D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast

We're pretty sure you already know what this podcast is about: two teams left, two epic performances, one in the comeback from 25 points down in 24 minutes and the other being another stifling defensive performance. Pat and Keith break down the games, with Keith looking at each game a second time and giving his first keys to the game for Stagg Bowl XLV.

Quarterfinals week -- or semifinals, if you're already looking ahead, is part of a nutritious Division III diet. Whether it's a last-second field goal, an unexpectedly expected quarterback change, or an expected defensive and special teams battle, the four games Saturday had enough to keep any Division III fan interested.

OK, yes, this second round of the playoffs was bad, in an epic way. No doubt. How bad? We'll talk about that, for sure. But that doesn't mean there isn't anything we can learn from this week's postseason games, because we definitely got a better look at some teams, even if there are a couple of teams advancing that haven't yet been playoff tested.

Yes, two top 10 teams are eliminated who should have had a better chance to advance into the second round, and it's crazy that we have to wait until Sundays to find out who is hosting each round of the playoffs, but the stuff that happened on the field was pretty entertaining in the first round of the 2017 Division III playoffs. Pat and Keith talk about all 16 games, plus the surprise players who did and did not play on Saturday. 

Rather than a step forward, this bracket is like a trip back in time. In fact, this bracket features something that hasn't been in a Division III football bracket since 2009. Also, you do not want to leave this podcast early, before you hear the bonus picks.

We're under a week from Selection Sunday. Only seven automatic bids are still up for grabs, and most will be really hard to pry away from the favorites. But what if both Washington & Jefferson and Case Western Reserve run the table? What if Widener upsets Delaware Valley? What if (insert your scenario here)?

Sure, UW-Platteville losing theoretically opened up a playoff spot, but that doesn't mean anyone should breathe easy. Even if you don't count Platteville, there are at least eight more teams vying for at-large spots. (And there are only five spots.) If you want one of them, what are your chances? How can your chances improve?

There were more than a couple of games that all came down to exciting endings at about the same time on Saturday, and there are plenty of games from this past week and future weeks that are fairly intertwined. We make all the connections for you in this week's D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. (If you think there's a conspiracy, we urge you to listen in and decide for yourself.

A little bit of rain (OK, a lot of rain), a little lightning, half the usual Thunder and a few unbeaten teams getting their first loss made up a good part of the news in Week 7. This was definitely a common sight, and in the case of the Wheaton-North Central game, it didn't end on Saturday, and it's still not over. We break down the first half of that game, plus the Oshkosh win over Platteville and look at first losses for Alfred, Wabash, Framingham State and UW-La Crosse. That plus more in this week's podcast.

All of a sudden we drop a few big games into the mix, set a couple of Top 25 ballots on fire, and then it's not too early to talk about strength of schedule, and the playoffs, and how at-large bids might be even more at a premium this year than usual. Pat and Keith talk first about the games that caused all that upheaval, then later dive into a couple of playoff scenarios. Plus, find out who Keith thinks could stick around in the playoff bracket a little longer than normal this November or December.

Once upon a time, this patient got up off the table, but now Pat or Keith (hint, not both) is ready to call an end to the UW-Whitewater dynasty. See, yes UWW has lost three games before in a season during this run, but not three of the first four. And that may be the difference-maker, because for the Warhawks to even get to 7-3 is a challenge, both agree. Plus more top stories.

Aside from "the Target Field game" there were another 99 games played on Saturday, and on top of that, there was all sorts of other news in the past week to cover. Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan talk about the situation at Wheaton, the mourning at Wooster, and the hope that Occidental will play Saturday before ever getting to the Heidelberg-John Carroll game or any of the other events from Saturday that took a back seat to the big spectacle.

Pat Coleman and Adam Turer hand out game balls for the Tommie-Johnnie game, talk with the coaches, describe the atmosphere and what this means for Division III football. Former SJU beat writer Frank Rajkowski talks about the rivalry and how it's gotten so big. Plus, one player talks about having his family fly up from Chile for the game. 

Offensive numbers catch the eye, whether it's 98 points or this week's 79 or 332 receiving yards and six touchdowns. But Keith has this thing about defense also being part of the game, and that's hard to argue, as long as we still play 11 on a side. In this week's D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast, Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan take a look at some of the places where defense shows up, expectedly or not so much.

We certainly spent some time talking about teams that have lost unexpectedly through the first two weeks: UW-Whitewater, St. Thomas, UW-Whitewater again, Thomas More to name a few. But in this week's D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast, Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan turn their attention to the teams that won those surprise games, where they began the season, what we should have expected and how that expectation changes.