FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[Little Giant 89]

With the exception of injuries on offense it has gone about as well as we could have hoped through seven games. The defense is the disruptive force that we all appreciate and expect in C-ville.  Campbell has had several games to take control of the offense.  Now we come to the business end of the Little Giant schedule.

If we can continue to perform like this against Denison and Witt, the Monon Bell game will be one for the ages.

[DePauwalum05]

Strong 44-10 outcome for DePauw over Witt. McCahill with four first half TDs. D held Witt to 15 yards rushing. Next up Kenyon & Hiram and then Monon Bell.

I know 'bash will not want to look past Denison & Witt, but I expect the Bell game will feature two undefeated league teams and all the makings of another classic.

While Sigma and others named DPU a "heavy favorite" in the NCAC, my sense is both DPU and 'bash have exceeded expectations thus far. The scarlet defense is vastly stronger with Coach Gilbert, and the offense is efficient after graduating #2.

Fasten your seat belts. Two well-matched teams should be riding high once again with the Bell, league championship, and playoff birth in the balance. Going to be a big one.

[CollegeGolf18]

I still think that the offense of Wabash isn't explosive enough to hang.

[sigma one]

Weeks ago I picked DePauw as the strong favorite to win the conference.  That view has not changed.  When Wabash lost their starting QB, well, I thought there goes the season.  The new QB has been steady; Morel has not given him much to do, and then only throws that are safe.  The next two weeks with Den and Wit will go a long way toward seeing whether Wabash has a legitimate shot at the new Tigers.  The LGs only loss is to UW Platteville--that keeps proving they are a real threat to win the WIAC.
     Nobody yet has been able to play with DPU.  They have Oberlin and Hiram before the Bell game, while Wabash will be competing against the other top tier teams in the NCAC.  The LGs have to win at home v. Den and on the road at Wit;  no easy task. 
    I would guess DePauw will be at least a 3TD favorite whatever Wabash does the next two weeks.
That's a lot for the Bell game when in the past  both teams have sprung monumental upsets. But this year DPU is the best I can remember seeing.   

[wabashcpa]

Congrats to DePauw for cracking the Top 10.  If we win the next couple games and eke out a Bell victory, could be a two bid league?

[wally_wabash]

Congrats to DePauw for cracking the Top 10.  If we win the next couple games and eke out a Bell victory, could be a two bid league?

9-1 DPU definitely gets in.  I don't have a super awesome grasp of how NPI works at the moment, but what I do understand is that 9-1 is almost certainly going to get in, and DePauw is all but in the clear.  In fact, as I look through conference standings, there may not be a ton of 1-loss runners up out there and the pile of 8-2 teams scrambling to get in is going to be pretty intense. 

[Little Giant 89]

Congrats to DePauw for cracking the Top 10.  If we win the next couple games and eke out a Bell victory, could be a two bid league?

9-1 DPU definitely gets in.  I don't have a super awesome grasp of how NPI works at the moment, but what I do understand is that 9-1 is almost certainly going to get in, and DePauw is all but in the clear.  In fact, as I look through conference standings, there may not be a ton of 1-loss runners up out there and the pile of 8-2 teams scrambling to get in is going to be pretty intense. 

Well, it will be a shame then when they miss the playoffs.   

[wally_wabash]

Congrats to DePauw for cracking the Top 10.  If we win the next couple games and eke out a Bell victory, could be a two bid league?

9-1 DPU definitely gets in.  I don't have a super awesome grasp of how NPI works at the moment, but what I do understand is that 9-1 is almost certainly going to get in, and DePauw is all but in the clear.  In fact, as I look through conference standings, there may not be a ton of 1-loss runners up out there and the pile of 8-2 teams scrambling to get in is going to be pretty intense. 

Well, it will be a shame then when they miss the playoffs.   

I mean they're gonna have to lose two of their last three which might be one covered bridge too far.     

[TigerKing]

DPU must plan on adding extra seating for the Bell Game.  I had to buy a Wabash ticket the day they went on sale, and I just got an email yesterday asking if I'd like to exchange it for one on the good guys' side.  Haven't heard anything about the Wabash side, but hoping they'll win out and bring a good crowd!

[Pat Coleman]

I would love to see the Bell game be on our list of most highly attended games in D-III history again.
https://d3football.com/notables/top-single-game-attendance

[WLG Old Historian]

I would love to see the Bell game be on our list of most highly attended games in D-III history again.
https://d3football.com/notables/top-single-game-attendance

I am quite certain that it would take a mutual agreement to stage the game at a neutral site. During the late 70's and early 80's there was a proposal by Indianapolis authorities to host the game at the Hoosier Dome but the Wabash head coach at that time said that would be OK for him if DePauw wanted to move their year to host to Indianapolis, but he would never move the Monon Bell game when it is to be played at Little Giant Stadium.

These days both schools put limits on attendance due to ever increasing cost of security (among other issues) as well as the necessity of increased security to control the behavior of the crowd at the game.

[smedindy]

There are a lot of many D3 schools with higher enrollment, and no real athletics presence nationally. Examples are Hunter and John Jay.

[Pat Coleman]

I would love to see the Bell game be on our list of most highly attended games in D-III history again.
https://d3football.com/notables/top-single-game-attendance

I am quite certain that it would take a mutual agreement to stage the game at a neutral site.

I didn't say that. It's a shame if neither school thinks it can host even 11,000 people when St. John's and UW-Whitewater do it multiple times a year.

[Little Giant 89]

DPU must plan on adding extra seating for the Bell Game.  I had to buy a Wabash ticket the day they went on sale, and I just got an email yesterday asking if I'd like to exchange it for one on the good guys' side.  Haven't heard anything about the Wabash side, but hoping they'll win out and bring a good crowd!

Wabash tickets are sold out.

[Whitecarrera]

Let's keep a little perspective about where those fans might come from.  When you consider that Whitewater's current enrollment is larger than Wabash's entire living alumni base, then packing Hollett and Blackstock is probably about right.

The Hoosier Dome would've been cool when it was brand new, but I can't even think of a suitable place to play a game like that today.  A half empty Lucas Oil is about as exciting as Cheez Whiz nachos and $15 beers -- Have you been to the Indiana HS championships in the last 20 years?