FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[BoBo]

Do you think Stout is better than RF and Platteville, and even LAX? Honest question. I don't.

An old friend of mine, Professor Marvel, will tell you the answer to that question in three parts on the following dates:  Oct 5 (Platt), Oct 26 (RF), & Nov. 2 (LaX). 

Seriously, I think they might win 5. As my analysis of the Missouri A&M Tech S & T game on the pick'em alluded to, I am not completely sold on Stout yet, but they do have those two wins behind them, as one astute observer (thanks stealth) already pointed out.  Menlo's 31-6 loss to visiting Chapman last Saturday makes Stout's OT victory look bad under-whelming. And their beat-down of a highly-ranked, yet obscure, NAIA school from North Dakota is equally puzzling, in the opposite direction. This week's game will either help clear the air, for me at least, or continue to muddy the water. If Stout wins on Saturday, I think they win more than 4...if they lose, your prediction 'flash, may be dead on.

I think the Oshkosh at Ohio Dominican (NAIA #2/5) game will be interesting test for the Titans and go a long way to giving me a better insight regarding the relative strength/weakness of these NAIA teams. St. Xavier has already lost for a second time and have dropped out of the rankings (badgerwarhawk said he didn't think they were that good).  But, Bethel, the team Eau Claire beat and also 0-2, is still NAIA ranked. Jamestown gets hammered by Stout and only drops 2 notches in their rankings. La Crosse-Azusa, two teams desperately needing a 'W', have me me completely stumped.  It should be another interesting Saturday. 

Good Luck to all the good guys!!

[footballfan413]

I agree, BoBo, thought this week was the hardest to predict so far.  Too many weird outcomes the last couple of weeks with too many teams I am not as familiar with has me scratching my head.  I expected Stout to clean up the floor with a perpetual cellar dweller of the NWC and yet, it took all they had to beat Menlo.  Then they beat up on a well ranked NAIA team that had 600 yds of offense the week before!  Don't know which team will show up today but I do believe that Stout is on it way back to the Stout of Old after a rocky couple of years with internal problems and a coaching change.  I think they are the sleeper of the WIAC this season.  They may become my nemesis replacing UWP.  Don't pick them and they win, then start to believe and they fold.  LAX, who knows what kind of team they are.  Expected a real strong comeback this year, believed that after the close loss to H-S and then they show last week that this little flaw they have about not closing out big leads in the 4th is still plagueing them.  As for, UW-O and UW-P, they always show some real potential every year at times but seem to always land at the middle of the WIAC or below year in and year out.  As for UW-RF, I don't expect to see any significant movement from their record last year.  Made some good strides in 07 parting ways with the wishbone and getting a star like Zweifel but think it will be a few more years before they have the personel to see more benefits from that change. 

  My $.02 for what it is worth.  I do see an interesting year ahead of us in the WIAC Pick em's contest.

[Devil Badger Gopher]

I defintely see Stout in the top half of the league.  I obviously am a fan, but with nearly all the teams in the WIAC being down, I think Stout goes for at least 5 wins.  I do nto see them winning today against a team with thirty or so scholarships that they lost to last year, but they can defintely hang with most, if not all of the teams, in the WIAC.  They have got a solid defense and some good offensive position players.  They also have made the shift in their roster with having a lot more good character scholar athletes.

I think the Menlo game was a great road win traveling that far (over 1,600 miles)across country for the first game of the year with some untested senior leadership that has not played their best games on the road in the past.  I think the weather may have helped assist them last week, but they also played a strong defnese from what I heard on the radio.  I think this may be one of the first times I picked against them in the Pickem for 3 years.

[AO]

How about those Northwestern Eagles?!!??    Kudos to the one guy in the pickems who picked us. We didn't exactly beat Whitewater or win in a convincing way, but my guys did beat a Falcon team picked to finish 6th in the WIAC.  It's a big win for the program and could have been huge if we still have any hope of making the playoffs after losing a heartbreaker in the weather to Simpson last week. 

Best of luck to the Falcons the rest of the way.

[janesvilleflash]

LAX misses 35 yd. field goal with 1:40 to go in game. Lose 13-10. LAX turned the ball over 2 times at the goal line, a fumble, and an interception.

[voice]

LAX is 0-3 for the first time since 1963.   Warning for those on Eagle's schedule - they are still a very dangerous team and are capable of beating anybody in the WIAC!

[BoBo]

BTW, voice, who is next on their schedule?

[retagent]

I was originally going to post this as a "Wise A$$" dig (which would be a surprise for all) but decided to try and get some honest feedback.

Since the WIAC is traditionally believed to be the best conference top to bottom, what do you think about the present situation? The MIAC has five teams receiving votes in the d3football.com Poll, with SJU being the highest rated at #18, which hardly speaks for the quality at the top, but still................ The WIAC has two teams in the top 10, but that's it. Now, one takes the polls for what they're worth, and granted this seems to be a down year for the WIAC, but how does this strike everyone?

[badgerwarhawk]

Let's schedule a MIAC/WIAC showdown..  Your #1 against ours, #2 against #2 etc and on down the line.   That should settle it, don't you think.

[footballfan413]

I was originally going to post this as a "Wise A$$" dig (which would be a surprise for all) but decided to try and get some honest feedback.

Since the WIAC is traditionally believed to be the best conference top to bottom, what do you think about the present situation? The MIAC has five teams receiving votes in the d3football.com Poll, with SJU being the highest rated at #18, which hardly speaks for the quality at the top, but still................ The WIAC has two teams in the top 10, but that's it. Now, one takes the polls for what they're worth, and granted this seems to be a down year for the WIAC, but how does this strike everyone?

I think you have to look at the basic criteria that D3football.com, for example, stated as to how they determined who is the toughest conference top to bottom.  It is not so much about how many teams are at the top of national rankings but more about how the bottom of the conference compares to all other conferences.  Remember this is top to bottom.  Keith and Pat can speak for themselves, of course, but I believe that the criteria used by them and the other voters to determine this was, "the bottom of the WIAC would beat the middle of most other conferences."  Do you think that the bottom of the MIAC would beat the middle of most other conferences?  While there seems to be more parity this year in both leagues, I still believe that UWP, OWO and UWR would handle Hamline, Augsbug and St. Thomas for example.

[footballfan413]

Of course, we could just follow BW's suggestion.   The tailgating would be off the hook! 

[BoBo]

I was originally going to post this as a "Wise A$$" dig (which would be a surprise for all) but decided to try and get some honest feedback.

Since the WIAC is traditionally believed to be the best conference top to bottom, what do you think about the present situation? The MIAC has five teams receiving votes in the d3football.com Poll, with SJU being the highest rated at #18, which hardly speaks for the quality at the top, but still................ The WIAC has two teams in the top 10, but that's it. Now, one takes the polls for what they're worth, and granted this seems to be a down year for the WIAC, but how does this strike everyone?

Your a funny guy, retagent.  +k for your sense of humor. 

BTW, I'm curious to hear what makes this seem like a down year for the WIAC in your view, retagent - La Crosse maybe ? 

[Pat Coleman]

While there seems to be more parity this year in both leagues, I still believe that UWP, OWO and UWR would handle Hamline, Augsbug and St. Thomas for example.

Not sure if River Falls would beat Augsburg and St. Thomas if it can't beat Northwestern.

I agree Oshkosh could well beat all three. I don't know about Platteville.

[retagent]

I think my thoughts are more accurately reflected in 413's first post.

The only problem with a WIAC/MIAC showdown is that the MIAC has 9 teams and the WIAC eight. Even you math challenged WIACers can see the problem with that. I know that all of you are now going to get ready to post that you'll take on the top 8 in the MIAC and still kick our A$$es. You know you are. There is so little to go on this year that you all seem to be relying on what you have discounted in the past, and that is; using the past to predict the present. I just wanted to start the discussion, and it looks like I've succeeded. I am not necessarily arguing that the MIAC is better this year, just trying to show the tough task it is to do a ranking poll, and predicting what would happen when teams that haven't played a lot of common opponenets would do in head to head matchups.

[stanbob]

Thanks Retagent, this board has been pretty dormant this year, even with the start of the football season.  Nothing like a little WIAC/MIAC chatter to get the natives going.