6-3 McNeese - Playoffs?

[TexasTerror]

McNeese won to improve to 5-3. Next week, they face SLC first-place squad, Nicholls State in Thibodaux in a game that should be for the auto-bid (if Nicholls finishes off SELA)...

If McNeese defeats Nicholls and finish 6-3, what do you think of their chances of going playoffs?

Wins over GA Southern (in Statesboro), TxSouthern, SFA, SHSU and NW State (and a win over Nicholls possibly).

Losses against I-A Southern Miss, at SELA and at TxState...

I think they're OUT, even with a win over Nicholls. I think defeating Nicholls would make SLC a one-bid league too. GA Southern was impressive, but SELA loss hurts. Had they won that and been 7-2, we'd be talking playoffs. 6-3 won't cut it...thoughts?

Remember, NCAA would take into consideration Rita/Katrina-related issues, but I think 6-3 is a big stretch for them especially with some battle-tested 7-4 squads and 8-3s...could McN reasonably without question finished 7-4 or even 8-3?

[eaglesrthe1]

I can't see how they would get in @ 6-3. The NCAA would consider a 7-2 record vs an 8-3 record, but I don't see how they would assume that McNeese would have an additional 2 wins if the games had been played.

[beerkat]

they probably are just below the borderline, but reputation might get them in

[Catmendue2]

McNeese won to improve to 5-3. Next week, they face SLC first-place squad, Nicholls State in Thibodaux in a game that should be for the auto-bid (if Nicholls finishes off SELA)...

If McNeese defeats Nicholls and finish 6-3, what do you think of their chances of going playoffs?

Wins over GA Southern (in Statesboro), TxSouthern, SFA, SHSU and NW State (and a win over Nicholls possibly).

Losses against I-A Southern Miss, at SELA and at TxState...

I think they're OUT, even with a win over Nicholls. I think defeating Nicholls would make SLC a one-bid league too. GA Southern was impressive, but SELA loss hurts. Had they won that and been 7-2, we'd be talking playoffs. 6-3 won't cut it...thoughts?

Remember, NCAA would take into consideration Rita/Katrina-related issues, but I think 6-3 is a big stretch for them especially with some battle-tested 7-4 squads and 8-3s...could McN reasonably without question finished 7-4 or even 8-3?


MSU wins they should get an invite, just plain and simple.

[TexasTerror]

they probably are just below the borderline, but reputation might get them in

That is what I was thinking...

McN has a solid reputation and NCAA knows they'll put butts in the seats in primetime in Lake Charles...

[Dallas Demon]

With the way everyone has been losing this year, they have a reasonable shot. The game against Nicholls St. next week is huge for both.

[dwtime]

MSU wins they should get an invite, just plain and simple.

Nope.

6-3, best they could have done is 8-3 and some teams with 8-3 will be on the bubble. McNeese St. is and should be out.

[JohnStOnge]

No way. Almost impossible to begin with having lost 37-14 to a team that's going to finish 4-6 at best and completely impossible now that SIU lost to UNI. There are going to be plenty of good 8-3 or better teams out there. If they were 6-3 and they ran out of 3 or fewer loss teams to give bids to, maybe. But that's not going to happen.

The shame of it is I think McNeese very well might've had a playoff shot if the season hadn't been disrupted. I think 8-3 might've been a realistic possibility for this team against the schedule they had plus I've come around to thinking that all the disruption really did hurt their level of play.

Oh well, they made big strides from last year and they've got a lot of young players.

[JohnStOnge]

That is what I was thinking...

McN has a solid reputation and NCAA knows they'll put butts in the seats in primetime in Lake Charles...

Reputation?

The NCAA left Youngstown State out of the playoffs in 1996 at 8-3 when the Penguins had won national titles in 1991, 1993, and 1994 (and were destined to win yet another in 1997). Plus one of the three losses was to a I-A. It was a pathetic I-A (Kent State) but still a I-A.

Their performance doesn't justify inclusion. They got blown out 49-7 and 37-14 in their two I-AA losses with the 37-14 at the hands of a team that's 3-6 right now. I think they've got a pretty good excuse for having some problems this year but that doesn't change the fact that they've had those problems.

[JohnStOnge]

Remember, NCAA would take into consideration Rita/Katrina-related issues, but I think 6-3 is a big stretch for them especially with some battle-tested 7-4 squads and 8-3s...could McN reasonably without question finished 7-4 or even 8-3?

We'll never know, but in retrospect I think they'd have had a good shot at 8-3 sans the Hurricanes. They'd have had Southern...which is 4-4 playing in the SWAC right now...at Lake Charles. They'd have had home games with Northwest Oklahoma State and Southern Utah...which went into this weekend at 1-7 and having been outscored 281 to 106.

Of course if one thing changes everything changes. We don't know if they still would've nipped Georgia Southern, etc.

But if you assume they could've gotten by Georgia Southern 8-3 was certainly very achievable. I also have to believe being as disrupted as they were...including having a two week period with no practices in the midst of the season and having to re-condition themselves, get their timing back, etc...hurt them.

All in all I'm a little disappointed that the difference between them having a chance to get into the tournament or not may be having been thrashed by a 3-6 team, but realistically I'm encouraged because they've been through a lot but still looked a lot better than they did last year. They're playing a lot of young players and should be better in 2006.

[blukeys]

Every Year there is a team that can make a case for being screwed. McNeese truly was in a very bad place this year.

Forget about the games lost. Anybody who has actually coached a sport knows what a disaster it is to miss 2 weeks of practice! :eek: :eek:

[McNeese75]

It is a novel idea and of course the team would love to be in the post season, BUT, I say let someone else go to Montana for the first round and we can take the improved season and work on 2006. Taking this team on the road again one of the seeds might do more harm than good to their psyche.

[MCFAN]

I agree with 75. A win over Nicholls is a much better way to end this season than a blowout in Montana.

[JohnStOnge]

Another legitimate point I've seen made on McNeese boards is that McNeese cannot afford the playoffs. McNeese's revenues took a massive hit. Don't get me wrong...I would've liked it better if the Cowboys would've made it to the tournament. But, this year, there are some silver linings to not being in it as far as the health of the program is concerned.