UNI Gets Bumped from Top 25

[Pantherpower]

Go figure. There is a conspiracy against the Gateway, boys and girls. I hope you'll all join me in rooting on SIU and WKU. Man did they stack the deck against the Gateway potentially pitting these two against each other in the 2nd round

[UNI Guy]

I agree, the Gateway got screwed. I sent an e-mail to the NCAA asking for clarification on how they pair the selected teams, and here is their reply.


Ray,



The following procedures are followed to select participants and determine the bracket for the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship:

1. Championship selection.


a. The committee shall select the best teams available on a national at-large basis to complete the bracket.

b. There is no limit to the number of teams the committee may select from one conference.

c. The won-lost record of a team will be scrutinized to determine a team’s strength of schedule; however, more than three losses will place a team in jeopardy of not being selected; and

d. The committee may give more consideration to those teams that have played all Division I opponents.


2. Pairings.

a. The teams awarded the top four seeds are placed in the appropriate positions in the bracket (Nos. 1 and 4 in the upper half, and Nos. 2 and 3 in the lower half), and will be paired with teams that are in closest geographic proximity;

b. The remaining teams will be paired according to geographic proximity and placed in the bracket according to geographic proximity of the four pairings previously placed in the bracket;

c. Teams from the same conference will not be paired for first-round games; and

d. When determining host institutions for playoff games when both teams are unseeded, criteria shall apply as follows:

a. Quality of facility;

b. Revenue potential plus estimated net receipts;

c. Attendance history and potential; and

d. Team’s performance (i.e., conference place finish, head-to-head results and number of Division I opponents).


Damani J. Leech
NCAA
Associate Director of Baseball and Football
PO Box 6222
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6222
phone: 317-917-6222
fax: 317-917-6827

[JCPanthers]

I've never heard of a team dropping in the polls after a 45-21 WIN!!! What the hell is wrong with those people!

[GonzoCat]

I seem to recall UNI was still ranked in the top 20 after their third loss, which was remarkable and an indication that voters recognized our strength of schedule and how close we came to winning 3 of those games. Since then we have gone 6-1 and dropped off the map I guess.

Should be top 10 to start next year and never drop out of it.