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

[Wallst]

Since March Madness is almost upon us, we can look at that. After the conference champions from each and every conference make the field and are seeded according to their supposed conference strength, the rest of the field is seeded based off numbers. The NET evaluation tool that gets into adjusted efficiency's etc. then goes into Team Value Index.

In 2019 Virginia won the national title but didn't win the ACC. So in the conference champs only scenario they wouldn't even make the tourney. how often do we see an at large 12 knock off the #5 seed then the 4 and play into the second weekend, almost every freaking year.

If IUP is serious about playing competitive football instead of being the 2nd tallest small person, maybe they should go the Gonzaga route. Look what Mark Few has done there. He had to travel all over the country to find games. He went to all the blue bloods without the benefit of a home and home and turned a little college into a basketball juggernaut. Until IUP and really SR1 show effort on a national scale instead of aspiring to be the best at mediocrity then maybe this board and the NCAA would take them seriously. Ok, probably not this board but hey one can hope. Until then, talking to most SR1 fans is like drinking warm water, you'll stay hydrated but its painful to do so.

[Wallst]

There it is again. The old move up until you are over your head like IUP argument.

just print more money like liberals love to do then give out freebies to everyone then print more money and go more in debt and more over your head.

[KleShreen]

Hmm...didn't they both lose in Meatchicken in December?

Neither played anyone outside of the MIAA in the regular season. Their numbers were based entirely on their SILO schedule.

When IUP played Ashland in 2017...it was not an in region game. Did it again in 2018.

The regional set up does not encourage anyone to play out of region because the rankings come down to numbers on the spread sheet based on regional numbers. The fact is there are enough schools to fill the one week they have for an OOC within Region 1...we are not the GLIAC with 6 conference game that you need to find four more games to meet the 10 game requirement to be eligible for the playoffs.The RMAC needs two OOC games to reach 10. You are acting like they are playing each other for playoff reasons when it really just comes down to there is nobody else to play to fill out the schedule since the MIAA was SILO...the NSIC is SILO..the GMAC hates you and the Pee Sack can find pretty much anyone on the MEC, GMAC and NE10 to fill out Week 1. Sometimes they even play a better CIAA team.

This alone is the top reason to ditch the regions. I HATE how they do regional rankings based on spread sheet numbers.

You don't seem to get that I am agree with you all mostly...I just don't agree that certain teams should get privileges every season based on prior season results. I just don't think that if they do ditch the regional format and schools are now free to schedule anyone they like...that all of a sudden we are going to see MIAA teams playing in Pennsylvania any more than Grand Valley will all of a sudden be doing home and home series with West Florida or Valdosta State every year. Schools will still continue to schedule based on travel costs....as money will always be the final deciding factor. At lets face it..Grand Valley travels far because they have the private jets! :-) What will actually happen is many schools will now become FCS cupcake games to get paid in Week 1 and it won't hurt their playoff chances....

GVSU could be scheduling Fort Lewis and Simon Fraser. They don't. Mines and Pueblo could be scheduling William Jewell. They don't. They instead opt to face each other. GVSU did a home-and-home with Delta State. They did a home-and-home with Mines and Pueblo (twice). They did a home-and-home with Central Washington. They did a home-and-home with West Texas (and are doing it again in a couple seasons). GV has, and will, face anyone. The PSAC, and SR1 as a whole, doesn't do that. They fill their non-conference spots with teams within their own region, which hurts their own cause for the semifinals. That's the entire story. That's why SR1 is constantly the #3 or E4 seeded team in the semifinals. Because they don't challenge themselves. At least Assumption is taking the challenge of facing GV this year. Good for them. And it will help Assumption come time for playoff rankings, even if they lose.

[GorillaTeacher]

The 2021 Eagles made the playoffs. So did the 2018 and 2019 Eagles.

No one outside of Pennsylvania would have called the 2021 (WC team) Eagles a good team, same as 2020(Last in division), or 2019(1st at 9-7), 2018(WC team). They seemed awfully good at having a basically .500 record.

[KleShreen]

Hmm...didn't they both lose in Meatchicken in December?

Neither played anyone outside of the MIAA in the regular season. Their numbers were based entirely on their SILO schedule.

Uh yea. And that's why they had to play in Michigan. Because the Michigan teams had better numbers based on their schedule. That's why 1-loss Ferris was seeded ahead of 0-loss Pitt State lol. I'm not sure what you're not understanding here. You're just running around in circles. It's like you get cut off at one pass and run to another pass, get cut off there, and go running back to the first one.

[KleShreen]

So four teams that are in smaller conferences playing one another to fill out the mandated 10 game schedule. Okay...they turned a problem into a solution that benefits each other.

Firstly, there's nothing stopping the PSAC from only playing 8 conference games and allowing teams to play more non-conference games. Secondly, there's nothing stopping PSAC teams from using their one non-conference week to go play a good team from another region. Your conference and region are just terrified to leave their own little bubble.

[IUPNation]

And then they beat teams in the playoffs from the GLIAC who have beaten top teams out of region. That's why SOS, OWP, and OOWP are all part of the formula. But SR1 just keeps everything in SR1, so all their numbers end up being bad because they're just beating each other.

Hmm...didn't they both lose in Meatchicken in December?

Neither played anyone outside of the MIAA in the regular season. Their numbers were based entirely on their SILO schedule.

When IUP played Ashland in 2017...it was not an in region game. Did it again in 2018.

The regional set up does not encourage anyone to play out of region because the rankings come down to numbers on the spread sheet based on regional numbers. The fact is there are enough schools to fill the one week they have for an OOC within Region 1...we are not the GLIAC with 6 conference game that you need to find four more games to meet the 10 game requirement to be eligible for the playoffs.The RMAC needs two OOC games to reach 10. You are acting like they are playing each other for playoff reasons when it really just comes down to there is nobody else to play to fill out the schedule since the MIAA was SILO...the NSIC is SILO..the GMAC hates you and the Pee Sack can find pretty much anyone on the MEC, GMAC and NE10 to fill out Week 1. Sometimes they even play a better CIAA team.

This alone is the top reason to ditch the regions. I HATE how they do regional rankings based on spread sheet numbers.

You don't seem to get that I am agree with you all mostly...I just don't agree that certain teams should get privileges every season based on prior season results. I just don't think that if they do ditch the regional format and schools are now free to schedule anyone they like...that all of a sudden we are going to see MIAA teams playing in Pennsylvania any more than Grand Valley will all of a sudden be doing home and home series with West Florida or Valdosta State every year. Schools will still continue to schedule based on travel costs....as money will always be the final deciding factor. At lets face it..Grand Valley travels far because they have the private jets! :-) What will actually happen is many schools will now become FCS cupcake games to get paid in Week 1 and it won't hurt their playoff chances....

[KleShreen]

So you agree that your points for D2 are nonsense.

Finally you make sense.

D2 football is a professional sport with free agency and drafts and a salary cap that keeps all teams at the same level? Weird.

[IUPNation]

Well most schools aren't thinking about the semifinals. The teams which are, like GV/Ferris/Mines/Pueblo, go take on good schools from other regions so they can have the edge in possibly hosting a semifinals game. SR1 fans here have admitted they don't care about the semifinals/finals, so I guess it makes sense they don't care to challenge themselves out of their own region.

So four teams that are in smaller conferences playing one another to fill out the mandated 10 game schedule. Okay...they turned a problem into a solution that benefits each other.

[KleShreen]

The MIAA has been SILO.

And then they beat teams in the playoffs from the GLIAC who have beaten top teams out of region. That's why SOS, OWP, and OOWP are all part of the formula. But SR1 just keeps everything in SR1, so all their numbers end up being bad because they're just beating each other.

[IUPNation]

lol you are making comparisons that don't make any sense. The NFL doesn't have a committee which determines playoff teams or seedings. The NCAA does. There's no postseason in NCAA that doesn't have humans making decisions on who makes it and who is seeded where, besides the sports which use timing systems like track, cross country, and swimming. The NFL doesn't have human decisions being used for playoffs, because professional sports is all on an equal playing field when there's a salary cap involved, so record is all that is needed. The "disadvantage" for the Lions if they were to make the playoffs would be in their lack of experience for playoff atmosphere football.

So you agree that your points for D2 are nonsense.

Finally you make sense.

[KleShreen]

Regionality discourages leaving your region for game.

Well most schools aren't thinking about the semifinals. The teams which are, like GV/Ferris/Mines/Pueblo, go take on good schools from other regions so they can have the edge in possibly hosting a semifinals game. SR1 fans here have admitted they don't care about the semifinals/finals, so I guess it makes sense they don't care to challenge themselves out of their own region.

[IUPNation]

All it takes for an SR1 team to host a semifinal is to actually face decent competition in their non-conference schedule. But the only teams anyone in SR1 is scheduling in non-conference are fellow SR1 teams and HBCU's. So if they get to the semifinals, they have a poor SOS. That's an easy fix on SR1's end. That's on you guys. Face some competition outside of your own bad region, and beat them, and then get to the semifinals. The "advantaged few" are the "advantaged few" because they challenge themselves in non-conference play and win in non-conference play as a region. There's nothing stopping IUP from playing Colorado Mines in their non-conference week. Instead, they schedule, yet again, another SR1 team in Ashland. That's not going to help anything. It's just going to weaken your own region's OWP and SOS.

The MIAA has been SILO.

[IUPNation]

I don't think the portal is bearing out the doomsayer predictions. A minuscule fraction of the portal entries find new homes at 4 year institutions, even less moving up divisions. The NFL is designed to entirely level the playing field with their scheduling and salary cap. Parity is the name of their game. Its why 1st place teams play 1st place teams and so forth, the lowest performing teams pick first and get first claim on waiver pick ups. That is the reason why so many NFL teams seem to come out of nowhere each season, (see 2022 eagles, 2021 bengals), it all comes due eventually in the NFL.

The 2021 Eagles made the playoffs. So did the 2018 and 2019 Eagles.

[GorillaTeacher]

All it takes for an SR1 team to host a semifinal is to actually face decent competition in their non-conference schedule. But the only teams anyone in SR1 is scheduling in non-conference are fellow SR1 teams and HBCU's. So if they get to the semifinals, they have a poor SOS. That's an easy fix on SR1's end. That's on you guys. Face some competition outside of your own bad region, and beat them, and then get to the semifinals. The "advantaged few" are the "advantaged few" because they challenge themselves in non-conference play and win in non-conference play as a region. There's nothing stopping IUP from playing Colorado Mines in their non-conference week. Instead, they schedule, yet again, another SR1 team in Ashland. That's not going to help anything. It's just going to weaken your own region's OWP and SOS.

Regionality discourages leaving your region for game.