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| Cortland athletics photo by Darl Zehr Photography |
Welcome back to Quick Hits for Round 2 of the playoffs! There is a lot to be thankful for this season, not the least of which is a second round that features seven matchups between top 25 teams, four of those matching top 15 teams, and two of those featuring top 10 teams from the final regular season D3football.com Top 25. Indeed, this is one of the highest ranked second rounds in recent memory. Our Quick Hits panel is back this week with score predictions for all eight of tomorrow's playoff games.
Our regular crew is Greg Thomas, Pat Coleman, Ryan Tipps, Adam Turer, Frank Rossi, plus a guest. We're excited to have Around The Nation originator and longtime Division III guru Keith McMillan joining us on the Quick Hits panel throughout the playoffs.
— Greg Thomas
| St. John's bracket | |
| Keith’s take: Linfield 35, St. John's 27 Ryan’s take: St. John's 38, Linfield 31 Pat’s take: Linfield 31, St. John's 27 |
Adam’s take: St. John's 27, Linfield 24 Frank’s take: Linfield 31, St. John's 20 Greg’s take: Linfield 28, St. John's 22 |
| Consensus: Split decision in favor of the Wildcats in a high-scoring, but close game. | |
| Keith’s take: UMHB 31, Birmingham-Southern 13 Ryan’s take: UMHB 31, Birmingham Southern 13 Pat’s take: UMHB 38, Birmingham Southern 10 |
Adam’s take: UMHB 31, Birmingham Southern 20 Frank’s take: UMHB 21, Birmingham Southern 7 Greg’s take: UMHB 34, Birmingham Southern 12 |
| Consensus: All six panelists predict a bit more offfense from the Crusaders this week and a trip to to quarterfinals. | |
| UW-Whitewater bracket | |
| Keith’s take: UW-Whitewater 49, DePauw 7 Ryan’s take: UW-Whitewater 42, DePauw 13 Pat’s take: UW-Whitewater 45, DePauw 7 |
Adam’s take: UW-Whitewater 50, DePauw 12 Frank’s take: UW-Whitewater 38, DePauw 10 Greg’s take: UW-Whitewater 56, DePauw 7 |
| Consensus: A sweep for the Warhawks with a comfortable margin of victory. | |
| Keith’s take: Wheaton 43, Central 42 (OT) Ryan’s take: Central 41, Wheaton 34 Pat’s take: Wheaton 48, Central 45 |
Adam’s take: Wheaton 34, Central 33 Frank’s take: Wheaton 40, Central 31 Greg’s take: Wheaton 51, Central 45 |
| Consensus: Five of six panelists predict Wheaton winning a shootout, but our slim margins suggest that this is anybody's game. | |
| North Central bracket | |
| Keith’s take: North Central 28, UW-La Crosse 20 Ryan’s take: North Central 24, UW-La Crosse 20 Pat’s take: North Central 28, UW-La Crosse 24 |
Adam’s take: North Central 37, UW-La Crosse 29 Frank’s take: North Central 30, UW-La Crosse 17 Greg’s take: North Central 38, UW-La Crosse 24 |
| Consensus: It's a sweep for the defending champions, but not without a challenge from the visiting Eagles. | |
| Keith’s take: Cortland 17, RPI 13 Ryan’s take: RPI 14, Cortland 13 Pat’s take: Cortland 27, RPI 17 |
Adam’s take: Cortland 28, RPI 22 Frank’s take: Cortland 24, RPI 20 Greg’s take: Cortland 28, RPI 17 |
| Consensus: The panel favors Cortland to win a lower scoring game, but it is not unanimous. | |
| Mount Union bracket | |
| Keith’s take: Mount Union 35, Johns Hopkins 21 Ryan’s take: Mount Union 41, Johns Hopkins 38 Pat’s take: Mount Union 38, Johns Hopkins 24 |
Adam’s take: Mount Union 45, Johns Hopkins 40 Frank’s take: Mount Union 40, Johns Hopkins 13 Greg’s take: Johns Hopkins 36, Mount Union 35 |
| Consensus: Not quite a sweep, but the panel predicts Mount Union advancing in a high scoring game. | |
| Keith’s take: Delaware Valley 23, Muhlenberg 20 (2 OT) Ryan’s take: Muhlenberg 24, Delaware Valley 21 Pat’s take: Delaware Valley 17, Muhlenberg 15 |
Adam’s take: Muhlenberg 20, Delaware Valley 17 Frank’s take: Muhlenberg 27, Delaware Valley 21 Greg’s take: Muhlenberg 27, Delaware Valley 24 |
| Consensus: A split decision for Muhlenberg in a close game. | |
Got picks? Put them in the comments!