PSAC Playoff Possibilities - Revisited

The PSAC playoff pictured has clarified somewhat since it was first discussed two weeks ago. Since that time, West Chester and East Stroudsburg both defeated Bloomsburg, and Shippensburg walked all over Cheyney and Millersville. So in the current standings West Chester and Shippensburg are tied for first with a record of 5-1.

The easy, although unpleasant, story is that if Shippensburg wins at Kutztown on Saturday, regardless of what West Chester does, the Raiders will represent the East in the PSAC Championship game. If both Shippensburg and West Chester win, both will be tied at 6-1 in the division, but Shippensburg would represent the division by virtue of their 27-11 victory over the Golden Rams. West Chester’s best opportunity is if the Golden Rams defeat East Stroudsburg and Kutztown beats Shippensburg. That would leave West Chester alone at 6-1 in the East and they would host the PSAC West winner.

However, if Kutztown should win against Shippensburg, West Chester falls to East Stroudsburg, and assuming Bloomsburg wins on the road, there would be a five-way tie among those teams. Each would be 2-2 against the other teams involved in the tie, 3-0 against the other teams in the division (Lock Haven, Cheyney and Millersville), and each would be 1-1 in their crossover games with the PSAC West. If so, it will be time to break out the….five sided coin.

The PSAC West is somewhat similar. Slippery Rock and Indiana are both tied at 5-1 with Slippery Rock holding the head-to-head advantage between the two teams. A Slippery Rock win against a reeling Clarion means the Rock will represent the West. A Slippery Rock loss and an Indiana win over Gannon puts the Crimson Hawks in the championship game. If they both lose, and California loses to Mercyhurst, there would be a three-way tie among Clarion, Slippery Rock and Indiana. This situation would favor Clarion since Indiana would be eliminated by virtue of their crossover loss at Kutztown, and then Clarion would advance due to their head-to-head win over the Rock. If Clarion beats Slippery Rock, Gannon beats Indiana, and California defeats Mercyhurst, there would be a four way tie among Slippery Rock, Indiana, Clarion and California. This situation would seem to favor Slippery Rock, since Slippery Rock and Indiana would both be 2-1 against the other teams involved in the tie, and then Slippery Rock would advance due to their one-point victory over Indiana.

So to make it short, a West Chester win and a Shippensburg loss means the Golden Rams will be hosting the PSAC West champion on November 14. Slippery Rock has the inside track to represent the West, but it’s still open among the Rock, Indiana and Clarion.

Morning Call - Big weekend for Kutztown University football program