As I said, a deeper dive into the numbers does reveal some inconsistencies. Mr. Woggers' data does indicate a good argument for us being hosed. Frankly, I don't think the committee does as deep a dive into these numbers and there is more politics that play into selection. Kennesaw State is such a glaring inclusion based on what? No big wins and a loss to Monmouth by 24! I disagree with AustinSaluki's notion that one forfeits the right to argue a P5 just because they suggest that a team like Kennesaw gets in. Kennesaw was pumped up all season and overrated and it paid off for them in the end. It will be interesting to see how they do against Wofford. I hope all the MVCF teams fair well and would love to see three get into the semis, but I am afraid injuries for ISU red will prevent that from happening.
I have a couple of thoughts after digesting this and listening to everything.
First, I think a lot of people got caught up in the fun of it all and didn't look at things objectively. It didn't help that local broadcast personalities were getting people revved up that we were getting a bid. There were some pretty ridiculous questions asked of coaches and players in the post-game following the WIU win along those lines. Additionally, the widespread talk that we had put in a significant bid for a home game broadened the expectations that this was a lock. It's admirable that we put up the cash for a home game, but we should not have been openly talking about it.
Second, the resume was not there. The bottom line was zero wins versus the field. I think we could have changed that with a later game against Illinois State or SEMO, but that's just how it played out for us. UMASS was absolutely putrid this season and obviously didn't help us.
Looking forward, I know that we need the money, but having Wisconsin on the schedule hurts us. Getting to 7-4 in this conference is hard enough and an automatic loss makes it a really hard uphill slog. There is no room for error and we just learned a hard lesson.
I feel bad for the seniors on this team. It's great that we finished two games over .500 and they can be proud of how well we played this year. The loss really hit them hard Saturday and then the NCAA piled on them.
Digesting and I got indigestion.
SIU beat 3 teams with Massey rating under 40, had one FBS win and one FBS loss and no wins or losses below division 1.
Kennesaw beat one team with Massey rating under 90, had no FBS wins, no FBS losses and a couple of below division 1 wins.
Just trying to visualize the score for NDSU vs Kennesaw hurts my head.
It appears to me that if we would have scheduled Tennessee Tech and Mercer and instead of Southeast Missouri State and Arkansas State, we would be 9-3. Would 9-3 have gotten us in as the fifth team out of the MVFC.
The committee seems to be saying this to MVFC teams: schedule only cupcakes outside your league, even D2 or D3 and there will be no penalty.
Leaving 10 points on the field Saturday didn't help our case.
That pathetic crowd didn't help us either.
I agree that Mass doesn't count as a real FBS win. Half of FCS would beat them. They have no business playing there. Point at whatever you want but 0-4 vs. the field leaves you on the wrong side of the bubble every time.
Don't know if we play 11 or 12 next year. Going 8-2 vs. the FCS is the only way we get in for sure. 7-3 puts us right back here. No more losing to SEMO, no more losing to ISUr.
Craving a McBride Special!
Leaving 10 points on the field Saturday didn't help our case.
That pathetic crowd didn't help us either.
I agree that Mass doesn't count as a real FBS win. Half of FCS would beat them. They have no business playing there. Point at whatever you want but 0-4 vs. the field leaves you on the wrong side of the bubble every time.
Don't know if we play 11 or 12 next year. Going 8-2 vs. the FCS is the only way we get in for sure. 7-3 puts us right back here. No more losing to SEMO, no more losing to ISUr.
Yes, this. All of it.
Re: the Wisconsin game, I agree that the only thing it helps is our coffers, but that is life at this level for the likes of us, unfortunately. Making the playoffs doesn't bring in money; in fact, it loses money if you're not seeded and want to host. It's a tricky calculation that I'm sure causes lots of heartburn over at Lingle every year. There is always the hope that will have a good showing. A bad loss to an FBS team (allegedly) doesn't really hurt anyway, right?
(Inflammatory political snark)
I've said all along I did not think we would get in because, despite what the committee says, it's rare they take more than 4 from a conference (although last year I think the Colonial got six in) and we needed at least one more win - needed a record they could not ignore. All the prognosticators were giving me hope, though, and I'm really disappointed. Think we could have gone a ways in the playoffs. We became a much better team after the Redturd disaster game, mainly because Hill started figuring out how to use the talent on the team. Quite sure if we could start the season over, we would have nine or ten wins.
When you look at the objective computer ratings, we deserved to get in. I've watched a number of FCS teams on ESPN+. If the eye test means anything, in the last half of the season we looked like a playoff team, in fact better than a number of the teams in the playoffs. I am absolutely sure that politics sometimes plays a part in the selections too.
Hopefully next year! I think we can be as good or better.
