FB: American Rivers Conference

[Dsquared]

Love him or hate him, McCarney stepped aside with a lot of class.  He could've pulled the Wayne Morgan, but he took the high road and defended Pollard... though we all know Pollard had his foot on Mac's throat the entirety of the last 2 seasons.

http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&ATCLID=682268

[knightlife06]

It will be interesting to see who ISU gets for the new coach.  I'm hoping it's a big name coordinator from a BCS conference.  A Bo Pelini or Gene Chizek type guy who has had lots of success down south.  McCarney was a class act and I definitely respect him for that.  Cyclone football will be a lot different for me personally because I was pretty young during the Walden days and Mac was introduced as the HC as I became interested in college football.  I still remember being at McCarney's first game and getting the "W" over the Bobcats of Ohio U.  But I was also at the '04 and '05 debacles that could have sent ISU into the Big XII championship.  D2 & WH, how bad did those suck? I can't wait for ISU football next season.  Alright, alright, alright, gotta get back to the IIAC.  PIcks

BV over Waldorf by a pretty decent margin.

Central over Simpson by 13

Coe takes out their frustrations on the Rams 34-7

Luther 24-17 over Doooohawks

Knights survive against a tough UD squad 23-10 and earn Pool C bid.

[warthog]

McCarney was the right man for the job.  Tough, loyal and uncompromisingly committed to making ISU a better football team.  Unfortunately Iowa State tries to play Big 12 football like Donald Rumsfeld tries to run a war: On the cheap.  If ISU would have taken the money they will spend hiring a new coach and given it to McCarney to build his football team, they might have had something.  As it is, the something they get will be more years of mediocre to poor football.

I think the Cyclones should give Lance an interview.

[redmen]

I think ISU will have a tough time finding a replacement for McCarney.  He was the right man for the job and I think he did about as much as anyone could do for that program.  Who would want this job??  If I'm a coordinator at a respectable school, no way do I leave that job the the head job at ISU.  That job is a trap...you would be committing professional suicide.  Good luck finding someone who wants that job Pollard.  In the mean time...we'll take Mac as our new D coordinator in Iowa City.

[The Show]

I was thinking the same thing redmen.  Maybe Mac could figure out how to stop a spread offense for once, not have the corners give 8 yard cushions, and blitz more than once a game...

[warthog]

Well, I am pleased to see that most IIAC posters see Wartburg as a likely team to be right in the mix this coming season. 
As expected Central & Coe are both regularly mentioned as contenders. 
I have a gut feeling that Luther should be included as a possible top division squad. 

I certainly hope IIAC posters are correct in calling the Knights one of the preseason favorites.  I always want Wartburg to be high in the standings.  I'm not as close to the program as some of the other fans who regularly visit this site, but I have some concerns for the future of Wartburg Football.  In a weak attempt to sound like former Vice Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen; "I knew Coach Willis and sir you are no Coach Willis."   

Coach Willis is unmatched when it comes to team organization and detail planning.  Like it or not Wartburg fans; we have a football team heading into a season with an unproven quarterback, several holes to fill on defense, a temporary weight room, a temporary training room, a temporary locker room, a temporary team room, temporary coaching staff offices and the list goes on.  This is a time when a person like Coach Willis should be in control of these details.  There is no doubt his skills will be well used as Athletic Director during the major building project Wartburg is now involved with.  I just hope the athletic department's gain isn't the football team's loss.  Perhaps Coach Koehler possesses the same skills that made Coach Willis such a positive force for Wartburg's football program.  Hopefully, Coach K. takes the program to levels of success that we have become accustomed.  I just have to see it happen before I become a believer.

I guess I was wrong on July 2nd.  Luther wasn't a contender and Coach Koehler has done quite well with his first year leading the Knights.  If Wartburg wins on Saturday, Coach K. should be considered for Coach of the Year.  With all the distractions and only 10 or 12 seniors on the team, he has done a  job that would be deserving of the award..

[sportsknight]

It will be interesting to see who ISU gets for the new coach. 

I hear there's a fresh-faced GA at Winona State that might be interested.

Actually, I've heard the same "Alvarez to Miami and takes McCarney with him" rumor that DSqua had mentioned.  Alvarez still has some ties here in River City, so it may not be quite as far fetched as it sounds on first reading.

[redmen]

Is Pollard serious??  "It is with deep sadness that I accept Coach McCarney's resignation.  I had hoped that he would lead us for many more years into the future".  Obviously I don't know, but I would imagine Pollard and McCarney had a meeting in which Pollard said something like "You can either resign or we will fire you, it's up to you".  Sounds like Pollard just spouted off a bunch of BS at that press conference to smooth things over as much as possible.

[Dsquared]

Like I said T-ret... Mac was always a class act, and he didn't disappoint in the press conference.  Blame should be EVERYWHERE, but he took the burden on his shoulders.  Pollard is a windbag... he made some tough and necessary decisions when it came to wrestling and men's basketball, but he needs to own up on this one.  His eyes are filled with dollar signs, and he doesn't see Dan as the money man.

On another note, I would venture the guess that Mac wouldn't have to give 8 yards of cushion if he were the D-coordinator for ANY other respectable school in the NCAA.  There's also a chance that that was what the corners were used to playing since they had to go against Blythe and Davis day-to-day.  If those 2 burn you, an 8 yard cushion might not be enough in the Big XII!!

Redmen... keep me posted on the VB team's progress.  Also, if you or your bro sniff out a $25-$30 ticket before Saturday, snatch it up and I'll pay you back.

[BoBo]

Actually, I've heard the same "Alvarez to Miami and takes McCarney with him" rumor that DSqua had mentioned.  Alvarez still has some ties here in River City, so it may not be quite as far fetched as it sounds on first reading.

Rumors of Barry going to Miami have been around for a long time...since Donna Shalala became Chancellor of The U.  There were some at that time that thought he was seriously interested and would go before they promoted Coker since Shalala was the Chancellor who hired Alverez at Madison.  Apparently, they had a good mutual working relationship.  However, many now believe that if Shalala came calling, he would not entertain the idea. The Badger beat writer (who has a lot of knowledge of the situation) at the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel had some comments about this during the aftermath of the Miami brawl game and felt it wasn't going to happen.  He felt Barry was content to keep his legacy intact in Madison - they just unveiled a statue of him outside Camp Randall. For those of you who don't know, he has built an empire in Madison and most feel he isn't going to risk the castle, even for something as intriquing as the U.  Plus, Pollard being a protege of Alvarez works against it too.  Just my opinion.  Take it with a grain of salt.     

[coocooforcoekohawk]

Coe Sucks!  

Cornell Swallows!

[Fannosaurus Rex]

Generally speaking, I don't like the rule changes that shorten the game, except this week.  The quicker that ugly gang from Simpson gets out of sight the better.

[Walston Hoover]

Couple things-
D^2- It is exactly because of people like you and me that Pollard had to get rid of McCarney. In order to get ISU to the level that Pollard and several of us fans would like it to be, Its going to take a lot more $$$$$$. Many ISU fans would love to see ISU take home the occassional Big 12 N title, sure we had chances, VERY MANY chances over the past 2 years. THere are several single plays that could be looked at the previous 2 years that if any ONE of them had gone ISU's direction, They would have won the North and McCarney would still be the coach at ISU in 10 days. One could argue that they had never been in that position before and that is a good thing, however they had sooooo many chances that weren't taken advantage of and plays weren't made. At some point when there are that many chances for plays to be made that aren't, the looks have to start going upwards to head coaches.
Now, How many years since you graduated have you had season tickets? Probably most of them, and now you're all over trying to get tickets to the Hawks and have gone to several of their games this year since ISU got "boring". How many people do you think are in your same boat??? I'd venture to guess a very high number. Me too, I haven't gone to a game since UNI.
If Pollard and ISU are going to get to the next level, they need guys like me and you and the several thousand others that haven't been showing up to be there, and lets face it, people don't like to watch losing football.
As for ISU being a trap, I can see why someone would think that, but Earl Bruce went on to have success, and I believe McCarney will as a coordinator somewhere. There are only what? 117 D1 coaching jobs and what? half of them at BCS conferences. There will be plenty of qualified candidates. Dan McCarney was no doubt the guy to take ISU out of the basement, but many don't believe he's the guy to take us to being competitors on a consistent basis. If we contend for a title 2 of 4 years that's great, but you can't have just 4 wins combined those other years.
Lots of people will say he's a great guy, I agree, I've had conversations with him before and he no doubt has incredible passion. There are lots of people like that though that don't necessarily make the best football coaches.
Mac said it best yesterday when he said he put himself in position for this to happen.

[Ash Park]

Walston I just saw your little poke at Cornell this morning. No one wants to lose especially the players and the coaches. I don't think you realize how difficult it is to make changes at Cornell. Luckily there have been changes in the athletic program to place the right people in the right positions to start making some changes. For a long long time the people on the board of trustees wanted to put nothing into athletics and thought that the main focus should be on other things around campus such as academics. There has recently been a shift and there are some new people on the board who want to put money in the department and want the athletics to do well. Thats all I have for now.

[Charlie Kohawk]

For a long long time the people on the board of trustees wanted to put nothing into athletics and thought that the main focus should be on other things around campus such as academics.

Academics are "other things around campus"? I thought academics were the reason all of our respective institutions -- except for Dubuque -- existed.