MEC 2020 Schedules

[boatcapt]

But don't the MEC teams that do play Fairmont get the SOS boost due to Fairmont's win over that 1-10 team. As you previously stated, the direct opponent accounts for 2/3 of SOS, the indirect one just 1/3. Also, besides the "baggage" that they are forced to absorb (poor victim), they get the benefit of Notre Dame scheduling 7-4 Findlay or Urbana playing 8-2 Truman St. Seems there are two sides to the coin, but for the victim, it always comes up tails.

Has someone in the MEC front office given you an update?

I haven't talked to anyone in the MEC office in a year+.

You can call it victim all you want but the facts are the facts. Large part of the MEC going to 12 football playing members was to give every school a .500 SOS. Reasoning behind this was that teams behind the conf winner rarely got a playoff bid even though their W/L record was often better than even the #8 seeded team. The reason most often given for non-selection was poor SOS. A component of the SOS is Opponent Opponents winning % so every conference member takes a bite of the scheduling sandwich of every other conference team and the teams they chose to play. It's one thing if a school chooses to put a Clark Atlantic on their schedule...quite a bit different when the other 10 teams in the conference have to share in the penalty.

The MEC had a plan to address the SOS issue and they chose to abandon it so they have basically said, it is a non-issue to them. Don't want to hear any complaining from 2 loss MEC teams that lose out to other 2 or even 3 loss team(s) come playoff selection time because they had a lower SOS.

[Horror Child]

It does force other schools in the conference to absorb the baggageof whom ever the other schools chose to schedule. It's one thing for Fairmont to accept the SOS hit from scheduling a 1-10 hit...that is their choice. But quite a different story for the other 10 MEC member schools that are forced to play Fairmont and by virtue will also take an SOS hit because of Fairmont's scheduling choice. And to add insult to injury, one MEC school will not share that pain because they dont play Fairmont.

But don't the MEC teams that do play Fairmont get the SOS boost due to Fairmont's win over that 1-10 team. As you previously stated, the direct opponent accounts for 2/3 of SOS, the indirect one just 1/3. Also, besides the "baggage" that they are forced to absorb (poor victim), they get the benefit of Notre Dame scheduling 7-4 Findlay or Urbana playing 8-2 Truman St. Seems there are two sides to the coin, but for the victim, it always comes up tails.

Has someone in the MEC front office given you an update?

[boatcapt]

It does force other schools in the conference to absorb the baggage of whom ever the other schools chose to schedule. It's one thing for Fairmont to accept the SOS hit from scheduling a 1-10 hit...that is their choice. But quite a different story for the other 10 MEC member schools that are forced to play Fairmont and by virtue will also take an SOS hit because of Fairmont's scheduling choice. And to add insult to injury, one MEC school will not share that pain because they dont play Fairmont.

[Horror Child]

To carry the analogy, the current system forces MEC teams to have their grade involuntarily reduced by virtue of the team an opponent chooses to play.

Here we go. "Forces". You sound just like the perennial victim on this message board. Again, your presumption is based on worst case case scenario. "Reduced". Poor victim.

Ultimately the conference can choose to do what it pleases and, in turn, its member institutions within the conference scheduling framework. A closed schedule fixes everyone's SOS to .500. That's an increase for some, but a decrease for others. Is the preference to occasionally get multiple teams in at a three seed or lower, or have only one team qualify and capture the top seed? Keep in mind, six of the last eight region winners were #1 seeds. Check with your someone in the MEC front office.

[boatcapt]

Got it. Probably would work. But it sounds like taking 5 points from the student with a 98 and giving it to the kid who had a 87, so now they're both at 93.

To carry the analogy, the current system forces MEC teams to have their grade involuntarily reduced by virtue of the team an opponent chooses to play.

[Ram040506]

I'd love for Shepherd to get Frostburg on an annual home and home. That would be the start of a great rivalry with a lot of the players having played together or against each other in HS.

[Inkblot]

One thing about this is it gives MEC teams the ability to schedule PSAC teams.

[Horror Child]

The issue a closed schedule and resulting .500 SOS was intended to address was not about the top teams in the region/MEC. It is about getting a 2nd and maybe 3rd MEC team in as perhaps a 6, 7 or 8. Seems like almost every year the #2 and certainly #3 MEC team misses out on the playoffs even though their W/L is often better than a number of teams that do get selected. Reason sited most often for their non selection is poor SOS.

Got it. Probably would work. But it sounds like taking 5 points from the student with a 98 and giving it to the kid who had a 87, so now they're both at 93.

[boatcapt]

One of the elements that separates the top teams in the region, since there are often multiple undefeated teams or multiple one-loss teams, is their SOS. So while a closed schedule gives a floor of .500, it also gives a ceiling of .500.

The issue a closed schedule and resulting .500 SOS was intended to address was not about the top teams in the region/MEC. It is about getting a 2nd and maybe 3rd MEC team in as perhaps a 6, 7 or 8. Seems like almost every year the #2 and certainly #3 MEC team misses out on the playoffs even though their W/L is often better than a number of teams that do get selected. Reason sited most often for their non selection is poor SOS.

[Horror Child]

Makes no sense to me. MEC is sacrificing an in-conference game for the opportunity to play one OOC game. The desire to get to 12 football playing members as told to me by someone in the MEC front office was to 1. Boost the SOS for all teams (in a closed down schedule, every team has a .500 SOS), 2. Insuring a more even ability to compare all teams (every team playing the same opponents makes it easier to compare apples to apples) and 3. Shorten travel distances. Clearly, this thought process has been scrapped.

One of the elements that separates the top teams in the region, since there are often multiple undefeated teams or multiple one-loss teams, is their SOS. So while a closed schedule gives a floor of .500, it also gives a ceiling of .500.

[boatcapt]

Makes no sense to me. MEC is sacrificing an in-conference game for the opportunity to play one OOC game. The desire to get to 12 football playing members as told to me by someone in the MEC front office was to 1. Boost the SOS for all teams (in a closed down schedule, every team has a .500 SOS), 2. Insuring a more even ability to compare all teams (every team playing the same opponents makes it easier to compare apples to apples) and 3. Shorten travel distances. Clearly, this thought process has been scrapped.

Part of the issue with SOS is the 1/3 value placed on Opponents Opponent W/L record. While it is understandable from a SOS standpoint that a team "owns" by controlling who they chose to schedule, often overlooked is that a team also "owns" the teams that their opponent chooses to schedule. In the case of Fairmont, they own what will probably be a pretty big SOS hit from scheduling Shorter but they ALSO take a SOS hit from who Shorter scheduled in zero win Clark Atlantic and brand new DII football program Erskine AND...Every MEC team that has Fairmont on it's schedule will own not just the W/L of Fairmont, but also the W/L of Shorter...but one MEC team will not own this number.

[WVIAC-F-EVER]

First week is open in MEC

concord right now is only playing 10 games

West Virginia State U is hosting Shippensburg per the raiders web site - https://shipraiders.com/sports/football/schedule

[Inkblot]

Shorter's schedule is out now, and it has them playing Fairmont State in Week 1. All signs seem to be pointing to the entire MEC playing non-conference games (or else having byes) in Week 1.

[CALUPA69]

UNCP's schedule for their first year in the MEC:

9/5 at Winston-Salem St
9/12 WV Wesleyan
9/19 at Glenville St
9/26 at Fairmont St
10/3 Frostburg St
10/10 at Wheeling
10/17 West Va St (homecoming)
10/24 at Charleston
10/31 West Liberty
11/7 at Notre Dame (Ohio)
11/14 Concord

Odd man out this year due to the WSSU game is Urbana.

I wasn't initially aware of the location of PEMBROKE,NC. Sort of guessed it was in the Western mountains and so not crazy far from WV. I was wrong. The AVERAGE round trip distance for the six road games on the UNC-PEMBROKE schedule is 636 MILES with two OVER 1,000 MILES. While conferences like the LSC, NSIC and RMAC understandably must deal with long road trips, I can't for my life understand the logic of this connection. It would be like SETON HILL U joining the NE10. In D1 FB these trips make sense based on money but there is nothing close to any financial gain here. Any BRAVES fans care to clarify this decision ?

[ShoNuff]

Could it be that everyone is playing a non-conference game in Week 1? West Florida's schedule shows them playing WVWC in Week 1. Meanwhile, Charleston continues to have a Week 1 opening advertised on D2football.com.

Oh my goodness....why on earth would WVWC take THIS game?