Hey all,
so in honor of @Hawkace’s wonderful “March Madness” admissions thread, I’ve decided to switch up the style a little. This is how I’ll announce results from now on: all the colleges I’ve applied to (and some I once considered, or even just got a ton of mailings from) will be “invited” to a 32-team soccer tournament called the LBad Cup. Teams will be divided into four groups of eight and will be seeded in accordance with either their prestige, size, location, or some combination of the three (seeded teams will be in bold) and their star ratings are based on their academic prestige. I figured it was easier to introduce the teams by group rather than alphabetically, so let’s kick this off!
Group A
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4 stars)
Fairfield Stags (3.5 stars)
Massachusetts Minutemen (4 stars)
Stony Brook Seawolves (4 stars)
Fixtures
Rutgers v Fairfield
UMass v Stony Brook
Rutgers v UMass
Stony Brook v Fairfield
Stony Brook v Rutgers
Fairfield v UMass
Rutgers are the seeded team here, and considered the hosts of the tournament, due to the fact that they are my state flagship. I’d say they stand a very good chance of progression in this group. Winning the group might be a different proposition altogether due to the fact that UMass are in this same group, but Stony Brook and Fairfield are also rather unknown quantities. Who knows, they could be the two teams advancing past this group.
Group B
Central Florida Knights (4 stars)
Binghamton Bearcats (4.5 stars)
Arizona State Sun Devils (3 stars)
Rider Broncs (3 stars)
Fixtures
UCF v Binghamton
ASU v Rider
UCF v Rider
Binghamton v ASU
ASU v UCF
Binghamton v Rider
Some might consider it a sham that Central Florida are seeded in a group that includes Binghamton, but they have the appeal of sharing a city with Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios. Despite the fact that Rider are considered almost universally worse than them, I have a few concerns about ASU’s distance, academic strength, and the people.
Group C
Syracuse Orange (4.5 stars)
TCNJ Lions (4 stars)
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (2.5 stars)
Clark Cougars (4 stars)
Fixtures
Syracuse v TCNJ
FDU v Clark
Syracuse v Clark
TCNJ v FDU
FDU v Syracuse
Clark v TCNJ
If you think Binghamton got a favorable group, then Cuse fans are salivating at the prospect of getting to play two D3 schools. TCNJ are a very solid team in their own right, but watch out for Clark. The Cougars are one of the smallest schools in this tournament, and are rather overlooked by the general public at large. However, being so small might be a weakness for them and they’re also considered a haven for the socially awkward kid that doesn’t care about sports. Fairleigh Dickinson are not a terrible school, but they’re not very good either and would be lucky to get more than a point.
Group D
Penn State Nittany Lions (4.5 stars)
Colorado Buffaloes (4 stars)
Michigan State Spartans (4 stars)
Bentley Falcons (4.5 stars)
Fixtures
Penn State v Colorado
MSU v Bentley
Penn State v MSU
Bentley v Colorado
Colorado v MSU
Bentley v Penn State
This is the so-called “Group of Death”. Penn State are the one large flagship normally favored to win over any New Jerseyan, but Colorado and Michigan State are also appealing options for many. Bentley, despite their high academic ranking, are the underdogs here. They’re placed in a group with three schools that are gargantuan in any sense, especially when compared with a school like Bentley that has only 4000 undergraduates. Not only that, they’re a D2 school in a group with teams that are not only D1 schools, but pretty good D1 schools. However, keep in mind that this tournament will mostly be played in the Northeast; Colorado unfortunately have distance issues that are out of their control, issues that they’ll have to work with if they want to make the Sweet Sixteen. It’s tough to say who exactly will go through here.
Group E
Fordham Rams (4.5 stars)
Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (4 stars)
Miami Ohio Redhawks (4 stars)
Stetson Hatters (3.5 stars)
Fixtures
Fordham v Loyola MD
Miami OH v Stetson
Fordham v Miami OH
Stetson v Loyola MD
Stetson v Fordham
Loyola MD v Miami OH
This group is a little tougher than most. Fordham has the appeal of the Big Apple and its own academic tradition, so they should win this group. Second place is a toss-up, though. Loyola has the advantage of being in Baltimore, Miami is always confused with the one in Florida, but is also a solid institution, especially the business group. However, many see Stetson as a potential dark horse in this tournament given the fact that they’re in the Sunshine State and are ranked highly in the South.
Group F
Pittsburgh Panthers (4.5 stars)
Florida State Seminoles (4 stars)
UNC Wilmington Seahawks (4 stars)
William Paterson Pioneers (2 stars)
Fixtures
Pitt v FSU
UNCW v WPU
Pitt v UNCW
FSU v WPU
FSU v UNCW
WPU v Pitt
Wow. Say a prayer for William Paterson. They were already low on hopes going into the tournament, but now they are almost certain to finish dead last in this downright brutal section. Pitt are renowned for being one of the country’s top publics in a great city, and carry with them high expectations from their fans and critics. Florida State have a large student body in the state capital of Tallahassee, and have solid academics as well as big-time athletics and will feel confident that they can progress. UNCW have high academic standards of their own with their OOS restriction, and have the advantage of being located in a very gorgeous and friendly port city. UNCW have very strong film studies and marine bio programs, but are also strong in the business group and may be the most well-rounded team in the tournament. They are seen as an emerging University in the South and in the nation, and have the value and rankings to prove it.
Group G
Northeastern Huskies (5 stars)
Butler Bulldogs (4 stars)
Seton Hall Pirates (3 stars)
Monmouth Hawks (2.5 stars)
Fixtures
Northeastern v Butler
Seton Hall v Monmouth
Northeastern v Monmouth
Butler v Seton Hall
Seton Hall v Northeastern
Butler v Monmouth
Northeastern are widely considered the best team in this tournament and have high expectations from everyone. Anything less than the trophy for the Huskies would be an absolute failure. Butler have emerged in the last few years with the success of their basketball team, and have no reason to not go into the group with confidence despite the obvious difficulty of having to play Northeastern first. The Pirates also have a solid basketball team of their own, but have a few academic concerns heading into the tournament. Monmouth are weak in all areas and only really have the beach to sell to potential students.
Group H
Quinnipiac Bobcats (4 stars)
Montclair State Redhawks (2.5 stars)
Pace Setters (3 stars)
Hofstra Pride (3.5 stars)
Fixtures
Quinnipiac v Montclair
Pace v Hofstra
Quinnipiac v Pace
Montclair v Hofstra
Hofstra v Quinnipiac
Montclair v Pace
This is considered by many to be far and away the weakest group. Quinnipiac are very solid academically and are known for their health sciences and business departments, as well as having the added perks of having one of the most beautiful campuses in the tournament. Pace ranked highly on some ROI lists a few years ago, but many are now scratching their heads about just what those rankings really looked at. Montclair are somewhat heralded in New Jersey but not very much elsewhere, and I quite frankly am puzzled as to why they’re heralded at all.
So, pretending nothing has happened already, what are your predictions? Who will win the tournament? Who will advance from each group? Any surprise teams? Any big flops?
