>Some people on this list think that the ECAC would be overrepresented
>by having two teams in the NC$$. They think that only the top 12
>teams should go and by implication that the top ECAC teams are undeserving.
 
Yes, I am one of those "some people".  Two corrections: 1) the ECAC *might*
be overrepresented, there are still a lot of games to be played; 2) there
is no *implication* that the top ECAC teams are undeserving, I am saying flat
out that they might be - or might not be - just that I believe them to be on
the edge right now.  In fact, if you agree with me that no more than two
are likely to get bids, then it is true that they are all on the edge because
Harvard/SLU/Clarkson are all rated together and any one of them could be
left home.
 
>I noticed this week's "Tadpoll"...
 
I explained this to Brian by mail, but to anyone else, please, do not take
the results of Tadpoll as gospel (just like TCHCR).  It is made up
entirely of other polls which are voted on by people - and so even though
Tadpoll is an average of sorts, it's still not much better than a poll.  When
Keith invented it, he called it Tadpoll because it was "a tad better than a
regular poll", but I would still warn severely against anyone using it to
prove anything for or against any of the things we have been discussing.
 
BTW, Keith, that name is still corny. :-)
 
>Granted, Mike M pointed out that while the ECAC's top teams could
>compete with the other leagues' top teams, their bottom teams were
>much worse than other leagues' bottom teams. Granted neither league's
>(no league's) bottom teams will be in contention for a national bid
>anyways (unless they win the tourn.).
 
But those teams still determine schedule strength of the top teams, and so
they do play a very big part.  If you decide to throw out SOS altogether,
then you cannot seed the teams except by winning percentage, and we are
in a worse situation than we were before.  This is what it boils down to.
 
SOS as it is done may indeed not be the best factor to use.  But I haven't
seen anything better.  Make a name for yourself and present the committee
with a better method! :-)
 
 
- mike