Importance of Autobid?

[BraxtonT]

Now that we are in an autobid conference, just how important is that distinction?

Last Saturday in Cedar Falls, as plain as day on the far end of the UNI-dome are two huge signs of the Panthers' conference championship years and their playoff years. Exact same years!!! They have never received an at-large bid. Wow!!

With this conference being nothing but a total beat down, week in and week out, how many at-larges will come out of the Missouri Valley this year? Coming years?

It's way too early to condemn the decision to join the MVFC, (By the way, I still support that decision.) but hearing of the 'autobid' being a big reason for joining just doesn't make sense to me.

[HandoEX]

At least 2 teams should make it every year from this conference. I can see 3 teams making the 2009 field. IIRC, the conference sent 2 last year (NIU and SIU) and 3 the year before (IllSt, YSU, SIU).

[roadwarrior]

Well the autobid is still a huge deal. Just ask those teams in the Great West. Nothing is guaranteed for them.

[Bison06]

I would say when it comes to UNI, this illustrates that they are very inconsistent from year to year. Meaning they are either the best team in the conference or not close enough to the top to warrant an at-large bid.

[90BISON]

I would say when it comes to UNI, this illustrates that they are very inconsistent from year to year. Meaning they are either the best team in the conference or not close enough to the top to warrant an at-large bid.

Don't tell that to any of the Panther trolls, as one was nice enough to correct someone on BV in one of the other threads. "The reason they never get the at large is because they win the conference every year, dunce". According to their own sign in the Unidome, apparently not.

[stevdock]

I think with expansion happening soon, the MVFC will for sure get 2 every year and most years get 3, with a slight possibility of getting 4. The only reason the CAA got 5 last year is that UNH (#5) didn't play everyone because the league is too big for every team to play each other in the conference. The problem we will see though is that it will be a knock out fight every week for the whole season. As most of us thought that the NCC was one of the best conferences in the country no matter what division. The MVFC is like the NCC on steriods. Even playing the poorer teams in the conference are going to be a battle like ISU was last year. Yes we were ahead the whole game, but it was never decided until late in the game. That Autobid will always be very very important, cause you just never know what's gonna happen in the rest of the country.

[JayJ79]

I would say when it comes to UNI, this illustrates that they are very inconsistent from year to year. Meaning they are either the best team in the conference or not close enough to the top to warrant an at-large bid.

Yes, there is some inconsistency from year to year.
Most of those non-playoff years, we were more or less 1 game short of a playoff resume. Usually at something like a 5-2 (or 5-1) record in conference, with something like a 7-4 overall record.

Without the autobid, your destiny is completely in the hands of the playoff selection committee. And there is always more than 8 teams with resumes worthy of an at-large bid.

[clenz]

To get the at large from this conference a team needs to have a record of, at most 3 losses. The selection committee doesn't like the MVFC, and has a major jones for the teams out East.

[BisonNeil]

Now that we are in an autobid conference, just how important is that distinction?

Last Saturday in Cedar Falls, as plain as day on the far end of the UNI-dome are two huge signs of the Panthers' conference championship years and their playoff years. Exact same years!!! They have never received an at-large bid. Wow!!

With this conference being nothing but a total beat down, week in and week out, how many at-larges will come out of the Missouri Valley this year? Coming years?

It's way too early to condemn the decision to join the MVFC, (By the way, I still support that decision.) but hearing of the 'autobid' being a big reason for joining just doesn't make sense to me.

Joining the MVFC was a big step and a good one for NDSU. I was and still am excited about it. But for me, the autobid was overblown in importance, it only affects one of the 9 teams and in a conference as good as MVFC that means it will be a rotating team getting the autobid, more often than not UNI. I said several times in posts this spring and summer that the best the Bison could hope for is to get the autobid 1 out of 4 years with other teams such as UNI and SIU also in the hunt. We could likely have done as well, getting to the playoffs 1 in 4 yrs, playing a weaker GWC and a weak NC schedule than joining the MVFC.

The most important aspect of joining the MVFC was the stability it gave in scheduling. In the Great West we had four games every year, now we have 8. The difference for Taylor to find 7 NC games vs 3 is huge. A guaranteed 4 home games is also huge. This is the biggest asset provided by the MVFC affiliation, not the autobid. To think otherwise is naive, I think.