Wilson: Playoff Decision Came Down To Wins

Tennessee Tech’s football team left out of this year’s NCAA playoffs due to the team’s data-based metrics and number of wins.

That from Athletic Director Mark Wilson, who said the team ranked behind competitors when looking at KPI, ESPN Analytics, and the Football Power Index. Wilson said he thinks the main factor in the decision was the team’s 7-5 standing.

“There’s only one seven and five team that was selected for the championships and that team earned the automatic qualification from their conference,” Wilson said. “And so I think they were looking at eight-win teams. There was an eight-win team, Stony Brook, that was not selected into the championships based on whatever metrics that they have had.”

Wilson said the staff is already working to adjust the team’s scheduling to change who they play, where the games are, and when games take place. Wilson said the format is being designed with a focus on finding ways to help the team.

“I think they put themselves in a position to be considered, and it’s a great position to be in, but when you’re not selected certainly that is extremely disappointing and heartbreaking,” Wilson said. “But they’ll continue to work and continue to get better and next season will be (an) even better season than this season.”

Wilson said the biggest lesson the students are learning from the decision is that every single game is important. Wilson said it was still nice for Tech to be part of the conversation for the NCAA championship this year.

“You cannot have an off game,” Wilson said. “You have to bring your best game each and every game. And not that they didn’t try to do that, we just didn’t do that. But that’s important because one game, if we won one more game this year whether it be South Carolina State or whether it be Southeast Missouri or whether it be Western Illinois, if we went eight and four we probably would have been in the playoffs. So it just shows how that margin of error is so thin.”

Wilson said he feels the same disappointment but he is also proud as the team has made tremendous progress this year. Wilson said he hopes to get nine, ten, or even eleven wins to secure a spot in the playoffs next year.

“We as an OVC, we need to continue to get better all, collectively,” Wilson said. “So we can increase our reputation across the nation and be looked at like the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Big Sky Conference, the Coastal Athletic Association.”