Jeff Bobay wrote:
>Looking ahead to the CCHA playoffs, I'm trying to figure out who BG
>might play if they finish second (I'm not saying they will, just hoping
>they do.)  Assuming that Alaska Fairbanks will beat Ohio State in the
>play-in round, any opinions on who Michigan would choose to play, Notre
>Dame or Alaska Fairbanks? They are ranked right next to each other in all
>the polls i've seen, and Michigan has not played the Nanooks, but did
>lose once to the Irish. Any predictions, Michigan fans?
 
Well, I'm not exactly what you would call a Michigan fan (in fact, I'm
exactly the opposite) but I'll take a stab at it.
 
I'd have to go with Michigan taking Notre Dame, if UAF beats OSU.  Better the
devil you know than the devil you don't.  The fact that UM hasn't played UAF
would indicate to me that the Wolverines will pass on the Nanooks to take on
the Irish.
 
Independent of whether BG finishes second or third (I don't put much behind
the thought that they'll finish in fourth or fifth) and UAF beats OSU, I'd
go with BG taking on UAF.  Even should Michigan State or Miami finish ahead
of them, I think both would pass on UAF, since both lost to the Nanooks.  Only
if LSSU manages to get ahead of BG would someone other than BG host the
Nanooks.  (This is all IMO, of course.)
 
A lot of this will probably depend on who finishes eighth.  I'm not sure about
Miami or BG's record against either UIC or WMU.  MSU would probably love the
chance to get WMU again, since the Spartans swept all three meetings this year
and, except for the first meeting in Kalamazoo, pretty much manhandled the
Broncos.
 
But we'll know all this come Wednesday.
 
G. M. Finniss
Michigan State University 15-7-3, 20-10-3
WVU '87, UTenn '92, MSU who the hell knows when?