Five of the seven MWL 8 play-in games are against Mid-Willamette teams. The RPI system thinks the Mid-Willamette league is the SEC of Oregon.
Here's a breakdown of how the MWL compares:
League Finish Mid Will RPI MWL8 RPI
1 603 627 +24
2 602 568 -34
3 572 517 -55
4 547 496 -51
5 504 445 -59
6 437 437 0
7 397 363 -34
8 391 338 -53
If the Mid-Willamette League sweeps us, four of the five winner's RPI's are likely to go down. That would serve them right.
Interesting Play-In Notes:
- The only Mid-Willamette team that isn't playing a MWL 8 team is West Albany (5-3, 547 RPI) which travels to Bend (4-4, 552).
- The only MWL 6 team not to play a Mid Willamette team is Marist, who plays MWL 8 member Eagle Point. This boo-boo in scheduling has given speculation to:
- The MWL 8 could become an official league next year. That would be an appropriate adjustment to the new everyone in playoff system. Eagle Point, third in the MWL 8, ahead of five other MWL 8 teams, had to play a play in game. Three teams that finished below them in the MWL 8 had byes. Making the MWL 8 an official football league would also eliminate a second round game between to MWL 8 teams.
- Marist vs Eagle Point at Willamette High. Most people will think the outcome will be the same as when these two teams met four weeks ago. I think the Eagle's hope lies in finding a way for the Eagle line to control some part of the Marist D line. This is a tall order as they will be facing league MVP Matthew Devereux and league defensive MVP Logan Mayes. If Eagle Point can open some lanes for the backs to punch out a few yards, the Eagles can blend their running game with a crisp passing game. Defensively, Eagle Point won't stop Marist, but Marist has had a few games where they lost the ball several times.
- South Albany (2-7, 391 RPI) at Ashland (6-2, 568). I watched South Albany dispatch Willamette last week at Willamette. The Rebels running back Adam Schamp, #22, was too quick and way too fast for Willamette. Ashland's D is quick enough to slow down Schamp and Ashland's Scarmanich & Volz will control the ball effectively and receivers Lime, Dodds and Heater will find the soft spots.
- Silverton (4-4, 504 RPI) at Churchill (4-3, 496). Note that Silverton beat Springfield 35-28 in the season opener. Silverton has a 60:40 rush to pass ratio. They pound the ball at a little over 56 yards a carry. They have a 5'9" workhorse in #5, Troy Sinn. Sinn is the leading rusher, but at just 4.1 YPC. Joe Bochsler, #13, who doesn't get many carries, but averages 8.5 YPC, is the second leading rusher on the team. Quarterback Nic Reinhard has solid 94 qb rating. He's thrown 12 td passes versus just 3 interceptions. Silverton is much improved from their first game of the season against Springfield. Churchill will have their hands full. I don't think you'll see turnovers by Silverton. Churchill will have to play sharp. Turn over the ball and the Foxes will just pound it on the ground and control the clock and game. The Lancers filled 22 positions in the all league voting. They will all have to play like all leaguers to win this one.
- Lebanon (6-2, 572 RPI) at Springfield (3-5, 445). This is strictly the Air Force versus Army. Lebanon runs the ball 83% of the time! They average 6.6 YPC. Yikes! Springfield passes the ball 51% of the time. I say, let 'er rip. Hopefully, Lebanon won't be able to stop Levi Green's passing game. After all, Lebanon doesn't see much passing in their league. In Lebanon's favor is that Springfield didn't have any defensive players make all league lineman. Could be a high scoring game.
- Marshfield (3-5, 437 RPI) at Crescent Valley (6-2, 602). Crescent Valley runs the ball 70% of the time. Marshfield is about the same. The Raiders M.O. is to control the ball, slowly march down the field for a TD, then stuff the opponent. They don't go wild on offense, but they have scored at least 27 points in their last six games. Their defense has held their opponents to two or fewer TD's in the last five games. Marshfield's offense has gone wild twice this year, and they are due. The Pirates will see some smash-mouth football out or Crescent Valley, but if the Pirates explode, they might surprise the Raiders who don't usually strike quickly.
- North Eugene (1-8, 363 RPI) at Corvallis (6-2, 603). A true David versus Goliath game. Corvallis is a passing team according to Mid-Willamette standards, passing 35% of the time. Corvallis has really weird stats. The qb is very efficient in the td to int area, but only averages 11.8 yards per completion. They run the ball a lot, but only average 3.9 yards per carry due to quarterback sacks. The Highlanders are rightly a long shot. If the Highlanders can keep Corvallis from ripping off huge yards in their running game, they might keep themselves in the game and have a chance at the end.
The MVP discussions couldn't have taken too long. My vision is that the other coaches pulled a Saturday Night Live skit and bowed down and said, "We are not worthy." And then they let Marist coach Frank Geske squirm as he had to choose among Devereux, Mayes and Silver for the MVP spots. By the way the last lineman to win league MVP was, of course, a Pirate. Marshfield's Mike Beslisle pulled off the trick in 1997. Since then it's been five QB's, five RB's and two receivers. Link to MVP's since 1980
All in all, I thought the selections were very good. There were very few that made me scratch my head. I would have hoped a few more Highlanders would have made the team. Here's a breakdown:
Team 1st 2nd HM Total
Marist 10 8 5 23
Ashland 4 6 9 19
Eagle Point 4 3 8 15
Churchill 4 8 9 21
Springfield 3 1 6 10
Marshfield 1 3 5 9
Willamette 1 1 4 6
North Eugene 0 0 1 1
I'll be inputting the all league players on each teams section over the next few days. Let me know if I omit anyone or get some info/spelling wrong.
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