This is my first post on the forum (not just the Bryant forum but the GD forum as a whole), so let's start with the reasons:
1. I am bored (which is why it might be a long post)
2. While the GD General Discussion forum looks active, the world forums are dead. So I thought this might probably revive Bryant forum a little.
3. I've been playing GD for 6 months, and I'm having so much fun. I want to take it one step further now, and get to the GD community rather than just checking in half an hour every day, looking at the scores and doing adjustments and so.
4. I made playoffs predictions last season and came out really really close, so I decided I'd start doing "Playoffs Preview" posts then extended the idea to the whole thing.

The idea is to have 5 posts every season, as per the below (Of course if you guys don't find this interesting I will probably stop writing, so I appreciate some feedback):
1. Season Preview: Right after recruiting is over
2. Season Review 1: After week 5 when the OOC games are over
3. Season Review 2: After week 9
4. Conference Championships Review & Playoffs Preview: After CC games
5. Season Review: After the National Championship

So Off We Go!

Bryant - Season 84 Preview

Team Rankings
So starting from the WIS Press pre-season rankings, and the Season 84 GUESS ratings, I took a sample of what looks like to be the Top 30 teams, and then I used my own rankings to analyze the teams and rank them myself. So here are the elkhour power rankings (EPR) for season 84.

1. Huntingdon (superv97)
Overall rating: 578 (Rank 1)
Offense rating: 578 (Rank 2)
Defense rating: 578 (Rank 1)
Analysis: Oh yeah, the unfortunate 3 straight time National Championship runner-ups are topping the rankings. Huntingdon has won 6 conference championships in the last 7 seasons, and have been in the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons. They have one of the best backs in DIII in Michael Robinson and look very well balanced all around the field.
Key Games: Trinity (Wk 4), New Jersey (Wk 8)
Key Players: Michael Robinson, Kevin Holmes, Dean Fowler

2. Ferrum (bugeaters11)
Overall rating: 567 (Rank 2)
Offense rating: 582 (Rank 1)
Defense rating: 552 (Rank 5)
Analysis: Ferrum never disappoints. They have 13 consecutive playoff appearances, including 1 national championship. They had an undefeated season last year, until they lost to Carleton in the second round of the playoffs. When it comes down to the passing game, Ferrum is the team to watch, they probably have the best QB and WR corps in DIII. With a relatively easy schedule, there's no reason to think Ferrum would miss out on the CC and the playoffs.
Key Games: Fairleigh Dickinson (Wk 2)
Key Players: Michael Cannon, Zachary Lloyd, William Shelton

3. Mount Union (gezeus)
Overall rating: 559 (Rank 3)
Offense rating: 577 (Rank 3)
Defense rating: 541 (Rank 10)
Analysis: Mount Union has 3 conference championships and 4 playoff appearances in the last 4 seasons. With a solid offense, they have a great chance of a good playoff run if their defense steps up. Their game against Otterbein looks like a CC warm-up.
Key Games: @Hiram (Wk 5), @Otterbein (Wk 6), Ohio Northern (Wk 12)
Key Players: Joe Charles, James Adams, Joseph Cobb 

4. MIT (tribewriter)
Overall rating: 558 (Rank 4)
Offense rating: 562 (Rank 6)
Defense rating: 554 (Rank 4)
Analysis: MIT has 10 playoff appearances, 9 conference championship, and 1 national championship in the last 10 seasons. They have the best DL unit in DIII, and they have the talent and balance to make a serious national championship contender. With a win over Concordia (WI) in their annual non-conference rivalry, they have a decent chance of going undefeated at the end of the regular season.
Key Games: Maryville (Wk 4), Concordia (Wk 5), Trinity (Wk 7)
Key Players: Christopher Humphrey, Jamie Taylor, Richard Johnson

5. Gettysburg (hallgren)
Overall rating: 557 (Rank 5)
Offense rating: 555 (Rank 10)
Defense rating: 561 (Rank 2)
Analysis: hallgren has lead Gettysburg to 56 playoff appearances in the last 57 seasons, as well as 35 conference championships! The school is still hungry for a national title, which they lost in the final 20 seasons ago. With a great defensive unit, the team is capable of being a huge contender once again, as long as their young QB steps up.
Key Games: @Linfield (Wk 1), Muhlenberg (Wk 9), @Franklin&Marshall (Wk 10)
Key Players: Benjamin Brooks, John O'Neil, George Copeland

6. Loras (bisoneer)
Overall rating: 556 (Rank 6)
Offense rating: 553 (Rank 11)
Defense rating: 560 (Rank 3)
Analysis: Loras has 15 playoff appearances in the last 17 seasons, as well as 9 conference championships, and 1 national championship. Since they won the title in season 81, they've been eliminated by MIT in the last 2 seasons. The IIAC doesn't seem to offer competition for Loras, and they look bound to the playoffs once again.
Key Games: La Verne (Wk 2), @Susquehanna (Wk 5)
Key Players: Dustin Gray, James Lawson, George Little

7. Susquehanna (tannhauser)
Overall rating: 552 (Rank 7)
Offense rating: 557 (Rank 9)
Defense rating: 547 (Rank 6)
Analysis: Susquehanna has 17 playoff appearances in the last 18 seasons, as well as 11 conference championships. However, their only trip to the Final 4 (Season 79) was one and done. With a relatively competitive conference and a decent OOC schedule, they cannot afford to trip. Their weakest links appear to be their young QB and their secondary.
Key Games: @Bluffton (Wk 3), @Loras (Wk 5), King's (Wk 13)
Key Players: Joseph Wright, James Walton, George Bryant

8. Greenville (jjl58)
Overall rating: 551 (Rank 8)
Offense rating: 562 (Rank 7)
Defense rating: 540 (Rank 12)
Analysis: Greenville has 52 playoff appearances in the last 53 seasons, with a national championship. They have been the dominant force in the IBFC, winning 38 conference championships in 45 seasons (Seaons 33-77). However, they haven't won a conference championship in the last 6 seasons. In his final season at Greenville (can you believe that?!), jjl58 is hungry for glory before he moves up to DII. He's heavily relying on the best RB in DIII to carry the team, but he needs his QB to be much better than last year. Good news for Larsen, he's playing behind the best OL unit in DIII.
Key Games: Whittier (Wk 4), Trinity (Wk 5), Concordia (Wk 9)
Key Players: Kevin Torres, Howard Myers, Jeremy Jenkins

9. Concordia (WI) (elkhour)
Overall rating: 549 (Rank 9)
Offense rating: 552 (Rank 12)
Defense rating: 546 (Rank 7)
Analysis: Undefeated national champions Concordia (WI) are a new addition to the DIII contenders radar, they have 5 playoff appearances, 4 conference championships, and a national championship in the last 6 seasons. After losing the prolific Hubbard-Lewis combo, they still have a solid all around team, and they need their new starting QB to step up for them to have a chance to repeat, especially with a tough schedule including 2 road games against Top 10 teams.
Key Games: Macalster (Wk 1), Hiram (Wk 2), @MIT (Wk 5), @Greenville (Wk 9)
Key Players: Edward Taylor, David Taylor, James Carlson

10. St. Olaf (mfnmyers)
Overall rating: 547 (Rank 10)
Offense rating: 561 (Rank 8)
Defense rating: 532 (Rank 12)
Analysis: St. Olaf has 5 consecutive playoff appearances, with 4 conference championships. However, they haven't made it past the second round of the playoffs. With a competitive conference and a decent OOC schedule, they have to be good as usual to make another playoff appearance. With a well balanced defense, they look like favoring the running game on offense, with a great RB and a very solid OL and blocking TE.
Key Games: @Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Wk 3), @King's (Wk 4), @Sewanee (Wk 5), @St. Thomas (Wk 7), @Carleton (Wk 12)
Key Players: Peter Day, Scott Berry, Raymond Dobson

Remaining Rankings (Coach, Overall rating, Offense rating-rank, Defense rating-rank)
11. California Lutheran (wine22, 546, 565-4, 527-14)
12. Linfield (kcwallace, 544, 546-13, 543-8)
13. Austin (eblake, 540, 562-5, 517-18)
14. Washington (MO) (james61983, 530, 520-20, 540-10)
15. Carleton (vharding, 528, 530-18, 526-15)
16. Menlo (dscv10, 526, 542-16, 510-19)
17. Merchant Marine (bugeater50, 526, 529-19, 523-16)
18. Colorado (lawhorns, 526, 543-15, 508-22)
19. Whittier (travs, 522, 517-22, 527-13)
20. Wisconsin-Stout (tsnhusker, 521, 533-17, 521-20)

Conference Predictions
ASC: California Lutheran
CC: Gettysburg
FFC: Merchant Marine
IBFC: Greenville
IIAC: Loras
MIAA: Macalester
MAC: Susquehanna
MWC: Washington (MO)
MIAC: St. Olaf
NEFC: Curry
NESCAC: MIT
NJAC: Huntingdon
NCAC: Oberlin
NWC: Linfield
OAC: Mount Union
ODAC: Bluffton
SCAC: Trinity (TX)
USA South: Ferrum
WIAC: Wisconsin-Stout

Wow. This looks awesome. Thanks for this. And I will also agree that I would like to see the World Forums pick up a little bit.

Typically excellent work by elkhour.

pretty incredible  great great job - we have done little here  in this world   rumour is out that the coach has lost the team   no one can read and they are always suckin on the drank  recr in this world very tough as we have trouble fending off the vultures

but we have been makin changes and r ready to go  gl all

Our picks for the Game(s) Of The Week. Make sure you tune in to check the score of these interesting matchups (sorry if I missed any I just looked quickly):

10/16: Gettysburg @ Linfield, Macalester @ Concordia (WI), Whittier @ California Lutheran
10/17: Carleton @ Trinity (TX), Whittier @ King's
10/18: Colorado @ Whittier, Susqyuehanna @ Bluffton, St. Olaf @ Wisconsin-Platteville
10/19: Trinity (TX) @ Huntingdon, Whittier @ Greenville, St. Olaf @ King's
10/20: Concordia (WI) @ MIT, Loras @ Susquehanna, Trinity (TX) @ Greenville
10/21: Mount Union @ Otterbein, Wisconsin-Platteville @ Wisconsin-Stout
10/22: East Texas Baptist @ Austin, St. Olaf @ St. Thomas
10/23: Trinity (TX) @ Whittier, New Jersey @ Huntingdon
10/24: Concordia (WI) @ Greenville
10/25: Colorado @ Macalester, Whittier @ La Verne
10/26: Merchant Marine @ Norwich
10/27: St. Olaf @ Carleton

Very well done elkhour.  Thanks for doing this...was a great read.  Will be another good season.  Maybe I will get huntingdon over the hump one of these days...lol.  GL to all.

Big surprise on the margin of victory in Concordia vs. Macalester ... does not bode well for the rest of us.
Linfield beats Gettysburg with a field goal on the last play. Hope that was on ESPN3 to watch replay.

I thought about writing weekly reviews tribe, but I don't think I will have the time to do this on a daily basis :P if any of you guys thinks it's interesting and wants to contribute, you're most welcome. From my side, I will see how it goes with just 3 reviews per season, first one inc after OOC games are over.

Bryant - Season 84 Review 1

Non-conference games are behind us, and season 84 looks like being pretty competitive in DIII Bryant. The first review of the season is out, top games week by week, as well as updated EPR.

Week 1:
Defending national champions Concordia (WI) were off to a great start, beating Macalester 40-7. The margin of victory was a bit surprising, and showed how solid the defending national champions still are. They outgained Macalester 449 yards to 180, and had 35:30 TOP. Lee Garcia was the Player Of the Game with 29/44, 305 yards, 2 TD.
In the closest and most competitive game of the week, Linfield beat Gettysburg with a FG on the last drive, 10-9. They mounted an 11 play, 40 yard drive, and Mike White kicked the game winning FG with 4 seconds left. They Player Of The Game was Richard Patterson with 6 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 fumble forced.
Another competitive game saw Whittier defeating California Lutheran 27-22. The Player Of The Game was Bernard Thompson with 8 tackles, 3 sacks, and 1 FF.

Week 2:
Week 2 also didn't have really major upsets, as most of the contenders won their games. In week 2 competitive games, Trinity (TX) beat Carleton 17-3, and Whittier did everything well except scoring in their 13-23 loss to King's, although they outgained them 402 yards to 262.

Week 3:
With most of the top contenders winning again, Week 3 had interesting games for us in store. Last season's final 4 contenders Colorado College confirmed they can be in the national championship picture once again with a big win over Whittier 38-13. Willie Logan had an impressive performance, 21/33, 256 yards, 4 TD.
Susquehanna also confirmed they are championship caliber with a huge 45-17 win at Bluffton. After a close first half that ended in Bluffton's favor 10-7, Mitchell Garcia lead Susquehanna to an impressive second half, outscoring their opponent 38-7.
In a close game with a dramatic finish, Wisconsin-Stevens Point beat St. Olaf 20-17. Carl Nguyen kicked a FG to tie the game at 17 with just 42 seconds remaining, and it looked like we were heading to OT, but Jim Lindsey was picked off on the right next play, and Wisconsin-Stevens Point capitalized on the interception, with Carl Nguyen making the game winning field goal with 4 seconds left.
In what was probably the biggest upset of the week, Wisconsin Lutheran beat Washington (MO) 30-14.

Week 4:
3-straight time national champion runner-up, and one of the biggest favorites for this season's national championship Huntingdon had their first real test of the season, and came on top of Trinity (TX) 28-14. Jerry Martinez was voted Player Of The Game, finishing with 10 catches for 151 yards and 2 TD.
St. Olaf rebounded after their dramatic week 4 loss to beat King's 27-13, and Greenville walked away from their first real test of the season victorious against Whittier 23-3.
Wisconsin Lutheran continued their fine form with another huge victory against Carleton 31-24. They are now 5-0 and looking as serious contenders.

Week 5:
It's week 5, the last of the OOC weeks, and where most the coaches schedule their toughest and biggest rivalry games, and we had 2 games featuring Top 10 teams playing their annual non-conference rivalry.
#6 MIT ended #3 Concordia (WI) 23-game winning streak with a 30-23 victory. Game stats were very close, and Richard Young was too good for Concordia's secondary, finishing 23/36 for 342 yards and 4 TD. What usually used to be a defensive struggle was this time a free flowing offensive game, the 2 teams combined for 53 points, the highest in their 5 match history.
Another annual heated rivalry between Top 10 teams saw Susquehanna beat Loras 28-10. After a close first half, Susquehanna completely shut down Loras in the second and outscored them 14-0. Susquehanna is now 5-0, Loras suffered their first season loss.
In a grueling defensive battle, Trinity (TX) defeated Greenville 7-3 and that was Greenville's first seasons loss as well.

EPR Power Rankings (Week 5)
1. Huntingdon: solid 5-0 start, they're still the favorites. Big wins against Sewanee 27-17 and Trinity (TX) 28-14.
2. Ferrum: haven't really played solid competition, but a 5-0 start and Michael Cannon can really take this team very far. He has 68% completion, 2823 yards, 37 TD and 3 INT in 5 games.
3. MIT: solid 5-0 start, and their win over Concordia (WI) proves they are real national championship contenders.
4. Susquehanna: big wins against Bluffton and Loras has Susquehanna at number 4.
5. Mount Union: despite not playing very tough competition, they have easily gone past all their opponents. Very solid team.
6. Linfield: with a 5-0 start including a win over Gettysburg, Linfield break through the Top 10.
7. Concordia (WI): their 23-game winning streak ended, but big wins against Macalester and Hiram, and a close loss to MIT have them improve to number 7.
8. Gettysburg: a very close against Linfield in pretty much the only competitive game they played, we need to see more Gettysburg to be sure but they still make the Top 10.
9. Loras: had some big wins and show how good they are, but their loss to Susquehanna has them drop to 9.
10. Menlo: haven't faced tough competition but completely outscoring their opponents and they have a huge chance of finishing 13-0.

 You have a new fan in me elkhour.

This is fantastic, I wish I'd stumbled across it sooner! I'll definitely be checking back regularly. Great work Elkhour!

Good to see we still have readers :) Season Review 2 is coming tomorrow! Stay tuned..

Love the reviews, can't wait to see the next review. This is my first season and this little review just adds to the enjoyment of this game.

Bryant DIII - Season 84 Review 2

So 3 weeks to the post-season, and things are looking very promising in DIII Bryant. The national championship is up for grabs, and competition is looking stiff. In the first 4 weeks of conference play, we've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. A lot of upsets, and a lot of top matchups as well. Let's review week by week.

Week 6:
There's simply no point of wondering what the biggest upset of the week was, with Williams defeating MIT 23-20. After a 5-0 start, including a win against the reigning national champions, MIT suffered their first loss of the season, in an effort in which they committed 10 penalties for 75 yards. This turned out to be the difference against a Williams team that played a well rounded game all around the field, pulling up a huge upset.
Top games were also played in the Ohio Athletic Conference, and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In the first, Mount Union cemented their position as one of the top contenders with a 20-0 shutout against Otterbein, who suffered their first loss of the season. Mount Union outgained Otterbein 423 yards to 184 on offense, and James Adams ran all over them, with 24 carries for 194 yards and a TD. Mount Union also capitalized on 3 turnovers committed by Otterbein.
In the WIAA, Wisconsin-Platteville came up on top on Wisconsin-Stevens Point in a stormer, 51-48 in double OT. Offensive stats couldn't be closer, and James Frazier connected with Jerry Barnett on a 3-yard TD pass to win the game in OT. Frazier finished 21/48 for 352 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT. Ironically, this was Barnett's only catch of the game.

Week 7:
No major upsets this week, but huge conference games were on the board. In the NJAC, Huntingdon eased past Cortland in a battle of undefeated 44-13. They completely dominated the games, and outgained their opponents 555 yards to 265.
In the MIAA, Colorado College continued proving they are one of the top dogs this year, with a 37-7 dominant win at Wisconsin Lutheran, outgaining them 472 yards to 185. That was Wisconsin Lutheran's first loss of the season. Willie Logan had another great game, finishing 28/34 for 334 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT.
In the ASC, another battle of undefeated saw another dominant performance, with Austin walking over East Texas Baptist 30-9. Those 3 games that we just discussed are probably one of the biggest reasons behind Huntingdon, Colorado College, and Austin being ranked #1, #2, and #3 in the current WIS rankings.

Week 8:
If you are interested in upsets, Week 8 was the week to see, with 3 upsets we will go through, including 2 Top 10 teams.
In the OAC, Mount St. Joseph ended Mount Union hopes of an undefeated regular season, defeating them 31-27. Thomas Garcia hit Robert Perry with a 14-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds remaining to win the game.
In the MAC, another undefeated went down, as Widener shocked Susquehanna 24-10. Susquehanna started the game with their young 2nd string team, and trailed 21-0 at halftime, a deficit that turned out to be too much to overcome.
Another undefeated team went down in the MIAC, as St. John's defeated Grove City 41-38.
In the top games of the week, Huntingdon completed their dominant season with a 24-5 win over New Jersey in the NJAC.
In the MIAA, Macalester defeated Albion 21-7, that was Albion's first loss of the season, while Macalester had their 8th straight win after losing their season opener against Concordia (WI). Jonathan Ray was the player of the game, finishing 13/28 for 233 yards and 3 TD.
In the SCAC, Trinity (TX) defeated Whittier 21-10. Whittier once again outgained their opponent without being able to pull out the victory. Randy Fletcher had 9 carries for 127 yards and 2 TD, and 1 reception for 8 yards and a TD.

Week 9:
Top games in week 9 saw defending national champions Concordia (WI) pulling off a great comeback to defeat Greenville 34-30 in the IBFC. After 2 INT in the first half, Lee Garcia pulled together a great second half, finishing 32/52 for 364 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT. Greenville's RB Kevin Torres showed why he is dubbed the best RB in DIII, finishing with 34 carries for 203 yards and 3 TD.
In the MIAA, Wisconsin Lutheran suffered their second defeat of the season against Alma, 44-21. Luis Davis lead Alma's all-pass offense, finishing 33/65 for 326 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT.
In the MIAC, St. Olaf continued their fine form with a dominant win against Grove City 48-13. Jim Lindsey finished 23/35 for 347 yards and 4 TD.

EPR Power Rankings (Week 9):
1. Huntingdon: do you really need a comment here?
2. Ferrum: well they're still undefeated, and they still have Michael Cannon. He is 
3. MIT: despite the upset against Williams, they still have the talent and the numbers to be a top quality contender.
4. Mount Union: same comment as MIT.
5. Susquehanna: same as MIT and Mount Union.
6. Austin: a 9-0 start but a key game against California Lutheran in week 13.
7. Menlo: a 9-0 start and a pretty good chance of finishing 13-0 in the regular season.
8. Concordia (WI): defending national champions and a big win against conference rival Greenville has them at 8.
9. Colorado College: a 9-0 start and huge win at Wisconsin Lutheran. Key game against Macalester in week 10.
10. St. Olaf: A close loss due a last second turnover and that's all, good all around team and a definite contender.

Thanks elkhour. Good work.