FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[MasterJedi]

Bobo- nice job on the stats comparison.  Wara and the Titans have done things to Mt that no other team but UWW has done.

02- I'm with you.  As much as I think Oshkosh is #2 best with EC and Platteville right there, I don't see any of these three escaping with only 1 loss in the WIAC.  It's too bad as I believe all of them would do the WIAC proud in the playoffs.

You would think so. I just remember Point, after getting the automatic bid in 2008, lost their opening round game, at home, against Wartbug. Who UWW went on to beat two rounds later.

That Wartburg team was good though, kept it close until late third quarter, early first and then the wheels came off. I could see either of those three teams if they play well going to the quarterfinals before most likely getting smashed by a good team.

[BoBo]

Bobo- nice job on the stats comparison.  Wara and the Titans have done things to Mt that no other team but UWW has done.

That appears to be true without examining the stats from all of Mounts and Oshkosh's opponents. However, what it shows me is that Wara has had a bit more (slightly) trouble doing his thing vs UWW than he has had vs Mount. So, as I said earlier, nothing would indicate to me that he will have a significantly better day vs UWW later this year, the opinion brought forth by oshfb.  However, your statement above and previous things you have posted indicate you believe that the Titans have played Mount and (I assuming here, correct me if I'm wrong) UWW tougher than anybody else (I don't personally believe this), which is why you hold UW-O in high regard when compared to other schools in the conference and outside the WIAC. Hypothetically speaking, let's just say I also think highly of the Titans for this reason, I still have a problem with them because they seem to have all kinds of problems closing the deal with everybody else on their schedule. Wara puts up a lot of big numbers, but it's like a one man show & they lose games they really should be winning because they can't stop anyone with any consistency. They always seem to finish a game above or below .500 for the season, never above that - but many times below that. I just can't see them going through the conference with just 1 loss and being in a position to pick up an at-large berth in the playoffs. I don't think an 8-2 record will be good enough to get in. Same goes for EC, Platteville or Point.

[Pat Coleman]

I watched the highlights of UWO/UMU over on UMU's website. Wara fumbling and throwing picks all over the field and the defense not being able to stop much. It looked like a UWW game.

It's supposed to.

[Pat Coleman]

I'd suggest that UWW also gets to play Wara later in the season and is more familiar with him. Wara is a matchup problem for some teams, as he definitely was for Stout last night. He was against Mount in 2010 as well, though if you look back at BoBo's numbers, he was less of a threat this year.

[02 Warhawk]

Correction...UWEC destroyed St. John's 47-19 in week 2 at at St. John's. I also see Wara having a significantly better game against UWW than he had against UMU...his week 2 game against UMU was not up to his par of playing. UWSP seems down this year. I've never been a Stout fan (sorry). UWP seems surprising to me as a contender for top 3 this year. I don't know much about UWEC's team this year to venture a guess.

I wish we would get more posters like you oshfb +K (non-UWW folk). I wouldn't mind reading other people's insights around the WIAC, outside of UWW vs. (insert team here) each week.

Seems like we lose one or two non-UWW posters a year. Whatever happen to Oshdude? BlueDevil Bob (Stout) and PointSpecial (UWSP) gives their two cents every once in a long awhile. There are a couple of UWRF posters that appear every now and then. I think bulk is the only EC poster I've ever seen, then again I'm not 100% sure bulk is a UWEC suppoter. Platteville, I think their SID posts once or twice a year. And I haven't seen a La Crosse post in a LONG time.

Looking at the OAC board, they still get a bunch of non-UMU posters that participate. I just hope the abundance of UWW supporters on here aren't scaring away other WIAC posters.

[cubs]

I'm not a statistician, but nothing in these stats support the theory that he will have a significantly better game vs UWW this year. In fact, I suggest just the opposite is more likely.

Just to play devil's advocate here for a second.... 

Why is it that in the pre-season reports one of the questions is how many starters are returning for each team?  My guess would be it is because teams that have experience typically perform better. 

Would it be out of the question to think that the experience Wara has gotten over the past two years will help him this year?  Maybe, maybe not, but if I had to pick I would want a kid with experience over a first-timer any day of the week, and twice on Saturday afternoons.... 

[Raider 68]

Bobo- nice job on the stats comparison.  Wara and the Titans have done things to Mt that no other team but UWW has done.

That appears to be true without examining the stats from all of Mounts and Oshkosh's opponents. However, what it shows me is that Wara has had a bit more (slightly) trouble doing his thing vs UWW than he has had vs Mount. So, as I said earlier, nothing would indicate to me that he will have a significantly better day vs UWW later this year, the opinion brought forth by oshfb.  However, your statement above and previous things you have posted indicate you believe that the Titans have played Mount and (I assuming here, correct me if I'm wrong) UWW tougher than anybody else (I don't personally believe this), which is why you hold UW-O in high regard when compared to other schools in the conference and outside the WIAC. Hypothetically speaking, let's just say I also think highly of the Titans for this reason, I still have a problem with them because they seem to have all kinds of problems closing the deal with everybody else on their schedule. Wara puts up a lot of big numbers, but it's like a one man show & they lose games they really should be winning because they can't stop anyone with any consistency. They always seem to finish a game above or below .500 for the season, never above that - but many times below that. I just can't see them going through the conference with just 1 loss and being in a position to pick up an at-large berth in the playoffs. I don't think an 8-2 record will be good enough to get in. Same goes for EC, Platteville or Point.

It should be noted that UW- Osh played their second game against the Raiders in both 2010 and 2011.  For the Raiders it was their first. It is different when both team have played the same number of games, IMHO!

[emma17]

Bobo- see Cubs post as my reply to your Oshkosh post.
I get the feeling that your opinion Oshkosh stems from many years of watching them- and I understand that.
My opinion of Oshkosh is informed only by last year and this year. As Cubs said, they return significant starting talent from a team that played arguably the toughest regular season schedule in the country last year. The importance of such should not be overlooked.
Lastly, I agree that Oshkosh will probably lose 2 WIAC games, but that's just the nature of the beast.

Oshkosh deserves credit for what they did last night and who they have played to date.  And easy call for a top 25 spot in my opinion.

[emma17]

Raider - I respect your input- really I do. But this isn't about Mt- this is about whether Oshkosh is showing themselves to be a worthy contender.
You saw them play and you know whether they have talent. You've so seen Mt play many 1st games of the year. The fact remains, in Mt's last 2 first games of the year Oshkosh has done more to them than any team besides UWW.

[Blugold 89.7FM]

Predictions for the UWEC-UWRF game?  And do we like the cost saving scheduling decisions of the WIAC....could make for a less exciting non conference season....

[OshDude]

Correction...UWEC destroyed St. John's 47-19 in week 2 at at St. John's. I also see Wara having a significantly better game against UWW than he had against UMU...his week 2 game against UMU was not up to his par of playing. UWSP seems down this year. I've never been a Stout fan (sorry). UWP seems surprising to me as a contender for top 3 this year. I don't know much about UWEC's team this year to venture a guess.

I wish we would get more posters like you oshfb +K (non-UWW folk). I wouldn't mind reading other people's insights around the WIAC, outside of UWW vs. (insert team here) each week.

Seems like we lose one or two non-UWW posters a year. Whatever happen to Oshdude? BlueDevil Bob (Stout) and PointSpecial (UWSP) gives their two cents every once in a long awhile. There are a couple of UWRF posters that appear every now and then. I think bulk is the only EC poster I've ever seen, then again I'm not 100% sure bulk is a UWEC suppoter. Platteville, I think their SID posts once or twice a year. And I haven't seen a La Crosse post in a LONG time.

Looking at the OAC board, they still get a bunch of non-UMU posters that participate. I just hope the abundance of UWW supporters on here aren't scaring away other WIAC posters.

I'm lurking here, but my attention during this time of year is devoted to women's volleyball. I don't have much to add since I'm in the fieldhouses instead of at the stadiums. I've only seen the UWO/Central game this season. My hard-hitting take? "Wara is fun to watch." You're welcome.

I, too, would like to see some new posters from different schools. It's brought up every year. Just an assumption based on nothing but a hunch, but I think this board could be seen as an intimidating one. UWW fans on this board are, among other things, numerous, knowledgeable, vocal and well established. I think more welcoming pleas for diversity would help WIAC parents, students, alumni and fans make that leap. 

It doesn't matter if your team gets crushed by UWW. All of our schools have in the recent past, but that's not what these boards are about. At least they shouldn't be, in my opinion.

There are many things within the framework of a final score to talk about. On top of the scores, big plays, best players, game plans and minutia (and the high percentage of WIAC topics that remain untouched), you guys and gals talk a little about traveling, tailgating, fishing, etc. Surely there are people lurking who have similar interests.

New posters on this board have a good history of seamless integration, so I could see new people dipping their toes in here if they're given invites or points of entry in the conversation. Maybe not, but it's worth several tries.

Now that I've made my yearly appearance on a football board without talking football, I'm off to watch volleyball.

[Raider 68]

Raider - I respect your input- really I do. But this isn't about Mt- this is about whether Oshkosh is showing themselves to be a worthy contender.
You saw them play and you know whether they have talent. You've so seen Mt play many 1st games of the year. The fact remains, in Mt's last 2 first games of the year Oshkosh has done more to them than any team besides UWW.

emma17,

You are correct it is about UW-Osh. They are talented, but I think how they play in the WIAC is most important, not whether they played better against MTU in the Raiders 1st game vs. when they play
UWW later in the year.

[02 Warhawk]

Predictions for the UWEC-UWRF game?  And do we like the cost saving scheduling decisions of the WIAC....could make for a less exciting non conference season....

I like UWEC this year, they should be able to handle UWRF. However, RF has a really good RB this year in Edwards. It should be a good one.

As far as the cost cutting it has it's pros and cons. Besides saving money, at least these non-conference WIAC games will count as "regional" games. Which will help the WIAC's playoff chances as well as SOS. But it sucks that the players/coaches will get to experience less diversity of playing different programs. For fans, it's nice to see how your team matches up against different teams that you wouldn't normally see. With this scheduling, we'll see less of that.

[bleedpurple]

WIAC THURSDAY NIGHT PROJECTION

www.uwwfootball.com

(Sorry, Emma!)

That would be Mr. Titan to you 

Mr. Titan,
Now I am really sorry! I was wrrr....wrrrr....wrrr....wrong!! Really, really wrong!

[02 Warhawk]

I, too, would like to see some new posters from different schools. It's brought up every year. Just an assumption based on nothing but a hunch, but I think this board could be seen as an intimidating one. UWW fans on this board are, among other things, numerous, knowledgeable, vocal and well established. I think more welcoming pleas for diversity would help WIAC parents, students, alumni and fans make that leap. 

Care to elaborate....?

I understand what you're saying though. However, we do talk a little about tailgating...at least footballfan413 and I do. I guess it'll be nice to see a debate between UWEC and UWO, rather than why UWW athletics gets all this money and transfers. It would be a nice change of pace.