Top 25 rankings

[Josh Bowerman]

Keith--

A couple of things:

1.  HSU and SRSU scheduled the second game only because HSU was left without a 10th game that season after UW-Stout backed out of the travel end of a home and home very late in the summer.

2.  On the Wesley pick at three....I guess my biggest problem with having the Wolves there is the fact that they're breaking in a new QB.  It's the same as the Texas Tech arguement down here--is it the QB or the system?  In Wesley's case, I think Warrick made the system.

Just my humble .02 worth--I can buy them in the top 10-15 without Warrick, but not top 5.

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

My thoughts on Wesley -

Not sure if I remember talking with K-Mack in person or on these forums about this last year, but my feeling is that when Wesley gets down by a couple scores, they lose their focus.

They seem to go into every game thinking they're one of the best in the nation (which they are), and yet when they start losing, they start to doubt themselves.

When they start beating up an opponent, they really beat them up.  Over the last three seasons, they have beaten 24 opponents by more than three touchdowns.  That's Mount Union-esk.  But when they get down by a couple scores, they seem to throw in the towel.  Their last five losses:

2006: 44-7 to UW-Whitewater
2005: 58-6 to UW-Whitewater
2005: 47-0 to Brockport State
2004: 35-18 to Salisbury (Wesley got down 16-0)
2004: 24-10 to Carnegie Mellon (Wesley got down 21-3)

[Jonny Utah]

Good job K-Mack on the rankings.  I only have one comment.

I didnt think that Cortland St. was that good last year, and I dont think they deserve to be in the top 25.  Ill always give credit to Cortland teams when credit is due but Ithaca was a little better team than they were last year and I wasnt impressed with anyone on their team except for the kicker and Sair who I did notice was a pretty good d-back.

Just the fact that RPI beat them would make me put another LL team above them in the top 25.

[PA_wesleyfan]

Matt  makes a good point. If you take into account the start of the second Wesley/ UWW game and even the second Wesley/UMHB game, the fact that both teams had been beaten the year before has to be a let down when things start to snow ball on the first series of plays. In the UMHB/Wesley game the difference was that UMHB got one big play back that fired them up and gave them some hope whereas that never happened for Wesley at UWW. My only other case in point is that Wesley was down to Dickenson by 21 and smoked them after a big play turned the tide.
  Do I think Wesley is number #3, The first month of the season will tell us that.
   

[Pat Coleman]

2.  On the Wesley pick at three....I guess my biggest problem with having the Wolves there is the fact that they're breaking in a new QB.  It's the same as the Texas Tech arguement down here--is it the QB or the system?  In Wesley's case, I think Warrick made the system.

Perhaps, but to play devil's advocate on this point, perhaps Jason Visconti made the system and Warrick followed.

[Sakman 1111]

Don't usually pay much attention to preseason polls but to rank Wesley ahead of Whitewater is simply ludicrous in my opinion. I have watched UWW manhandle Wesley two years in a row.....the Warhawks simply have too much talent left over from last year to ever lose to Wesley this year. If it wasn't for Wesley's fine safety making numerous touchdown saving tackles Whitewater would have been close to 100 points last year....now this year ranked behind them is more than puzzling. If they play again this year, no matter where, Wesley will be outcoached and outplayed again......even if they whine and have the cannon removed........

[Pat Coleman]

Yeah, we know, the cannon grudge.

[Sakman 1111]

Yes, I have to admit my grudges die a slow death......

[tmerton]

And if you guys think I like to stir the pot ... I see that Star-Tribune columnist Pat Reusse has already endorsed St. Olaf as the MIAC favorite ....

When was that? 

[repete]

Back about the time of the baseball draft. It was keyed to a two-sport Ole.

http://www.startribune.com/508/story/1151006.html

[Josh Bowerman]

2.  On the Wesley pick at three....I guess my biggest problem with having the Wolves there is the fact that they're breaking in a new QB.  It's the same as the Texas Tech arguement down here--is it the QB or the system?  In Wesley's case, I think Warrick made the system.

Perhaps, but to play devil's advocate on this point, perhaps Jason Visconti made the system and Warrick followed.

Honest question:  Did Visconti's arrival coincide with Warrick's, or did was Warrick a recruit after Visconti's hiring?

[K-Mack]

Well, here is the USA Today Sports Weekly 2007 College Football Preview's Division III top 25.

Thank you for not "endorsing" Bridgewater.

Our players need a good kick in the rear after last season, and I hope not being ranked by respectable sources (D3football.com, Sports Weekly) will light a fire in them.

Us being ranked No. 17 by Lindy's isn't worth much after seeing Coast Guard (and W&L, for that matter) in the top 25.

I'd advise you to pick up the issue still, if you run across it.

You better believe I will!  I just hope the 7-11 here in Bridgewater has it.  Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million in Harrisonburg didn't carry it last year.

Yeah, I'm starting to wonder who does carry it.

The good news is August for the daily paper I will get to take another crack at it, in an issue people will be able to find!

The one place where I could have listed Bridgewater was under the Movers (self-explanatory) and Shakers (non-playoff teams that could get in this year). They're probably the odds-on favorite in the ODAC, but as I said earlier elsewhere, the problem with ranking an ODAC team is that there's five of them that could possibly be THE team this year, or at least factor into the discussion. Kind of makes it hard to pick a top 25 team. By midseason though, perhaps we'll have some clarity.

[tmerton]

Back about the time of the baseball draft. It was keyed to a two-sport Ole.

http://www.startribune.com/508/story/1151006.html

I suppose the Florida pipeline has to pay off one of these years.  Should be a good game this year.

[K-Mack]

Keith--

A couple of things:

1.  HSU and SRSU scheduled the second game only because HSU was left without a 10th game that season after UW-Stout backed out of the travel end of a home and home very late in the summer.

2.  On the Wesley pick at three....I guess my biggest problem with having the Wolves there is the fact that they're breaking in a new QB.  It's the same as the Texas Tech arguement down here--is it the QB or the system?  In Wesley's case, I think Warrick made the system.

Just my humble .02 worth--I can buy them in the top 10-15 without Warrick, but not top 5.

Yes, I remember Stout's role in that, sorry for not mentioning it. If you recall, we were at the front end of that home-and-home.

As far as Wesley, that's definitely where I give them credit that a lot of other people won't. I think breaking in a new QB can usually be a huge factor, but given that Schutz --- Dern, it's Schatz, but pretty sure I called him Schutz in the issue ... anyway, given that he's a junior who practiced as a QB freshman year and then played in all the big games last year as a wide receiver, I think that will speed the transition, as opposed to someone learning a new offense (Danny Jones at UWW) or someone playing in college games for the first time.

Certainly room to disagree with me there.

[Sakman 1111]

My last comment on preseason polls and Wesley ranked over UWW is that Whitewater will beat Wesley with whatever QB that is playing . For the last two years Wesley along with Lakeland has been one of their easiest games each year and that is from the players not me. To rank them above the Warhawks seems like you have gone a little wild over analyzing and ignored one very important factor-----Whitewater was and still is way better than Wesley.....