsoring foosball at this level.

He says this when his own conference plays a SILO schedule so how do we know how good teams other than NWMO or Pitt really are among teams on Region 1 and 2.

An MIAA team has never set foot in Pennsylvania. IUP, Bloomsburg and Mon Valley U (California) have all been to Marysville. So if you want more of the playoff slots and your two top teams are spending well over 2 million a year to field a team when most schools in Division 2 are well below that number...you can afford to travel and prove yourself.

I don't buy the whole "make it a better experience for student athletes". Does he care about the experience for players in Region 1. I did not get that impression.

That whole time talking about what they should do "to fix things and make it fair for the MIAA" when all he had to say was that Region 3 and 4 need to be reshuffled so you can divorce the MIAA from GLIAC and the whining will go away.

[Predatory Primates]

This was basically just an MIAA Whine Fest.

It came off to me that he wants most of his schools in the foosball playoffs at the expense of conferences other than the GSC in Regions 1 and 2...despite these 2 regions having the majority of schools sponsoring foosball at this level.

He says this when his own conference plays a SILO schedule so how do we know how good teams other than NWMO or Pitt really are among teams on Region 1 and 2.

An MIAA team has never set foot in Pennsylvania. IUP, Bloomsburg and Mon Valley U (California) have all been to Marysville. So if you want more of the playoff slots and your two top teams are spending well over 2 million a year to field a team when most schools in Division 2 are well below that number...you can afford to travel and prove yourself.

I don't buy the whole "make it a better experience for student athletes". Does he care about the experience for players in Region 1. I did not get that impression.

That whole time talking about what they should do "to fix things and make it fair for the MIAA" when all he had to say was that Region 3 and 4 need to be reshuffled so you can divorce the MIAA from GLIAC and the whining will go away.

Playing ooc against the psac teams would only mean that 3 to 5 loss psac teams would get a free ride in the playoffs instead of 1 to 3 loss teams. It wouldn't help the miaa at all unless they were in the same region. It may further expose how bad the current setup is, but that would just be beating a dead horse at this point.

[Wallst]

This was basically just an MIAA Whine Fest.

It came off to me that he wants most of his schools in the foosball playoffs at the expense of conferences other than the GSC in Regions 1 and 2...despite these 2 regions having the majority of schools sponsoring foosball at this level.

He says this when his own conference plays a SILO schedule so how do we know how good teams other than NWMO or Pitt really are among teams on Region 1 and 2.

An MIAA team has never set foot in Pennsylvania. IUP, Bloomsburg and Mon Valley U (California) have all been to Marysville. So if you want more of the playoff slots and your two top teams are spending well over 2 million a year to field a team when most schools in Division 2 are well below that number...you can afford to travel and prove yourself.

I don't buy the whole "make it a better experience for student athletes". Does he care about the experience for players in Region 1. I did not get that impression.

That whole time talking about what they should do "to fix things and make it fair for the MIAA" when all he had to say was that Region 3 and 4 need to be reshuffled so you can divorce the MIAA from GLIAC and the whining will go away.

If we did set foot in this apparently magical land of Pennsylvania, all that would happen is an MIAA team would win by 20. Worse, for the PSAC it would expand our recruiting base and we would get that borderline FCS kid to come to the midwest if he knew he could come home and his family could watch him play in person every other year.
The good news for the PSAC is instead of just 1 team finding out what it takes to compete at a NC level other teams would too. It would take a few years but the better more progressive PSAC teams could start recruiting the needed athletes after finding out in person what that athlete looks like especially on the line. Look at what happened to Sheperds O line the last 2 semi's as proof. Keep in mind the 22 Sheperd team beat IUP by what 30+ in the quarters?

[IUPNation]

Playing ooc against the psac teams would only mean that 3 to 5 loss psac teams would get a free ride in the playoffs instead of 1 to 3 loss teams. It wouldn't help the miaa at all unless they were in the same region. It may further expose how bad the current setup is, but that would just be beating a dead horse at this point.

How often do 3 to 5 loss teams make the playoffs?

I just don’t buy that narrative that your conference is that powerful beyond the two teams that have won almost every MIAA conference title for the last 30 years. If they can’t win the MIAA why do they belong in the playoffs?

[IUPNation]

If we did set foot in this apparently magical land of Pennsylvania, all that would happen is an MIAA team would win by 20. Worse, for the PSAC it would expand our recruiting base and we would get that borderline FCS kid to come to the midwest if he knew he could come home and his family could watch him play in person every other year.
The good news for the PSAC is instead of just 1 team finding out what it takes to compete at a NC level other teams would too. It would take a few years but the better more progressive PSAC teams could start recruiting the needed athletes after finding out in person what that athlete looks like especially on the line. Look at what happened to Sheperds O line the last 2 semi's as proof. Keep in mind the 22 Sheperd team beat IUP by what 30+ in the quarters?

So you assume but we’ll never know because team from the MIAA won’t travel east. So the regional format stays the same. I don’t give a damn that teams from the MIAA miss the playoffs when they are the 4th or 5th place team in a conference they have never won. Boo Friggen Hoo.

When NWMO or Pitt beat IUP in Indiana, PA, then we can talk.

As for IUP vs Shepherd, you will notice they played twice and had a split.

The MIAA needs to fix its regular season schedule setup before the commissioner can talk about anything else. SILO schedules don’t prove anything outside of that conference.