PNCLL Week #5 (3/2-3/8) - Predict, Scores, Discuss

[LuteLax]

Kyle (AKA SOUP)... Let me clarify. I am not looking for a "we are great recap". I wanted an honest breakdown of what they thought worked. If I can get that somewhere else, please let me know. Otherwise, this is best source of game information I have found. A 'we won" reply is kind of silly.

I am left guessing. Thanks for the SFU recaps.

Congrats on your win today. It seems like you have UPS positioned as the team to beat. The PLU/UPS game coming up is going to be a good one.

[Dan Wishengrad]

There are no unbeaten PNCLL teams left, and while the race for the three B sub-Division (North, South & east) titles is taking shape with three current leaders, remember that there will be three at-large teams picked for the B playoffs also.

The PNCLL Executive Board has been discussing and debating the B playoff specifics, and will have a definitive announcement here soon about how the at-large teams will be picked. The consensus is that the three division winners will be determined by the existing PNCLL tie-breakers. Because there are new teams, let me review these: Each team is ranked in the three B Divisions on the eight conference games it plays. The team with the best record in B-North, B-South and B-East wins the division. If two teams finish with identical records at the top a division, Head-to-head will be the first tie-breaker. All teams will have played each other twice within the division, so if the two games were split (each team wins once), the second tie-breaker will be goal differential in games between the tied teams. If Team A wins 9-7 and Team B wins the other game 11-10 then Team A wins the G.D. tie-breaker. If record, head-to-head and goal differential fail to resolve a tie (and this has never happened), we will use Laxpower's TSI instead of a coin flip, with the team with the LOWEST numerical rating winning the division. The reasoning behind this folks, if we ever have to use it (unlikely) all, is that Laxpower is better than a coin flip and bad or good it is unarguably objective, and computed by mathmeticians who have never seen us play and have no biases. The TSI is supposedly their most reliable indicator, and by the end of the season Laxpower usually seems pretty close to how I would rank our teams myself.

Hope to have an announcement about the At-Large selection process and tie-breakers very soon.

[Kyle Berggren]

Andrews, I wish you luck in finding specifics, I would recommend using your Canadian contacts and trying to get a tape.

As far as the team to beat in B North... We already got beaten by Linfield our first weekend out this season, but we hope to continue winning. I really don't like to lose, but it may have been good for my guys. They've found a lot of heart in the last few weeks. We've got 4 more big Divisional games, plus UVSC and Boise State. For us, this season is long from over, and we still have a ton to improve on. I don't think we made any new friends with either of our upsets in the last two weeks. Thanks for the vote of confidence though!

[Dan Wishengrad]

Montana 16
Idaho 6

[muchachojones]

are we ever going to get to see the official score from the Willamette v. Whitman game or is that lost?

[Dan Wishengrad]

Very soon this thread will have been viewed more than 4,000 times. This would suggest that the goings-on in the PNCLL has been of growing interest nationwide in 2005. This was not always the case. Whatever the reason, thanks to all of you who are following our PNCLL teams and games. We have some serious competitors in both A and B divisions, and hope to send our strongest contingent yet to nationals.

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

My guess Dan is that about 1000 of those views of this discussion were Saturday night after hearing that UW beat Simon Fraser 14-2. . .

There's big buzz about the Huskies right now around the league and likely around the country - most of us mistakenly thought this league was a two-horse race.

Not any more.

[Ballaholic]

I think Oregon will still walk away with the title. UWs win just makes it a little easier for the Ducks.

[doylebrunson]

I dont see how UWs win will make it easier for Oregon to win. If anything I see UW trying to build on a huge win and an SFU team that already beat Oregon realizing that they need to work every week to win. Obviously SFU has the talent and simply let down to a team that was far too talented to be taken lightly. If I remember correctly Washington had a similar performance last year versus Colorado State obviously they didnt win but they played CU tighter than either Oregon or SFU.

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

I think Oregon will still walk away with the title. UWs win just makes it a little easier for the Ducks.

Please explain this to me? I can't think of any way that this makes Oregon's job any easier. . .I'd think it does exactly the opposite. A week ago everyone thought Oregon and SFU would cruise through the league and then meet in the finals. It seems to me there is another team in this league that could pull off an upset in the playoffs. . .or maybe run the table and get the #1 seed for the PNCLL playoffs. . .forcing SFU and Oregon to battle in the semis. . .

Sure, this may seem far-fetched. . .but what would you have thought if I suggested last week the Huskies would beat Fraser by 12?

We all know how much talent the Huskies have. . .now they have a coach in his second year that may be able to get the best out of them.

[Kyle Berggren]

Cough... OSU... Cough..... and people that know me, know I want to cheer for the beavs about as much as I want to cheer for the Miami Hurricanes.... OSU could definately be a force this year.... They only lost to SFU by 1, without their leading scorer...

[Big D]

The A division is definately wide open. The question is who will step up their game and take the crown.

[OSUGrad]

Obviously I am a little biased, but I have to agree with Kyle... I have seen some of the OSU team this year, and it has a lot of talentent and dedicated players. I think March 20 when OSU goes up to Seattle will be a game to watch.

[Dan Wishengrad]

I think March 20 when OSU goes up to Seattle will be a game to watch.

We are eagerly awaiting the whole week. I just got off the phone with Rhode Island Coach Duggan, who says the Rams sure are looking forward to coming out on this trip. URI has yet to practice outside due to horrible weather in the Northeast in '05. All the games scheduled promise to be entertaining, but I'll confess the game I'm looking forward to watching most as a specatator is the big high school contest. I'm afraid either team might beat Washington if we scheduled them -- these kids can really play!

Playing OSU in the huge conference game on Sunday, after both teams have had ample chance to scout the other's game the day before, might be more intriguing than the normal, run-of-the-mill Husky-Beaver lacrosse game. There certainly is alot on the line on 2005.

[Ballaholic]

I think the SFU at UO game was a blown game by the ducks. As well as the UW vs SFU game, for SFU. I am not trying to take away from the teams that won these games, they played excellent games and deserved the win. I just feel like UO hasnt even played to the level they are capable of yet. The UW win opens the door for UO to get the top seed, they just need wins over UW and OSU and i think they will get them. After their trip to play Noma and Michigan they will come back much better and run the table through the PNCLL A division Finals.