Looking at SR1 Contenders

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There is still a ton of football to play but here are the contenders and games to watch around the region. These are all undefeated or 1 loss teams. There are a couple of 2 loss teams in the Mountain East in Fairmont State and Shepherd. It would take a lot of chips to fall for them to end up being a player in any possible scenarios. There is a real log jam at the top of the PSAC but IUP sits with 2 losses and a manageable remaining slate. They have a win in hand over Ashland (name over 3-3 record) so if anybody might creep up, it would likely be them.

GMAC
Tiffin (7-0) key games left: at Ohio Dominican (10/20) at Hillsdale (11/3). Also, don't count out a big challenge from neighboring Findlay in season finale (11/10)
Hillsdale (6-1) key games left: Tiffin (11/3) and at 5-1 UIndy (11/10).
Ohio Dominican: Tiffin (10/20)

MEC
Notre Dame College (7-0) Last 4 opponents have a combined record of 9 and 19. Charleston gave Findlay a battle this past weekend and is really the only hurdle at 4-3 in NDC's way to an 11-0 season.

NE10 - None of the 3 top teams have played each other yet. A lot will shake out in the coming weeks.
LIU Post (6-0) key games left: Probably not in the playoff mix but 4-2 Pace will be tough (10/20), Assumption (10/27) and New Haven (11/10)
Assumption (5-1) key games left: New Haven (10/20) and LIU Post (10/27)
New Haven (5-1) key games left: Assumption (10/20) and LIU Post (11/10)

PSAC - Two undefeated teams face off in two weeks and big game same Saturday for SRU.
Kutztown (6-0) key games left: West Chester (10/27) and possible challenge from Edinboro (11/10)
West Chester (6-0) key games left: Kutztown (10/27) and tough one against still dangerous CalU on (11/10)
Slippery Rock (6-1) key games left: No games against other playoff contenders but conference division title on the line against Cal who is 3-1 and a game back in conference (10/27).

Big Games by Week

10/20
ODU vs. Tiffin
New Haven vs. Assumption

10/27
LIU Post vs. Assumption
Kutztown vs. West Chester
Slippery Rock vs. Cal

11/3
Hillsdale vs. Tiffin

11/10
Hillsdale vs. Indianapolis
LIU Post vs. New Haven
West Chester vs. Cal

[Horror Child]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

The PSAC has a championship game on 11/10 which pits the winners of the east and west divisions. It's likely that the West Chester/Kutztown winner will face the Slippery Rock/California winner in that game.

[chargerblue]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

The PSAC has a championship game on 11/10 which pits the winners of the east and west divisions. It's likely that the West Chester/Kutztown winner will face the Slippery Rock/California winner in that game.

How does that work with the scheduled matchups? Do the teams whose opponents end up in the Championship Game then play each other?

[Falconfan]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

For sure a lot of football needs to be played (in just the next couple weeks we will see some shaking-out) before we can get a good guess at who is play-off bound. We can all speculate, but usually our own team biases will be making most of the decisions at this point ...

But it is always fun to make our prognostications and read the insights of all the other fanatics out there!

[HeftyLefty]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

i thought the GMAC now had 'earned access' checked out the D2 playoffs book and their conference is not listed? is there a waiting period?

https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/cha...shipManual.pdf

[chargerblue]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

i thought the GMAC now had 'earned access' checked out the D2 playoffs book and their conference is not listed? is there a waiting period?

https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/cha...shipManual.pdf

That's really strange

[chargerblue]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

Let's see what has changed.

GMAC
Tiffin (9-0)
Hillsdale (8-1)
Ohio Dominican (7-2)

MEC
Notre Dame College (9-0)

NE10
LIU Post (8-0)
Assumption (5-3)
New Haven (7-1)

PSAC -
Kutztown (7-1)
West Chester (8-0)
Slippery Rock (8-1)
IUP still lingering around with 2 losses. Slippery Rock beat them head-to-head. By losing to WC on Saturday Kutztown avoids the conference championship game and potentially another loss. They get Edinboro in the final week who could still be a tough out.

Big Games by Week

11/3
Hillsdale vs. Tiffin

11/10
Hillsdale vs. Indianapolis
Tiffin vs. Findlay
LIU Post vs. New Haven
West Chester vs. Slippery Rock in PSAC Championship Game

Best guess on the breakdown by conference bids:

MEC-1
NE10-2
PSAC-2
GMAC-2 (Hillsdale and Tiffin if both go at least 1-1 in final two games. If one loses both then ODU comes in at 9-2. That's my best guess but if Hillsdale and ODU both end up at 9-2 there is no guarantee who would go. So many times the head to head winner winds up staying home. It happened to Wayne State and Hillsdale. Playing Indianapolis in Week 11 will help the Chargers' SOS numbers though.)

[Dozsa2]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

I must say that, two years in, I'm still glad the GMAC replaced the CIAA in SR1. I always felt like the CIAA was going to get two teams in the playoffs and both would be beaten badly in their first game (minus those years WSSU was transitioning back to Division 2). It just seemed that more often than not, those teams were taking spots from more deserving teams because they had gaudy records against bad opponents. Anyway, I think the GMAC is a decent league with a lot of potential and I'm happy to share a region with them.

[Horror Child]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

How does that work with the scheduled matchups? Do the teams whose opponents end up in the Championship Game then play each other?

Yep. So West Chester will go to Slippery Rock and Bloomsburg, which was Slippery's Rock's original opponent will travel to California, West Chester's original opponent. The conference then gets a true champion which is something the AD's wanted and it minimizes the disruption to most of the conference.

With the conference divided into two divisions, all the east teams are schedule to be AT all of the west teams on the final week, so they all know they're going somewhere far. Next year, it'll swap.

[oilerftbll]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

SR1 will be interesting to watch through the final two weeks of the season. If Tiffin wins out, they will obviously be locked in to the playoffs, but then what happens to Hillsdale and ODU? This week's rankings has ODU at 9th, just outside of the playoffs, while Hillsdale sits on the edge at 7th. If Hillsdale beats Tiffin, you probably have Hillsdale and Tiffin in the playoffs, assuming that Tiffin still beats Findlay (which I personally am not a big fan of that thought). As I mentioned in my picks, it looks like ODU will need help to get in to the playoffs either way, which is still very likely with the way that the remaining schedule could play out.

[chargerblue]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

Yep. So West Chester will go to Slippery Rock and Bloomsburg, which was Slippery's Rock's original opponent will travel to California, West Chester's original opponent. The conference then gets a true champion which is something the AD's wanted and it minimizes the disruption to most of the conference.

With the conference divided into two divisions, all the east teams are schedule to be AT all of the west teams on the final week, so they all know they're going somewhere far. Next year, it'll swap.

Great to see it settled on the field...but it always straps one of your best teams with a Week 11 loss heading into Selection Sunday. I've never really paid much attention to whether it has cost many teams a bid. I'd feel a lot better if Hillsdale had already played Indianapolis but a win could be a huge boost at the end.

[Dozsa2]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

Great to see it settled on the field...but it always straps one of your best teams with a Week 11 loss heading into Selection Sunday. I've never really paid much attention to whether it has cost many teams a bid. I'd feel a lot better if Hillsdale had already played Indianapolis but a win could be a huge boost at the end.

2011, Slippery Rock went to the State Game with an 8-2 record. We lost, 21-14, to Kutztown and missed the playoffs.

But hey, we lost the week prior to a Gannon team that finished with a 4-7 record. That's what really cost us a playoff berth and why I'm sweating these next two weeks against Gannon and West Chester.

[Horror Child]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

Great to see it settled on the field...but it always straps one of your best teams with a Week 11 loss heading into Selection Sunday. I've never really paid much attention to whether it has cost many teams a bid. I'd feel a lot better if Hillsdale had already played Indianapolis but a win could be a huge boost at the end.

Last season West Chester lost to IUP in the PSAC championship game and still made the playoffs. It's really all a matter of what the rest of the region looks like.

Similar what Dozsa2 said about the Rock in 2011, Hillsdale's one point lost to a 4-5 Mich Tech team is the biggest issue so far. But you're right, there's a LOT riding on Hillsdale's last game at Indy. But first thing's first with undefeated Tiffin up next.

[Horror Child]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

2011, Slippery Rock went to the State Game with an 8-2 record. We lost, 21-14, to Kutztown and missed the playoffs.

But hey, we lost the week prior to a Gannon team that finished with a 4-7 record. That's what really cost us a playoff berth and why I'm sweating these next two weeks against Gannon and West Chester.

Good perspective, but the Rock also got earned accessed by Concord that season.

[D2Ohio]

Re: Looking at SR1 Contenders

Best guess on the breakdown by conference bids:

MEC-1
NE10-2
PSAC-2
GMAC-2 (Hillsdale and Tiffin if both go at least 1-1 in final two games. If one loses both then ODU comes in at 9-2. That's my best guess but if Hillsdale and ODU both end up at 9-2 there is no guarantee who would go. So many times the head to head winner winds up staying home. It happened to Wayne State and Hillsdale. Playing Indianapolis in Week 11 will help the Chargers' SOS numbers though.)

Agree with your assessment. If Hillsdale beats UIndy, I can not imagine them not being in, unless they lose to Tiffin bad. ODU remaining SOS is awful.