Bryant - Season 85 (DIII) Topic

Bryant DIII - Season 85 Preview

Team Rankings

So this time I have extracted the data for 40 teams that I think will be competitive this season. I then used my attribute weights to rank them, taking into account the players that are most likely to start for each team, and the likelihood of the coaches split between run and pass in terms of playing style. I ended up, just as like season, with an offensive ranking, a defensive ranking, and an overall ranking. So below are the elkhour Power Rankings (EPR) for DIII Bryant - Season 85.

1. Huntingdon (superv97)
Overall rating: 577 (rank 1)
Offense rating: 573 (rank 2)
Defense rating: 581 (rank 1)
Analysis: Again? Yes! Huntingdon is still the #1 team on paper in DIII Bryant, will this be the season when they finally win it all? Coach superv97 is definitely hoping so. Huntingdon has been a key competitor in the last 4 seasons, losing 3 consecutive national championships games before getting eliminated by Ferrum in the Regional Finals last season. With a solid OOC schedule, they cannot afford to trip if they want to make it 3 straight undefeated regular seasons.
Key Games: South-Sewanee (Wk 1), @Trinity (TX) (Wk 2), Menlo (Wk 5)
Players To Watch: Timothy Carlson, Michael Robinson, Douglas Moore

2. Loras (bisoneer)
Overall rating: 572 (rank 2)
Offense rating: 585 (rank 1)
Defense rating: 560 (rank 3)
Analysis: Loras has a scary offense this year, behind their RS Sr QB William Ward, protected by an offensive line that consists of 4 Sr and 1 RS Jr. The Season 81 National Champions look like they're back on track for a serious title challenge this season, having the best offense in DIII and a defense that is ranked third as well. They haven't lost a conference game in the last 4 seasons, and it looks like Waynesburg is all that stands between them and repeating this achievement for the fifth consecutive season.
Key Games: La Verne (Wk 3), @Wisconsin Lutheran (Wk 5), Waynesburg (Wk 7)
Players To Watch: William Ward, James Lawson, Jeffrey Burnett 

3. Ferrum (bugeaters11)
Overall rating: 563 (rank 3)
Offense rating: 556 (rank 5)
Defense rating: 571 (rank 2)
Analysis: Remember Michael Cannon? Well, he's gone... But hey, did Ferrum ever disappoint? They've been to the playoffs 14 consecutive times, and they won one National Championship out of them. bugeaters11 has lead them to 5 conference championships, and he hasn't lost a conference game in the last 2 seasons. However, the USA South is getting really competitive, with a lot of new coaches joining, and soon enough Ferrum will be seriously challenged to keep their stature of the conference powerhouse.
Key Games: Wilmington (OH) (Wk 3), Wesley (Wk 4), @Maryville (TN) (Wk 7)
Players To Watch: Thomas Kim, Joshua Lange, Claude Avery

4. MIT (jmp78)
Overall rating: 558 (rank 4)
Offense rating: 566 (rank 3)
Defense rating: 549 (rank 4)
Analysis: Remember tribewriter? Well, he's gone too... But he has left the new coach jmp78 some serious bunch of talent to keep MIT where he left it, a serious national contender year in/year out. The season 82 national champions have also won 6 consecutive conference championships, and 10 out of the last 11. There is no reason to doubt their ability to win the NESCAC once again in Season 85. And talk about contending for the national championship, well they definitely have the talent to compete once again, as long as the players quickly adapt to their new coach's system.
Key Games: @Maryville (TN) (Wk 4), @Concordia (WI) (Wk 5)
Players To Watch: Richard Young, Joseph Hammond, Christopher Brooks

5. Mount Union (gezeus)
Overall rating: 549 (rank 5)
Offense rating: 566 (rank 4)
Defense rating: 532 (rank 13)
Analysis: Mount Union has consistently been a contender with 5 playoff appearances and 4 conference championships in the last 5 seasons. They just haven't been able to pull it off when it matters most, and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in the past 2 seasons. Coach gezeus definitely wants to change this in season 85, but a simple look at the ratings above tells you that his defense must step up to lead this team to a deep playoff run. Their weakest link this season seems to be at the LB position.
Key Games: Husson (Wk 1), Wilmington (OH) (Wk 6), Capital (Wk 11)
Players To Watch: James Adams, Samuel Peters, Herbert Richard

6. Austin (eblake)
Overall rating: 546 (rank 6)
Offense rating: 547 (rank 9)
Defense rating: 546 (rank 5)
Analysis: With 5 consecutive playoff appearances, including 2 conference championships, in one of the most competitive conferences in DIII Bryant that is the American Southwest, Austin has never one a national championship in Bryant, and this is something that eblake has been looking to change for some time. Look for their game against California Lutheran on 11/28 to be a showdown, and probably the mythical ASC North Division Championship Game. Austin has a very solid team all around, and their weakest link this season seems to be the offensive line.
Key Games: Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Wk 3), California Lutheran (Wk 9), @Texas Lutheran (Wk 10)
Players To Watch: Gerald King, Jose Egan, John Roberts

7. Gettysburg (hallgren)
Overall rating: 545 (rank 7)
Offense rating: 547 (rank 8)
Defense rating: 543 (rank 8)
Analysis: Well can you NOT be happy for hallgren? It took him 57 seasons to win a national championship in Bryant. I was glad he was finally able to pull it off last season, and now the team has the daunted task of defending that national championship. This hasn't been easy in Bryant lately, as it's been 13 seasons since Shenandoah won back-to-back DIII titles. Oh and by the way, in those 12 seasons, we had 11 different national champions (only Merchant Marine won it twice). Gettysburg has what it takes to repeat though, and their weakest link seems to be at the TE position.
Key Games: @Washington (MO) (Wk 4), Albion (Wk 5), @Union (NY) (Wk 6), Franklin & Marshall (Wk 11)
Players To Watch: Steven Blue, Steve Morrison, Ray Womack

8. Concordia (WI) (elkhour)
Overall rating: 541 (rank 8)
Offense rating: 537 (rank 11)
Defense rating: 544 (rank 6)
Analysis: With 4 playoff appearances in the last 4 seasons, including 4 conference championships and a national championship, Concordia (WI) is once again in our Top 10. They haven't lost a conference game in the last 4 seasons, and they are hoping history repeats itself. In Season 82, they lost to Curry in the first round of the playoffs, and then won the NC in Season 83. Well last year they lost to Curry once again in the first round of the playoffs, will they win the NC this season? Their players have to really step up for them to have a chance, as they seem to lack the depth of a serious national contender.
Key Games: @Macalester (Wk 1), @Hiram (Wk 2), Curry (Wk 3), MIT (Wk 5), @Greenville (Wk 12)
Players To Watch: Lee Garcia, Paul Pierce, Charles Rhodes

9. Susquehanna (tannhauser)
Overall rating: 538 (rank 9)
Offense rating: 548 (rank 7)
Defense rating: 528 (rank 15)
Analysis: Well they have 16 playoff appearances including 12 conference championships in the last 17 seasons, but yet to win a national championship. Coach tannhauser has consistently made a serious contender out of Susquehanna, but he's yet to win the whole thing. With a good offense and a well balanced team around the field, Susquehanna looks more than capable of a good playoff run in Season 85.
Key Games: Trinity (TX) (Wk 3), @Hiram (Wk 5), Fairleigh Dickinson (Wk 6), King's (Wk 13)
Players To Watch: David Mathews, Brandon Benson, Timothy Aaron

10. Wisconsin-Stout (tsnhusker)
Overall rating: 537 (rank 10)
Offense rating: 531 (rank 15)
Defense rating: 544 (rank 7)
Analysis: Well, Mount Union, Gettysburg, and MIT might have lost to SIM teams last season, but if you ask me "What was the biggest upset of Bryant DIII - Season 84?", my answer would definitely be "Wisconsin-Stout missing out on the playoffs". Fortunately, elkhour has bright ideas and this season, you guys will all be able to vote for things like that in the end of regular seasons polls. Now seriously, Wisconsin-Stout has always been a contender and this season, it earns the #10 EPR ranking. I have no doubt whatsoever that tsnhusker and Wisconsin-Stout are bound for a rebound this season, despite the WIAC getting REALLY competitive!
Key Games: Hiram (Wk 3), Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Wk 7)
Players To Watch: Kenneth Diaz, Jesus Kerr, Kevin Knight

Remaining Rankings (Coach, Overall rating, Offense rating-Offense rank, Defense rating-Defense rank):
11. California Lutheran (wine22, 535, 551-6, 519-22)
12. Trinity (TX) (soupman78734, 532, 532-13, 532-12)
13. Merchant Marine (bluegoogs, 532, 522-21, 542-9)
14. Linfield (kcwallace, 530, 523-20, 536-10)
15. East Texas Baptist (albright73, 527, 536-12, 517-24)
16. Colorado College (lawhorns, 526, 532-14, 521-21)
17. Guilford (bce98a, 525, 524-19, 526-17)
18. Norwich (sim AI, 524, 521-22, 527-16)
19. Whittier (travs, 523, 521-24, 525-18)
20. Benedictine (sim AI, 520, 525-18, 516-25)
21. Otterbein (sim AI, 519, 517-27, 522-19)
22. Menlo (dscv10, 518, 518-26, 518-23)
23. Wisconsin-Platteville (slid64er, 518, 521-23, 514-26)
24. Greenville (chefadamo, 516, 502-32, 529-14)
25. St. Olaf (mfnmyers, 515, 494-33, 535-11)


Conference Predictions:
ASC                      California Lutheran
CC                        Gettysburg
FFC                      Merchant Marine
IBFC                    Concordia (WI)
IIAC                      Loras
MIAA                     Colorado College
MAC                     Susquehanna
MWC                    St. Norbert
MIAC                    St. Olaf
NEFC                  Curry
NESCAC            MIT
NJAC                  Huntingdon
NCAC                Oberlin
NWC                  Linfield
OAC                   Mount Union
ODAC                Bridgewater (VA)
SCAC                Trinity (TX)
USA South       Ferrum
WIAC                 Wisconsin-Stout
11/18/2012 1:10 PM (edited)
Top Games DAILY Updates & Next day top games preview

11/20
Week 1 of the regular season is over, and we had a bunch of coaches and good teams kicking off their season with competitive games.
NC favorites and #1 EPR Huntingdon started with a 17-0 complete shutdown against Sewanee, outgaining them 447 yards to 181. Timothy Carlson was the player of the game, finishing 28/43 for 384 yards and 2 TD.
Concordia (WI) started off with a convincing 32-13 win at Macalester. Defense was they key for them, with great performances from John Hernandez (10 TCK, 3 SCK, 1 FF) and William Martinez (4 TCK, 1 SCK, 1 FF, 2 INT, 1 PD). They outgained their opponents 421 yards to 222, and forced a total of 4 turnovers.
In a very close game, Mount Union took care of business and walked out with a 30-23 win against Husson, who were surprisingly much better than expected and outgained Mount Union in total yards, but couldn't pull it off. The game ended in the most dramatic of ways, when Steve Reed connected with James Adams on a 93-yard touchdown pass, with the score tied at 23 with only 20 seconds remaining.
In what can be considered a minor upset, Union (NY) showed they are for real this season with a 37-26 win over Colorado College. They completely controlled the game with their RB tandem, Phillip Santana (18 CAR, 141 YDS, 2 TD) and Jay Estrada (14 CAR, 100 YDS, 1 TD)

11/21
Week 2 is in the books, and the highlight is the surprising 0-2 start for Colorado College, after another 14-21 loss to Curry. Colorado allowed 21 unanswered points in the last 10 minutes, after completely shutting down Curry in the first 50. Despite outgaining their opponents 419 yards to 282, Colorado allowed 5 turnovers in the game, and that enough to make the difference.
The game of the week was a very close and hard fought battle, with Trinity (TX) pulling out a 18-16 upset against EPR #1 Huntingdon. Timothy Carlson was sacked in the endzone with 3:10 remaining, and that made the difference. Trinity's defense was behind their win, with good contributions from John Simpson (10 TCK, 1 SCK) and Samuel Quinn (9 TCK).
Another huge upset saw Colby walking out with 30-29 double overtime win against Loras on the road. Andrew Johnson kicked a 39-yard field goal with 0:04 remaining in regulation to tie the game, but this only "delayed" the upset. He then missed an extra point in OT2, causing Loras to suffer a dramatic upset, despite 4 turnovers throughout the game by Colby.
In another close game that ended up as a defensive struggle, Whittier did enough to walk away with a 13-6 win against King's (PA). Michael Roberts (10 TCK, 2 SCK) was the player of the game. Whittier completely shut down the run, holding King's to just 19 yards on 18 carries.
In the last of our top games for today, Concordia (WI) walked away with their second consecutive win this season, after a 41-28 effort against Hiram. Lee Garcia replaced the RS Fr QB Kevin Harper in the second half, and he was sharp once again, almost walking out with a perfect game (15/16, 191 yards, 3 TD). Michael Donnelly had 7 catches for 135 yards and 2 TD.

11/22
Several teams from the SCAC were having top games in Week 3, unfortunately for the conference, they all lost.
After defeating the #1 EPR and NC favorite Huntingdon last week, Trinity (TX) had another close game, this time suffering a 15-18 loss to Susquehanna. John York connected with Edward Shelton on a 1-yard toss to tie the game for Susquehanna with 5:16 remaining, and then Anthony Dugan made a 34-yard field goal to win it with only 0:08 left.
Loras overcame a 10-point deficit at halftime to beat La Verne 20-10. Fr QB Robert Newman (19/27, 194 yards, 2 TD) was the player of the game.
Whittier was the final SCAC team involved in top games this week, losing 24-30 to Greenville. Joseph Mills kept making his case for best rookie RB in DIII Bryant, finishing with 6 carries for 138 yards and 1 TD. He also had a catch for 8 yards. Greenville is now 3-0.
The other powerhouse of the IBFC, Concordia (WI), also made a 3-0 start, avenging their last season first round playoff loss with a 13-6 win against Curry. In a low-scoring affair, Leroy Carter made a 42-yard field goal to tie the game at 6 for Curry, with 1:14 remaining. Right after that, Goerge Chavez returned the kickoff for 89 yards to score the game winning touchdown for Concordia. This was the only TD of the game, and Concordia moved to top the Press Rankings after this win.
In the last of our top games for this week, King's defeated Colorado College 19-7, behind a good performance by Richard Holden (35/55, 348 yards, 2 TD). In the past 9 seasons, Colorado had never lost 3 games in the entire regular season. This season, however, they have an 0-3 start.

11/23
Week 4 was not different than Week 3 in terms of the SCAC teams being booked in competitive games.
Trinity (TX) suffered their second consecutive loss of season, 37-40 against Howard Payne. The game saw a dramatic finish. Leo Arrington made a 28-yard field goal to tie the game at 37 for Trinity with 0:20 remaining. Ray Riley then returned the kickoff for 94 yards, to set up the game winning field goal for Howard Payne with 2 seconds left.
In another losing effort for the SCAC, Menlo defeated Redlands 47-30. Menlo's prolific offense kept rolling, and Paul Lewis made another huge effort to contribute to his player of the year candidacy, finishing 38/52 for 493 yards, 7 TD, 1 INT. Menlo is now 4-0, ranked #6 in the first WIS rankings for this season.
Whittier were back on track with a 23-7 win against California Lutheran, scoring 17 unanswered points in the second half. Kenneth Smith was the player of the game, with 11 TCK, 1 FF, and 2 PD.
Defending national champions Gettysburg had a comfortable win in their first competitive game this season, 35-19 against Washington (MO). Their RB tandem had another great game, Steve Morrison had 19 carries for 105 yards and a TD, while John Gore had 16 carries for 124 yards and a TD. 
After week 4, the first WIS Rankings of the seasons were out, and they were topped by Austin

11/24
OOC games are over fellas, and top teams were playing each other in this last week, as we go over 4 top games.
#4 Concordia (WI) finished their OOC schedule undefeated after a 20-3 win against #11 MIT. Concordia outgained MIT 350 yards to 257, and had 36:04 TOP. The last time Concordia defeated MIT in the OOC seasonal rivalry, they went on to become undefeated national champions. Concordia has gained a couple of spot in the WIS rankings after this win, jumping to #2.
In a close and hard fought battle, #21 Huntingdon shut down the prolific offense of #6 Menlo, beating them 22-19. Paul Lewis had the toughest game of his career, finishing 44/72 for 417 yards, 2 TD, 5 INT. Huntingdon jumped to #9 after this win, while Menlo dropped to #18.
In a game between top 10 teams, #1 Austin did enough to walk away with a 16-13 win against #7 Methodist. Despite the win, Austin dropped to #2, leaving St. Olaf on top of the rankings, while Methodist dropped to #12.
In other top games, Susquehanna defeated Hiram 20-17, and Loras defeated Wisconsin Lutheran 24-21.

11/25
Week 6 is of course the first week of conference play, where teams who slipped earlier in OOC get their final chance to make the playoffs with an automatic bid. Let's start with the upsets.
#8 Bluffton is undefeated no more, suffering a surprising 10-20 loss against Randolph-Macon. Bluffton just couldn't get anything going, finishing with 179 yards of total offense, compared to Randolph-Macon's 275.
Another upset saw #11 New Jersey also losing their first game of the season, 20-21 against Chapman. David Fontenot connected with Steve Wright on a 8-yard TD pass with 1:23 remaining to win it for Chapman. Tyler Parker's effort (22 CAR, 177 YDS) wasn't enough to lift New Jersey.
Moving on to the Week 6 top games, and the hottest one was in the OAC, with #17 Mount Union pulling off a comfortable 24-3 win against #14 Wlimington (OH). Steve Reed (22/39, 347 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT) was voted the player of the game.
In another huge game, this time in the very competitive ASC, #5 Howard Payne held on to pull off an important 36-29 victory against California Lutheran. Howard Payne went all running, finishing with 275 rushing yards on 65 carries. With a win against one of the ASC top dogs, they have proved that this team is for real.
In the CC, defending national champions #6 Gettysburg remained undefeated, pulling off a close 24-17 win at Union (NY). They had great contributions from their RB tandem once again, Steve Morrison (18 CAR, 121 YDS, 1 TD) and John Gore (23 CAR, 79 YDS, 1 TD). They also had good contribution from their defensive linemen, George Torres (9 TCK, 1 FF, 1 PD) and Ray Womack (7 TCK, 1 SCK, 1 FF).
Week 6 WIS Rankings: 1. Austin (6-0), 2. Wisconsin-Platteville (6-0), 3. Concordia (WI) (6-0), 4. Ferrum (6-0), 5. Howard Payne (6-0), 6. Gettysburg (6-0), 7. St. Olaf (6-0), 8. Huntingdon (5-1), 9. Whittier (5-1), 10. Mount Union (6-0)

11/26
Week 7 is in the books, and no major upsets this week as all of the Top 20 teams have won their games. Below is a summary of Week 7 top games:
In the IIAC, Loras were dominant against Waynesburg, walking away with a 26-6 win. William Ward had a huge game, finishing 18/31 for 233 yards and a TD. He also had 11 carries for 120 yards and a rushing TD. Loras outgained Waynesburg 445 yards to 252, and sacked Travis Dillon 4 times. With those teams looking like pretty much everything in the IIAC, a possible rematch for the Conference Championship is expected.
In the ODAC, #22 Bluffton suffered their second consecutive defeat of the season after a 5-0 start, this time losing 14-24 against Bridgewater (VA). Bridgewater's defense was key for them, as they forced 4 fumbles, recovering 3 out of them for turnovers, and returning 2 of them for TDs.
In the SCAC, Rhodes defeated #23 Sewanee 23-14, and #11 Trinity (TX) did enough to manage a 31-28 win against La Verne. With most of the human coached teams still having decent records despite tough OOC schedules, the SCAC is looking like one of the most competitive conferences this season.
In the WIAC, #15 Wisconsin-Stout were convincing once again in their 43-12 win against Wisconsin-Stevens Point. After surprisingly missing the playoffs last season, this team was tipped for a huge rebound this seasons, and they're definitely delivering, standing at a 7-0 overall record so far. John Nelson had a great game, finishing 21/34 for 383 yards and 3 TD.
Week 7 WIS Rankings: 1. Concordia (WI) (7-0), 2. Austin (7-0), 3. Wisconsin-Platteville (7-0), 4. Howard Payne (7-0), 5. Gettysburg (7-0), 6. St. Olaf (7-0), 7. Ferrum (7-0), 8. Mount Union (7-0), 9. Huntingdon (6-1), 10. Whittier (6-1)

11/27
Week 8 is behind us, and now we get to the most important part of the regular season as divisional games start tomorrow. Again no major upsets today, so let's move to our top games review.
In one of the greatest and most dramatic games I've seen in my short GD career, #19 Linfield escaped with a 59-55 win against #16 Menlo. Linfield got the ball trailing by 17 with 4:05 remaining. They scored a TD on a 8 play, 82 yard drive that took 1:37. They then forced an interception to get the ball back on their own 6, and Peter Park scrambled for 91 yards to set up another TD, cutting the lead down to 3 with 1:07 remaining. Linfield then recovered the onside kick, and scored another TD on a 6 play, 56 yard drive to take a 59-55 lead with just 19 seconds left. That was enough to secure a very important win, in a game that was an absolute shootout, where Linfild had 90 passing attempts, and Menlo had 70.
In the very competitive ASC, California Lutheran did enough to secure a 24-17 win against East Texas Baptist. They improved to #19 in the WIS rankings with this win, while ETBU suffered their first loss this season. Robert Alvarado (20/39, 237 YDS, 3 TD) was the player of the game.
In the NCAC, Donald Green made a 34-yard FG with 1:03 remaining to help #21 Oberlin maintain their undefeated record, with a 36-35 win against Ohio Wesleyan. William Richardson (25 CAR, 155 YDS, 2 TD) was the player of the game.
Week 8 WIS Rankings: 1. Concordia (WI) (8-0), 2. Wisconsin-Platteville (8-0), 3. Austin (8-0), 4. Ferrum (8-0), 5. Gettysburg (8-0), 6. St. Olaf (8-0), 7. Howard Payne (8-0), 8. Wisconsin-Stout (8-0), 9. Trinity (TX) (6-2), 10. Mount Union (8-0).

11/28
Week 9 is history, and 2 top games shook off the WIS Rankings. In the Game of the Week, #19 California Lutheran improved 7 ranks, after a 27-6 win against #3 Austin, who dropped to #6, behind good performances from Robert Alvarado (21/36, 276 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT) and Thomas Mack (23 CAR, 109 YDS, 1 TD). That was Austin's first loss this season.
The SCAC continued to prove that it's wide open this year, Sewanee getting the best out of their game against #12 Whittier, beating them 27-21. Whittier lost 5 ranks with this loss, dropping down to #17. Norman Crowder had 16 carries for 109 yards and a TD, David Santos had 6 catches for 100 yards.
In the CC, defending national champions #5 Gettysburg did just enough to get a priceless 31-29 win against Muhlenberg, and improve to #3. Not that this is something new, but another good contribution from their RB tandem Steve Morrison (26 CAR, 169 YDS, 1 TD) and John Gore (15 CAR, 133 YDS, 3 TD).
The state of Wisconsin keeps looking solid, having Wisconsin-Platteville at #1, Concordia (WI) at #2, and Wisconsin-Stout at #11, all undefeated at 9-0.
Week 9 WIS Rankings: 1. Wisconsin-Platteville (9-0), 2. Concordia (WI) (9-0), 3. Gettysburg (9-0), 4. Ferrum (9-0), 5. Howard Payne (9-0), 6. Austin (8-1), 7. St. Olaf (9-0), 8. Huntingdon (8-1), 9. Trinity (TX) (9-2), 10. Mount Union (9-0)

11/29
At the end of today's simulation, every team in DIII had played 10 games, and Merchant Marine had lost their first one.
Western Connecticut State stunned #14 Merchant Marine in overtime, 20-17. Wesley Stafford tossed a 3-yard TD pass to Joseph Hill to tie the game with 4:19 remaining, and then James Jones kicked a 39-yard FG in OT to complete the upset. Western Conn St has improved to 7-3 with this win.
In the Game Of The Week, #6 Austin bounced back from their loss to California Lutheran and got an important 34-24 win against Texas Lutheran. Austin still needs Cal Lutheran to drop one of their last 3 games in order to qualify for the conference championship.
In the MWC, Chicago took a huge step towards the CC after a convincing 26-9 win against #22 Washington (MO). Both teams are now 8-2, but Washington (MO) dropped out of the Top 25 after this loss.
Week 10 WIS Rankings: 1. Ferrum (10-0), 2. Concordia (WI) (10-0), 3. Wisconsin-Platteville (10-0), 4. Gettysburg (10-0), 5. Howard Payne (10-0), 6. Austin (9-1), 7. Linfield (10-0), 8. Huntingdon (9-1), 9. Trinity (TX) (8-2), 10. California Lutheran (8-2).

11/30
We are 2 games away from the post season, and let's start today's review with a couple of upsets. The number of undefeated teams after 11 games has gone down to 8, after two previously undefeated teams suffered their first loss of the season in Week 10.
In the ASC, #5 Howard Payne are undefeated no more after a 7-20 loss against Louisiana. They just couldn't get anything going on offense, and their QB Louis White finished 1/8 for 6 yards and an INT.
In the NCAC, another previously undefeated team fell off as #22 Oberlin suffered a dramatic 17-20 overtime loss at Wittenberg. David Hampton kicked a 33-yard FG with 4:21 remaining in regulation to tie the game, and then another 33-yard FG in overtime to win it for Wittenberg. Oberlin couldn't find an answer to Harold Workman who finished with 9 catches for 107 yards and 2 TD.
In another upset, #15 Wilmington lost 16-24 against Marietta in the OAC. Wilmington wasn't able to take good care of the football, and 3 turnovers tipped the scales towards Marietta.
In the Game of the Week, defending national champions #4 Gettysburg totally outplayed Franklin & Marshall and beat them 37-6. They did the usual, running the football very well, with 2 names that must be very popular to you by now: Steve Morrison (19 CAR, 122 YDS, 1 TD) and John Gore (13 CAR, 53 YDS). Their QB Steven Blue didn't have the best of games but got the job done, finishing 11/23 for 162 YDS and 2 TD.
Week 11 WIS Rankings: 1. Concordia (WI) (11-0), 2. Wisconsin-Platteville (11-0), 3. Gettysburg (11-0), 4. Ferrum (11-0), 5. St. Olaf (11-0), 6. Austin (10-1), 7. California Lutheran (9-2), 8. Trinity (TX) (9-2), 9. Huntingdon (10-1), 10. Mount Union (11-0)
The remaining 11-0 teams are #11 Linfield and #13 Wisconsin-Stout.

12/1
With one more week left in the regular season, upsets continued as #17 Susquehanna suffered a 23-26 quadruple overtime loss against Albright. Anthony Dugan missed a 23-yard FG in OT4, and Susquehanna walked away with their second loss this season. They can still make the MAC championship game if they beat King's in their season finale.
Moving to the top games, #1 Concordia (WI) remained undefeated after a thrilling 26-15 win against #18 Greenville to clinch the division and move to the IBFC championship game. Lee Garcia came in at halftime and was sharp once again, finishing 13/17 for 131 yards and a TD. Concordia however lost the efforts of tireless WR Robert Barber, who will be out for the next 2 games.
In the ASC, #12 Howard Payne suffered their second consecutive loss after a 10-0 start, losing 28-40 against East Texas Baptist. East Texas Baptist now has its destiny in its own hand, and a win tomorrow will see them through to the ASC Championship game. If California Lutheran also wins, they will play ETBU on Monday.
In the SCAC, Trinity (TX) clinched the North division with a 27-6 win against Rhodes, and moved to the SCAC championship game. Randy Fletcher (19 CAR, 114 YDS, 2 TD, 3 REC, 24 YDS) was the player of the game.
Week 12 WIS Rankings: 1. Wisconsin-Platteville (12-0), 2. Concordia (WI) (12-0), 3. Gettysburg (12-0), 4. Ferrum (12-0), 5. Huntingdon (11-1), 6. California Lutheran (10-2), 7. St. Olaf (12-0), 8. Trinity (TX) (10-2), 9. Austin (11-1), 10. Mount Union (12-0)

12/2
The regular season is over, and for many coaches, the real season has just started. No major upsets in Week 13, but some major games that shaped the CC picture took place.
In the MIAA, Colorado College might be going to the playoffs as one of the hottest team, after a 26-6 win at #11 Macalester. This was Colorado's 10th consecutive win this season, after a surprising 0-3 start. Colorado will now play Wisconsin Lutheran (9-4) for the MIAA crown. If they win, they might be going to the playoffs as a #8 seed and be a real pain of a matchup for the corresponding #1 (who might actually be me by the way haha).
In the MAC, #24 King's finished the season undefeated in the conference, after a close 20-17 win against #21 Susquehanna, who suffered their second consecutive loss, and the third of the season. They now play Fairleigh Dickison for the MAC championship game tomorrow. With this loss, Susquehanna has dropped to #25 , and they will be hoping there won't be many upsets in the CC games so that they still sneak into the playoffs with an at-large bid.
After a 1-5 start, Kean has continued their great run, and managed their seventh consecutive win, edging New Jersey by a score of 20-16, and clinching the NJAC North division in the process, to qualify to the CC game with the daunted task of playing Huntingdon. John Richardson's deep pass was incomplete on 4th & 6 with 10 seconds left, and Kean hold on to win the game.
Week 13 WIS Rankings: 1. Wisconsin-Platteville (13-0), 2. Concordia (WI) (13-0), 3. Ferrum (13-0), 4. Gettysburg (13-0), 5. Trinity (TX) (11-2), 6. Huntingdon (12-1), 7. California Lutheran (11-2), 8. Mount Union (13-0), 9. MIT (12-1), 10. St. Olaf (13-0)
Remaining teams with 13-0 undefeated regular season are #12 Wisconsin-Stout and #13 Linfield.

12/3
Our final review of the season, as shortly we will be busy doing playoff predictions, let's go over the best CC games!
If you guys thought that the regular season game between Linfield and Menlo was the best in a while in DIII Bryant, you should probably think again. In the NWC championship game, we had another nail-biter. Speaking of "Deja Vu", Menlo had a comfortable 48-30 lead with 9:46 remaining, and looked like on their way to avenge their regular season loss, but then the unimaginable happened... once again! Jason Johnson caught a 14-yard TD pass from Peter Park with 8:31 remaining to cut the lead down to 11. Later, Tommy Cole picked off Paul Lewis to give Linfield hope once again. Getting the football back, Kevin Griffin caught a 14-yard TD pass from Peter Park with 3:36 left, and Linfield converted the 2 to make it a 3-point game. Rather than going for the FG, Menlo went for it on 4th & 8 on the Linfield 27-yard line with 1:39 left, but couldn't convert. Linfield got the football back needing a FG in one-and-a-half minute to force OT, but instead scored a TD to win it, Peter Park connecting with Bruce Berry on a 2-yard toss with 16 seconds remaining. #13 Linfield escapes once again with a 52-48 win against #23 Menlo, this time to win the ASC championship. This was probably the longest single-game review I will ever write, but my God that game was worth it!
Another interesting game was the IIAC championship, and another wild finish as #15 Loras escaped with a 22-17 win against #18 Waynesburg. Derek Buckley scored a 42-yard FG to give Waynesburg a 1-point lead with 1:01 remaining, but then William Ward connected with John Murphy on a 77-yard TD pass to give Loras the win with 47 seconds left.
Reviewing quickly the top 2 conferences of DIII Bryant Season 85, #14 Whittier defeated #5 Trinity (TX) 38-31 to win the SCAC, and East Texas Baptist stunned (it wasn't the fact that they won but the margin) #7 California Lutheran 31-3 to win the ASC. Good news for the ASC, they get to be represented by 4 teams in the playoffs!
12/3/2012 3:14 PM (edited)
Bryant DIII - Season 85 Awards

And here it is! We are at the Final 4 stage, and GL to hallgren, bugeaters11, mfnmyers, and kcwallace. 4 great teams and 4 great coaches will battle it up for the Bryant DIII Season 85 National Championship!
Voting is now closed, and below are the season awards as well as the All-American team.

Davey O'Brien Award (Best QB): Paul Lewis (Menlo)

Doak Walker Award (Best RB): Steve Morrison (Gettysburg)

Fred Biletnikoff Award (Best WR): Randy Baldwin (Menlo)

John Mackey Award (Best TE): Jason Johnson (Linfield)

Dave Rimington Outland Trophy (Best OL): Brian Covington (Linfield)

Ted Hendricks Award (Best DL): William Chambers (Wisconsin-Stout)

Dick Butkus Award (Best LB): Willie Munoz (South-Sewanee)

Jim Thorpe Award (Best DB): Craig Harding (Menlo)

Lou Groza Award (Best K): Carlos Villareal (Beloit)

Ray Guy Award (Best P): Tony Gonzalez (New Jersey)

Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (Best coach): elkhour (Concordia (WI))

The Game Award (Best game): #13 Linfield def #23 Menlo 52-48

"Cinderella" Award (Biggest upset): Colorado College's 0-3 start (Week 3)

"United We Stand" Award (Best conference): American Southwest Conference (ASC)


Bryant DIII Season 85 - Human Coaches All-American Team

QB: Paul Lewis (Menlo)
RB: Steve Morrison (Gettysburg), Randy Fletcher (Trinity (TX))
WR: Randy Baldwin (Menlo), Daniel Blackburn (Menlo)
TE: Jason Johnson (Linfield)
OL: Brian Covington (Linfield), Clarence Leblanc (Concordia (WI)), Jason Marshall (Ferrum), Adam Mercado (Ferrum), Sean Cartwright (Gettysburg)
DL: William Chambers (Wisconsin-Stout), Timothy Jones (Fairleigh Dickinson), Timothy O'Brien (Union (NY)), Joshua Lange (Ferrum)
LB: Willie Munoz (South-Sewanee), Peter Young (Bridgewater (VA)), Billy Ward (Guilford)
DB: Craig Harding (Menlo), Keith Olson (Ferrum), Eric Flowers (Mount Union), Roger Washington (Curry)
K: Carlos Villareal (Beloit)
P: Tony Gonzalez (New Jersey)
HC: elkhour (Concordia (WI))
12/7/2012 4:31 AM (edited)
Bryant DIII - Season 85 Playoffs Preview

Going through the brackets one by one, we will first rank the teams in the individual bracket using Elkhour Power Rankings. The format is Team (overall rating, offense rating-offense rank in this bracket, defense rating-defense rank in this bracket). We will then throw in few comments, and end with Upset Alert and Prediction. We will then compare the 4 brackets and rank them among each other in terms of talent (teams average rating) and competitiveness (standard deviation to show how close the team ratings are to each other)
Sorry no hyperlinks this time as I don't have enough time :S Off We Go!

North Bracket

EPR:
1. MIT (584, 601-1, 567-2)
2. Concordia (WI) (583, 570-2, 577-1)
3. Merchant Marine (568, 577-3, 558-3)
4. St. Olaf (556, 564-4, 548-4)
5. King's (540, 562-5, 517-7)
6. South-Sewanee (535, 544-6, 525-5)
7. Hiram (501, 483-7, 518-6)
8. Chicago (483, 456-8, 510-8)

This bracket features the Season 82 National Champs MIT, the Season 83 National Champs Concordia (WI), and St. Olaf who are starving like zombies for the title. Concordia (WI) and St. Olaf are undefeated, MIT only lost to Concordia (WI), while King's only loss was against Whittier, and Merchant Marine's only loss was an upset by SimAI Western Conn St. If there are no upsets, Concordia (WI) and MIT can be destined for a rematch, Concordia (WI) defeated MIT 20-3 in Week 5 this season.

Upset Alert: (6) South-Sewanee vs. (3) St. Olaf
Prediction: Concordia (WI) beats MIT once again to win the bracket

South Bracket

EPR:
1. Wisconsin-Stout (574, 581-2, 567-1)
2. Linfield (573, 591-1, 555-2)
3. East Texas Baptist (556, 565-4, 546-4)
4. California Lutheran (555, 569-3. 541-5)
5. Colorado College (548, 554-5, 541-5)
6. Wisconsin-Patteville (545, 543-7, 547-3)
7. Greenville (542, 544-6, 539-7)
8. Bridgewater (VA) (536, 538-8, 533-8)

This bracket is pretty well stacked, with teams like ETBU, Colorado, and Greenville who are definitely worthy of higher seeds. Wisconsin-Stout and Linfield are undefeated, while Wisconsin-Platteville's only loss came against Wisconsin-Stout in the CC game. Linfield have lost in the national championship twice in the past 5 seasons, including last season, and they surely have the team to make another good playoff run. kcwallace has also proved himself as one of the greats, especially with those unimaginable 2 comeback wins against Menlo.
ETBU and Cal Lutheran have already met twice this season, and there's a potential third game in the horizon if they both win the first round tomorrow. A potential Linfield vs. Wisconsin-Stout in the second round will also be great follow.

Upset Alert: (8) East Texas Baptist vs. (1) Wisconsin-Platteville
Prediction: Man this is a pretty tough bracket to predict, but I would go with Linfield scraping a close win against UWS in the second round, and then beating ETBU in the regional finals to win the bracket.

East Bracket:

EPR:
1. Huntingdon (623, 636-1, 609-1)
2. Austin (572, 571-2, 573-2)
3. Gettysburg (567, 566-3, 567-3)
4. Trinity (TX) (559, 561-4, 556-4)
5. Menlo (545, 556-5, 534-5)
6. Curry (535, 541-6, 528-6)
7. Howard Payne (519, 524-7, 514-7)
8. Oberlin (505, 511-8, 499-8)

Ok so we have the defending national champions Gettysburg, Huntingdon who has 4 consecutive Final 4 appearances including 3 defeats in the national championship games, Austin who's always looking good, Trinity (TX) who's the only team to beat Huntingdon this year, Menlo who has Paul Lewis and a very prolific offense, and Curry who stunned Concordia (WI) in the first round of the playoffs twice in the past 3 seasons!
Not much to say really, Huntingdon is ridiculously good (it looks more like a DII team than a DIII one), and Menlo is the #7 seed??? C'mon man!
Otherwise bracket rankings look pretty straight forward, the rankings match in offensive, defensive, and overall.

Upset Alert: Honestly, I don't think there will be any upsets in the first round in this bracket, the top 4 seeds should be going through. But just to put something here, and just because I think Paul Lewis can win it all by himself (like Matthew Hubbard did for me 2 seasons ago), i will go (7) Menlo vs. (2) Huntingdon as upset alert. I still don't think it's gonna happen, Menlo hasn't faced anyone nearly as good as Huntingdon on defense this year, and I think Paul Lewis might end up throwing more INT than TD in that game, but who knows. If Menlo does pull off this upset, they can pretty much beat anyone and win the whole thing.
Prediction: Huntingdon beats Austin to win the bracket

West Bracket:

EPR:
1. Ferrum (600, 603-2, 597-1)
2. Loras (597, 610-1, 584-2)
3. Mount Union (570, 584-3, 555-4)
4. Susquehanna (568, 580-4, 556-3)
5. Whittier (541, 536-5, 546-5)
6. Bluffton (536, 529-7, 543-6)
7. Macalester (531, 533-6, 528-7)
8. Waynesburg (516, 528-8, 504-8)

Ferrum and Mount Union are both undefeated, while Loras' only loss this season was the 30-29 upset by SimAI Colby in week 2. Whittier is on a roll and they have just defeated Trinity (TX) to win the SCAC championship. Susquehanna lost 3 games by a combined 7 points, including a 3-point loss to SimAI Albright after 4 OTs!!! In most of those games, they were playing a lot of underclassmen. This bracket is very hard to predict, and a potential Ferrum vs. Loras in the second round would be really tasty!

Upset Alert: (7) Susquehanna vs. (2) Mount Union
Prediction: The harder part to predict here is Ferrum vs. Loras in the second round. I think Loras will pull it off this time, and then defeat Susquehanna in the regional finals.

Brackets Comparison:

Ranking by talent (average of teams ratings):
1. West: 557
2. South: 553
3. East: 552
4. North: 543

Ranking by competitiveness (standard deviation of teams ratings):
1. South: 14.06
2. West: 31.18
3. East: 36.39
4. North: 36.85

Final Four Prediction:

Well, as per above, we have Linfield vs. Concordia (WI) and Huntingdon vs. Loras. I pick Huntingdon to beat Concordia (WI) in the national championship game.


GL TO EVERYONE IN THE PLAYOFFS!
12/5/2012 3:41 PM (edited)
Can't wait
11/18/2012 12:48 AM
Added the first post: EPR & Conference Predictions
Tomorrow we start updating post 2: Preview of next day top games, and review of current day top games
GL to all this seasons
11/18/2012 1:11 PM
That's really cool, elkhour. How long does it take you to put that together?
11/18/2012 1:12 PM
Thanks arcade. It does take around an hour to identify the top teams, pull out the data, and then rank them based on some preset formulas. And then it takes around half an hour to write the whole thing, including hyperlinks and all. It's not that easy of an effort, but I don't mind doing that as I feel it really adds to the enjoyment of the game.
Now daily reviews will be quick and it will take less than 15 minutes a day to write each.
Finally, playoff previews also takes less time than the season review, since the data for the top teams is pulled out already, so it's just about having a look back at the season, analyzing a bit, and writing the preview. That will take around 45 minutes.
11/18/2012 1:37 PM
Again, very cool - GL with it, but don't let it burn you out!
11/18/2012 2:11 PM
Awesome job again elhour.  Should be another great season.  GL to everyone.
11/19/2012 4:10 PM
What a good idea elkhour! Hoping to make some noise in the NJAC...     
11/19/2012 4:40 PM
That is really cool,thanks for getting this together. Good luck everyone this season.
11/19/2012 7:19 PM
Always love reading this. Thanks again!
11/19/2012 8:06 PM
Great Job elkhour ! 
11/19/2012 10:55 PM
First daily update out: 11/20 review and 11/21 preview. Enjoy and stay tuned!
11/20/2012 2:47 PM
12345 Next ▸
Bryant - Season 85 (DIII) Topic

Search Criteria

Terms of Use Customer Support Privacy Statement

© 1999-2024 WhatIfSports.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WhatIfSports is a trademark of WhatIfSports.com, Inc. SimLeague, SimMatchup and iSimNow are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts, Inc. Used under license. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.