GRIZNATION
Well-known member
With a win in Bozeman this weekend, especially a convincing one...
regardless of a McNeese St win I think the Griz will be a top four seed. Perhaps even a #2. If certain teams lose, even a #1 seed is possible.
We could have a visit from our friends at Northern Iowa again.
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Griz will get home cooking for playoffs
By JON KASPER of the Missoulian
Washington-Grizzly Stadium could be a busy place well into December.
It's pretty much a lock Montana will host a Division I-AA playoff game a week from Saturday regardless of how the Grizzlies fare over in Bozeman this Saturday against Montana State. But a win over the Bobcats could mean very good things for the Grizzlies when the Division I-AA playoff committee sits down Saturday night in Indianapolis to sort out the 16-team field. The field will consist of eight at-large bids and eight automatic qualifiers. The bracket will be announced Sunday on ESPNews at 11 a.m.
For the fourth and final year, Montana athletic director Wayne Hogan is a member of the eight-man playoff committee. This year, he's also the chairman. He's the one who'll have to defend the committee's decisions to the media and the disappointed fans.
Montana is ranked fourth in this week's Sports Network poll. The committee has its own poll to determine seedings. Hogan would not divulge where the Grizzlies sit entering the final week, but did drop some promising hints. When asked if Montana had a chance for a top four, or even a top two seed, Hogan said, "There's absolutely a chance of that.''
The top two seeds are guaranteed home games until the national title game, assuming they win. The third and fourth seeds get to host through the quarterfinals.
The Grizzlies are 17-2 in playoff games at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, and just 2-10 in the postseason on the road.
If Montana gains a seed, the decision will undoubtedly set off a firestorm across the I-AA world, especially if McNeese State and Delaware win. If those two schools pull out victories, each would finish with one loss. Southern Illinois and Wofford have already finished their seasons with one loss. Colgate, the Patriot League champion, is 11-0.
Critics will point to UM's early-season loss to Division II North Dakota State. They'll point to Hogan's position on the committee. They'll think money is a factor. The Griz currently rank first in Division I-AA in total and average attendance.
"We're going to get the best four teams in the top four slots, no matter if they draw 2,000 or 20,000,'' Hogan said.
Hogan said he hasn't had campaign much for the Grizzlies.
"I can tell you people on our committee have a high opinion of where we are right now,'' Hogan said. "These guys on the committee are really into this. They study it. They watch everything that is going on. They know about the (Craig) Ochs factor. They know about Bobby Hauck and the new coaches in place. There is not a lot of sales work going into this thing.''
Hogan certainly has plenty of ammunition if he needs it. The Griz rank first among I-AA schools in the Sagarin ratings and are also first in the Gridiron Power Index. Pundits will point out that the NDSU loss is not factored into those polls. Assuming Montana beats Montana State, the Griz will enter the playoffs on five-game winning streak and have won the Big Sky Conference outright championship. The Big Sky is rated the toughest I-AA conference by Sagarin.
"Strength of schedule is a buzz word,'' Hogan said. "We've always had a tendency to talk about teams peaking, frankly. Every year we talk about a team that might have started out a little slow and might have lost a game or two, but recent success is huge. It's kind of really no different than the media poll, where it's better to lose games early than lose them late. That enters into the mentality.
"We want teams in the tournament that are capable of winning games and being hot. Any negative spin off from the NDSU thing might be offset because we've been so hot.''
Another theory making the rounds is the committee won't seed both McNeese State and Montana, who are both in the West Region. This will be the third season where the proximity of the teams is supposed to play a factor in the brackets. Since the change in 2001, just the top four teams get seeds and are guaranteed of hosting first-round games. The other first-round games are supposed to be decided with regional proximity in mind. Clubs from the same conference can't meet in the first round.
"It factors in not at all,'' Hogan said. "Frankly there has always been a lot of talk about regionalization ties and how many teams we take from each conference by (the media). You guys get hung up on that. We really don't. The top four doesn't matter. They can all come out of the same region. The top four is the top four.''
There is a strong possibility the Gateway Conference will send four teams - Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Northern Iowa and Western Illinois - to the playoffs. All four teams are ranked in the top 11 and will finish their seasons with less than four losses.
Hogan said it will be very difficult for a team with four losses to make the field unless they are an automatic qualifier, as Montana State would be if it beats the Griz.
"It's just going to be darn near impossible for a four-loss team to get in the field,'' Hogan said. "Four-loss teams aren't completely off the board, but they certainly put themselves in jeopardy if they get four losses.''
Hogan will fly to Indianapolis on Friday. He plans on watching the Brawl of the Wild from the Fox and the Hound, an Indianapolis establishment that will host a Griz-Cat satellite party.
Hogan said the committee will likely convene around six or seven. They'll have to wait until the conclusion of the McNeese-Nicholls State night game to finalize the bracket. If Nicholls upsets McNeese, the committee could have a long night ahead.
"We'll have everything set one way if McNeese wins,'' Hogan said. "If McNeese does not win, here we go. It will start the merry-go-round.''
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regardless of a McNeese St win I think the Griz will be a top four seed. Perhaps even a #2. If certain teams lose, even a #1 seed is possible.
We could have a visit from our friends at Northern Iowa again.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Griz will get home cooking for playoffs
By JON KASPER of the Missoulian
Washington-Grizzly Stadium could be a busy place well into December.
It's pretty much a lock Montana will host a Division I-AA playoff game a week from Saturday regardless of how the Grizzlies fare over in Bozeman this Saturday against Montana State. But a win over the Bobcats could mean very good things for the Grizzlies when the Division I-AA playoff committee sits down Saturday night in Indianapolis to sort out the 16-team field. The field will consist of eight at-large bids and eight automatic qualifiers. The bracket will be announced Sunday on ESPNews at 11 a.m.
For the fourth and final year, Montana athletic director Wayne Hogan is a member of the eight-man playoff committee. This year, he's also the chairman. He's the one who'll have to defend the committee's decisions to the media and the disappointed fans.
Montana is ranked fourth in this week's Sports Network poll. The committee has its own poll to determine seedings. Hogan would not divulge where the Grizzlies sit entering the final week, but did drop some promising hints. When asked if Montana had a chance for a top four, or even a top two seed, Hogan said, "There's absolutely a chance of that.''
The top two seeds are guaranteed home games until the national title game, assuming they win. The third and fourth seeds get to host through the quarterfinals.
The Grizzlies are 17-2 in playoff games at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, and just 2-10 in the postseason on the road.
If Montana gains a seed, the decision will undoubtedly set off a firestorm across the I-AA world, especially if McNeese State and Delaware win. If those two schools pull out victories, each would finish with one loss. Southern Illinois and Wofford have already finished their seasons with one loss. Colgate, the Patriot League champion, is 11-0.
Critics will point to UM's early-season loss to Division II North Dakota State. They'll point to Hogan's position on the committee. They'll think money is a factor. The Griz currently rank first in Division I-AA in total and average attendance.
"We're going to get the best four teams in the top four slots, no matter if they draw 2,000 or 20,000,'' Hogan said.
Hogan said he hasn't had campaign much for the Grizzlies.
"I can tell you people on our committee have a high opinion of where we are right now,'' Hogan said. "These guys on the committee are really into this. They study it. They watch everything that is going on. They know about the (Craig) Ochs factor. They know about Bobby Hauck and the new coaches in place. There is not a lot of sales work going into this thing.''
Hogan certainly has plenty of ammunition if he needs it. The Griz rank first among I-AA schools in the Sagarin ratings and are also first in the Gridiron Power Index. Pundits will point out that the NDSU loss is not factored into those polls. Assuming Montana beats Montana State, the Griz will enter the playoffs on five-game winning streak and have won the Big Sky Conference outright championship. The Big Sky is rated the toughest I-AA conference by Sagarin.
"Strength of schedule is a buzz word,'' Hogan said. "We've always had a tendency to talk about teams peaking, frankly. Every year we talk about a team that might have started out a little slow and might have lost a game or two, but recent success is huge. It's kind of really no different than the media poll, where it's better to lose games early than lose them late. That enters into the mentality.
"We want teams in the tournament that are capable of winning games and being hot. Any negative spin off from the NDSU thing might be offset because we've been so hot.''
Another theory making the rounds is the committee won't seed both McNeese State and Montana, who are both in the West Region. This will be the third season where the proximity of the teams is supposed to play a factor in the brackets. Since the change in 2001, just the top four teams get seeds and are guaranteed of hosting first-round games. The other first-round games are supposed to be decided with regional proximity in mind. Clubs from the same conference can't meet in the first round.
"It factors in not at all,'' Hogan said. "Frankly there has always been a lot of talk about regionalization ties and how many teams we take from each conference by (the media). You guys get hung up on that. We really don't. The top four doesn't matter. They can all come out of the same region. The top four is the top four.''
There is a strong possibility the Gateway Conference will send four teams - Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Northern Iowa and Western Illinois - to the playoffs. All four teams are ranked in the top 11 and will finish their seasons with less than four losses.
Hogan said it will be very difficult for a team with four losses to make the field unless they are an automatic qualifier, as Montana State would be if it beats the Griz.
"It's just going to be darn near impossible for a four-loss team to get in the field,'' Hogan said. "Four-loss teams aren't completely off the board, but they certainly put themselves in jeopardy if they get four losses.''
Hogan will fly to Indianapolis on Friday. He plans on watching the Brawl of the Wild from the Fox and the Hound, an Indianapolis establishment that will host a Griz-Cat satellite party.
Hogan said the committee will likely convene around six or seven. They'll have to wait until the conclusion of the McNeese-Nicholls State night game to finalize the bracket. If Nicholls upsets McNeese, the committee could have a long night ahead.
"We'll have everything set one way if McNeese wins,'' Hogan said. "If McNeese does not win, here we go. It will start the merry-go-round.''
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