So, how are the Gustavus playoff prospects looking after failing to make the MIAC championship?

Quote from: Robert Zimmerman on February 19, 2025, 10:18:47 AMWell, maybe the new CSS football coach can at least improve the video feed.

That seems like a more realistic goal!   

Quote from: SagatagSam on February 18, 2025, 12:03:48 PM

Quote from: DuffMan on February 17, 2025, 09:59:50 PMMike Heffernen stepped down as CSS's head coach to return to his alma mater.

Heffernen steps down

Hopefully they can get someone in there to take the program to the next level.
I like winning games, but we need to get the MIAC more competitive top to bottom. Watching SJU throttle CSS every year by 60+ isn't good for anyone. CSS raising their game helps the whole conference.

For sure that's the truth...but the extreme top-heaviness of the MIAC football has been in place for 20+ years at this point...will it ever really change?  I don't think CSS is any sort of key to that.

Save for their minor decline year or two, SJU has always been there, plus one team who can challenge them, mostly Bethel, but once in awhile another team has one good year....then the rest of the conference games are basically a waste of time with extremely lopsided scores.  It's kind of a bummer, honestly, only having a game or two during the regular season that you really look forward to watching....and then it's not like the rest are "just OK"...they're extreme yawners. 

It is hard to see that every really changing, barring some sort of real talent shift to the rest of the MIAC.

Quiet winter in here....

Looking forward to seeing how SJU stacks up nationally when the tournament comes around.  Their Gustavus game could be interesting, but overall, the MIAC has been a snoozer for them, outside of a scare against the Cobbers.

Quote from: DuffMan on February 10, 2025, 09:36:32 AMThe vibe at the gathering I was at was, "Who the hell is Kendrick Lamar?" 

Asked the kids on the way home, and they of course, are familiar with him and enjoyed the show.

First time that I have not been familiar with a single song of the halftime performer.  My 15 year old nephew knew all the songs, however.  Lamar himself isn't super young, but apparently he's for the kids.

A good chunk into the year now, and it seems like there is a sizable gap between SJU/Gustavus and the rest of the conference.

BU is better than I thought they'd be, but not on the same level as the top two, as was demonstrated when they recently played both.

Quote from: faunch on January 13, 2025, 09:43:08 PM

Quote from: GoldandBlueBU on January 13, 2025, 05:27:13 PM

Quote from: art76 on January 12, 2025, 11:24:38 PMGo Vikes?

Monkey Stomp @half

low expectations = low disappointment. 

Quote from: OzJohnnie on January 13, 2025, 11:14:40 PMNow I'm very even keeled on the Vikings.  They do well?  They do poorly?  It matters not. 

That's where I've arrived too.  I last got emotionally attached to them in the 2017 season where they got hammered by Philly in the NFC conference championship.  Since then - I still watch them, and would prefer success - but it doesn't bother me when they lose.

Not sure if it's age, or busy in life with kids, but I don't mind skipping the angst.

Quote from: art76 on January 12, 2025, 11:24:38 PMGo Vikes?

Quote from: sjujohnnie on January 06, 2025, 11:09:32 AMLooking ahead to the fall, how does anyone see St John's looking? Looks like we have two open dates yet to be filled with non-conference opponents. Obviously the toughest test of the conference slate will be traveling to Arden Hills to face Bethel in the third conference tilt of the season. How different will our squad (& theirs) look? We have a transfer QB from USD that will competing to fill some big shoes. Can we build on this season or do we take a step back?

Bethel loses a lot to graduation...most of the offensive production (Kidder, Niewald, Ellingson).  Obviously they have Drews - so hopefully there are some younger receivers who were anxiously waiting for the older guys graduate.

Defense loses a lot too - obviously Jung, Nate Farm, but also Dewall, and Reese Pantilla on the d-line.  Lots of holes to fill!

Quote from: Pat Coleman on January 05, 2025, 02:16:32 AM

Quote from: faunch on January 04, 2025, 01:10:37 PM

Quote from: retagent on January 04, 2025, 09:41:26 AMStagg Bowl up against Vikings/Lions game.

Game should have actually been scheduled for Dec. 30, Jan. 2nd or 3rd. Feel free to try and convince me otherwise.

Sure -- on Dec. 30 (or anytime between Christmas and New Year's) the committee found that its hosts would not be able to staff the games because of the number of volunteers required to actually put this game on. To have the game on Jan. 2, they would have had to travel teams here on Dec. 30 and have them here over the holidays, and the same with Jan. 3. In fact, if Jan. 3 fell on a Saturday, they would instead host the game the following weekend because the committee does not want to travel teams over the New Year's holiday.

Well, but other than that? 

 

Quote from: hazzben on December 20, 2024, 11:32:39 AMJung is officially committed to Wisconsin. He also had visits lined up at Minnesota and Northwestern (older Bro's former coach at NDSU is at the latter). Hope he balls out and makes the leap. Twitter comments showing the ignorance of quality D3 talent that is out there.

On another note, ref in Sus game apologized to the Bethel AD after seeing the replay of the final play. FWIW

Safe money in these semifinal games feels like NCC vs. Mount. JHU D could make it interesting. I don't think Sus has enough on D to hang with NCC. And if you get after their QB, his accuracy takes a nose dive. Hoping we get some competitive games.

I kind of hope Susq gets waxed.  Not because I hold any ill will toward them - on the contrary, watching their offense repeatedly face third and long and sometimes 4th down situations without blinking against both SJU and BU really impressed me - but just because it will take the sting of the BU loss out a bit.  If Susq can win or even be highly competitive, it'll just make me more bitter that BU didn't get the chance.

Quote from: Redtooth on December 19, 2024, 07:08:50 PMCongratulations to Matt Jung on his rapid ascension during the recruiting process......started the week with a handful of offers from directional schools, followed by the Montana Grizzlies, Washington State, Iowa State and his home state school; the University of Wisconsin......he committed late this afternoon to join the Badgers.  I am going out on a limb that he will play on Sundays in a few years.  He is/was a generational talent at Bethel and in the MIAC!

Congratulations to the finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy as well!

Congrats to him indeed!  As a fan of the team losing him, it makes it a little easier to swallow to see him go to a legit D1 school.  Would've  been a bit more painful if he had only ended up D2 or something.

I think you're right - he's probably got his sites set on the NFL, and doing so out of D3 would be much more difficult.  Obviously a few have done it, but the path is a lot harder, I think.

Quote from: Ice Bear on December 17, 2024, 06:03:20 PM

Quote from: sfury on December 17, 2024, 02:59:25 PMJung enters the portal. Figure big bucks are coming his way at a bigger school.

****!!!!!!!

Good for him, but man this stinks. I continue to absolutely detest the portal...detest it.

Hate to see him go - happy for him though.  If I were in his shoes, it would be difficult to not want to play as high as I could.

I dislike the impact of NIL more than I dislike the portal - I realize they're linked.  I don't mind the portal in that I think it's not reasonable to hold a kid to a decision that they made at 17 or 18 (heck maybe 16), when circumstances can change a lot by the time they're 20 - I like that there is some mobility for players - since there is plenty of mobility for coaches.

Dang.  Guess that's to be expected with a guy who is clearly as out of place in D3 as him.  I see he has a couple of smaller D1 offers already, according to his twitter.

Hamline's results have surprised me as well.

It seems pretty clear that SJU is the class of the conference - we'll see if any other teams can pose a real threat to them.

Hopefully, if they emerge, they have enough horsepower to make some noise nationally.