other scores - Week 2

Nice to see UCLA lose

Final U-O 0,SMU 0 after 2ots

Next opponent Wisconsin loses 0-1 at home to Cincinnati. Has to be disappointing sandwiched between the loss to UCLA and the game against UP on Friday.

The WCC is cleaning up this year so far. this is really nice to see after a couple of the revious years.

Here's the NCsoccer composite for WCC teams, with a couple left to go yet.

http://www.nc-soccer.com/wsoccer/2010/composite

8/20 Friday 7-1-0
California vs. Loyola Marymount - W 2-1
Pepperdine vs. Fresno St. - W 2-0
(4)Portland vs. Portland St. - W 1-0
San Francisco vs. San Jose St. - W 2-1
(12)Santa Clara vs. San Diego St. - W 1-0
(18)Southern California vs. San Diego - L 0-1
St. Mary's (Cal.) vs. Nevada - W 1-0
#Utah vs. Gonzaga - L 1-2


8/22 Sunday 2-1-0
Cal St. Northridge vs. (4)Portland - L 1-2
#Gonzaga vs. (6)Florida St. - L 0-2
(12)Santa Clara vs. San Jose St. - W 2-1



8/27 Friday 4-1-2
California vs. (12)Santa Clara - T 0-0
Loyola Marymount vs. Denver - W 2-1
#Michigan vs. Pepperdine - W 1-0
#Nevada vs. Gonzaga - T 1-1
(4)Portland vs. SMU - W 2-0
San Diego vs. Arizona - W 4-1
San Francisco vs. North Fla. - W 2-1



8/29 Sunday 8-0-0
Cal St. Bakersfield (0-1-1) vs. Loyola Marymount (1-1-0) L 1-3
Montana (0-3-1) vs. Gonzaga (2-1-1) - L 2-3
#Pepperdine (2-1-0) vs. Arizona (0-2-0) - W 4-2
(4)Portland (4-0-0) vs. Oklahoma St. (2-1-0) - W 1-0
San Diego (2-0-0) vs. Michigan (2-0-1) - W 2-0
San Francisco (3-0-0) vs. UC Santa Barbara (3-1-0) - W 4-1
St. Mary's (Cal.) (2-0-0) vs. North Fla. (0-3-0) - W 4-3

WCC total so far 21-2-2

The Geez mentioned earlier on this thread how the WCC is doing so far this year.

One of the things I watch is how the conferences' teams are doing in their non-conference games. I watch because if teams did not play non-conference games, the RPI would not be able to distinguish the teams of one conference from the teams of another conference. (An undefeated team from the Pac 10 would have essentially the same RPI as an undefeated team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which is by far the weakest conference.) It's the non-conference games that bring down the RPIs of teams from weak conferences and raise the RPIs of teams from strong conferences.

Apart from a team's own record, which accounts effectively for about 50% of a team's RPI, its opponents' records account effectively for about 40% and its opponents' opponents' records account for about 10%. That makes it worthwhile to look at opponents' records as the main contributing factor apart from the team's own record. Within the conference competition, the conference opponents' records when all added together will be about 50-50 from the conference competition. On the other hand, in the non-conference competition, conference teams' records when all added together can range from 100-0 (the best possible in terms of RPI) to 0-100 (the worst possible and just about where SWAC is).

I hope that makes sense. In any event, here are the "big" conferences' winning percentages over the first two weeks of games, with a tie counting as half a win and half a loss per the RPI:

ACC 27-7-4 = 76%
Big 12 24-9-2 = 71%
SEC 23-10-1 = 69%
Big 10 20-8-5 = 68%
Pac 10 13-9-6 = 57%

It's worth noting that these conferences' schools have played opponents of different strengths. However, in terms of what the teams within a conference contribute to their conference opponents' RPIs, as described above the main contribution comes from those opponents' records (40% of the RPI) and a much smaller contribution comes from those opponents' opponents' records (10%).

So where does the WCC fit in the above list?

WCC 20-3-2 = 84%

If the WCC can keep this up, we won't see the conference games imposing a negative gravitational pull on the Pilots' RPI such as we have seen in the last few years. Of course, we still will need to see the Pilots' non-conference opponents doing well over the balance of the year.

I have no idea whether the other WCC teams can continue to perform as they have so far.

UCLA is now out of the top ten rankings according to NSCAA (they are sitting at 11). How long do you suppose that will last?

fwill wrote:UCLA is now out of the top ten rankings according to NSCAA (they are sitting at 11). How long do you suppose that will last?

They play Northridge next, then Notre Dame.

If they loose either, they will stay in the hinterlands.

They also play SCU later.

Other than that, they might stay out until conference.

Elizabeth Lambert Part @

It appears her suspension is over.

According to TopDrawerSoccer she is the #19 listed on the New Mexico Lobos roster as Liz Lambert.

Ooops!!! That should read Part 2, not @

Yeah, her reinstatement was announced a week ago:

http://theoriginalwinger.com/2010-08-24-new-mexicos-elizabeth-lambert-reinstated-following-suspension

BYU 2, Northwestern 1 @ BYU.

I know you are all students of the game and may know this already, but Notre Dame plays Santa Clara tomorrow night @ Notre Dame.

This will be the first serious test of the season for Notre Dame (W's against Minn and UW Milwaukee with a total of 4 goals scored).

It will also be a chance for SCU to come back from a 0-0 tie against Cal. SCU has only scored 3 goals against 3 non-steller opponents. (I don't consider Cal a steller opponent because of their bi-polar personality.)

Should be an informative game relative to the strength of UP's arch enemy SCU.

And speaking of SCU, I know it's a life time away, but who do you all think will play center-mid against them when Sophie takes her sabbatical in Oct?

I only ask this because this is the game that could be for all the marbles (relative to who wins the WCC).

I know who I would play but I ain't saying.

I want to wait to make a choice, but if I had to guess now, it would be Keelin moving up and Olivier moving to holding mid. There are several good possibilities to move into Olivier's spot.

FFAF,

Ah ha, my choices exactly.

And for exactly the same reasons.

At this 5 minutes, I think that would be the most seamless change, especially considering how Keelin is becoming more offensive minded this year.

Time will tell.

-UJ-

I think it will epend on how good Ellen Parker is. I fshe can step up and play the attacking mid then it might allow for less disruption; and be good practive for next season when neither Sophie nor Keelin will be here.

But it's too soon to know. Hope we see Ellen soon ... this weekend maybe?

I'm going with Ellen Parker, if she's healthy.