Let's be careful here that there are two CAlum's (CardinalAlum and CardAlum). 

However, like I said last week I think there is a clear difference the depth of the two teams that played last night.  Scottie Williams is clearly a GREAT back, but Elmhurst is just not ready to compete for 60 minutes with NCC.  NCC just has too much speed on both sides of the ball and it players like Scottie in check unless they are on a team like MU or UWW.

Quote from: CardinalAlum on September 17, 2012, 08:51:31 AM

Quote from: CardAlum on September 16, 2012, 11:02:37 PM
If anyone has payed attention to the NCC EC games for the past three years....they haven't even been close. I think EC has come a long way, but they do not have the same kind of athletes that NCC, IWU or wheaton have. 

Maybe I'll eat my words..but the odds of EC making the playoffs are not that great.  They would have to go 9-1 and beating two out of three of those teams just is a tall order...

Completely disagree!  They DO have the same kind of athletes.  Scottie Williams could be the best player in the conference.   Lester has done a great job of recruiting the same types of kids that NCC has now and is a great coach.  I think Elmhurst has as good a shot as they have had in many years.

First off, sorry for stealing your username CardinalAlum.  I didn't follow the boards much before...

I would agree that Scottie is as good a back as anyone in the conference; I may have been a little forward in my post.    However,  EC does not have this type of talent across the board.  The trouble teams get into with NCC is the speed and physicality they have with all 11 on the field.  I think a great example is their running backs... they have 3 that can be starters and i think this is consistent across most of their positions.  My point wasn't that I don't respect EC...I just think they are in the stage NCC was 6-7 years ago.  I'm not saying its not going to happen, but I just don't know that they are there yet to do it for 7 games in the CCIW.

If anyone has payed attention to the NCC EC games for the past three years....they haven't even been close. I think EC has come a long way, but they do not have the same kind of athletes that NCC, IWU or wheaton have. 

Maybe I'll eat my words..but the odds of EC making the playoffs are not that great.  They would have to go 9-1 and beating two out of three of those teams just is a tall order...

Quote from: 79jaybird on September 05, 2012, 05:27:49 PM
I think it is too early to really tell for sure, where a defense/offense etc. is at.    Using Elmhurst as an example, there have been 3-0 non conference records, with big stats and big play guys, only to wind up 3-4 in conference play, watching the playoffs from the stands. 

I'm going to have to agree on this one.  Pretty much every year Carthage does well in non-conference play and then has mixed results in the CCIW.  And how many times have we seen NCC drop a game during this time only to bounce back into the top 10.  I don't think these first three games give a clear depiction of what is to come.  The CCIW teams each know each other and know how to adapt...you just don't get that with the one-off games that occur in the first three games, especially the first game. 

I'm no expert but the reason the great teams are great is because their coaches have them prepared.  Game  1 is especially difficult because there is new personnel and tendencies are meaningless.  Just my opinion...