{"id":1766,"date":"2013-11-15T19:35:48","date_gmt":"2013-11-16T01:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/?p=1766"},"modified":"2013-11-15T19:38:44","modified_gmt":"2013-11-16T01:38:44","slug":"d-iii-final-week-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/2013\/11\/15\/d-iii-final-week-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"D-III: Final Week 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

Things are more cut and dried in D-III than they were in D-II, thanks to the fact that D-III actually has automatic bids. That means that we can outline actual scenarios with absolute certainty, and they won’t be so complex you need an abacus to sort them out. Other than some brief thoughts, I’m not going to try and sort out the at-large bids; you can go visit our pals at d3football.com<\/a> for that. They’re the experts.<\/p>\n

So we’ll get right to it, since we’ve got 28 conferences to sort out here after the jump. Teams in bold<\/strong> are already in the playoff field.
\n<\/p>\n

American Southwest<\/h3>\n

Mary Hardin-Baylor<\/strong> (9-0\/5-0) has secured the autobid and a share of the conference title. They play at Mississippi College (4-5\/4-1) Saturday, but the Choctaws are not eligible for the post-season since they’re in the process of moving to Division II. That doesn’t affect their ability to claim a share of the conference title (and the knowledge that they’d have won the tiebreaker), though. If UMHB loses, Louisiana College (6-3\/4-1) can also grab a share with a win at Hardin-Simmons.<\/p>\n

Centennial<\/h3>\n

Johns Hopkins<\/strong> (9-0\/8-0) has already won the outright title, as they hold a two-game lead over Muhlenberg (7-2\/6-2).<\/p>\n

College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin<\/h3>\n

North Central (IL)<\/strong> (9-0\/6-0) grabbed the autobid with a 35-16 win over Wheaton (IL) (7-2\/4-2) last week. That also excluded Wheaton from sharing the crown. Illinois Wesleyan (8-1\/5-1) hosts 3-6 Elmhurst; a win combined with a North Central loss at home to Augustana (IL) (5-4\/3-3) would split the championship, and would likely secure an at-large bid for IWU as well.<\/p>\n

Eastern Collegiate Football Conference<\/h3>\n

Gallaudet<\/strong> (9-0\/6-0) locked up a playoff berth last week, the first-ever bid for the nation’s de facto<\/em> national university for the deaf. They visit New York Maritime (4-5\/4-2) with a chance to run the table and win the trophy outright. If they falter, Norwich (6-3\/5-1) can snake a share of the honors with an alm0st-certain win at Castleton State (1-9\/0-6).<\/p>\n

Empire 8<\/h3>\n

Ithaca<\/strong> (8-1\/6-1) has sealed the autobid, and is done with conference play. They’ll host Cortland State (5-4) in the annual Cortaca Jug rivalry game on Saturday. Alfred (7-2\/5-1) can claim a share of the title with a win over Saint John Fisher (7-2\/4-2); that game’s important for other reasons as well, as the winner may be in line for one of the very few at-large playoff bids.<\/p>\n

Heartland<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, we run into a conference whose autobid is still up in the air. Franklin (6-3\/6-1) blew their shot at clinching the autobid last week when they inexplicably lost to Bluffton (3-6\/3-4). The door is now open for Rose-Hulman (6-3\/6-1), who will travel to Earlham (2-7\/1-6). They need to win, and they almost certainly will. They also need Franklin to lose at Hanover (5-4\/5-2). That’s certainly within the realm of possibility, as Hanover has reeled off five straight wins after starting the season 0-4. There would be a four-way tie for the conference title should both Rose-Hulman and Franklin lose, as Hanover would move to 6-2 and Mount Saint Joseph (6-3\/6-2) — who hosts Thomas More (8-1) in the annual Bridge Bowl rivalry game — is done with conference play. Franklin, however, would claim the autobid in that instance. In games within the tied group, Franklin and Rose-Hulman would be 2-1 while Mount Saint Joseph and Hanover would be 1-2; Franklin would win the tiebreaker then based on their win over Rose-Hulman.<\/p>\n

Iowa<\/h3>\n

Another somewhat convoluted situation in Corn Country, and every conference game this week could matter. Wartburg (7-2\/5-1) already has one hand on the trophy. A nearly-certain win at Loras (1-8\/0-6) would put the issue to rest. If they lose, though… well, now. Things get interesting. Coe (7-2\/4-2) visits Central (IA) (5-4\/3-3), Simpson (IA) (6-3\/4-2) travels to Luther (2-7\/1-5), and Dubuque (5-4\/4-2) is at Buena Vista (3-6\/3-3). That means that in order to sort this out, we’ve got to get our hands dirty.<\/p>\n

First things first: the IIAC uses the Rose Bowl rule as its second tiebreak, which clears out a lot of confusion; it also means you can skip this paragraph if you don’t want the nitty-gritty details. If there’s a four-way tie, Wartburg claims the autobid; they and Simpson went 2-1 while Coe and Dubuque went 1-2, and Wartburg beat Simpson. In a three-way tie which doesn’t involve Coe, Wartburg also wins the autobid by going 2-0 against the other two schools. If Simpson is the odd team out, the three remaining teams all went 1-1 against each other; Coe is eliminated due to the Rose Bowl rule and Wartburg still gets the autobid because they beat Dubuque. If it’s Dubuque that’s not involved, the exact same thing applies, only it’s Simpson that Wartburg beats out.<\/p>\n

So in a four-way or any three-way tie, Wartburg ends up with the autobid. And since Wartburg beat Dubuque and Simpson, the only way Wartburg doesn’t win the autobid is if they, Dubuque, and Simpson all lose and Coe wins, in which case Coe manages to squeak into the playoff field.<\/p>\n

Wasn’t that fun?<\/p>\n

Liberty League<\/h3>\n

After that treatise, you’ll be happy to know that Hobart<\/strong> (8-0\/6-0) has won the outright title. They’ve got a two-game lead on Saint Lawrence (6-3\/4-2).<\/p>\n

Massachusetts<\/h3>\n

Framingham State (8-1\/7-0) has sealed the outright MASCAC title, but they don’t get an autobid because the MASCAC doesn’t get one until next year. They visit Worcester State (3-6\/1-6), and need a win to have a shot at an at-large bid. (They’ll likely get it with a victory.)<\/p>\n

Michigan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Albion (7-2\/5-0) already has a share of the title; they visit Hope (7-2\/4-1), and the winner gets the playoff berth.<\/p>\n

Middle Atlantic<\/h3>\n

Lebanon Valley (8-1\/7-1) can claim the autobid and outright title with a win at Albright (6-3\/5-3). If they fail, there’s a possible three-way tie. Lycoming (6-3\/6-2) visits Stevenson (4-5\/3-5); Widener (6-3\/6-2) travels to Delaware Valley (6-3\/5-3). In the case of two-way ties, Lebanon Valley gets the autobid if it’s Lycoming they’re tied with; if it’s Widener, Widener gets it. If both Lycoming and Widener win, we’ve got a three-way tie, which will be settled by point differential in games between the three; that will go to Widener.<\/p>\n

Midwest<\/h3>\n

Saint Norbert (8-1\/8-0) gets to hang a banner already, but they haven’t secured the autobid yet. They will with a win at Lake Forest (7-2\/6-2), but that’s not exactly assured. Illinois College (8-1\/7-1) visits Carroll (WI) (5-4\/4-4). If Saint Norbert loses and Illinois College wins… well, then it gets interesting. Unless SNC loses to Lake Forest in overtime while Illinois College beats Carroll in overtime, Illinois College gets the autobid. Why? Because they didn’t play this year, so head-to-head is out, and the Midwest Conference’s second tiebreaker is quarters led. Illinois College has led 28 quarters so far this year, while Saint Norbert’s only led 25.<\/p>\n

Minnesota<\/h3>\n

Bethel (MN)<\/strong> (9-0\/7-0) has clinched everything. There will probably be a second MIAC team in the playoffs, depending on what else transpires this week. If Saint John’s (7-2\/5-2) beats Bethel at home, they’re it. Otherwise, it’ll be a tossup between Saint Thomas (7-2\/5-2) and Concordia-Moorhead (7-2\/5-2), and it might be that neither team gets an invite.<\/p>\n

New England<\/h3>\n

This one’s real simple. Salve Regina (7-2\/6-0) visits Endicott (7-2\/6-0), and having said that the situation should be pretty obvious.<\/p>\n

New England Small College<\/h3>\n

They wrapped things up last week, and of course they don’t play non-conference games at all in football much less play in the post-season. Amherst, Middlebury, and Wesleyan (CT) tied at 7-1 and share the conference title.<\/p>\n

New Jersey<\/h3>\n

Another big ol’ mess. Rowan (7-2\/5-1) hosts College of New Jersey (5-4\/4-2), Brockport State (6-3\/5-1) visits Morrisville State (3-6\/2-4), and as previously mentioned Cortland State (5-4\/5-2) plays Ithaca in a non-conference game. The short version here: If Brockport wins and Rowan loses, Brockport’s got the autobid. Any other result, and it belongs to Rowan. Longer version (skip the rest of the paragraph if you don’t care): If Rowan and Brockport both win, Rowan gets the autobid thanks to a win over Brockport. If one wins and the other doesn’t, the winner goes to the playoffs and wins the title outright. If they both lose… oh, boy. That’ll set up a four-way tie. But it’s not that complicated; New Jersey and Cortland were both 1-2 within the group, so they’re eliminated, putting us back to Rowan and Brockport, and Rowan gets the playoff berth.<\/p>\n

North Coast<\/h3>\n

Wittenberg<\/strong> (8-1\/8-0) has clinched the autobid and a share of the title. They host Allegheny (0-9\/0-8), and are pretty much a lock to take the title outright as a result. If, however, by some miracle Allegheny should win, Wabash (8-1\/7-1) will split the crown with a win in the Monon Bell Trophy game at DePauw (4-5\/4-4). More importantly, Wabash’s playoff hopes rest on a victory.<\/p>\n

Northern<\/h3>\n

Concordia (WI)<\/strong> (7-2\/5-0) has grabbed the autobid. A win at Wisconsin Lutheran (4-5\/3-2) would prevent sharing the conference title. If they lose, the winner of the Lakeland (6-3\/4-1) at Benedictine (IL) (7-2\/4-1) game will be able to call themselves champions too.<\/p>\n

Northwest<\/h3>\n

Linfield<\/strong> (8-0\/5-0) won the autobid, and would claim the outright crown with a win at Pacific (OR) (7-2\/3-2). Pacific Lutheran (8-1\/5-1) is idle, and would back into a share of the title with a Linfield loss.<\/p>\n

Ohio<\/h3>\n

Mount Union (9-0\/8-0) hosts John Carroll (9-0\/8-0); winner is the outright champion and gets the autobid, loser probably has to settle for an at-large berth. With a win at Baldwin-Wallace (6-3\/5-3), Heidelberg (7-2\/6-2) may be in the discussion as well.<\/p>\n

Old Dominion<\/h3>\n

Another straight-up tussle for an outright championship here. Hampden-Sydney (7-2\/5-1) visits Randolph-Macon (7-2\/5-1), winner take all.<\/p>\n

Presidents’<\/h3>\n

Thomas More (8-1\/7-1), as mentioned above, plays Mount Saint Joseph in a non-conference rivalry game. Fortunately for the Saints, they’ve already earned a share of the conference championship. Unfortunately for them, they have to sit and wait to see what happens when Waynesburg (7-2\/5-2) visits Washington & Jefferson (7-2\/6-1)… because the Saints lost to W&J, so if the Presidents win they get the automatic bid and a share of the crown.<\/p>\n

Southern<\/h3>\n

Another winner-take-all matchup as Millsaps (9-0\/5-0) visits Rhodes (7-2\/4-1) for all the marbles.<\/p>\n

Southern Collegiate<\/h3>\n

Texas Lutheran (7-1\/3-0) won the conference outright over a month ago. Unfortunately, the SCAC only has four teams these days and as a result doesn’t get an autobid. A 73-44 loss to Hardin-Simmons last week probably destroyed TLU’s hopes of getting an at-large berth. They’ll host Howard Payne (4-5) in a non-conference tilt, and they’d better win big and then pray.<\/p>\n

Southern California<\/h3>\n

Redlands<\/strong> (6-2\/6-0) has the autobid clamped down, and will secure the outright title with a win at home against Whittier (1-7\/1-5). Chapman (7-1\/5-1) hosts Cal Lutheran (4-4\/4-2), and will have to hope for a win and divine intervention to stake a claim.<\/p>\n

University<\/h3>\n

Washington (MO) (7-2\/2-0) hosts Chicago (6-3\/1-1), while Case Western Reserve (4-4\/1-1) visits Carnegie Mellon (3-6\/0-2). A Washington win locks up the outright conference title. A loss, and they’ll share it with Chicago and, should they win, Case. The UAA has no autobid; with a win, Washington has an outside shot at an invite.<\/p>\n

Upper Midwest<\/h3>\n

The entire conference is idle this week, which is another way of saying they’re all done. Saint Scholastica<\/strong> (9-1\/9-0) won the outright championship and the autobid.<\/p>\n

USA South<\/h3>\n

Maryville (TN)<\/strong> (8-1\/6-0) is in an unfamiliar place. They’ve made it to the playoffs before, but they’ve always had to wait and see because they’ve never done so via an autobid. They can relax now. They’ll visit Huntingdon (6-3\/4-2) this week, and a win will earn them the outright honors. If they falter, Methodist (7-2\/5-1) can sneak in for a share of the title with a win at home over North Carolina Wesleyan (2-7\/2-4).<\/p>\n

Wisconsin<\/h3>\n

Wisconsin-River Falls (0-9\/0-6) will try to prevent Wisconsin-Whitewater<\/strong> (9-0\/6-0) from winning the conference outright, and yeah, good luck with that. If by some form of sorcery that should happen, the winner of the titanic clash in Oshkosh between Wisconsin-Platteville and Wisconsin-Oshkosh (both 8-1\/5-1) would earn a split of the championship, and regardless they’re probably headed for the playoffs anyway.<\/p>\n

Independents<\/p>\n

Obviously there’s no autobid or title at stake here, but Wesley (DE) (7-2) really needs a win against visiting Alfred State (4-5) to keep their playoff plans on track. Southern Virginia (7-2) hosts Southwestern (TX) (0-9), and with a win would at least get the distinction of sharing — or possessing in its entirety, should Wesley lose — the best record among the indies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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