By Don Stoner
Augsburg Sports Information Director
MINNEAPOLIS -- Last year, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference saw half its football-playing teams share the conference championship. This year, half the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference could do the same.
If -- and this is a big if -- 8-1 St. John's (AFCA No. 13) drops its game at the Metrodome on Friday (5 p.m. CST) to 6-2 Gustavus, and all the other MIAC favorites win their games in the Thursday-Friday MIAC Metrodome Showcase, five of the 10 football-playing teams would share the conference championship.
OK, we'll take "MIAC Tiebreakers" for $1,000, Alex. In anticipation of the new automatic qualifier rule for the expanded Division III playoffs, the MIAC redrew its tiebreaker policy in May, with the possibility of three or more teams sharing the conference championship.
Here's how it goes, if the "Big IF" happens -- Gustavus beats St. John's on Friday. IF the other games end up as would be expected -- 6-3 St. Thomas beats 2-7 Hamline (8 p.m. CST Thursday), 6-3 Concordia-Moorhead beats 5-4 Augsburg (2 p.m. CST Friday) and 7-2 Bethel beats 2-7 Carleton (8 p.m. CST Friday), the four victorious teams and St. John's would share identical 7-2 conference records.
Who gets the automatic bid in that scenario? This is for certain, it wouldn't be St. John's. According to the MIAC's tiebreaker policy, when three or more teams share the top record in the league and if you break it down to two teams through tiebreakers by matching head-to-head records, the team that was most recently in the playoffs is eliminated from contention -- leaving last year's NCAA quarterfinalist, St. John's, out in the cold. It appears that the only way the Johnnies will return to the playoffs is if they win Friday or through just one of the many scenarios listed below.
After St. John's is thrown out of the mix in the tiebreaker scenario, the remaining four teams are compared in head-to-head competition against each other. Concordia and St. Thomas would be 2-1, and Bethel and Gustavus would be 1-2. See you later, Royals and Gusties.
With the Cobbers and Tommies remaining, we hop in the time machine back to last Friday. St. Thomas' 22-7 win against Concordia at the Fargodome is the difference. St. Thomas would make the playoffs in a five-way MIAC tie.
How about a four-team tie, if one of the four two-loss conference teams loses its Metrodome game along with St. John's?
If Concordia drops its game to Augsburg (the Auggies have beaten the Cobbers the last three times the schools have met and four of the last six), Gustavus would make the playoffs.
If St. Thomas falls to Hamline, Concordia makes the playoffs.
If Carleton upsets Bethel, St. John's would get the postseason bid.
And here are your three-team tie possibilities, if St. John's AND two of the favorites lose. St. Thomas would make the playoffs if it is tied with Gustavus and St. John's; Gustavus would see their season extended in a three-way tie with St. John's and Bethel; and Concordia would win the tiebreaker and the bid with Gustavus and St. John's.
One thing that won't affect the Johnnies' chances is their conference probation for practice-time violations. The complaint was filed in September and practice time reduced to compensate.
What's the most amazing fact about this whole mess? The only team that has beaten mighty St. John's so far this season -- Bethel (24-20 on Oct. 9) -- has virtually no shot at making the playoffs. None of the plethora of tiebreakers are in Bethel's favor, and it appears that the NCAA will not award a Pool C bid to the MIAC.
Simple, huh? But the entire column to this point would be irrelevant if St. John's simply beats Gustavus on Friday evening. And the Johnnies have beaten the Gusties 11 of the last 12 times the two teams have met.
More Metrodome fun
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis is the place to be if you're a fan of small-college football this weekend. Starting on Thursday afternoon, there will be 13 college football games in a four-day span in the Metrodome. In addition to the five MIAC games on Thursday and Friday, and the Metrodome's primary college football tenant, the University of Minnesota, hosting Indiana on Saturday at 11 a.m., the Metrodome will be home to the first-ever seven-game "Border Battle" between the WIAC and the Division II Northern Sun Conference teams.
Sure, Wisconsin-La Crosse has already locked up the WIAC's automatic bid, and since 8-1 Wisconsin-Stevens Point's game with Bemidji State is scheduled to kick off an hour AFTER the Division III playoff bids are announced, the Pointers are considered a virtual lock to receive one of the Pool C playoff bids. But the games should be interesting for fans to watch anyway -- especially the five games on Sunday.
On Saturday, Wisconsin-La Crosse opens the "Border Battle" with a 6 p.m. game against Minnesota-Duluth, followed by a 9 p.m. game between Wisconsin-River Falls and Winona State. Wake up early on Sunday and cruise to the Dome for an 8 a.m. game between Wisconsin-Platteville and Minnesota-Morris, followed by Wisconsin-Oshkosh vs. Moorhead State at 11 a.m., Wisconsin-Stevens Point vs. Bemidji State at 2:30 p.m., Wisconsin-Eau Claire vs. Northern State at 5:30 p.m., and Wisconsin-Stout vs. Southwest State in the finale at 8:30 p.m.
Three of the games will also be televised regionally on Midwest Sports Channel (DirecTV Channel 641, Dish Network Channel 436 for satellite-dish viewers across the nation) -- River Falls and Winona State on Saturday, and Sunday's Stevens Point-Bemidji State and Eau Claire-Northern State games.
Other big games
In Iowa, No. 7 Wartburg clinched the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and the automatic berth in the playoffs with an exciting 40-23 win against Central last week. In order to finish the year 10-0 and possibly secure one of the four No. 1 seeds (and the first-round bye that goes with it), a win against 6-3 Upper Iowa this Saturday (1 p.m., Fayette, Iowa) is imperative.
Central, which dropped from No. 4 to No. 16 in the AFCA poll with its first loss of the season, hopes to wrap up a Pool C berth with its game against 7-2 Buena Vista in Pella, Iowa. The Beavers dropped a three-overtime, 34-31 loss to Coe last week.
In the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, the automatic bid comes down to Saturday's huge contest between 7-1 teams Augustana and Wheaton (1 p.m., Wheaton, Ill.). No. 20 Wheaton dropped its first game of the year last week with a surprising 22-16 decision at Elmhurst, but the Crusaders still take the CCIW's top defense (234.1 yards of total offense allowed per game, just 75.8 rushing yards per game) into Saturday's game.
Meanwhile, No. 23 Augustana could clinch its 18th CCIW crown with the most potent offense in the CCIW. Vikings head coach Tom Schmulbach has been sidelined all season long after a mid-August operation to remove a malignant tumor from his neck, and is currently undergoing radiation treatments. While he hasn't missed a game, veteran defensive coordinator Larry Johnsen has been serving as acting head coach. And the Vikings haven't missed a beat, winning seven games in a row after a season-opening loss to defending CCIW champ Millikin. Augustana has won the last two games in a row, five of the last seven and 17 of the last 20 in the series.
In the Illini-Badger Conference, 8-1 Aurora is still in the hunt for a Pool B playoff berth, after clinching the league title with a 49-32 win over Lakeland last week. This week, the No. 24 Spartans have a tough contest against Division I-AA Valparaiso. The Crusaders are 7-2 in the Pioneer League.
This column is drawn from a variety of sources, including the outstanding work and research of sports information directors from Division III schools all over the Midwest.