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@SOURaiders @the_reyvega @SOU_Football
As predicted, in the first 2018 NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 football poll since the season began, the Raiders came in at #3 today. Rocky Mountain, who had their victory over Carroll College turned into a loss via ineligible-player forfeit, clocked in at #14, and Montana Tech, SOU’s opponent this weekend, showed up at #23.
2018 SOU softball team with senior families
@SOURaiders @SOU_Softball @Foofers13 @the_reyvega
Rey Vega anchoring the 4×100 for the Raiders
Rey Vega
@SOURaiders @SOU_Football @the_reyvega
Rey Vega
@SOURaiders @SOU_Football @JaxClark23 @the_reyvega @Tcoop2298 @bangout_marcuss
I’ve received lots of requests for photos over the past few days so, with just five days to go until the quarterfinals, here are five from last Saturday for you. Do you want four more tomorrow?
Tanner Trosin
Tyson Cooper
@SOURaiders @SOU_Football @Racecar_Roots @the_reyvega @millerszn
@SOURaiders @SOU_Football @CarterTheGr8_
As predicted yesterday, the Raiders didn’t move in today’s poll.
Coach Jack Singler with the SOU running backs
@SOURaiders @SOU_Football @Racecar_Roots @DY_Lee11 @Rollpride
Tyson Cooper breaking up the pass
National Champions Austin Dodge, Dylan Young, Julius Rucker, Ryan Retzlaff, and Colin Davis
Armando Gauger with one of his sacks
Rey Vega
@SOURaiders @SOU_Football @the_reyvega @Caumua_52
Game time for the #25 Raiders against #7 Mountaineers is 6 p.m. at Sherwood High School.
Rey Vega
@SOURaiders @SOU_Football @the_reyvega
@SOURaiders @SOU_Football #NAIAFootball
The NAIA football coaches, with their infinite wisdom of focusing nearly entirely on wins and losses and not strength of schedule or who beat who, have put the Raiders at #17 in the latest poll released today. I thought they’d put Southern Oregon at #12 or #13 even though Massey has them at #4. All the way down to #17 means no home playoff games, even if the Raiders win out. The Raiders may need to win out just to make the playoffs. If the season were to end today, a #17 ranking would fall short.
Let’s look at some of the teams the coaches think are better than the Raiders:
#9 Doane has played one team ranked higher than them. Doane lost 69-7. SOU beat the team Doane lost to (Morningside) last year on the road in the semifinals.
#10 Georgetown’s six wins have come against opponents with a combined record of 9-34. The only team with a winning record that they have faced beat them by 14 points.
#11 Missouri Valley is not a top twenty team according to Massey.
#12 Dickinson State lost to Montana Western by 26 points. SOU beat Montana Western. Dickinson State hasn’t played any ranked team, or even decent team since, en route to their 6-1 record.
#14 Kansas Wesleyan has the 82nd most difficult schedule in the NAIA. (SOU has the most difficult schedule according to Massey.) There are only 87 teams in the NAIA. That said, KW still has a loss, to a team that hasn’t been ranked, and SOU beat KW by 44 points last year in the playoffs! Massey doesn’t have Kansas Wesleyan in their top 50, yet the coaches have them at #14.
#15 Dakota Wesleyan lost to Doane (see above) by almost 30 points.
#16 Bethal has yet to play a team with a winning record. Not to worry, Massey predicts they will lose each of their last four games.
I’m not saying that SOU should be ranked higher than Montana Tech or Eastern Oregon at this point, but the coaches clearly are dinging the Raiders way too much for losing to an NCAA DI team and for two close loses to a very good Eastern Oregon team. They see the three loses but don’t consider enough who those loses were at the hands of or the fact that the Raiders have accumulated more yards than all of their opponents, even in the losses.
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