University Athletic Association

[D3 Poster]

Lots of new teams on the schedule this year.   I liked the changes...certainly an upgrade in opponents and will help gauge several different leagues.

[BDTartan]

When I first saw the schedule I was confused a bit because I thought maybe CMU would go out and find at least one team that made the playoffs last year.  I know that may be easier said than done, but then I realized that Rochester and Hobart made it to post-season bowls and had good records.

[Pat Coleman]

Hobart is an NCAA playoff team, BD. So is Washington and Lee.

The changes are significant. Dropping Hiram, Franklin and Marshall, Colorado College and Westminster are positives right now. I'd have liked to have kept Thiel, but the other improvements balance that.

CMU added Rochester (good), Allegheny (good), Randolph-Macon (ehh, just like F&M) and Washington and Lee (average). It's a much more respectable schedule.

[DagarmanSpartan]

We smoked W&L to end last season, despite the fact that they made the playoffs, so I suspect that CMU will trounce 'em.

[BDTartan]

Thank you for correcting me and adding some extra info Pat.

As I said before MajorSpartan, I'm not counting any chickens before they hatch.

[ADL70]

BTD  Just jerking your chain a bit about your brother.  Someone on here has a Paul Brown quote the the effect:  When you lose, say little; when you win, say even less.  Any way, hope he has a great season.

Maj  Not to diminish the Spartan's effort against W&L, especially the defense which rebounded from the Grove City debacle, but W&L could have been looking ahead to their playoff game.  As I recall though they had their starters in the whole time.

Pat  The Thiel game probably was a result of the PAC expansion, the Allegheny game, a result of the NCAC-UAA agreement.  UR is on the CWRU sched next year in week two, anyone know if they are still on CMU's as well?  Would be great if UR  renewed a series with both former UAA rivals.  Or at least a biennial rotation with them.  BTW I just stumbled across a post of mine from right after last year's Kickoff came out in which I said you had overrated CMU.  In fact you had underestimated them.  My apologies to both you and the Tartans. 

Camp has opened with 94 Spartans.  The count is 46 frosh, 2 transfers, and 46 veterans.  I count six duplicate numbers, but curiously neither 23 nor 32 are taken.

[BDTartan]

No worries cwru70, as I said before, I know what he is capable of.  It would be pointless for me to talk about it on here if he doesn't deliver in the end.  I hope he stays healthy and performs, but in the end I'm going to let the cards fall as they may.

Where did CMU pick up Hobart then??  Just a rogue encounter with a school that had an open date?  I don't think there is much history between the two.....

That's a pretty nice size Fr. class for CWRU by the way.

[formerTartan]

I know that CMU's Athletic Director has a connection with Hobart and that might have something to do with the somewhat random pairing.

[ADL70]

Welcome to all the new Tartan posters.  If only we could get some info from WashUStL and UChi.

According to Hobart's site, CMU is scheduled in week 3 thru 2010.  Ohio Wesleyan is on CMU's sched in week one in 2008 and 2009.  UR plays CWRU in week two, so that may be the only game with CMU and UR at least until 2010.  The NCAC-UAA agreement adds Wittenberg to CMU's schedule.  Weeks two and seven are the only CMU open dates for 2008 and 2009.

This is the biggest recruiting class in CWRU history.

[BDTartan]

According to the roster on CMU's website, they have 45 Fr. and 68 vets for a total of 113.

[ADL70]

Are those numbers pretty much par for the course for the Tartans?  Does CMU play any JV games?

CWRU's recruiting classes have risen form 20 in 2004 to 24 in 2005, 37 in 2006, to 46 this year.  Interestingly only 3 players from that class in 2004 remain on this year's roster.  16 from the class of 2005 remain. 

[BDTartan]

I know that for the last three years my brother has been there they've had about 100 on the roster, and yes, they do play JV games.

[formerTartan]

The CMU coaching staff tries to bring in a recruiting class somewhere in the range of 40-50 players every year and their JV schedule usually consists of 3-4 games.  In reality only a few games come to fruition b/c of scheduling conflicts and injuries that seem to arise.

BDTartan, what game or games are you going to make it to this season?

[BDTartan]

I plan on attending all of the home games and the game at Bethany and the game at Chicago.  My work schedule won't allow me the time off needed to travel to Rochester, Hobart, or Randolph-Macon.

[ADL70]

Checking out the Kickoff rankings reinforces my feeling that less than 7-3 will be a disappointment.  Seven opponents are ranked below the Spartans.  And WashUStL is only eight places higher, a virtual dead heat.  Even Wooster is fewer places away from the Spartans than Oberlin, the highest of the opponents rated lower.

BTW, CMU is rated ahead of all its opponents, but Rochester is but 9 spots below and Hobart, 14.

Do CWRU and CMU JVs meet?  Or do the Tartans just go up and down I-79?  CWRU has home and home meetings with BW and JCU, and they play Lake Erie's new club team.