2021 FCS Playoff

[The Sicatoka]

Discuss.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2021-11-21/2021-ncaa-fcs-football-championship-bracket-announced 

[Sioux>Bison]

3 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Discuss.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2021-11-21/2021-ncaa-fcs-football-championship-bracket-announced 

NDSU got screwed with their guaranteed MVFC match up in the second round. This NCAA preference to regionalize match ups does not recognize how garbage the FCS is outside of the Big Sky and MVFC. USD and SIU also go screwed because they would wipe half of the playoff field 

[Dustin]

My main question is who's going to beat the Bison?  Will someone be able to do it in the dome, or will they get yet another appearance in Frisco?

[The Sicatoka]

Per Massey Ratings today (11/22/21):

The first non-playoff team (at 14 in Massey) is also the first team with a losing record. 

Put another way, Massey has that team rated better than 11 of the 24 team field. 

That team?

You guessed it.  

[The Sicatoka]

11 hours ago, Sioux>Bison said:

NDSU got screwed with their guaranteed MVFC match up in the second round. 

The NCAA knows you have to be built to beat NDSU (meaning line of scrimmage) and few teams are, so they guaranteed NDSU to have to face such a team at least once. 

[The Sicatoka]

26 minutes ago, Dustin said:

My main question is who's going to beat the Bison?  Will someone be able to do it in the dome, or will they get yet another appearance in Frisco?

If the spring SIU team were to show up it could get interesting. Beyond that, meh. 

[Midwestern Hawk]

53 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

The NCAA knows you have to be built to beat NDSU (meaning line of scrimmage) and few teams are, so they guaranteed NDSU to have to face such a team at least once. 

The NCAA also does NOT want a final 8 composed of 4 MVFC teams, nor a final 4 composed of 3.

[Sioux>Bison]

15 hours ago, Dustin said:

My main question is who's going to beat the Bison?  Will someone be able to do it in the dome, or will they get yet another appearance in Frisco?

NDSU’s second round matchup will be much tougher than their quarterfinal. I see Montana or JMU going to thE dome for the semis

[The Sicatoka]

Can anyone find the 2021 FCS SRS (simple ratings system) results? 

The NCAA site gives me 2019 information.
https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fcs/simple-ratings-system 

I really want to hear justification for Sacred Heart vs Holy Cross.
Massey has those two as the two lowest four rated in the field, yet they go head to head. 

[Hammersmith]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

Can anyone find the 2021 FCS SRS (simple ratings system) results? 

The NCAA site gives me 2019 information.
https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fcs/simple-ratings-system 

I really want to hear justification for Sacred Heart vs Holy Cross.
Massey has those two as the two lowest four rated in the field, yet they go head to head. 

Pretty simple:

https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/d1/2021-22D1MFB_PreChampManual.pdf

Page 17:

Quote

Bracket Pairings:

2. The remaining 16 teams will play first-round games and will be paired according to geographic proximity and then placed in the bracket according to geographic proximity of the top eight seeds previously placed in the bracket;

3. The NCAA mileage threshold for mandatory team travel via ground is 400 miles (one way);

 

Worcester, MA(Holy Cross) to Fairfield, CT(Sacred Heart) = 115 miles.

[The Sicatoka]

Thanks for the info @Hammersmith ... but it's still gross and seems horribly unjust. 
And I'm still interested in the 2021 FCS SRS numbers.  

Using (Massey/Sagarin) Ratings this week: 

Holy Cross (31/151) v. Sacred Heart (84/202)
Northern Iowa (6/99) v. EWU (4/94) 

 

For reference UND is (14/122).
Note: Sagarin ratings are all DI, not just FCS. 

[Hammersmith]

48 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Thanks for the info @Hammersmith ... but it's still gross and seems horribly unjust. 
And I'm still interested in the 2021 FCS SRS numbers.  

Using (Massey/Sagarin) Ratings this week: 

Holy Cross (31/151) v. Sacred Heart (84/202)
Northern Iowa (6/99) v. EWU (4/94) 

 

For reference UND is (14/122).
Note: Sagarin ratings are all DI, not just FCS. 

The SRS may or may not be eventually released, but it had absolutely no bearing on pairings. SRS is one of the tools used to help select the 13 at-large bids and to help select and arrange the 8 seeds, but it is not used after that at all. Geography and avoiding conference rematches in the first round are the only things that matter during the pairings.

[The Sicatoka]

14 hours ago, Hammersmith said:

Geography and avoiding conference rematches in the first round are the only things that matter during the pairings.

I can agree with one of those (avoiding conference rematches), but the other, geography, aka regionalization, is a pox and an abomination to an equitable national championship bracket. 

The SRS having no bearing on bracketing is not how other NCAA brackets are formed, and is pure folly. See: SH v HC. Use it or not. Sort of using it is no better than DSFRWSAS. 

 

If you're going to regionalize, why not declare four sites for each of the first two weekends and bring in four teams to each. Each site hosts a Saturday FCS playoff double-header. When there are eight teams left, go back to home sites until the title game. 

< exhale >
< rant mode off > 

[Kab]

Guess the attendance at both SD and SDSU this weekend,  doubt there will be anything close to a sellout at any game this weekend.

isn’t there a better way than put on thanksgiving weekend given there is almost a month between semifinal games and championship game.

 

[The Sicatoka]

12 minutes ago, Kab said:

isn’t there a better way than put on thanksgiving weekend given there is almost a month between semifinal games and championship game.

The NCAA will run a Frozen Four over Easter weekend.

That they'll overrun Thanksgiving surprises you? 

 

The NCAA is greater than saying thanks, greater than any force in the universe. Now bow down and pray toward Indianapolis you heathen. 

[UND1983]

52 minutes ago, Kab said:

Guess the attendance at both SD and SDSU this weekend,  doubt there will be anything close to a sellout at any game this weekend.

isn’t there a better way than put on thanksgiving weekend given there is almost a month between semifinal games and championship game.

 

SDSU might have 5K depending on weather. USD might have 3K.  My guesses.

[The Sicatoka]

13 minutes ago, UND1983 said:

SDSU might have 5K depending on weather. USD might have 3K.  My guesses.

Would it be wrong of me to admit I'm picking "visitor" in both games? 

[Sioux>Bison]

17 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Thanks for the info @Hammersmith ... but it's still gross and seems horribly unjust. 
And I'm still interested in the 2021 FCS SRS numbers.  

Using (Massey/Sagarin) Ratings this week: 

Holy Cross (31/151) v. Sacred Heart (84/202)
Northern Iowa (6/99) v. EWU (4/94) 

 

For reference UND is (14/122).
Note: Sagarin ratings are all DI, not just FCS. 

It’s complete BS, FCS schools should demand a change. The MVFC schools have absolutely been screwed with the bracket. I don’t care about regionalism, it should be the best teams playing the worst so that the best teams can make it as far as possible . SDSU, Cal Davis, UNI, EWU, NDSU, USD, SIU all were completely screwed over and each should have had a cupcake FCS team to play in the first round. The playoffs are so lowly rating because of this poor bracketing. I’m glad UND didn’t get in and have to play an EWU first round. Not fair for any Big Sky or MVFC team because they don’t play powder puff football all year! The FCS needs to get away from this D2 mentality!

[Sioux>Bison]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

Would it be wrong of me to admit I'm picking "visitor" in both games? 

The Dakota teams (except for NDSU) are the Vikings of the FCS……. But the Big Sky also chokes when playing big games against the MVFC so we will see what happens!

[The Sicatoka]

1 minute ago, Sioux&gt;Bison said:

The Dakota teams (except for NDSU) are the Vikings of the FCS……. But the Big Sky also chokes when playing big games against the MVFC so we will see what happens!

So you're saying UCD (BSC) at SDSU (MVFC) and UNI (MVFC) at EWU (BSC) is matter and anti-matter colliding, twice. Great. End of the universe. Poof.