The Bottom Line - Week 13

By Chris Kelly

This column normally starts by quickly recapping last week's game of the week before jumping into some analysis, but this week calls for something different. Cal Poly took care of business last weekend in Sacramento, then expected the announcement that most people (myself included) felt would come. But Sunday morning as the Cal Poly team gathered together to watch the I-AA playoff field and pairings, the committee forgot something. They forgot to include the Mustangs.

Heading into the week most people close to the situation thought that Cal Poly might need a little bit of help. The consensus was that with a win however, Cal Poly not only would make the playoffs, but deserved to be a part of the 16 team field. The Mustangs smashed Sacramento State 58-13 then were snubbed by the committee.

What it really came down to was a decision by the committee between Cal Poly and Lehigh, who both finished with identical records. At 9-2 Lehigh finished as co-champion of the Patriot League. However, all they had to do yesterday was beat Lafayette and they would automatically be included in the playoffs. A win would have made them champions of the Patriot and thus rewarded with an automatic bid. But after leading 7-0 at halftime, the Mountain Hawks fall apart. They were outscored by 21 and lost 24-10. In a matter of 30 minutes of football, Lehigh's playoff lives were hanging by a thread.

Well at least until the playoff committee bailed them out!

The committee went with the Mountain Hawks over Cal Poly in a decision that absolutely shocked me. Here's the five important factors which either played a role or should have played a role in this decision: Schedule, Quality Wins, Money, Pity and Voice.

Schedule: When you look at the two teams schedules, my opinion gains even more momentum. Lehigh played a soft non-conference schedule, including two games against non scholarship teams. Cal Poly played a D-II cupcake in Humboldt State but all four of their other non-conference games were against Big Sky teams on the road.

Quality Wins: Who did Lehigh beat that was impressive? Sure, they knocked off the former champ, Colgate. But Colgate wasn't nearly the team of a season ago going just 7-4. It wasn't as if those four losses were to the top teams either. I'll give them Colgate as a quality win at home, but that's pushing it. Cal Poly had wins against Montana State and North Dakota State which gives them an advantage here. Plus both games were on the road. No question Cal Poly had a tougher schedule, and more quality wins.

Money: Let's be honest, in some way, many decisions in football are made with money on the mind. Why do you think there is no playoff system at the I-A level? Now I don't think it played a huge role here, but it did help. If Cal Poly gets in, the NCAA foots the bill to send the Mustangs to Montana. Now the short trip for Lehigh to Pennsylvania is a $$$$$ saver. Just another benefit to Lehigh being selected.

Pity: Last season, Lehigh was this season's Cal Poly. They were the team on the verge of the playoffs. The team that should have gone. Instead the final spot was given to Bethune Cookman. So essentially the playoff committee made it up to Lehigh for last year's mistake. I mean if you're the playoff committee, you kinda' have to make it up to them for jobbing them last year, right? Imagine the fallout if they didn't include Lehigh. Oh wait, how about the fallout for making the same mistake twice?? Again, they failed to fill the bracket with the 16 most deserving teams. Sunday was time to let last year go, and not let an ugly trend emerge. The committee had the chance to do so and swung and missed. Now Cal Poly and their fans suffer for it. Well the good news (heavy sarcasm) is the Mustangs can pick up their "get into the playoffs free" card anytime over the off-season. I imagine that if the Mustangs are knocking on the door next year, Cal Poly gets the nod, regardless of resume comparisons with other teams. Or how about the committee just gets it right next time?

Voice: The Great West doesn't have an automatic bid, so thus no voice on the committee that makes these decisions. The committee is comprised of eight athletic directors, two from each of the regions. There is a rep from the Patriot League on the committee. The fact that only two teams are playoff eligible is the reason the Great West has no voice. Matt Dougherty pointed that out right here a few weeks ago. Still, who thought it would be a factor? Cal Poly takes care of business and they're in, no problem. Now we're sitting here left to wonder if some representation by the Great West could have helped. Sources tell me at least one committee member fought very hard to get Cal Poly in - so kudos to that person. Everyone else should have been forced to watch the scene at the downtown restaurant in San Luis Obispo where the team gathered to hear their name called.

On Saturday, the Mustangs closed the season with a 45 point drubbing of Sac St. They ended the season at 9-2 and were snubbed. In 1997, the Mustangs beat Sacramento State by 45 to end the season. They finished the year 10-1 and were left out that year too. East Coast bias anyone?

Well the events over the weekend put a damper on a darn fine season for the Mustangs. It's too bad the way it ended, but it can't ignored that Cal Poly was a major player in the national scene this season, and did capture the first ever Great West title. Time to take myself to task as well. Yes, that was I who selected Cal Poly to finish 5^th in the conference. I thought replacing Chris Peterson would be extremely difficult for this offense which operated with such efficiency under Peterson. To that end, I was right as the quarterback play was up and down. Where I missed the boat was underestimating how dominant this team could be with their defensive play alone. There will be some holes to fill on that side of the ball next year, as well as some key losses at the skill positions, but Cal Poly has proven they are a team on the rise.

In the other Great West/Big Sky games UC Davis lost by 17 at Eastern Washington, while Southern Utah out-slugged Idaho State, 49-35. With the final weekend's results the Great West end with an 8-6 advantage over the Big Sky this season. Southern Utah's win ends the season on a strong note finishing over the .500 mark for the first time since 2000. On the other side, UC Davis goes out on a down note losing four of its final five games. The Aggies really struggled over the past two weekends. They were dominated physically by the Bison and then played very flat yesterday turning the ball over six times.

CK's Take: I had been debating exactly where I would place my vote for first team all-conference quarterback. Last week, I filled out the initial ballot and placed Jon Grant in the spot based on his play throughout the year and slight better numbers than Casey Rehrer. The margin between the two wasn't much, and what happened last weekend was enough to replace Grant with Rehrer. Grant threw four first half interceptions, and never found any rhythm for the second consecutive week. Rehrer threw for over 300 yards, and made it an easy switch for me. Both QB's had their great moments, and some they'd like to forget. Ultimately, Grant's finish hurt him, but as a sophomore certainly has the opportunity to make up for the rough finish to the season.

The final Great West game of the year was South Dakota State knocking off Northern Colorado, 14-7. The game was played in snowy conditions in Greeley, Colorado, which really had an effect on the offenses. SDSU was able to get on the board twice in the first half behind a Brad Nelson pass, and Anthony Watson run. The Bears were held to just 59 yards of offense until the final drive of the game in which Nick Hager led the offense down the field. Hager would connect with All-American Vincent Jackson for an 18-yard score. UNC would attempt an onside kick, but was unable to recover it. Initially is appeared the Bears recovered it, but it was ruled that the ball never traveled ten yards.

Next week: In the final column of the year I'll release my All-Conference teams, post season awards, as well as take a sneak peek at 2005!

Questions. Comments. Email Chris @ gwfcfootball@hotmail.com