Pat,

What is your take on the two MIAA teams you saw this weekend?

Quote from: D O.C. on November 18, 2017, 12:16:44 PM
So I wake up early    to watch a 9:00 am feed and I pick Trine.
It looks like gd Oregon out there.
No crowd. No teams. No fun.
Poor teams, at least I have the choice to go back to bed.

Looks like you will get to see how "poor" of a team Trine is next week.

I understand your logic, and appreciate the clarification.  I'm not trying to debate that Trine is anywhere close to being on the same level of those schools.  IMHO, those schools would be considered the elite programs in the country.  To me, any team that can go 9-0 to this point is considered a strong team, no matter what their past is.  Are they elite? No, not even close. Are they a good, strong team? If you are in the top 25, I'd say yes.

I'm told to look at the past and the history of the program. Is that not what I am doing?

I was referencing the past, as it was brought up in topic a few weeks ago. Although they are not comparable to the elite teams in the country, which very few are, Trine was the last MIAA team to win a game in the playoffs.  And even though it isn't great, doesn't a 2-3 record in the playoffs show they can win there?  To me, having the ability to win a game in the playoffs shows you are a "strong" team, no matter what conference you are in. 

Quote from: USee on November 09, 2017, 12:35:56 AM

Quote from: Diezel1 on November 08, 2017, 10:35:15 PM
Why wouldn't Trine be considered a strong team at this point?

Why would they be? There are indications that Trine is a stronger than usual MIAA rep. They handled their schedule with relative ease, but they haven't played a schedule like Whitewater, Platteville, St Johns or even Frostburg. All those teams have played well against top ranked opponents so it's easier to have a feel for their positioning. Rightly or wrongly Trine is strapped with the poor playoff record of previous MIAA champs. It wouldn't surprise me if Trine ends up making a playoff run and ranked in the top 10 this year. It also wouldn't surprise me if they lost in round 1 to a Franklin, Wartburg or Wittenberg either. I hope they beat some people and make them take notice but no one is going to assume that's the case

Would it not be more practical to judge them on their performance in the playoffs than the league in general?

Why wouldn't Trine be considered a strong team at this point?

I apologize if I made it sound like I thought they were THE most dangerous. 

I have seen a few, yes. 

I'm not disagreeing with you.  But what I am saying is all it takes is for the WR to get behind a defender once or twice and the RB to break a long run, which they are both capable of doing, and they can be in any game. Which is exactly what happened against Trine. Those two guys are two of the most dangerous in this region, hands down. 

Would Adrian be 29th in total offense, against CCIW competition, probably not.  But, that doesn't mean their offense wouldn't be capable of making plays against tougher competition in those conferences. 

Quote from: HOPEful on October 30, 2017, 11:48:59 AM
Trine's 55-34 win at Adrian was too close for me... (The game was tie 27-27 going into the 4th) I dropped them to be more in line with everyone else. Hope beat Adrian 22-3. An elite team doesn't allow Adrian to put up 34 points and I'm worried what happens to Trine in the playoffs when they play a team with a much better defense than any they've seen so far this season.

Adrian is 29th in the country in total yardage a game offensively, they are very explosive. The circumstances from the Hope game are not indicative to the talent Adrian has on the offensive side of the ball.

Boya,

Man I would hate to be THAT guy! But back to football...Was anyone else surprised to see Trine in the top 25 with the guys that they lost from last year? We all talk about the MIAA not getting respect but is this a sign that the people that vote actually think Trine has a program that can compete with the top schools in the country?

Go win that softball championship Boya

TUAngola,

I know Watt did receive interest from some teams and his weight was a concern for them but from what I heard was the teams did like his skills. Unfortunately, the lockout has affected him and many other players in similar situations.

Emma,

Are you referring to Paul Curtis the WR?