What are some of the most challenging D3 schools as far as location? Obviously, who else is in the conf, and who's at nearby D2 schools, will make a difference, but I'm trying to focus just on the location itself. Thanks.

I don't think there are any objectively terrible D3 locations. No D3s outside of continental USA.

It really depends on who else is in the conference. There are a ton of D3s in New England, NY, PA, VA, OH area. If the conferences are empty, all of those places are fertile recruiting grounds, but a full conference (with the reduced D3 recruiting budget) may make it tough to succeed. Wisconsin is a state with 22 D3 schools (all of the WIAC plus Beloit, Marantha Baptist, Marian, Carroll, Lawrence, Milwaukee Engineering, Wisconsin Lutheran, Northland, Ripon, St. Norbert). If all of those are close to full, there isn't enough recruits to go around, but it's fine in a relatively empty world.

One of the reasons that USA South is traditionally the strongest conference in all of the worlds is because it is the only D3 conference in the GA/FL area. Same with SoCal (only D3 conference in California).

i always assumed sull ross st would be tough... way out in west tx.

a long time ago i ran a spreadsheet with all of the schools alltime cumulative records. at that time babson in massachussetts was the worst ... i dont think they had won an NT game in any world and this was through something like 700 seasons.
So i went there for kicks and won couple NT games.

I may run that again if it still works and see how things have progressed. i may be wrong... but it feels like PBA and Colorado are even more dominant in 3.0.

Michigan, Ohio, Heartland, St.Louis, Midwest, Wisconsin, CCIW, Iowa, and Minnesota are potentially very hard. As you say, it depends on how many of those schools are controlled by humans. But it’s a saturated D3 area that also exists with lots of D2 schools regionally (unlike the west and mountain west), and it does not get a lot of trickle down from high D1 recruit generation that the south, east, and southeast gets.

Interesting. What about geographically isolated schools, like Maine Presque Isle? Fewer regional recruits, but presumably less competition as well?

With any of the New England schools (VT, NH, ME, MA, CT. and some of NY), it isn't that expensive to recruit that entire region. But if NE is crowded, Presque Isle would suck to recruit to.

Posted by grimacedance on 12/5/2017 12:08:00 PM (view original):
With any of the New England schools (VT, NH, ME, MA, CT. and some of NY), it isn't that expensive to recruit that entire region. But if NE is crowded, Presque Isle would suck to recruit to.

The poor New England state of Rhode Island is always easy to forget.

Posted by npb7768 on 12/5/2017 12:33:00 PM (view original):

Posted by grimacedance on 12/5/2017 12:08:00 PM (view original):
With any of the New England schools (VT, NH, ME, MA, CT. and some of NY), it isn't that expensive to recruit that entire region. But if NE is crowded, Presque Isle would suck to recruit to.

The poor New England state of Rhode Island is always easy to forget.

Actually replace Rhode Island with Connecticut. Connecticut isn't really New England.

Maine, Presque Isle is easily the worst D3 location IMO. Canada is a wasteland to the north and anything that spawns within the state is often 200+ miles from campus, placing you at a distance disadvantage even against the other schools from your state. Going outside the state is a challenge because you're in the super-saturated New England area that has a gazillion D3 programs. It might be a little better now under 3.0 (though I'm not sure) since theoretically there's a broader pool of talent to target now than under 2.0. I can't imagine the change would be enough to shift it from being anything but the least-friendly place to coach from in D3. Basically, you're always going to be in competition for prime targets and you're rarely, if ever, going to be operating from an advantageous position in going after those targets.

Sul Ross State (mentioned above) also wasn't a bed of roses under 2.0 because, aside from the occasional D1 recruit that shows up in El Paso, hardly anything spawns in western Texas, leaving you 300+ miles for just the in-state kids. It was markedly easier there than M-PI though because you at least had an in-state boost from Texas and New Mexico generated enough good D2 talent that was rarely contested that there were pipelines to be had.

forgot to mention upstate NY. not sure if it is as bad under 3.0 but jeez i thought it was tough in the old days. theres only one d2 school in the area and a crap load of d3 schools. so getting any kind of d2 dropdown is really tough. might be a little better under 3.0 as maybe you can recruit east coast without too much disadvantage

Posted by rednu on 12/5/2017 3:32:00 PM (view original):
Maine, Presque Isle is easily the worst D3 location IMO. Canada is a wasteland to the north and anything that spawns within the state is often 200+ miles from campus, placing you at a distance disadvantage even against the other schools from your state. Going outside the state is a challenge because you're in the super-saturated New England area that has a gazillion D3 programs. It might be a little better now under 3.0 (though I'm not sure) since theoretically there's a broader pool of talent to target now than under 2.0. I can't imagine the change would be enough to shift it from being anything but the least-friendly place to coach from in D3. Basically, you're always going to be in competition for prime targets and you're rarely, if ever, going to be operating from an advantageous position in going after those targets.

Sul Ross State (mentioned above) also wasn't a bed of roses under 2.0 because, aside from the occasional D1 recruit that shows up in El Paso, hardly anything spawns in western Texas, leaving you 300+ miles for just the in-state kids. It was markedly easier there than M-PI though because you at least had an in-state boost from Texas and New Mexico generated enough good D2 talent that was rarely contested that there were pipelines to be had.

Thanks for the info, rednu! I'm intrigued by how crappy M-PI sounds...

When I started playing HD, MPI was part of a D3 superconference in Allen. They won a title and were in multiple championship games. So even at the end of the earth, you can compete if you devise and execute a good game plan.

I am having a really tough time in NYC. There are so many recruits near by I can't get a handle on scouting them. I end up with a lot of players scouted to level 1 and 2.

It's also rough because there are a ton of D3 and D1 players in the NE but very few D2 schools.

Posted by thewizard17 on 12/5/2017 12:42:00 PM (view original):

Posted by npb7768 on 12/5/2017 12:33:00 PM (view original):

Posted by grimacedance on 12/5/2017 12:08:00 PM (view original):
With any of the New England schools (VT, NH, ME, MA, CT. and some of NY), it isn't that expensive to recruit that entire region. But if NE is crowded, Presque Isle would suck to recruit to.

The poor New England state of Rhode Island is always easy to forget.

Actually replace Rhode Island with Connecticut. Connecticut isn't really New England.

As a born and bread Connecticutian I take specific umbrage at this. We are 100% New England and scoff at getting lumped into anything to do with those pricks from New York, or **shudder** New Jersey. God damned leaf-peepers clogging up our roads every fall. Seriously, only a special kind of idiot takes a vacation to see dying leaves.