TCFA PBEM League: Region 3 and 4 Conference Coaches

[Radii]

[2.3] Conferences

Groups of schools may agree to form conferences. A conference is an agreement among schools to play one another on an annual basis, and to crown a champion according to certain rules. In TCFA, a conference must have six or more teams. It must select one of its member coaches to be the conference president (though the position can rotate on an annual basis), and it must have rules for crowning a conference champion, including tie-breakers if two or more teams have identical conference records.

If all of the above criteria are met, AND each team in the conference plays seven games against seven different conference opponents (in conferences with nine or more members) OR one game against every other team in in the conference (in conferences with six to eight members), the champion of that conference will be eligible for an automatic trip to a post-season bowl game.


We have to do the following:

1. Name the Conference

Suggestions? SouthEast Conference is the best I can do, and really, I hate the SEC :/


2. Name a conference president, and decide if it will be a revolving position each season or if it will always be the same coach.

I'll volunteer to do it the first year, I really don't know what's involved in it, but I have lots of free time at work if it takes a little time here and there. I'd suggest leaving it open ended after the first year since we don't know who/how many people will actually like the game and stick with it.

3. Setup rules for crowning a conference champion, including tiebreakers.


As an ACC-head, I prefer one division with all 9 teams. Conference record clearly determines the champion... now, what determines the tiebreakers? Here's my first thoughts:


head to head record
non conference record
score differential (points for - points against)
most points
record against the other top teams in the league (whoever has the better record against the #3 team, if it's the same the #4 team, on down the line)


Again, thoughts?


4. Scheduling. We have to come up with the schedule ourselves. I can work on that. The question would be... we get 10 games in the season, we have to play 7 conference games to get an automatic bowl qualifier. The question is, do we want to only play 7 and have 3 non conference games, or do we want to play all 8 teams and only get 2 non conference games?

Personally, I vote for playing all 8 teams.


I think that's it! We've got until next Thursday's game time to decide these details and post it on the TCFA board to get it done for this season. If you're in the conference I'd appreciate comments!

[Radii]

The teams in this conference are:

Radii - North Carolina - Region 3 - Prestige 2
larrymcg - Kennesaw State - Region 3 - Prestige 1
MylesKnight - Ponte Vedra Beach - Region 3 - Prestige 2
terpkristin - ACC University - Region 3 - Prestige 1
ausonny - Bartlett - Region 4 - Prestige 3
GoldenEagle - Memphis - Region 4 - Prestige 3
Doug5984 - Louisiana - Region 4 - Prestige 3
MattJones4Heisman - Arkansas - Region 4 - Prestige 4
sony - Shaolin - Region 4 - Prestige 5



EDIT: Added prestige numbers.

5: Shaolin
4: Arkansas
3: Louisiana, Memphis, Bartlett
2: Ponte Vedra Beach, North Carolina
1: ACC University, Kennesaw State

[larrymcg421]

I think the #1 conference tiebreaker should be head to head.

How about the Southern 9 as a name? Or the ESC (East South Conference)? Maybe the Big 9? Or the Big South?

I think we obviously play all 8 games since it's just one division. Plus it allows an even number of home and aways. That leaves us two OOC's, which should be plenty for now.

No thoughts on the schedule, except it should be a simple round robin that guarantees 4 Home Games and 4 Road Games.

One other thing we could discuss is regulating BRP's for conference games. Do we want to do that? Should we base it upon prestige level to give smaller schools in the conference a chance?

[Radii]

I hadn't thought about the BRP issue, with one Prestige 5 and one Prestige 4 team and the rest 3/2/1, that could be an issue.

We could require the higher prestige teams to put up 3 points in each game while the lower prestige team puts up 0 points.

Remember that the loser gets 1/3 of the points "wagered" and the winner gets 2/3. If Shaolin put up 3 points every game but went 8-0, he'd only be giving up 8 points, not the 24.


I kinda like that idea to make the league more competitive, and to giver our low prestige schools more of a competitive boost, but I'm a prestige 2 school, I'd be curious to see what the 3/4/5's think.

One thought on the big school's sides is the fear that giving away a few points like that might prevent them from being able to compete for the national title.

[larrymcg421]

How about this format?

One Level Higher - Each Put in 3 BRP
Two Levels Higher - 2 BRP Lower Team, 4 BRP Higher
Three Levels Higher - 1 BRP Lower Team, 5 BRP Higher Team
Four Levels Higher - 0 BRP Lower Team, 6 BRP Higher Team

Of Course, these are minimums. Teams could put in more if they wanted.

[ausonny]

I don't think a team should be forced to lose points for playing a conference game, therefore, i think the ratio should never be more than 2 to 1. That's a quick thought and I'll try to come up with a full theory later on tonight

[Radii]

Originally posted by larrymcg421
How about this format?

One Level Higher - Each Put in 3 BRP
Two Levels Higher - 2 BRP Lower Team, 4 BRP Higher
Three Levels Higher - 1 BRP Lower Team, 5 BRP Higher Team
Four Levels Higher - 0 BRP Lower Team, 6 BRP Higher Team

Of Course, these are minimums. Teams could put in more if they wanted.

Remember that the winner of the game gets 2/3 of all points contributed, and the loser gets 1/3.

Assuming the higher level team one every time(hopefully this doesn't happen but for theory purposes), that means the Two levels higher game is a wash every time, the Higher team puts in 4 BPR and gets 4 back, the lower team gets his 2 points back. Also in the one level higher games where each team puts in 3 points, someone is losing a point, so often times the lower ranked teams are giving away points.

I still like my "higher level team puts in 3 vs 0 from the lower level team" idea , that gives the rank 1 teams a small bonus to help cover travel expenses and gives them a little bonus if they win, but it shouldn't be enough to cripple the higher rated team.

[sony]

I like all of your ideas so far. Looks good. For the Conference name, I don't see why we couldn't use SEC. As much as some people hate it, it should suit us.

[JeffNights]

Hey, i have Downriver College, i want in onthe fun dammit

[Radii]

Jeff, you're in region 5, I *think* there is a Region 5/6 conference forming, or a region 5 one... check out the big threads on the general board or the Hattrick forum to see what's out there!

[JeffNights]

Dammit missed the point, i joined so i could play with my FOFC brothers.

[BishopMVP]

No matter what conference you join, there will be FOFC'ers. We make up about 50% of the league.

[larrymcg421]

I'm fine with whatever BRP system you choose, but the #1 tiebreaker really should be head to head. Can we add that to the list?

[Radii]

Originally posted by larrymcg421
I'm fine with whatever BRP system you choose, but the #1 tiebreaker really should be head to head. Can we add that to the list?

Edited the first post, you're right, just a brain fart on my part and I somehow forgot about that as a tiebreaker :) It's defiitely most important.

[larrymcg421]

I think the #1 priority right now is to get a schedule out. Someone will have a conference bye in week 1 and will need to schedule a game in time. This needs to be decided right away.

Also, on the TCFA Messageboard we have been called the Southern 9, so I suggest we go with that as our official name.

[Radii]

Agreed on both. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of downtime at work today, but I'll put the schedule together this evening and post it. If anyone has already scheduled a non conference game let me know so I can schedule around it.

[larrymcg421]

You might find this useful...

1 v 3 4 v 9 5 v 8 6 v 7 bye: 2
1 v 7 2 v 6 3 v 5 8 v 9 bye: 4
1 v 6 2 v 5 3 v 4 7 v 9 bye: 8
2 v 9 3 v 8 4 v 7 5 v 6 bye: 1
1 v 2 3 v 9 4 v 8 5 v 7 bye: 6
1 v 5 2 v 4 6 v 9 7 v 8 bye: 3
1 v 9 2 v 8 3 v 7 4 v 6 bye: 5
1 v 4 2 v 3 5 v 9 6 v 8 bye: 7
1 v 8 2 v 7 3 v 6 4 v 5 bye: 9

I got it from here (http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/ferguson/ultimate/upa-formats/upa-formats-9.html#S9.6)

All that needs to be figured out from here are home games, and ensuring that everyone has 4 and 4.

[FrogMan]

watch it guys, the commish has stated he wanted conferences to have no more than 7 in conference games, at least for the first season. This was stated in our conference clubhouse when we were thinking about adding a 9th member to make it a 8 games schedule...

Maybe you should run it by the commish to make sure...

FM

[larrymcg421]

Actually, here is a better site: http://hometeamsonline.com/robin/index.asp

He strongly suggested not doing an 8 team schedule, but we already had 9 teams and have started creating our schedule. I don't know, it's up to you Radii, but I'd prefer sticking with an 8 game schedule. If we must drop down to 7 games, then I'd suggest we find a 10th team so we can split up into divisions. A 7 game schedule with 9 teams just doesnt make sense to me.

[Radii]

I'd really rather do an 8 game schedule as well, unless it's been strictly forbidden somewhere...

[Passacaglia]

Hey Jeff, I'm an FOFC'er (sort of), and I'm Grand Rapids. If you're in the Great Lakes conference, I'll see you there! If not, how about an in-state out of conference match up?

[Passacaglia]

Oh yeah, and while we're at it, does anyone else want a scrimmage?

[Radii]

ABBREVIATIONS

UNC - University of North Carolina
SLU - Shaolin University
ARK - University of Arkansas
BLT - University of Bartlett
KSU - Kennesaw State University
PVB - University of Ponte Vedra Beach
ACC - ACC University
LCU - Louisiana Cyclone University
MEM - University of Memphis


<pre>
Week 1 PVB @ ARK UNC @ SLU LCU @ MEM ACC @ KSU bye: BLT
Week 2 LCU @ PVB UNC @ ACC BLT @ KSU SLU @ MEM bye: ARK
Week 3 PVB @ UNC ACC @ SLU bye: BLT, ARK, MEM, KSU, LCU
Week 4 SLU @ PVB UNC @ BLT ARK @ LCU ACC @ MEM bye: KSU
Week 5 ACC @ PVB KSU @ UNC MEM @ BLT SLU @ ARK bye: LCU
Week 6 BLT @ LCU KSU @ ARK bye: PVB, UNC, SLU, MEM, ACC
Week 7 PVB @ KSU MEM @ UNC ARK @ BLT LCU @ ACC bye: SLU
Week 8 PVB @ BLT LCU @ SLU ARK @ ACC KSU @ MEM bye: UNC
Week 9 MEM @ PVB ARK @ UNC BLT @ SLU KSU @ LCU bye: ACC
Week 10 UNC @ LCU BLT @ ACC SLU @ KSU MEM @ ARK bye: PVB
</pre>

Some info:

I believe every team has 4 home games and 4 away games. Every team in Region 4 has 2 home games against Region 3 and 2 road games against Region 3. North Carolina and Kennesaw State have 3 road games against Region 4, and 2 home games. ACC University and Ponte Vedra Beach have 2 road games against region 4, and 3 home games. This is as balanced a schedule as I believe is possible. Of course, the effort should be made to keep this schedule and rotate home and away matchups, and to make sure that the teams that play extra road games in other regions this year play less road games out of region next year...

[Radii]

A Different View. If anyone has already scheduled a non conference game that conflicts with this let me know.


Week 1:
Ponte Vedra Beach at Arkansas
North Carolina at Shaolin U
Louisiana at Memphis
ACC U at Kennesaw State
BYE: Bartlett


Week 2:
Louisiana at Ponte Vedra Beach
North Carolina at ACC U
Bartlett at Kennesaw State
Shaolin U at Memphis
BYE: Arkansas

Week 3:
Ponte Vedra Beach at North Carolina
ACC U at Shaolin U
BYE: Bartlett, Arkansas, Memphis, Kennesaw State, Louisiana

Week 4:
Shaolin at Ponte Vedra Beach
North Carolina at Bartlett
Arkansas at Louisiana
ACC U at Memphis
BYE: Kennesaw State

Week 5:
ACC U at Ponte Vedra Peach
Kennesaw State at North Carolina
Memphia at Bartlett
Shaolin at Arkansas
BYE: Louisiana

Week 6:
Bartlett at Louisiana
Kennesaw State at Arkansas
BYE: Ponte Vedra Beach, North Carolina, Shaolin U, Memphis, ACC U

Week 7:
Ponte Vedra Beach at Kennesaw State
Memphis at North Carolina
Arkansas at Bartlett
Louisiana at ACC U
BYE: Shaolin U

Week 8:
Ponte Vedra Beach at Bartlett
Louisiana at Shaolin U
Arkansas at ACC U
Kennesaw State at Memphis
BYE: North Carolina

Week 9:
Memphis at Ponte Vedra Beach
Arkansas at North Carolina
Bartlett at Shaolin
Kennesaw State at Louisiana
BYE: ACC U

Week 10:
North Carolina at Louisiana
Bartlett at ACC U
Shaolin U at Kennesaw State
Memphis at Arkansas
BYE: Ponte Vedra Beach

[Doug5984]

Would it be ok for me to reshedule a conference game in a later week if both teams agree to it and have byes that week? example me and GoldenEagle (Memphis) play week 1 but each have a bye week 3, if we were to both agree could we move our league game?

Reason being I had agreed to set up a non-conference game with frogman, but he is only available weeks 1 & 2, and I am only available week 3 & 5.

Also GoldenEagle, if it ok to reshedule our game would you be ok with doing that?

[sony]

The schedule looks good. What is the minimum/maximum # of games we play a year?

[Radii]

Sounds good to me Doug, and sony it's a 10 week season so that schedule covers the entire season.

It's possible once we post the schedule the commish will ask us to drop to 7 games, but I hope not.

[terpkristin]

I'm down with what I see there. :)
So for next week I should send a scheduling request for me at Memphis? Or is this not final?

~terpk
ACC University

[Radii]

I'm going to give it a day or two to see if anyone else already had aything scheduled but I'd think that it's pretty official

[GoldenEagle]

Looks good to me. Are we looking to develop rivaliries?

[Radii]

Just a reminder that everyone has to go confirm their schedule for the week, even though its on a conference scheulde. There's a thread on the TCFA board called:

The Story So Far: Week 1
Confirm games here

that everyone needs to go post in. I think that according to the list in that thread we're still waiting on Ponte Vedra Beach at Arkansas to confirm, and Bartlett needs to find and confirm a non-confernce game.

I'm going out for a bit but will post a finalized list of conference rules later this evening and give everyone one more chance to agree or state any big problems they have with anything.