(Photo by Lance Wendt)

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – When you are involved or follow an organization for long enough, there are issues that bubble to the surface. Sometimes they are funny, other times annoying. They are always insipidly repetitive.

The infatuation with the MCLA’s selection process is the one that pervades our organization. Whether it was back with the CollegeLax.us message boards or now via the modern-day social media platforms, there was always chatter about the selection committee.

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There is the belief in some corners that the selection committee is a cross between the Bilderberg Group and the Knights Templar; a nefarious, faceless organization pulling the strings of the MCLA in hopes of forming a New World Order.

Others see the committee as a collection of bumbling rubes who shambolically form coherent brackets like Mr. Magoo.

In reality, the committee consists of a representative from each conference pouring over results to see what teams are most worthy of being among the 16 heading to nationals. And then trying to seed those programs appropriately.

There have been selection meetings that have been adjourned swiftly when the picks and seedings are self-evident. Others have lasted much longer, typically over the last couple of choices or seeding disagreements. Every aspect is voted on with the majority carrying the day.

What’s important to know is that numbers – or analytics, as the kids like to say – are never the end of the story when it comes to choosing the tournament field, and certainly not seeding it.

Back when Bryant (R.I.) University was a member of NCAA Division II, I spoke to then Bulldogs head coach Mike Pressler. From my estimation, Bryant had fulfilled all of the stated NCAA criteria to be selected to the four-team tournament, but were passed over.

What happened?

Pressler very calmly said – and I’m paraphrasing here – that if there was no human element involved in the selection process, they would just punch the numbers into a computer and the teams would be spit out. In essence, there would be no need for a committee.

Like it is with every other selection committee in every sport, the human element is certainly in play with the MCLA committee, and that’s a good thing.

Fo in a ro
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Because of the geographic footprint of our league, it’s very difficult for raw data to reflect the variety of strengths among our regions. That’s why there is a rep from each conference to state the case for their respective candidates.

Has the committee ever made mistakes? That’s actually a tough question and some might be surprised when I say no. I think, however, that the committee has had a differing opinion from a lot of people, including myself. I could certainly be accused of nuancing this argument to death, but there is a difference.

Should the committee be considered “wrong” because they seeded Dayton at No. 9 and Concordia at No. 7 last spring? In Division I, a No. 1 seed hasn’t won the tourney since 2016. Were all those brackets a mistake?

No, the committee used the information it had, professionally debated the merits of all the teams and came up with a bracket. Once all of the variables of athletic competition come into play, the results don’t always reflect well on those choices.

But that’s literally the whole purpose of playing a tournament: eliminate the guessing.

Selection committees in general are not looked upon favorably because they have to make some very difficult decisions. When a team, player or coach doesn’t like what a committee comes up with after working hard for four months, it can cause a visceral reaction. That’s very natural.

Just know that the MCLA committee does everything in its power to reward the 16 most deserving teams in each division, regardless of how you may feel about the entity itself.

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MY TOP FIVES

Division I
1. Texas (10-0) – The Longhorns destroyed the Ducks. Round Rock will be a home field.
2. Virginia Tech (10-1) – That Monday night in Boulder is looking more and more flukish.
3. Brigham Young (8-0) – Well, they survived the weekend as No. 1, which is something.
4. San Diego State (10-0) – Four league games left. Can they get the SLC top seed?
5. Indiana (7-0) – I know, I know. Settle down. Sparty will give the Hoosiers a big test.

Division II
1. St. Thomas (9-0) – Dayton, Ohio, will be ground zero in Division II next weekend.
2. Air Force (7-0) – Still a month of line drills until the Falcons come back on the grid.
3. Montana State (8-1) – ‘Cats are an overtime goal from being the clear top team.
4. Kennesaw State (7-2) – Outscoring UNC-Charlotte is no small feat. Owls are trouble.
5. Coastal Carolina (8-1) – Chants are a tough rank. Lost to Charlotte, beat Kennesaw.

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SLIDES & RIDES
- There were four undefeated teams that came off the books this weekend. No. 2 Utah Valley was handed its first two losses on its rough Virginia excursion while No. 10 Tennessee and No. 4 UNC-Charlotte opened their L account. In a battle of undefeated squads, Oregon came in second to Texas, bouncing the Ducks from the zero-loss club.

D-I NOTES: Georgia’s victory over No. 10 Tennessee was a little surprising, but the nine-goal differential was truly shocking. The Bulldogs could be heating up at the right time…Florida is still in the hunt for the SELC South top seed after breezing past Auburn…James Madison ran its win streak to seven…Chapman salvaged its trip East with a victory over Liberty…with its win over Grand Canyon, Arizona is in great shape to qualify for the four-team SLC tourney…big win for UCSB over Colorado.

D-II NOTES: Things were looking decent for Northern Arizona as they held a 7-2 lead over Utah State at halftime on Friday. After losing that one by a goal, the Lumberjacks finished with an 0-3 weekend…Florida Atlantic’s winning streak is up to six after a 3-0 weekend in Ohio…is FAU on a collision course with Kennesaw for the SELC crown?