Why NOT have two automatic bids? Is it outrageous? I think not.
 
Remember, though, the NC$$ mandates that each league receive at
least two bids. Giving 1 auto bid for a regular season champion
and another for a tournament champion would not change the minimum
number of bids a conference receives. They'd get at least two.
 
I know that it's hard to justify a regular season champion auto bid
since some conferences play an unbalanced schedule, as Mike alluded
too. However, it seems to me that a conference tournament is a heck
of a lot more unbalanced than a regular season. If we're going to give
auto bids at all, it's more fair to give it to a reg season champion
that a playoff champion. A reg season champion has to prove itself
throughout a 22-32 game schedule. Playoff champions play about 5 or 6.
 
 
Right now, the regular season means almost nothing. It only determines
the seedings for the playoff tournament. In fact, the regular season
eliminates exactly two Division I (non-independent) teams: the ECAC's
11th and 12th place teams. EVERY OTHER TEAM IN DIVISION I MAKES THE
POSTSEASON EVEN IF THEY GO 0 FOR THE SEASON. If they someone pull off
a miracle in the first round, that really screws a team that may have
done really well BUT... lost in the 33rd game of the season instead of
games 1-32.
 
In short, giving a bid to the regular season champion over the playoff
champion (if there need be only 1 auto bid) is much more fair.
 
Also, why is UML out west and BOTH Wisconsin and WMU in the east?
 
***************************************************************************
Bri Farenell                                     Clarkson '95
[log in to unmask]                 Glens Falls High '91
AHL and NCAA contact for rec.sport.hockey        Go Erin Whitten (GFH '89)!
Adirondack Red Wings, AHL Calder Cup Champs: '81  '86  '89  '92
Bri's (revised) Hoops Final Four picks: Arizona, Florida, Michigan and Duke
        "It's a great day for hockey."  ---Bob Johnson