FB: American Rivers Conference

[Willie University]

Warthog

Tell us more! Visual aids appreciated! 

Sick old man!!

[footballdaddy]

I am not sick. Dirty, yes, but not sick.

[Kohawk Remedy]

First Strength of Schedule is out.  Coe is #6.  What does this mean?  Still an outside shot at an at-large bid if there is a three-way tie for the title or not?

http://www.d3football.com/seasons/2010/schedule?tmpl=sos-template

This is pretty interesting that Coe is so high...but does make sense since Coe has less games against D3 teams to put in the SOS equation as others in the conference.  Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea....time will only tell I guess.

[AZDutchman]

Couldn't disagree more. If your desire for freshman ineligibility would actually take away a year of playing, it is absolutely terrible. Your example of Ham is especially telling. How many college players, especially at the DIII level, go on to play professional football. Mighty few. So you're going to take away a year of eligibility from them in a sport most will never get to play competitively again in their entire lives 

If you made it so it didn't cost a year of eligibility, then you've got a mandated red-shirt situation. DIII already, for academic reasons and others, no longer allows red shirts, unless the player transfers in from another level having already taken the red shirt. In this scenario you are hurting the student athlete portion of the equation that DIII values so much. We are going to force all freshman to sit out one year and then take an extra semester of school so they can still play four years. Again, terrible idea.

Finally, I could care less what Mr. Ferrell thinks. And I'd bet Joe Pa would say the same. Bottom line, the high school game has changed dramatically over just the last 15 years, not to mention the last 30-40. Back in the 60's and 70's almost no HS programs had lifting, etc. The average HS football player today who goes on to play college ball is light years further along physically and mentally than they were back in the day. Lifting and conditioning programs and the increasing complexity of the HS game have dramatically changed what your average freshman fb player looks like now when he steps on campus.

Now, does this mean every freshman is ready to play. Certainly not. But that is why at most levels the coaches have the option of red shirting a player. At the DIII level, if the frosh isn't ready, he won't play, or he'll play JV. But plenty of teams have a handful of freshman every year who are ready to play and make significant contributions right off the bat. Case in point, at Bethel, guys like Phil Porta, Logan Flannery, Kirby Carr, Tommy Davis, Brandon Carr, etc. were 4 yr starters from their freshman year on. Some of those guys were even 4x All MIAC players. So not only were they ready to compete, they were some of the elite players in our league. UST, SJU, Central, Coe, Linfield, etc. probably all have their own names they can fill in here. And that says nothing about guys who see spot duty on Off/Def and are vital special teams pieces.

Bottom line, it doesn't make sense to mandate and regulate how every freshman football player is handled. Every situation is unique. Plenty aren't ready to play, so don't play them, but there are definitely some that are ready (Nate Kmic anyone??) and to force them to sit out and pay for an extra semester of school is micro-managing.

I have to say...I stand corrected. I agree with all of you that not all freshmen should stand out a year, but if I put together some of the opposing statements you would have to agree that there are some that shouldn't be playing.
Just as you highlighted the word option and others are pointing out that it's up to the coaches choice, if you add that together with there's just not enough players, it will equal a dangerous situation.
The freshman players that were pointed out as superior enough to be on the field, imagine them going against a freshman that has no business being on the field. That would equal destruction.
You would and the others that commented on this subject would have to agree that there are freshman being put on the field that shouldn't be playing. "Let me see, get bodies out on the field or close the football program this year?" Hmmm  Bad choices are being made.....

[Pat Coleman]

Having played Wartburg and Central already, Coe see its SOS fall from here on out.

[AZDutchman]

Sorry to chance the subject. But as a proud father my son graduates, friday the 22th as a Doctor of Chiropractic. Another ex-IIAC football player does his family proud. Again sorry for this post but couldn't help myself.

Congratulations!
I wouldn't want to raise my hand to be his first patient.
I think this broken body would be too much of a challenge on his first try.
I can here him saying, "Next Please!" 

[hazzben]

As has already been stated, Top 25 is meaningless.

Regional ranking us what really matters. Strength of schedule is considered, as well as quality of wins/losses. In region wins and losses are also important.

For example, Coe has a great SOS (at this point, keep in mind plenty of schools still have good teams and Coe some bad teams left that will affect this in upcoming weeks) but is going to be hurt by having played two out of region and non-DIII opponents. The three way tie is nice, but also makes their loss to Wartburg look worse. This begs the question, is it better to have one loss to an undefeated and highly ranked regional foe or be in a 3 way tie for the IIAC title with a loss against another one loss team who is then also probably ranked lower in the region. Also, Central would have the bragging rights of having beaten a team late in the season who is already in the field (Wartburg via Rose Bowl Rule). Does that late season victory weigh more heavily on the committee than an early season head to head loss to Coe? Hard to say.

All that to say, a lot of football to play, but the IIAC could definitely get pretty interesting.

Doubtful the IIAC gets 3. Pretty sure it has only happened one other time (Liberty League?? Pat?). There just aren't many at large bids to go around, making it highly unlikely one conference gets 2 of them.

[hazzben]

Pat typically beat me to it on the SOS 

AZ: agree that there are some freshman playing who may not be ready, but then that may have been a recruiting pitch from the coach. Come to Hamline, Grinnel, Macalaster, etc. and you can play right away. That was (is?) the case for Mac a few years back. They just needed warm bodies and late in the season this may have gotten dicey. But again, no two situations are the same.

[Klompen]

Like the Central on-side kick in the playoffs last year!!!  

Now that hurts...way below the belt on that one! 

Ouch, I think Doolittle just hit on the comeback to that triple OT field goal.   

[DutchFan2004]

First Strength of Schedule is out.  Coe is #6.  What does this mean?  Still an outside shot at an at-large bid if there is a three-way tie for the title or not?

http://www.d3football.com/seasons/2010/schedule?tmpl=sos-template

This is pretty interesting that Coe is so high...but does make sense since Coe has less games against D3 teams to put in the SOS equation as others in the conference.  Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea....time will only tell I guess.

Not to rain on your parade but you have 4 games left against 2 3-3 teams one 1-6 team and one 0-7 team left I think your SOS is at it peak now.  No slap against Coe but the SOS is bound to drop like a lead kite as you have played all of the top teams in the conference.  Like you said time will tell. 

[DutchFan2004]

First Strength of Schedule is out.  Coe is #6.  What does this mean?  Still an outside shot at an at-large bid if there is a three-way tie for the title or not?

http://www.d3football.com/seasons/2010/schedule?tmpl=sos-template

A co-worker and I were talkign about this. Is there anyway 3 teams from the IIAC get invited to the playoffs? What if all 3 are ranked inside the top 15?

When you think about bids to the NCAA post season tournament you have to put the Top 25 ranking aside.  They are essentially meaningless.  What you have to look at is the NCAA regional rankings.  They are the rankings that have significance because they are the ones which will determine who gets in and who doesn't.   

That is only partially true and Pat will correct me if I am wrong and I may be all wet.  The selection committee takes the regional rankings in consideration when choosing the field but the number 45and 6 teams in one region may go off the board into the filed before other regions.  If i have understood the posts when tournament time comes they pick the best remaining teams for the pool C bids.  So it is possible to have two Pool C bids from one conference.  Not really likely but possible. 

[DutchFan2004]

Sorry to chance the subject. But as a proud father my son graduates, friday the 22th as a Doctor of Chiropractic. Another ex-IIAC football player does his family proud. Again sorry for this post but couldn't help myself.

Congrats to your son.  As a proud parent of a Wartburg DO I congratulate you and your son on a great accomplishment.  I would line up and have my neck adjusted but with my son being a DO I have him do it.  I got to get something out of that Wartburg education I helped pay for.   

[DutchFan2004]

Outlaw helmets

I did see where Joepa said he didn't play with face guards and that if you took them away it would help on the head injuries.  I dont know about that.  I think the ENT Dr's would love all the noses to repair.   

[Mr. Ypsi]

First Strength of Schedule is out.  Coe is #6.  What does this mean?  Still an outside shot at an at-large bid if there is a three-way tie for the title or not?

http://www.d3football.com/seasons/2010/schedule?tmpl=sos-template

A co-worker and I were talkign about this. Is there anyway 3 teams from the IIAC get invited to the playoffs? What if all 3 are ranked inside the top 15?

When you think about bids to the NCAA post season tournament you have to put the Top 25 ranking aside.  They are essentially meaningless.  What you have to look at is the NCAA regional rankings.  They are the rankings that have significance because they are the ones which will determine who gets in and who doesn't.   

That is only partially true and Pat will correct me if I am wrong and I may be all wet.  The selection committee takes the regional rankings in consideration when choosing the field but the number 45and 6 teams in one region may go off the board into the filed before other regions.  If i have understood the posts when tournament time comes they pick the best remaining teams for the pool C bids.  So it is possible to have two Pool C bids from one conference.  Not really likely but possible. 

Each region has only one team 'at the table' at a time.  Once a team is selected, the next team from that region advances to 'the table'.  (Hence, if you are somehow positioned behind a 'dud', you are toast.)

To the best of my recollection, the E8 is the only conference to get two pool Cs within the past few years.

[hazzben]

2 pool C bids from one conference is a tall order. You'd have to have two teams that the committee considers better than all the other 23 conference runner ups and all the left over independents. Not to mention the two IIAC teams would have to be slotted right after one another regionally to have a decent shot at getting in given Yipsi's point. That and they would both have lost to a team with one loss, meaning their loss would not likely be against one of the highest ranked regional opponents. But if a lot of conference runner ups end up with 2 losses, anythings possible.

That said, if it happens, it would be a significant nod to the committee's regard for the level of competition in the IIAC.