Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Christine Nelson, BGSU Marketing & Communications
BGSU's MAC Tournament Scenarios
May 03, 2017 | Softball
Below is information we believe to be correct re: tiebreakers, the MAC softball race and BGSU's MAC Tournament scenarios...
MAC STANDINGS & REMAINING SCHEDULE
Team (Overall Record) W-L Pct. Remaining MAC Series
1. Central Michigan (34-13) 16- 5 .762 at Eastern Michigan
2. Ohio (33-14) 14- 7 .667 at Buffalo
3. Ball State (29-24) 13- 8 .619 at Western Michigan
Northern Illinois (27-18) 13- 8 .619 vs. Toledo
5. Miami (27-21) 12- 9 .571 vs. Akron
Kent State (24-24) 12- 9 .571 vs. BGSU
7. Akron (25-26) 11-10 .524 at Miami
8. Bowling Green (24-29) 10-11 .476 at Kent State
Toledo (23-32) 10-11 .476 at Northern Illinois
10. Western Michigan (21-25) 9-12 .429 vs. Ball State
11. Buffalo (8-43) 3-18 .143 vs. Ohio
Eastern Michigan (15-32) 3-18 .143 vs. Central Michigan
TOURNAMENT SEEDING & ORDER OF TIEBREAKERS (from MAC Office)
Teams will be seeded 1 through 8 based on conference winning percentage (MAC play only), regardless of division. Ties in the conference standings shall be broken as follows:
Two Team Tiebreaker:
1. Head-to-head competition (NOTE: BGSU DID NOT PLAY TOLEDO OR WMU IN 2017)
2. Winning percentage* vs. ranked conference teams (top to bottom, regardless of division; versus common opponents, regardless of the number of times played)
3. Overall winning percentage vs. common MAC opponents
4. If tied teams have played each other, average of runs scored against; if tied teams have not played each other, average of runs scored against vs. all common MAC opponents
5. Coin flip
Multiple (3 or more) Team Tiebreaker:
1. Combined head-to-head record among the tied teams** (NOTE: THIS WILL NEVER BE USED IN A TIE WITH TOLEDO AND WMU)
2. If or when two teams remain tied, the Two Team Tiebreaker goes into effect
[Note: If a three-team tie is reduced to two teams, the two-team tie-breaker goes into effect.]
* Winning percentage is used instead of record because of situations where teams do not play each other the same number of times. Therefore, a team that is 1-0 (1.000) would win the tiebreaker over a team that is 1-1 (.500).
** If the combined records of each tied team are different, the tiebreak is complete. Example: If Team A is 2-1, Team B is 1-1 and Team C is 1-2 then this is the order of the tiebreak.
Once only two teams remain tied, the Two Team Tiebreaker is used. Example: If Team A is 2-1, Team B is 1-2 and Team C is 1-2 then Team A is ahead of Teams B and C and Teams B and C revert to the Two Team Tiebreaker.
THIS WEEKEND'S POSSIBLE OUTCOMES FOR THE FALCONS
IF BGSU GOES 3-0 AT KENT STATE
>> The Falcons are in.
>> BGSU would be 13-11, KSU would be 12-12
>> WMU, UB & EMU could not catch BG in the standings (Note: the purpose of this long & rambling diatribe is to determine what needs to happen for BGSU to qualify for the tournament, not to determine how high or low the Falcons would be seeded. To qualify for the tourney, BGSU needs to be eighth -- i.e., the Falcons need to finish ahead of four other teams)
IF BGSU GOES 2-1 AT KENT STATE
>> The Falcons are in IF TWO OF THE FOLLOWING THREE THINGS HAPPEN:
>> UB & EMU could not catch BG
>> If UT went 2-1 and WMU went 3-0, there would be a 3-way tie at 12-12
>> If CMU was the overall #1 seed (NOTE: CMU is currently two games ahead of Ohio in the race for the overall #1 seed), WMU would be eliminated from the 3-way tie (WMU went 0-3 vs. CMU while BG and UT each went 1-2). Then, it would revert to a 2-way tie with Toledo. UT would win that tiebreaker because both BG and UT went 1-2 vs. CMU, and both BG and UT went 0-3 vs. Ohio. BGSU went 1-2 vs. NIU, while UT would have gone 2-1.
>> If Ohio was the #1 seed, WMU would win the 3-way tie because WMU went 1-2 vs. Ohio while BG and UT each went 0-3. Then, it would revert to a 2-way tie with Toledo, which Toledo would win.
>> If UT went 1-2 or worse and WMU went 3-0 (i.e., a 2-way tie between BGSU and WMU), BG wins the tiebreaker if CMU is the #1 seed, while WMU wins the tiebreaker if Ohio is the #1 seed.
IF BGSU GOES 1-2 AT KENT STATE
>> The Falcons are in IF THE FOLLOWING TWO THINGS HAPPEN:
>> UB & EMU could not catch BG
>> If UT went 1-2 and WMU went 2-1, there would be a 3-way tie at 11-13
>> If CMU was the #1 seed, WMU would be eliminated from the 3-way tie. Then, it would revert to a 2-way tie with Toledo. In this case, BGSU would win that tiebreaker. BG and UT would have identical records vs. all common opponents (1-2 vs. CMU, 0-3 vs. Ohio, 1-2 vs. NIU, 1-2 vs. Miami, 3-0 vs. Buffalo and 3-0 vs. EMU).
>> The next tiebreaker is, "if tied teams have not played each other, average of runs scored against vs. all common MAC opponents." Against the 6 common opponents (CMU, Ohio, NIU, Miami, Buffalo, EMU), BGSU allowed a total of 60 runs. Toledo has allowed a total of 65 runs and still has three games vs. NIU, so there is no way UT can allow fewer runs per game against those opponents.
>> If UT went 0-3 and WMU went 2-1 (i.e., a 2-way tie between BGSU and WMU), BG wins the tiebreaker if CMU is the #1 seed, while WMU wins the tiebreaker if Ohio is the #1 seed.
IF BGSU GOES 0-3 AT KENT STATE
>> The Falcons can still get in IF THE FOLLOWING TWO THINGS HAPPEN:
>> UB & EMU could not catch BG
>> If UT went 0-3 and WMU went 1-2, there would be a 3-way tie at 10-14
>> If CMU was the #1 seed, WMU would be eliminated from the 3-way tie. Then, it would revert to a 2-way tie with Toledo. In this case, BGSU would win that tiebreaker. BG went 1-2 vs. NIU while UT would have gone 0-3
>> In this case, a 2-way tie between BGSU and WMU would not matter, because UT would be the #8 seed while BGSU & WMU would be tied for #9
One final note: the information above assumes all scheduled games around the MAC are actually played, and no games are canceled due to weather.
MAC STANDINGS & REMAINING SCHEDULE
Team (Overall Record) W-L Pct. Remaining MAC Series
1. Central Michigan (34-13) 16- 5 .762 at Eastern Michigan
2. Ohio (33-14) 14- 7 .667 at Buffalo
3. Ball State (29-24) 13- 8 .619 at Western Michigan
Northern Illinois (27-18) 13- 8 .619 vs. Toledo
5. Miami (27-21) 12- 9 .571 vs. Akron
Kent State (24-24) 12- 9 .571 vs. BGSU
7. Akron (25-26) 11-10 .524 at Miami
8. Bowling Green (24-29) 10-11 .476 at Kent State
Toledo (23-32) 10-11 .476 at Northern Illinois
10. Western Michigan (21-25) 9-12 .429 vs. Ball State
11. Buffalo (8-43) 3-18 .143 vs. Ohio
Eastern Michigan (15-32) 3-18 .143 vs. Central Michigan
TOURNAMENT SEEDING & ORDER OF TIEBREAKERS (from MAC Office)
Teams will be seeded 1 through 8 based on conference winning percentage (MAC play only), regardless of division. Ties in the conference standings shall be broken as follows:
Two Team Tiebreaker:
1. Head-to-head competition (NOTE: BGSU DID NOT PLAY TOLEDO OR WMU IN 2017)
2. Winning percentage* vs. ranked conference teams (top to bottom, regardless of division; versus common opponents, regardless of the number of times played)
3. Overall winning percentage vs. common MAC opponents
4. If tied teams have played each other, average of runs scored against; if tied teams have not played each other, average of runs scored against vs. all common MAC opponents
5. Coin flip
Multiple (3 or more) Team Tiebreaker:
1. Combined head-to-head record among the tied teams** (NOTE: THIS WILL NEVER BE USED IN A TIE WITH TOLEDO AND WMU)
2. If or when two teams remain tied, the Two Team Tiebreaker goes into effect
[Note: If a three-team tie is reduced to two teams, the two-team tie-breaker goes into effect.]
* Winning percentage is used instead of record because of situations where teams do not play each other the same number of times. Therefore, a team that is 1-0 (1.000) would win the tiebreaker over a team that is 1-1 (.500).
** If the combined records of each tied team are different, the tiebreak is complete. Example: If Team A is 2-1, Team B is 1-1 and Team C is 1-2 then this is the order of the tiebreak.
Once only two teams remain tied, the Two Team Tiebreaker is used. Example: If Team A is 2-1, Team B is 1-2 and Team C is 1-2 then Team A is ahead of Teams B and C and Teams B and C revert to the Two Team Tiebreaker.
THIS WEEKEND'S POSSIBLE OUTCOMES FOR THE FALCONS
IF BGSU GOES 3-0 AT KENT STATE
>> The Falcons are in.
>> BGSU would be 13-11, KSU would be 12-12
>> WMU, UB & EMU could not catch BG in the standings (Note: the purpose of this long & rambling diatribe is to determine what needs to happen for BGSU to qualify for the tournament, not to determine how high or low the Falcons would be seeded. To qualify for the tourney, BGSU needs to be eighth -- i.e., the Falcons need to finish ahead of four other teams)
IF BGSU GOES 2-1 AT KENT STATE
>> The Falcons are in IF TWO OF THE FOLLOWING THREE THINGS HAPPEN:
- Akron goes 0-3
- Toledo goes 1-2 or 0-3
- WMU goes 2-1, 1-2 or 0-3
>> UB & EMU could not catch BG
>> If UT went 2-1 and WMU went 3-0, there would be a 3-way tie at 12-12
>> If CMU was the overall #1 seed (NOTE: CMU is currently two games ahead of Ohio in the race for the overall #1 seed), WMU would be eliminated from the 3-way tie (WMU went 0-3 vs. CMU while BG and UT each went 1-2). Then, it would revert to a 2-way tie with Toledo. UT would win that tiebreaker because both BG and UT went 1-2 vs. CMU, and both BG and UT went 0-3 vs. Ohio. BGSU went 1-2 vs. NIU, while UT would have gone 2-1.
>> If Ohio was the #1 seed, WMU would win the 3-way tie because WMU went 1-2 vs. Ohio while BG and UT each went 0-3. Then, it would revert to a 2-way tie with Toledo, which Toledo would win.
>> If UT went 1-2 or worse and WMU went 3-0 (i.e., a 2-way tie between BGSU and WMU), BG wins the tiebreaker if CMU is the #1 seed, while WMU wins the tiebreaker if Ohio is the #1 seed.
IF BGSU GOES 1-2 AT KENT STATE
>> The Falcons are in IF THE FOLLOWING TWO THINGS HAPPEN:
- Toledo goes 1-2 or 0-3, AND
- WMU goes 2-1, 1-2 or 0-3
>> UB & EMU could not catch BG
>> If UT went 1-2 and WMU went 2-1, there would be a 3-way tie at 11-13
>> If CMU was the #1 seed, WMU would be eliminated from the 3-way tie. Then, it would revert to a 2-way tie with Toledo. In this case, BGSU would win that tiebreaker. BG and UT would have identical records vs. all common opponents (1-2 vs. CMU, 0-3 vs. Ohio, 1-2 vs. NIU, 1-2 vs. Miami, 3-0 vs. Buffalo and 3-0 vs. EMU).
>> The next tiebreaker is, "if tied teams have not played each other, average of runs scored against vs. all common MAC opponents." Against the 6 common opponents (CMU, Ohio, NIU, Miami, Buffalo, EMU), BGSU allowed a total of 60 runs. Toledo has allowed a total of 65 runs and still has three games vs. NIU, so there is no way UT can allow fewer runs per game against those opponents.
>> If UT went 0-3 and WMU went 2-1 (i.e., a 2-way tie between BGSU and WMU), BG wins the tiebreaker if CMU is the #1 seed, while WMU wins the tiebreaker if Ohio is the #1 seed.
IF BGSU GOES 0-3 AT KENT STATE
>> The Falcons can still get in IF THE FOLLOWING TWO THINGS HAPPEN:
- Toledo goes 0-3, AND
- WMU goes 1-2 (if CMU is the #1 seed). If Ohio is the #1 seed, BGSU needs WMU to go 0-3
>> UB & EMU could not catch BG
>> If UT went 0-3 and WMU went 1-2, there would be a 3-way tie at 10-14
>> If CMU was the #1 seed, WMU would be eliminated from the 3-way tie. Then, it would revert to a 2-way tie with Toledo. In this case, BGSU would win that tiebreaker. BG went 1-2 vs. NIU while UT would have gone 0-3
>> In this case, a 2-way tie between BGSU and WMU would not matter, because UT would be the #8 seed while BGSU & WMU would be tied for #9
One final note: the information above assumes all scheduled games around the MAC are actually played, and no games are canceled due to weather.
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