I rarely post but have followed D3 for many years. In the past few years I have felt that MU and UWW have stood out. No matter your record, those two were light years ahead. I have watched NCC improve into a top notch team that can compete with all except the big two. This year, I started to think that maybe this is something different. And I felt this early in the season. They do what elite teams do. When they beat Weaton, in Weaton, I started to think that maybe after year of building a solid program, maybe they at at that point. After hearing all the noise from UWW posters and then following todays games, I think that the "monkey stomp", projected by the UWW faithful might be premature.  Here is my take. The NCC defense is the best the CCIW has seen in a long time. Maybe the best in D3. The offense is very, very, deep and will put points on the board regardless of opponent.  Over on the UWW board, they are now turning lemons into lemonade. Showering praise on Franklin. One poster said "who else could beat Franklin by 30"? Good question. But could Franklin put 21 pts up against NCC? I think that the upcoming game will speak volumes. If NCC beats ONU by at least 14, then you can say maybe, just maybe, NCC has moved into the elite and should give UWW pause. If the lose to ONU, then the point is moot.

Thought I made it clear that because of defense, NCC has a way to go to compete with MU or UWW.  The point I was trying to stress is that NCC has an offense that we have not seen in the CCIW for quite some time. The defense is way behind. Until it can catch up, NCC cannot compete at the level that MU and UWW have set. Understanding that, and coupled with the dearth of key injuries that NCC has sustained, I think that  NCC program has shown the depth and progress needed to compete at the very highest level. And if they can continue to advance the program, A run at the title may be inevitable.

I don't post often and have been a CCIW fan for years. NCC is my team. In the Thorne years, they have always had a potent offense but the defense has been suspect. I believe that this year the D is pretty good. They can do things that past defenses could not. Although today's game still shows that the D lags well behind the offense. The offense for NCC is a flat out Juggernaut.  Their ability to score at will is something to behold. If they were to face a Mount Union or a UWW, they could put significant points on the board. I doubt though that it would be enough, given the defensive weakness.  Considering the injuries the have sustained, which would be catastrophic to most teams, I truly think that NCC is a hairs breath away from being a top tier team capable of defeating a MU if they can bring their defense up to at least complimentory to their offense, So close!

Thought I'd post a little FYI.  Today a team of 12 guys, 9 from NCC, 1 from Bethel,
1 from Luther, and 2 from Benedictine, played the top Irish football team in Dublin.
This team is made up of recent grads and guys who haven't played in years.  It was a trip they just wanted to make.  They didn't practise, had no plays, and all had to play both ways.  On the first play of the game, 2 time all American Tyke Spenser, grad from NCC blew out his knee. Despite that, the team went on to post a 66 to 8 win.  Just thought this might be of interest to some of you CCIW fans.

For the record, I am not a member of the NCC team.  I don't even attend NCC. I am strictly a fan.  Mugsy;  you give an example of a horrible call. Was the call deliberate or just a bad mistake?  I know that the score cannot be changed.  Greivences are often filed in sports knowing that the result will not change but the aggrieved parties might be seeking something like an official apology.  I will state for the last time that I believe that an official deliberately effected the outcome of the game.  Missed chances the NCC may have had to score have nothing to do with point being made.  I have done my best to make my point.  This is the last post I will make concerning this subject.

Wheaty; You "GARUANTEE" that the players and coaches haved moved on?  How are you in position to "GARUANTEE" that?  What do you think I meant when I said that grievences will be made?
Let me try once again to make my point, as difficult as it may be to some of you.  No one is even suggesting that the players or coaches of Augie have anything to do with this.  Also, everyone understands that mistakes are made in sports. We are all human and mistakes are made.  That is when you "move on".  I am saying that what was done was a willfull and deliberate act to effect the outcome of the game.  I am accusing an official of CHEATING.  I am not doing this lightly.  I firmly believe that the evidence PROVES this. So please, if you disagree then disagree.  But back up your disagreement with examples as to why you disagree.  Please stop with the "move on" because it does not apply here.  

HughJass; Who are you to say what matters here?  What matters here is what anyone cares to write.  I don't think that the content of any board should be determined by only what you care to read.  I did expect this type of response from some of you.  You don't refute any points.  If you don't like what you read you simply tell those you don't agree with to "shut up".  As far as taking the grievence to the NCAA, I believe that is going to be done. Not by me, but by those who are in a position to make the case.  This is not a case of whining but a clear dispute of how the game was officiated.  To the following poster "offsides", "neutral zone" lets quibble!

The rational of some posters has gone beyond the pale.  Earlier posts were numerous calling Ratdke classless for his late hit. A key 15 yard penalty. A terrible call but not on Ratdke.  When that was pointed out, no apology for what was said, just Ratdke is a bad guy now for other reasons.  The offside call on the field goal is just one example in a string of bad calls.  No one was off sides.  When an off sides occurs, the flag is thrown on the snap.  Tape will show that the flag was thrown only after the kick was blocked and NCC players were hugging and jumping around celebrating.  It so so obvious that only those who wish to win at all cost and have no sense of fair play would try to defend it.  As for those who try to make a case that the game was lost because of the QB missing a snap, hey, that was done by the players. That line of thought can be applied to every game that was ever played. If this didn't happen then we would have won, or if our defense didn't give up any points we wouldn't have lost 50 to nothing.  What happens on the field should determine the outcome of a game. Having the game decided by biased refs is not acceptable.  This other whining
drone of just take it and move on is another curious point.  When you have nothing to fall back on, turn the tables and blame those who oppose you of not being able to "get over it".  I for one will never accept injustice. Keeping quiet when a wrong is done is not a indication of "class".  It is only a show of weakness.  You stand up for what you know is right.  Bottom line is that Augie did not win that game. They did not put up more points than NCC. They were given unearned points and the game was not decided by the players but by the flags of biased refs.  These kids were "cheated" out of the victory.  And not by just one call but many calls and "non calls". The evidence is clear and indisputable for anyone who cares about fair play and not blinded by the win at all cost mentality. 

I have held my comments because what I saw on saturday was the worst example of refs slanting the game towards one team that I have ever seen.  I have watched hundreds of games and this one was by far the most unacceptable.  I walked away from the NCC/Augie game thinking something must be done. This cannot stand. I want to make it clear that I in no way blame the players because they just come to play.  Every call in that game was to benifit Augie. All refs were from Rock Island or thereabouts. Yet I am still in a quandry to explain why they were so unfair to NCC. One would think that regardless of where you live you can still be fair in how you referee a football game.  Not so on saturday, the officials played a larger part in determining the game than the players themselves.  I wont even get into the particulars of the game because the proof is there. It is on tape and will be shown.
This issue is not over.  I know that the "classy" Augie fans will jump to respond to this post(by the way, a large contingent of augie fans that were at the scoreboard end of the field were chanting "overrated" after the "extra" field goal attempt) because they may really believe they have more class than the rest of us (can't explain why) but the fact remains that you had home field advantage, home ref advantage(this is so sad but true) and the weather. And if you don't think the bad weather favored your type of play, well then you better cut down on your doobie consumption.  Anyway the evidence is there, You have not heard the last of this and that is all I can say. Again I know you may not like it but please do yourself a favor and don't tear into the topic until this travesty plays itself out. Flat out, the game was stolen.

You know, this is interesting.  You say an 8-2 Augie might get in, but an 8-2 Wheaton, no way. What if Augie beats NCC but loses to Wheaton? Both 8-2, but Wheaton has head to head, then what happens. Conference should no longer come into play since NCC wins conference at 9-1.  Why sould Augie be considered over Wheaton?

Usee, remember that the playoff pool has been expanded, and Wheaton is a respected program.  Yes they lost to IWU but had beaten Carthage and Augie (if my scenario plays out).  I say that given the current weight that the CCIW seems to have, that an 8-2 Wheaton gets consideration over some 9-1 teams.  I do not say this is a given, I only say that a possibility for a Wheaton still exists.

Washedup,  You said if I think NCC is going to blow out Augie I am being foolish.  I agree. I don't think I ever said anything like that.
I will say though that I believe that NCC is the best team in the CCIW but having to play at Augie certainly makes things more difficult. In fact I would give a slight edge to Augie. If the game was in Naperville I would give a big edge to NCC.  They are virtually unbeatable at home.  I continue to be amazed with the duo of Kniss and Spencer.  When points are needed they seem to effortlessly come up with a TD.  I have seen a lot of football at all levels, and they seem to possess some sort of magic.   By the way, both TD's by Milikin were after offensive turnovers (fumble & interception).  Also the starting secondary was in when both TD's occured.  The backups gave up no points.  Lastly, I think that someone said that Wheaton was out of the playoffs.  I don't think that is true.  What if Augie loses to both NCC and Wheaton (a possibility), don't you think that an 8-2 Wheaton might get a spot?   

Question, Augiedogie you say that if Augustana beats NCC then the Wheaton game doesn't matter. Is that true?  A 8-2 augie would win the conference over a 9-1 NCC?  I thought the first tie breaker is wins and losses, the second is head to head competition. I could very well be wrong, but that was my understanding.  Usee, you say that augies defeat of Carthage & Millikin was more impressive than NCC defeating Wheaton & Carthage. How so?  Augie put up 7 points against Carthage and beat a very suspect Milikin.  While NCC tacked up big numbers against both Wheaton & Carthage.  You may call them "barnburners" but that is NCC's game, they score quickly and often.  Prediction, NCC by 21 today   

I recall that early in the season, when NCC was starting to be touted as a quality team, posters said that when they beat someone then they will be given their proper accolades.  Well they beat Wheaton, Carthage, and everyone else they faced and yet the tone has not changed. As they have moved up the rankings all I have heard is why they don't deserve the rank. Also it has been posted that Augustana is "clearly" in the drivers seat when it comes to winning the conference.  Now I agree that an Augustana, NCC, finish to the conference is a very viable scenario.  To say that Augustana is "cleary" the favorite is ridiculous.  One loss takes them out of the picture.  They have a very difficult road ahead. They still have not only to beat NCC at home but Wheaton on the road.  So given these facts, the only team who clearly has the upper hand is NCC.  Because a school has dominated in the past has nothing to do with what is going on now.     

I've noticed a lot of the posts on this board insinuate that NCC'S defense has suffered because of injuries to the secondary.  I have
seen every game that they have played and can tell you that they are deeper in the secondary than anywhere else on the team.  If you look at the defensive stats prior to the injuries and after, you will find little difference. If fact the secondary has what might be the most impressive defensive stat in the conference, interceptions (20).  Teams have had less success throwing the ball in terms of yards per completion than they had prior to the loss of secondary starters.  It is my opinion that the defense is most vulnerable against the run up the middle.  I think the stats will bear this out.