By Keith McMillan
D3sports.com
And then there was one.
Susquehanna’s surprising 16-14 win over Lycoming left just one Pool C playoff contender, Bridgewater, in a region that just two weeks ago thought it might deserve all three open spots. Though the Eagles could also be eliminated from Pool C with a loss at Catholic this week, there is some good news.
Two Mid-Atlantic teams, Western Maryland and Widener, clinched spots in the field of 28 this past weekend, and winners of two games this Saturday could earn playoff bids.
The focus will be on the battles in the Old Dominion, where three teams have playoff chances, and in the Atlantic Central, where Wesley’s playoff hopes are riding on a matchup with Ferrum.
The ODAC, which has been difficult to gauge all season, is still up in the air.
If Catholic wins, they earn the conference’s automatic qualifier and head to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. A Bridgewater win opens the door for Emory & Henry, who will get the ODAC AQ due to a 5-1 conference mark and a 37-35 win over the Eagles in September.
The Eagles have a strong Pool C case if they finish 9-1. They have out-of-conference victories over the Centennial champion (Western Maryland) and Johns Hopkins (5-4) and will have gone 5-1 in the ODAC.
Rest assured that the Wasps, who finish with Maryville on Saturday, are pulling for a Bridgewater win.
The ACFC race comes down to Ferrum’s game at Wesley on Saturday. The Wolverines are likely in with a win, considering they will finish 8-1 with only a 10-point loss to national power Rowan. Ferrum can clinch the ACFC title with a victory, but they have only a slim chance at a Pool B playoff bid.
The Panthers’ out-of-conference schedule included two first-year programs in Shenandoah and Averett, and also 1-8 Guilford. Pool B is filled with unbeatens and single-loss teams. The ACFC’s status as a not-so-highly regarded conference doesn’t help, probably leaving the Panthers out in the cold even if they finish 8-2.
In the shuffle to get top teams into the playoffs, there will certainly be some schools who will look to certain Saturdays, or even certain plays, where if things had happened just a little differently, the playoff bracket would include them.
Ferrum likely leads that group.
One play (or day) away
The Panthers dropped a three-point decision at Methodist (10-7) and lost 10-0 to one of two playoff-caliber teams on their schedule, Emory & Henry. Ferrum, who boasts the nation’s top defense and second-best scoring defense, would surely like to have Sept. 9 and 30 to do over again.
The same goes for Lycoming, who could finish 7-2 and just three points from being unbeaten. Ursinus (7-2) lost by three to Western Maryland and two to Muhlenberg. The Mules (7-2) only stumbled twice, against Western Maryland and Johns Hopkins.
Susquehanna started 5-0, but lost three MAC Commonwealth league games, before their big win this week. Late-season slumps are becoming a habit for the Crusaders, who endured a similar situation last season.
Methodist (6-3), Washington & Lee (5-4), Johns Hopkins (5-4) and Moravian (6-3) all qualified as surprises this season and are programs to keep an eye on next season.
These are the squads that if, operating under the system used in Division I-A, would be making trips to the mid-level bowl games.
The thankless life of Division III football players…
Conference clashes
Observers of Post Patterns witnessed several summer arguments about which Mid-Atlantic conference is the strongest. In some cases, the results are in. In others, there is just no proof to support certain claims.
The ODAC has a strong argument for being the best this season: a 6-1 record against the Centennial Conference, with a team that can finish no higher than second (Bridgewater) having beaten the CC champions (Western Maryland). The ODAC is also 2-2 against the ACFC, with its two wins coming against top ACFC teams and both ACFC wins coming against 1-8 Guilford.
But the conference’s dismal playoff record, just three wins in 27 years of the NCAA tournament, keep it from becoming one of the country’s most respected.
The Centennial’s mark against the ODAC aside (it can improve to 2-6 if Swarthmore beats Washington & Lee), it can make a case for itself. Western Maryland knocked off Widener, the MAC champion, helping the CC to a 2-1 record against Middle Atlantic opponents (Muhlenberg plays traditional rival Moravian this weekend). Two teams each winning in the playoffs last season helped prove the conference’s strength.
The MAC was one of the country’s most powerful conferences throughout the '90s. Fourteen teams from six MAC schools notched 15 playoff wins during the decade. In addition, a MAC team has been to the NCAA tournament in every season since 1987. This season might not have been the MAC’s strongest, but they will send a formidable Widener squad to the playoffs.
The ACFC formed for the 1998 season, but will disband when the Dixie Conference starts sponsoring football next season. Ferrum, Averett, Shenandoah, Methodist, Greensboro and Christopher Newport are all part of the Dixie in other sports, and Chowan is joining the Dixie in all sports.
What is a shame, is that solid seasons by schools in the ACFC (all but one has a chance to finish .500 or better), may not lay the foundation for a strong conference tradition to match those at Wesley, Frostburg, Salisbury and Ferrum. The 2000 season showed the ACFC growing into a respected regional conference.
Schools from the ODAC and MAC, ACFC and MAC and CC and ACFC never met in regular season play. But with each conference poised to send a team (or, for the ODAC, possibly two) to the tournament, we could see some matchups that will start new summer arguments.
Rivalry week
From the old (Randolph-Macon and Hampden-Sydney’s 106th meeting) to the new (Guilford and Greensboro’s 4th annual Gate City Bowl), the last week of the regular season always features big rivalries.
Muhlenberg will travel to nearby Bethlehem to face Moravian, while Catholic and Bridgewater pursue a budding rivalry and compete for a playoff spot. Crosstown rivals will meet in Wilkes-Barre when King’s takes on Wilkes in their season finale. Two proud programs will each try to keep from going 0-10 when Gettysburg hosts Franklin & Marshall. Dickinson and Ursinus renew a rivalry that began in 1894.
Sayonara seniors
Though there are certainly too many throughout the Mid-Atlantic to name, a number of talented seniors will take the field for the last time Saturday.
Looking back, the class of 2000-01 was filled with record-breakers (Muhlenberg quarterback Michael McCabe, Randolph-Macon receiver Michael Becker) and the statistically strong (King’s running back Damon Saxon, Bridgewater receiver Marcus Richardson). It also featured the defensively dominant (Lycoming defensive lineman Mark Seagraves, Ferrum defensive end Toné Dancy) and the quietly effective (Emory & Henry kicker Chris Epperly, Salisbury State return man Seth Haskins).
It is this last group of players, the offensive linemen, fullbacks and career special teams players, that I ask you not to overlook this Saturday.
For every star, every press clipping and every all-conference nomination, there are twice as many players whose accomplishments have been overlooked because their contribution can’t be measured by football statistics alone. On the field Saturday will be a number of players whose sacrifice will go unnoticed by the record books, but whose importance was not overlooked by his coaches and teammates. Several players who play not for scholarships or the love of adoring fans, but for the thrill of competition and the feeling of belonging to a team, will walk between the white lines for the last time.
In the end, dozens of players will walk off the field Saturday without tasting the nectar of the playoffs, instead savoring a greater victory: completing a career as a Division III football player.
If you’re at a game Saturday, give these guys a hand.