FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[smedindy]

I think the ranking is fine and just and accurate. Maybe a bit high due to some surprising losses by Trinity, Eau Claire, Baldwin Wallace and Wartburg.

Witt would love nothing more than to force Wabash to sweat for a Pool C bid that probably won't happen thanks to the ineptness of the rest of the conference vis-a-vis non-conference and region play.

[bashbrother]

Winning will always take care of everything.

This is a big week for CC and the staff.  Important game plan to build. 

Anything could happen in a crazy year like this, but like you said, a Pool C bid from the NCAC is long shot.

[nike]

After watching OWU-Wooster game Saturday, I am now convinced that good talent can mask mediocre coaching. As happy as I am that the Scots won, neither team appeared very prepared. Untimely penalties, dropped balls,  poor receiving routes, poor tackling and offensive series that were so predictable.......on and on and on.  Just my personal thoughts.  Each team had a number of opportunities to score and win this game handily.
Predictable...OWU throws to Zach and that's it. Wooster always throws on the run.  The best player on the field was Wooster's punter, the man with the gold shoe. Had a 63 yard punt(with a nice roll).
Nicest play-Sheppard's 34 yard td run.
On paper, got to go with Witt, but heard a Wooster backer who has spent time on Wabash campus say the Wabash men are "well mannered gentlemen, but animals on the field."  
Looks like CP is a nice compliment to Sobecki.

[jscwittfan]

Ranked #14. Preseason favorite to win the NCAC. Wabash has a big ol' target on our back. Nobody can take Witt likely this week. I hope we're ready. I hope the students can forget about fall break and stick around to pack the stadium on Saturday.

Is it just me, or has the NCAC committed 2 serious scheduling errors in the past two years?  When Wabash was at Witt last year, it was Witt's fall break.  Now, when the game is at Wabash, Wabash is on fall break as well!  I would think you would want crowds in attendance for what in all likelihood is the conference's biggest game of the year - is looking at each school's academic calendar really all that difficult??

Does anyone have any deeper insight into scheduling practices as to how this keeps happening?

[Pat Coleman]

You guys have a fall break?

[aueagle]

It's Monday & old tiger is implementing some psychological warfare...gotta love it!
Pat C - Fall Break, good point. It's Columbus Day but I gotta work.....
nike - Looked like Papp was filled up (3100) for the game....how big was the OWU crowd.....the COW "stream man" did a pan of the crowd then tried to zoom in on the Wooster cheerleaders...it was a solid effort....

[ski]

A WOO WIN!
Woo finally found a way to put a 1 in their win column. Saturday saw two evenly matched teams fight it out. At times it was a fun game to watch and at other times it would put you to sleep. It was good to see so many players from the past there to cheer on their Scots. I was a little troubled at the march to the field by the Scots, as it didn't have the same WOW factor as in the past. The Pipers were hard to here and the overall timing of it was off, but OWU still waited in the wings till it was over. The band, overall, seemed to lack some of the energy that they always displayed in the past.
I am still concerned about the play of the wideouts, it would be nice to see the Scots be able to use them to stretch the field a little bit.   

[wally_wabash]

Ranked #14. Preseason favorite to win the NCAC. Wabash has a big ol' target on our back. Nobody can take Witt likely this week. I hope we're ready. I hope the students can forget about fall break and stick around to pack the stadium on Saturday.

Is it just me, or has the NCAC committed 2 serious scheduling errors in the past two years?  When Wabash was at Witt last year, it was Witt's fall break.  Now, when the game is at Wabash, Wabash is on fall break as well!  I would think you would want crowds in attendance for what in all likelihood is the conference's biggest game of the year - is looking at each school's academic calendar really all that difficult??

I chirpred quite a bit about this at this time last year...I'm in total agreement with you here.  I think that the conference office needs to do a more thorough job with regard to scheduling around midsemester breaks.  Looking at the academic calendars from last year, I think I found that it would be tough to make sure everybody is playing away from home during the weekend of the fall break (most schools in the conference are having their break this weekend).  However, with the UAA agreement coming on, we could definitely share that burden with them (remember...the UAA teams need these games more than the NCAC teams do) and if a team is going to have to play on fall break, there's no reason why one of our marquee games (of which we don't have many this year) needs to be scheduled during this time.  I can't imagine that it would take the conference office much time (I mean, they only set these things up 17 years in advance...they aren't exactly under a huge time crunch here) at all to make sure these things were avoided. 

[ScotLass]

A WOO WIN!
Woo finally found a way to put a 1 in their win column. Saturday saw two evenly matched teams fight it out. At times it was a fun game to watch and at other times it would put you to sleep. It was good to see so many players from the past there to cheer on their Scots. I was a little troubled at the march to the field by the Scots, as it didn't have the same WOW factor as in the past. The Pipers were hard to here and the overall timing of it was off, but OWU still waited in the wings till it was over. The band, overall, seemed to lack some of the energy that they always displayed in the past.
I am still concerned about the play of the wideouts, it would be nice to see the Scots be able to use them to stretch the field a little bit.   

I don't know ski....I thought the pipers became hard to hear when the 3000+ fans started cheering and clapping (some with their timing off). I sat next to the band and thought they displayed a lot of energy considering their uniforms in the oppressive heat. I was impressed no one suffered from heat stroke! 

[smedindy]

You guys have a fall break?

Yep - just a couple of days at mid-semester, but most everyone skedaddles.

[Pat Coleman]

Ranked #14. Preseason favorite to win the NCAC. Wabash has a big ol' target on our back. Nobody can take Witt likely this week. I hope we're ready. I hope the students can forget about fall break and stick around to pack the stadium on Saturday.

Is it just me, or has the NCAC committed 2 serious scheduling errors in the past two years?  When Wabash was at Witt last year, it was Witt's fall break.  Now, when the game is at Wabash, Wabash is on fall break as well!  I would think you would want crowds in attendance for what in all likelihood is the conference's biggest game of the year - is looking at each school's academic calendar really all that difficult??

I chirpred quite a bit about this at this time last year...I'm in total agreement with you here.  I think that the conference office needs to do a more thorough job with regard to scheduling around midsemester breaks.  Looking at the academic calendars from last year, I think I found that it would be tough to make sure everybody is playing away from home during the weekend of the fall break (most schools in the conference are having their break this weekend).  However, with the UAA agreement coming on, we could definitely share that burden with them (remember...the UAA teams need these games more than the NCAC teams do) and if a team is going to have to play on fall break, there's no reason why one of our marquee games (of which we don't have many this year) needs to be scheduled during this time.  I can't imagine that it would take the conference office much time (I mean, they only set these things up 17 years in advance...they aren't exactly under a huge time crunch here) at all to make sure these things were avoided. 

If you play your UAA games in October you back another conference game into the first couple weeks of the season, and that's usually considered something to avoid.

[wally_wabash]

Ranked #14. Preseason favorite to win the NCAC. Wabash has a big ol' target on our back. Nobody can take Witt likely this week. I hope we're ready. I hope the students can forget about fall break and stick around to pack the stadium on Saturday.

Is it just me, or has the NCAC committed 2 serious scheduling errors in the past two years?  When Wabash was at Witt last year, it was Witt's fall break.  Now, when the game is at Wabash, Wabash is on fall break as well!  I would think you would want crowds in attendance for what in all likelihood is the conference's biggest game of the year - is looking at each school's academic calendar really all that difficult??

I chirpred quite a bit about this at this time last year...I'm in total agreement with you here.  I think that the conference office needs to do a more thorough job with regard to scheduling around midsemester breaks.  Looking at the academic calendars from last year, I think I found that it would be tough to make sure everybody is playing away from home during the weekend of the fall break (most schools in the conference are having their break this weekend).  However, with the UAA agreement coming on, we could definitely share that burden with them (remember...the UAA teams need these games more than the NCAC teams do) and if a team is going to have to play on fall break, there's no reason why one of our marquee games (of which we don't have many this year) needs to be scheduled during this time.  I can't imagine that it would take the conference office much time (I mean, they only set these things up 17 years in advance...they aren't exactly under a huge time crunch here) at all to make sure these things were avoided. 

If you play your UAA games in October you back another conference game into the first couple weeks of the season, and that's usually considered something to avoid.

The NCAC/UAA games are in fact being scheduled well into October.  There are four such UAA vs. NCAC games in week 8 next year, so the first NCAC games are being moved forward in the schedule somewhat.  In fact, most of the NCAC vs. UAA games are scheduled for October (12 in October, just 7 in September).

[Pat Coleman]

That seems unfortunate.

[wally_wabash]

Unfortunate, but not unexpected.  Everybody can find games in September.  The UAA needs help finding games in October when the rest of the football world is playing their conference games.  It's really a pretty big favor that the NCAC is doing for the UAA which is why I don't think it would have been unreasonable to ask the UAA schools to play host to NCAC teams when the NCAC schools are on break...seems like a pretty fair trade to me. 

[nike]

aueagle,
Looked like maybe 100 or so OWU people in red and quite a few more in the OWU section, which is right next to Wooster seats.  Could have been Wooster people in OWU seats too, because of Homecoming.
Personally think there many more than 3100. A lot of people were just walking in and may not have been counted.  We were sitting in front of the band and as I stolled the length of the stands looked like they were really full.
Saw a lot of players from Sheppard's high school, players from several Cleveland schools and Columbus schools. A couple players looked like D1 prospects, again I say looked liked.
Still amazing how mistakes and lack of execution were so evident.  I know this is after the fact, but very few quick drops by quarterbacks, plays took forever to develop, only one real receiver looked at on pass plays, etc.  Witt and Wabash look like polished teams when they run their plays. Plus, the delay of game penalties both Wooster and OWU had.  And this is at all levels of football, but defensive players, esp. linebackers and dbs use the helmet to spear. A lot of helmet to helmet contact. I see it high school, college and certainly the pros. And rarely called for penalties.  Unbelievable there are not more head and spine injuries.
Wooster won, however and great fun. Usually the bagpipes lead the team farther down the hill at begining of game I think.  And yes those band uniforms are hot!