NCAA Playoffs

[ShepFan1]

As a Shepherd fan, I am not sure who to root for in the Cal/Rock game. If Cal wins we will host the Rock the following weekend. A Shep/Rock game will essentially be a playoff game with the winner pretty much in the playoffs. If the Rock wins we get Clarion who is winless, definitely will hurt the SOS but as long as we win next week I cant see us losing against Clarion and at 10-1 record should give us a home game in the first round. I could see us dropping down to four in the Regional Rankings if that scenario plays out. However a win against the Rock the final game could move us up. Just need to go out and win next week against a good ESU team and let the chips fall where they may.

[Ram Tough]

I think that the Bentley vs New Haven game will be crucial to how many PSAC teams make playoffs. If Bentley wins, I think we have 5 teams competing for 4 potential PSAC playoff spots. If New Haven wins, I essentially feel like the PSAC is only getting 3 in. Also, if Shepherd and SRU play each other at the end of the season, I feel like that will be an elimination game. After all, a SRU win would give both the Rock and Kutztown head to head over Shepherd. I still see a way that Ship can slip in, but they will definitely need some help.

[Ship69]

I think that the Bentley vs New Haven game will be crucial to how many PSAC teams make playoffs. If Bentley wins, I think we have 5 teams competing for 4 potential PSAC playoff spots. If New Haven wins, I essentially feel like the PSAC is only getting 3 in. Also, if Shepherd and SRU play each other at the end of the season, I feel like that will be an elimination game. After all, a SRU win would give both the Rock and Kutztown head to head over Shepherd. I still see a way that Ship can slip in, but they will definitely need some help.

[shipfbfan1]

Unfortunately for Ship their crossover schedule sucked drawing Edinboro, Clarion and Mercyhurst. If they had drawn Cal, Rock or IUP replacing one of those 3 teams they may have gotten a shot with another quality win. However with their only wins against winning teams being West Virginia (5-4), ESU (5-4), WCU (6-3) they'll need lots of help in the west to sneak into #7. They may crack the top 10 this week at #10 but this is where I wish the PSAC had a bowl game against another regional conference similar to what the D3 conferences do. The MAC and Centennial take the top 4 teams who don't make the D3 playoffs and have a conference challenge with those teams. Winner gets a bowl win, bragging rights and seniors get one final time to strap up the helmet. MEC/PSAC would do well to make a series like this.

[Ram040506]

Unfortunately for Ship their crossover schedule sucked drawing Edinboro, Clarion and Mercyhurst. If they had drawn Cal, Rock or IUP replacing one of those 3 teams they may have gotten a shot with another quality win. However with their only wins against winning teams being West Virginia (5-4), ESU (5-4), WCU (6-3) they'll need lots of help in the west to sneak into #7. They may crack the top 10 this week at #10 but this is where I wish the PSAC had a bowl game against another regional conference similar to what the D3 conferences do. The MAC and Centennial take the top 4 teams who don't make the D3 playoffs and have a conference challenge with those teams. Winner gets a bowl win, bragging rights and seniors get one final time to strap up the helmet. MEC/PSAC would do well to make a series like this.

That's a nice idea for the inter conference challenge. Ship vs Frostburg would be a good game if that projected out in this scenario. IUP vs Charleston. West Chester vs UNC - Pembroke. ESU vs WVSU.

[Ship69]

Unfortunately for Ship their crossover schedule sucked drawing Edinboro, Clarion and Mercyhurst. If they had drawn Cal, Rock or IUP replacing one of those 3 teams they may have gotten a shot with another quality win. However with their only wins against winning teams being West Virginia (5-4), ESU (5-4), WCU (6-3) they'll need lots of help in the west to sneak into #7. They may crack the top 10 this week at #10 but this is where I wish the PSAC had a bowl game against another regional conference similar to what the D3 conferences do. The MAC and Centennial take the top 4 teams who don't make the D3 playoffs and have a conference challenge with those teams. Winner gets a bowl win, bragging rights and seniors get one final time to strap up the helmet. MEC/PSAC would do well to make a series like this.

That might be a decent idea. The advantage of Division II is that you do have an expanded playoff that more truly picks a national champion. The disadvantage is that you can win 8 or 9 (sometimes even 10) games, and there is no postseason, while some of the Division I teams even get in with a 5-6 record! Division I hasn't always had the abundance of bowls it has now. For many years in the Big Ten it was either the Rose Bowl or nothing. I remember that Ara Parseghian had a 7-2 record at Northwestern in 1962 (yeah, they played nine games at that time) and was ranked No. 1 for two weeks, but they stayed home.

Obviously bowl games would have to be a regional thing as huge travel money is not available for most D2 schools. We seem to hit feast or famine with the crossover schedule. In 2019 they drew every strong team in the PSAC and had their heads handed to them. Next year we draw Seton Hill and IUP with Gannon in the flex game. It'll be one of those years when we only have five home games, but it'll be quite the home schedule as IUP, Shepherd, and Kutztown all will visit Ship.

[KU_2014]

What happens if KU loses to WC?

If Kutztown loses to West Chester and Shepherd beats East Stroudsburg, then it's technically a shared division title between Kutztown and Shepherd. Kutztown goes to the conference championship game based on the head-to-head win over Shepherd though.

It would also put Kutztown in a win or go home situation with the conference championship game, as I don't see a three loss Kutztown making the playoffs.

[CALUPA69]

Unfortunately for Ship their crossover schedule sucked drawing Edinboro, Clarion and Mercyhurst. If they had drawn Cal, Rock or IUP replacing one of those 3 teams they may have gotten a shot with another quality win. However with their only wins against winning teams being West Virginia (5-4), ESU (5-4), WCU (6-3) they'll need lots of help in the west to sneak into #7. They may crack the top 10 this week at #10 but this is where I wish the PSAC had a bowl game against another regional conference similar to what the D3 conferences do. The MAC and Centennial take the top 4 teams who don't make the D3 playoffs and have a conference challenge with those teams. Winner gets a bowl win, bragging rights and seniors get one final time to strap up the helmet. MEC/PSAC would do well to make a series like this.

Sorry but I'm the one who disagrees. Post season play in all organized college sports should, IMO, be a reward for exemplary play in the season not a participation trophy that most of the FBS bowls now are. Peewee sports and even some HS are participation sports, meant to allow children to learn virtues like friendship, teamwork and good sportsmanship. Serious HS and certainly college sports should be about striving to succeed and dealing with failure when you don't ie. life lessons. Another lesson to be learned when your very good 9-2 team doesn't get into the PO is actually the primary life lesson...life isn't fair, but you never quit trying.

[Ship69]

Sorry but I'm the one who disagrees. Post season play in all organized college sports should, IMO, be a reward for exemplary play in the season not a participation trophy that most of the FBS bowls now are. Peewee sports and even some HS are participation sports, meant to allow children to learn virtues like friendship, teamwork and good sportsmanship. Serious HS and certainly college sports should be about striving to succeed and dealing with failure when you don't ie. life lessons. Another lesson to be learned when your very good 9-2 team doesn't get into the PO is actually the primary life lesson...life isn't fair, but you never quit trying.

If only conference champions were getting into the playoffs, I might agree with you. Many picks in any playoff system are going to be as much about a conference's perceived strength as actual records on the field. If you really don't want any sort of "participation trophy," then select the teams that actually win their leagues on the field and leave it at that.

[Ram Tough]

If only conference champions were getting into the playoffs, I might agree with you. Many picks in any playoff system are going to be as much about a conference's perceived strength as actual records on the field. If you really don't want any sort of "participation trophy," then select the teams that actually win their leagues on the field and leave it at that.

A little game that doesn't impact the playoffs never harmed anyone.

[Fightingscot82]

If only conference champions were getting into the playoffs, I might agree with you. Many picks in any playoff system are going to be as much about a conference's perceived strength as actual records on the field. If you really don't want any sort of "participation trophy," then select the teams that actually win their leagues on the field and leave it at that.

Larger, deeper conferences allow for more teams with decent records, which inflate SOS. That's been the challenge for the NE10 and MEC in past years - they have 1 or 2 strong teams and the rest with mediocre or worse records that bring down OWP.

[CALUPA69]

If only conference champions were getting into the playoffs, I might agree with you. Many picks in any playoff system are going to be as much about a conference's perceived strength as actual records on the field. If you really don't want any sort of "participation trophy," then select the teams that actually win their leagues on the field and leave it at that.

Currently 17 conferences so eliminate 1 and I'm good with that. Forget about SRs and simply match up the 16 champions by geography. That might be unfortunate for whoever's close to the GLIAC, SAC or MIAA and the NE10 rep will run into the PSAC most every year which might get boring, but I'm sure it can be resolved.

[Ship69]

Larger, deeper conferences allow for more teams with decent records, which inflate SOS. That's been the challenge for the NE10 and MEC in past years - they have 1 or 2 strong teams and the rest with mediocre or worse records that bring down OWP.

That is true. What I'm saying is that it doesn't make much sense to talk about "participation trophy" if one 9-2 team that doesn't win its conference is getting into the postseason and another 9-2 team is not. I don't see a big problem with a couple of regional bowl games when you already have 32 teams in the divisional playoff. I do think Division ! has too many bowls. No way a team with a .500 or below record should be going to postseason. I'm also irritated by basketball leagues, especially in the smaller Division I conferences, who often keep their regular season champion out of the NCAA tourney by sending their tournament champion to the Big Dance.

[Fightingscot82]

Upside for IUP is that Edinboro's win alleviated the hit to IUP's OWP :D

[Horror Child]

The selection criteria was published for all to see. Whether it was crap or not is irrelevant.

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