FB: American Rivers Conference

[Fannosaurus Rex]

It was a little harder to come up with Central football things to be thankful for this year.  Since I lack imagination, the best I could do is,  nice weather at the two games I got to, and the fact that one of them was a sound thrashing of the loathsome Simpson Storm.  I was going add that I was thankful that there weren't any serious injuries except that unless they happened to starters, I probably wouldn't have heard about them.  I hope there weren't any.  Even though I look forward to a trip to Salem someday, I'm thankful I don't have to fly any where this holiday season.  People can take naughty pictures of me if they want but I don't like to be handled if it isn't going anywhere

[doolittledog]

Boy, the conversation gets boring when the games are done... 

A Coe grad, a Cornell grad, a prostitute, and Bill Clinton walk into a bar...Oh, wait a minute, that joke would go too far the other way from boring. Never mind. 

Ok PH, how many Vista kids have you recruited to Cornell for next season???

When will the MWC officially announce Cornell has returned home???

What comes first...Another school leaves the IIAC???  Another school joins the IIAC???

In the 1990's we had the Central-Simpson-Wartburg triumvirate.  In the 2000's we had the Central-Coe-Wartburg triumvirate.  In the next decade...Will we see the status quo???  If one team drops out who will it be and why?  If another one joins who will it be and why???

Where is the best post-game food???   ...at an away school!!!

I

[warthog]

doolittledog:
I had a conversation at a high school game this week with a former Cornell regent.  He isn't happy about this at all.  For one thing he isn't certain Cornell will be welcomed back with open arms.  For another he thinks Cornell would be better off devoting time to improving their football team as opposed to jumping leagues.  He rightly pointed out that they have had some recent success in things like basketball and wrestling, so it isn't like they can't compete.
I thought it was interesting that he indicated he had been opposed to the move to the IIAC.  He claims to have told the regents that unless they changed things athletically, joining the IIAC would be like the Polish Calvary fighting the German Panzers.  Most of the Cornell administration didn't understand the difference between the two leagues.  At the time of the switch he felt Coe was ready, but Cornell wasn't fully committed to making necessary changes.
Now he is affraid the MWC has changed since Cornell's days in the league and if the Rams are extended an invitation back they will be rudely awakened by a new and improved MWC.    

[Purple Heys]

Boy, the conversation gets boring when the games are done... 

Ok PH, how many Vista kids have you recruited to Cornell for next season??? 

A few... 

[Purple Heys]

Now he is affraid the MWC has changed since Cornell's days in the league and if the Rams are extended an invitation back they will be rudely awakened by a new and improved MWC.    

Again,  I will say I don't like to proposed move on a personal level, but I get the reasons...at least from a football perspective, and I don't think it would be all that rude unless you believe that they expect to instantly compete for the MWC title in year 1.

I think what they do expect is that they will be on a competitive level with a group of schools with similar rosters sizes, that (in general) do not field JV teams, and draw from a similar socio-economic background.  They also may find that in many cases their best game should be good enough to beat several (if not any) of the teams in that league...where their best might never be good enough to beat some IIAC teams.  Meaning, Cornell will go into a larger portion of their games where they can legitimately have a chance to win.  There is a difference between being persistent and being too dumb to pack up your ball and move on.

Many of you fine folks from Iowa say that Cornell will never win a recruit from a Central or Wartburg or even most other IIAC schools, therefore the better D3-bound Iowa players would never dot a Cornell roster.  Cornell, therefore is at a competitive disadvantage from the get go versus any IIAC school.  In general, the same might said about a Grinnell football recruit.  If it's football first, then it seems highly unlikely the recruit selects Grinnell before the IIAC.

So it would appear that Cornell and Grinnell would be competing for the remaining Iowa kids that slip through the IIAC nets.  Cornell is doing that already and having to play IIAC league games.  Grinnell plays a MWC schedule.

I would expect Cornell's football fortunes to be equivalent to Grinnell's in the MWC, at least in the near term.  I would also expect that winning some football games plays big role in the collective psyche of the program and could help them build upward.

Personally, when I try to sell a local kid who is D3-bound on Cornell...I sell him on the IIAC and the competition level.  Most San Diego kids are recruited by the local SCIAC and some NWC schools.  I can make a case for the IIAC over the SCIAC.  Then I tell if they are going to go away (presumably to the NWC) they may as well consider the IIAC.  Plus the IIAC plays 10 games to 9 by the NWC.  When Cornell goes to the MWC, one of my main selling points goes out the window...

[Klompen]

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  Too bad none of the IIAC teams will still be playing this weekend.  I was hoping to watch a rematch of Coe-Wartburg.  As a Central fan, any thanksgiving meal without talk of an upcoming playoff game that Central was hosting seemed weird.  Hope they can remedy that next year, but there were a lot of grads including some key SE Polk players.  Thankful that two of the "seniors" have another year of eligibility and want to return.  Looking forward to more Snead to Snead next year and we can throw in a little more Wilkin. 

[Pat Coleman]

Heys: The MWC plays 10 games.

[coocooforcoekohawk]

Now he is affraid the MWC has changed since Cornell's days in the league and if the Rams are extended an invitation back they will be rudely awakened by a new and improved MWC.    

Again,  I will say...  When Cornell goes to the MWC, one of my main selling points goes out the window...

If Cornell is winning the MWC you can sell getting 11 games and getting to play two Iowa schools every year (Grinnell and Coe).  
I am sure the rivalry will continue.  So they still get a chance, although not a good one, for an IIAC win every year and they get to play a team from a top notch conference with whomever they get paired against in their one and done playoff appearances.

Not to mention playing in the oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi being a huge selling point.

Pat, he said the NWC had nine games, not the MWC. 

[Pat Coleman]

"Again,  I will say...  When Cornell goes to the MWC, one of my main selling points goes out the window..."

Well, when selling the MWC over the SCIAC, you still get the 10 games selling point and the competition level is a wash, so I wasn't sure what he meant.

[5 Words or Less]

When will the MWC officially announce Cornell has returned home??? ... Hopefully never

What comes first...Another school leaves the IIAC???  ... Rumbling rumors

In the 1990's we had the Central-Simpson-Wartburg triumvirate.  In the 2000's we had the Central-Coe-Wartburg triumvirate.  In the next decade...Will we see the status quo???  If one team drops out who will it be and why?  If another one joins who will it be and why??? ... Status quo continues

Where is the best post-game food??? ... USA TODAY says Best  pizza in Iowa is at McCaffrey's - Decorah http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/2010-11-04-pizza-parlors_N.htm

[Purple Heys]

"Again,  I will say...  When Cornell goes to the MWC, one of my main selling points goes out the window..."

Well, when selling the MWC over the SCIAC, you still get the 10 games selling point and the competition level is a wash, so I wasn't sure what he meant.

Basically what I was trying to say is that in selling the IIAC over the SCIAC and the NWC (the 2 "local" D3's to a San Diego kid), I sell quality of competition vs. the SCIAC and 10 games vs. 9 games over the NWC. 

The NWC being a very good conference in its own right with teams like Linfield and Willamette is a push (vs. the IIAC) in competition but why sacrifice nearly 1 half a season (4 regular season games over 4 years).  If you are going away from home why not go to the IIAC.  Or at least that's the angle.

Wartie:  The Coe game IS a selling point now as I try to paint a picture of the history of the school and football in the Great State of Iowa.  To these San Diego boys, Iowa might as well be a foreign country.

[Purple Heys]

Wartie:  The Coe game IS a selling point now as I try to paint a picture of the history of the school and football in the Great State of Iowa.  To these San Diego boys, Iowa might as well be a foreign country.

I say this seeing how Jr's friends react to him as he has returned to town and they talk about his experiences.  Also the questions the boys he coaches at the high school are full of questions about what it was like.

He also still goes to practice in shorts and a t-shirt as everybody else bundles up now the temps have plunged down to the 50's   

[Pat Coleman]

"Again,  I will say...  When Cornell goes to the MWC, one of my main selling points goes out the window..."

Well, when selling the MWC over the SCIAC, you still get the 10 games selling point and the competition level is a wash, so I wasn't sure what he meant.

Basically what I was trying to say is that in selling the IIAC over the SCIAC and the NWC (the 2 "local" D3's to a San Diego kid), I sell quality of competition vs. the SCIAC and 10 games vs. 9 games over the NWC. 

For what it's worth, I think you can still do that.

[doolittledog]

5WOL - what are the rumbling rumors???

This is killing me that a conference like the IIAC, with the majority of its members being together since the 1920's could start breaking up.

[Alfredeneumann]

DM Register article on LC's Chris Norton.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101125/SPORTS02/101125012/Luther-College-s-Norton-remains-thankful-despite-paralysis