Ironton the OVC and Playoff Points

[The Flying Dutchman]

Any team that starts 0-4 should be overjoyed if they rebound and win a league title. Expectations were much higher for this IHS team but if they lose to Ashland then they would need to run the table which would result in winning the OVC and making the playoffs. Considering the start I think any IHS fan would be happy with that result.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

For teams that have been in the OVC, and for other leagues I'm sure, the league title does mean something. It's a payoff for the hard work of the season, community pride and bragging rights for the off season.
Only those who are arrogant or haven't won them say they don't matter.

I agree.

Now with Portstmouth, Ironton, and Gallipolis in 2016, I think the OVC Conference Championship really does mean something. My goodness, did you go to an OVC Basketball game last season? It was awesome-the intensity, the competition. I would love for the parity and level of competition to be the same in football. The addition of the new teams, especially Ironton in football, has made all of the OVC schools sharpen it up a bit, and will eventually lead to a much better overall league.

As for this year, it will all be dealt with on the field. After the season is over and a 6-4 OVC team doesn't make the playoffs, we will be able to analyze why, and really should a 6-4 team be in the playoffs in the first place? What would be the real concern would be if a 10-0 or 9-1 OVC team doesn't make the playoffs, then there is an issue. Until that happens, the pot will just be stirred.

I don't know about that. I remember in 99 ironton was 6-3 with an open date that season. and went into Zanesville and beat Youngstown cardinal mooney. and the following game they played Sandusky perkins and lost in the last couple seconds of the game. on a pass that looked like the perkins receiver was out of bounds on.anybody can get hot in the playoffs. so hey if a 5-5 or 7-3 or whatever team gets in there. that's the way the system is set up. get people back from injuries next thing you know you are rolling.

as far as league stuff, you dang skippy they are important. and will be remembered the rest of your life.and like cannon said look great on a resume if you are lucky enough to be getting recruited. it still is very nostalgic to me to see ironton's amazing trophy case display. those are memories ironton can cherish for decades to come. so I personally think they mean an incredible amount. but the ultimate goal is winning games and making the playoffs. and I'd say at least nearly all the time. you win your league , you'll be playing week 11. then anything can happen, and it's magical.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

but unless you are winning games, this is a discussion for better years. personally I think they win out. they're in.
so good luck and let's get this bus a moving go fighting tigers.

[weasel]

Tigercannon71,

By your logic, it makes Ironton's decision to join the OVC moronic. Or, maybe, just maybe..... it was genius on Ironton's part to join? Maybe the writing was on the wall, and the downward spiral continues?

Maybe Ironton fan's should start looking forward to a conference championship?

[Tigercannon71]

Tigercannon71,

By your logic, it makes Ironton's decision to join the OVC moronic. Or, maybe, just maybe..... it was genius on Ironton's part to join? Maybe the writing was on the wall, and the downward spiral continues?

Maybe Ironton fan's should start looking forward to a conference championship?

It was moronic to join in football, I've said that numerous times on here. Joining in the other sports was a good thing, but in football it was stupid.

[fuzzhead]

I guess I don't understand what the argument is here. Can someone enlighten me? If you go 0-4 against "tough" annual rivals that Ironton traditionally beats, are you guys suggesting that they would've been better off with a schedule consisting of more games of a higher degree of difficulty (and likely losing them) and still missing the playoffs?

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate the "well, we aren't good at all against teams outside of our conference and we're irrelevant on a regional level, but hey, at least we have bragging rights against traditionally weak football schools" argument. However, if Ironton fans truly think that the OVC is holding them back this year, you're dead wrong. You're about to go 0-4. 3 of those losses are against teams that Ironton has dominated in the all-times series'. You, frankly, aren't good enough to even think about beating Jackson or Bishop Hartley or any other "big" program that Ironton has scheduled recently.

I fully expect Ironton to run the table once they get into OVC play. As I said in a previous post, 6-4 probably gets Ironton into the playoffs in a very weak region. Once there, they could, as YTB said, get hot and run the table. The road to state likely will go through Wheelersburg in this region. Ironton maybe should have won that game so it's very possible that they could win a rematch.

[weasel]

So who is Ironton going to beat from their pre-OVC days?

Bishop Hartley? Johnson Central? Watterson? Jackson?

Those days are over. The OVC will be the best thing that happened to Ironton. 6-7 wins will put you in the playoffs every year, even when you don't stand a chance against your non-conference teams.

[LetsGoPSU]

Adults may have higher expectations, but I guarantee you the young men playing on Friday nights want to win a conference title! Its something they can carry with them into thier adult years. Each program has goals, I promise you the first goal is to win thier conference championship, then they let the chips fall where they will.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

WHAT A STRETCH OF VERY EXCELLENT POSTS.
that's what I'm talking about. and the ovc is not holding ironton back. ironton is holding ironton back.

[sballchck]

OVC Strength of Schedule Ratings per Drew Pasteur website (which is terrific!)

D5-107 Teams Statewide
Ironton: #1 toughest schedule in Ohio D5; #54 Toughest Schedule Overall in Ohio out of 720 teams
Fairland: #2 in D5; #55 Overall
Portsmouth: #9 in D5; #191 Overall
South Point: #51 in D5; #456 Overall
Rock Hill: #92 in D5; #626 Overall

D6-108 Teams Statewide
Coal Grove: #8 in D6; #246 Overall
Chesapeake: #79 in D6; #613 Overall

This explains a lot

[Trojan_Pride]

Adults may have higher expectations, but I guarantee you the young men playing on Friday nights want to win a conference title! Its something they can carry with them into thier adult years. Each program has goals, I promise you the first goal is to win thier conference championship, then they let the chips fall where they will.

probably the best statement on this thread!!!

[PantherPride]

OVC Strength of Schedule Ratings per Drew Pasteur website (which is terrific!)

D5-107 Teams Statewide
Ironton: #1 toughest schedule in Ohio D5; #54 Toughest Schedule Overall in Ohio out of 720 teams
Fairland: #2 in D5; #55 Overall
Portsmouth: #9 in D5; #191 Overall
South Point: #51 in D5; #456 Overall
Rock Hill: #92 in D5; #626 Overall

D6-108 Teams Statewide
Coal Grove: #8 in D6; #246 Overall
Chesapeake: #79 in D6; #613 Overall

This explains a lot

I just want to add that these SOS numbers are for games already played. They will fluctuate week to week based on the opponents.

[Tjhtygeverve]

one play @ a time
ALL play as ONE.
L's become W's
And back comes the fun

[Jason Vorhees]

Ironton will not run the table in the OVC. Chesapeake wins the OVC this year by a touchdown or less.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

we shall see. you may be right.

[linedrive]

Ironton will not run the table in the OVC. Chesapeake wins the OVC this year by a touchdown or less.

I will say this, whoever wins Coal Grove/Ironton week 7, will have the best chance to beat Chesapeake. However, it would not surprise me in the least if the OVC ended in a three way tie (Team A beats Team B, who beat Team C, who beat Team A).

[anderson2012]

OVC Strength of Schedule Ratings per Drew Pasteur website (which is terrific!)

D5-107 Teams Statewide
Ironton: #1 toughest schedule in Ohio D5; #54 Toughest Schedule Overall in Ohio out of 720 teams
Fairland: #2 in D5; #55 Overall
Portsmouth: #9 in D5; #191 Overall
South Point: #51 in D5; #456 Overall
Rock Hill: #92 in D5; #626 Overall

D6-108 Teams Statewide
Coal Grove: #8 in D6; #246 Overall
Chesapeake: #79 in D6; #613 Overall

This explains a lot

I just want to add that these SOS numbers are for games already played. They will fluctuate week to week based on the opponents.

Yup. Drew Pasteur does an AMAZING job and I in no way am intending to discredit him, however, because they do fluctuate (albeit not terribly much, maybe two standard deviations at the very most), it does give rise to post hoc, ergo propter hoc / "after the fact, therefore before the fact". We could very well see Ironton's SOS at the end of the season being #10 in D5, for example.

[sballchck]

OVC Strength of Schedule Ratings per Drew Pasteur website (which is terrific!)

D5-107 Teams Statewide
Ironton: #1 toughest schedule in Ohio D5; #54 Toughest Schedule Overall in Ohio out of 720 teams
Fairland: #2 in D5; #55 Overall
Portsmouth: #9 in D5; #191 Overall
South Point: #51 in D5; #456 Overall
Rock Hill: #92 in D5; #626 Overall

D6-108 Teams Statewide
Coal Grove: #8 in D6; #246 Overall
Chesapeake: #79 in D6; #613 Overall

This explains a lot

I just want to add that these SOS numbers are for games already played. They will fluctuate week to week based on the opponents.

Yup. Drew Pasteur does an AMAZING job and I in no way am intending to discredit him, however, because they do fluctuate (albeit not terribly much, maybe two standard deviations at the very most), it does give rise to post hoc, ergo propter hoc / "after the fact, therefore before the fact". We could very well see Ironton's SOS at the end of the season being #10 in D5, for example.

Using standard deviations and throwing in a little Latin lingo to make an excellent point...this thread has officially gone to the next level. Nicely done and well said, formerfcfan.

Now where's my toga?

[Mad-Dogg]

I'm not takin anything away from ironton they are a great program but I wouldn't care if they drop us or we drop them. I've always said I wish the burg would drop them and ports. We haven't lost to ports since the yr before they got the new stadium. We lost to them the last time we played them at spartan. As for 2nd level points we don't get much.

As for ironton we have beat them 4 straight games and don't look to get much help. The yrs they beat us they get in the playoffs and get a bunch of 2nd level points from us.

So personally I would not care if this is the last yr we play either of them. In recent yrs we have played fairland, rock hill, coal grove and south point. All three we didn't get much help from. I wish we would quit playing teams from the ovc. The only team w we really got points from is cg.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

we shall see about that dogg. that is incredibly illogical to think the ironton/burg series would ever end because one poster said so.that's like ironton/Portsmouth--or ironton/Ashland ending.i just don't see it happening--------EVER. I think the OVC will smooth out and become very competitive. the fighting tigers just need a CHECKUP FROM THE NECKUP------THE ENTIRE OUTFIT, COACHES N PLAYERS.they are better than they are playing I think.The SOC is top heavy as well basically with it being Burg n Valley.AND THE FUNDING THESE RIVALRIES BRING IN IS AN INCREDIBLE BOOST TO THE PROGRAMS AND THEIR SPORTS FUNDS.