monmouthhawk
November 16th, 2006, 06:13 AM
Don't worry folks - this is not a crusade, only one thread.
Monmouth still in I-AA contention
Fate will be determined Sunday
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 11/16/06
BY TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER
There could be more to celebrate than a 2006 Northeast Conference championship and a berth in the Dec. 2 Gridiron Classic when the Monmouth University football team holds an open house Sunday at the school's student center.
Monmouth (10-1, 6-1) will also be gathering in hopes of learning it has gained one of eight at-large bids to the 16-team NCAA Division I-AA playoffs field, which will be announced at 1 p.m. Sunday on ESPNews. The playoffs begin Nov. 25.
The Gridiron Classic is a scheduled matchup between the NEC (Monmouth) and Pioneer League champions (San Diego), but if a league champion receives a I-AA at-large bid, the second-place team in the league will play in the Classic, which will be hosted by the NEC representative.
"Monmouth will certainly be under consideration for an at-large bid," said Ron Ratner, associate commissioner of the NEC, who added that would "realistically" be a first for an NEC team.
"I think the success the league (NEC) has had as a whole has made our teams more viable (for the 1-AA playoffs)," said Ratner, referring to 2006 wins by Monmouth and other NEC schools over established Division I-AA programs.
"I think Monmouth's body of work this year lends itself to that consideration," he said.
While Monmouth was running the table against I-AA nonconference foes Fordham, Colgate, Morgan State, and St. Peter's, NEC members Albany and Central Connecticut State produced nonconference wins of note.
San Diego (10-0), also believed to be in the I-AA at-large playoff mix, rolled to the Pioneer League title, with Drake (9-2) finishing second. Stony Brook (5-6, 5-2) has the NEC second-place tiebreakers.
"All the information that has been passed on to me is that we are one of a handful of teams that are bubble teams at this point," Monmouth coach Kevin Callahan said. "A lot will be determined by games yet to be played this weekend, who wins, who loses."
Callahan said Monmouth, which claimed the NEC crown in last Saturday's showdown at Albany, is the only team in I-AA football to have 10 wins against I-AA opponents.
San Diego is ranked No. 14 in the Sports Network Top 25 poll, while Monmouth was listed as "also receiving votes," the 29th highest vote total nationally.
However, Matt Dougherty, TSN 1-AA football editor, wrote two weeks ago, "The Toreros (San Diego) finish the regular season with a 10-0 record, though a pair of games against non-Division I competition figure to send them to the Gridiron Classic on Dec. 2."
This week, Dougherty said of Monmouth in reference to its all 1-AA schedule, "the Hawks can at least sit back next week and root against New Hampshire, Towson, Eastern Illinois, and Montana State in hopes of obtaining a playoff bid that would have been unfathomable when the year began."
Ratner said poll rankings are never discussed at the I-AA selection level.
"We just assess the teams by what goes down on the field," he said.
Monmouth senior defensive end Erik Yngstrom said Wednesday the Hawks are thrilled to still be playing.
"Just going into the Albany game, I wasn't ready for it to be the last game of my career," said the Freehold Township High School graduate.
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061116/SPORTS02/611160523/1010
Also, here is the scores to check up on for MU fans:
MU football on the 1-AA bubble
With MU (10-1) "on the bubble" for the 1-AA playoffs it would behoove the Hawks if some other "bubble teams" lost this weekend (bids go out Sunday).
Again, it's a 16-team field with six automatic bids.....
So, for scoreboard watchers, here is a list of some of the teams that might benefit MU by losing:
UNH (7-3) to Maine (6-4)
Coastal Carolina (8-2) to Charleston Southern (9-1)
Montana State (7-3) to Montana (9-1)
S. Illinois (7-3) to S. Utah (3-7)
Illinois State (8-2) to Northern Arizona (6-4)
Eastern Ill. ((7-4) to Jacksonville State (6-4)
So keep this little scoreboard blog handy Saturday for instant reference. Not all of the teams have to lose ,but one or two going down wouldn't hurt the MU chances.
Again ..it's a 16-team field with eight automatic bids.
Monmouth still in I-AA contention
Fate will be determined Sunday
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 11/16/06
BY TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER
There could be more to celebrate than a 2006 Northeast Conference championship and a berth in the Dec. 2 Gridiron Classic when the Monmouth University football team holds an open house Sunday at the school's student center.
Monmouth (10-1, 6-1) will also be gathering in hopes of learning it has gained one of eight at-large bids to the 16-team NCAA Division I-AA playoffs field, which will be announced at 1 p.m. Sunday on ESPNews. The playoffs begin Nov. 25.
The Gridiron Classic is a scheduled matchup between the NEC (Monmouth) and Pioneer League champions (San Diego), but if a league champion receives a I-AA at-large bid, the second-place team in the league will play in the Classic, which will be hosted by the NEC representative.
"Monmouth will certainly be under consideration for an at-large bid," said Ron Ratner, associate commissioner of the NEC, who added that would "realistically" be a first for an NEC team.
"I think the success the league (NEC) has had as a whole has made our teams more viable (for the 1-AA playoffs)," said Ratner, referring to 2006 wins by Monmouth and other NEC schools over established Division I-AA programs.
"I think Monmouth's body of work this year lends itself to that consideration," he said.
While Monmouth was running the table against I-AA nonconference foes Fordham, Colgate, Morgan State, and St. Peter's, NEC members Albany and Central Connecticut State produced nonconference wins of note.
San Diego (10-0), also believed to be in the I-AA at-large playoff mix, rolled to the Pioneer League title, with Drake (9-2) finishing second. Stony Brook (5-6, 5-2) has the NEC second-place tiebreakers.
"All the information that has been passed on to me is that we are one of a handful of teams that are bubble teams at this point," Monmouth coach Kevin Callahan said. "A lot will be determined by games yet to be played this weekend, who wins, who loses."
Callahan said Monmouth, which claimed the NEC crown in last Saturday's showdown at Albany, is the only team in I-AA football to have 10 wins against I-AA opponents.
San Diego is ranked No. 14 in the Sports Network Top 25 poll, while Monmouth was listed as "also receiving votes," the 29th highest vote total nationally.
However, Matt Dougherty, TSN 1-AA football editor, wrote two weeks ago, "The Toreros (San Diego) finish the regular season with a 10-0 record, though a pair of games against non-Division I competition figure to send them to the Gridiron Classic on Dec. 2."
This week, Dougherty said of Monmouth in reference to its all 1-AA schedule, "the Hawks can at least sit back next week and root against New Hampshire, Towson, Eastern Illinois, and Montana State in hopes of obtaining a playoff bid that would have been unfathomable when the year began."
Ratner said poll rankings are never discussed at the I-AA selection level.
"We just assess the teams by what goes down on the field," he said.
Monmouth senior defensive end Erik Yngstrom said Wednesday the Hawks are thrilled to still be playing.
"Just going into the Albany game, I wasn't ready for it to be the last game of my career," said the Freehold Township High School graduate.
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061116/SPORTS02/611160523/1010
Also, here is the scores to check up on for MU fans:
MU football on the 1-AA bubble
With MU (10-1) "on the bubble" for the 1-AA playoffs it would behoove the Hawks if some other "bubble teams" lost this weekend (bids go out Sunday).
Again, it's a 16-team field with six automatic bids.....
So, for scoreboard watchers, here is a list of some of the teams that might benefit MU by losing:
UNH (7-3) to Maine (6-4)
Coastal Carolina (8-2) to Charleston Southern (9-1)
Montana State (7-3) to Montana (9-1)
S. Illinois (7-3) to S. Utah (3-7)
Illinois State (8-2) to Northern Arizona (6-4)
Eastern Ill. ((7-4) to Jacksonville State (6-4)
So keep this little scoreboard blog handy Saturday for instant reference. Not all of the teams have to lose ,but one or two going down wouldn't hurt the MU chances.
Again ..it's a 16-team field with eight automatic bids.