FB: American Rivers Conference

[Mr. Ypsi]

Week #1

Dubuque over Augustana  -  Spartans make a statement.

St. Olaf over Luther  -  MIAC takes two over the IIAC this week.

Wartburg over Monmouth  -    With Monmouth's quarterback returning for a fifth season, the Knights could be in trouble.  (Oranges oozing through my veins made this prediction.)

Hardin-Simmons over Coe  -  Simply took the home team on this one.  They both have good football programs.

Loras over Elmhurst  -  A middle over the pack IIAC team should beat a middle of the road MWC team.

Buena Vista over UW Platteville - The IIAC takes two from the WIAC this week.

Bethel over Simpson  -  Bethel is simply an excellent football team.

Central over UW OshKosh  -  Central should dominate on both sides of the ball.

Cornell over Olivet  -  Cornell gets their lone 2011 win.

First italics: I know nothing of Augie's prospects for this year, but, historically, that WOULD be a statement!

Second italics: When did Elmhurst leave the CCIW and join the MWC?!   Since Elmhurst is generally a bottom CCIW team, I'll grant you a partial pardon on this one.

[doolittledog]

NAIA rankings of all 85 teams are out.  Interesting that the NAIA is currently at 85 schools for football...there were 95 just 3 or 4 years ago.  NAIA fans seem to think everything is fine but it seems to me like they are slowly bleeding to death. 

There are 10 Iowa NAIA football schools.  Their preseason rankings are...

5  - Morningside
7  - Northwestern
8  - William Penn...plays Luther early in the season
26 - Grand View...new team making steady improvement
40 - St Ambrose
62 - Briar Cliff
65 - Iowa Wesleyan...Coe took care of them last season
70 - Graceland
75 - Waldorf
79 - Dordt

[warthog]

First italics: I know nothing of Augie's prospects for this year, but, historically, that WOULD be a statement!

Second italics: When did Elmhurst leave the CCIW and join the MWC?!   Since Elmhurst is generally a bottom CCIW team, I'll grant you a partial pardon on this one.

You caught me.  I got my conferences with Illinois and Wisconsin team mixed up.  I had been looking at information about both leagues before I started typing.  I should have caught that before I clicked the "post" button.  It is particularly inexcusable since I had a cousin attend Elmhurst.

[hazzben]

Week #1

Dubuque over Augustana  -  Spartans make a statement.

St. Olaf over Luther  -  MIAC takes two over the IIAC this week.

Wartburg over Monmouth  -    With Monmouth's quarterback returning for a fifth season, the Knights could be in trouble.  (Oranges oozing through my veins made this prediction.)

Hardin-Simmons over Coe  -  Simply took the home team on this one.  They both have good football programs.

Loras over Elmhurst  -  A middle over the pack IIAC team should beat a second division CCIW team.

Buena Vista over UW Platteville - The IIAC takes two from the WIAC this week.

Bethel over Simpson  -  Bethel is simply an excellent football team.

Central over UW OshKosh  -  Central should dominate on both sides of the ball.

Cornell over Olivet  -  Cornell gets their lone 2011 win.

Good stuff. Here's my 2¢ on the games I might disagree with (not that you guys care what this MIAC poster thinks  ).

Wartburg-Monmouth is gonna be a barn burner. I'd wager Wartburg has the better team, but that QB is just sick good and is the wildcard. Simply too close to call, but if I was in your shoes, I'd go with the homer pick as well!

BV-UWP: Platteville crushed BV in Storm Lake last year. Has BV improved and Platteville digressed that much that BV takes this one on the road? This would be a pretty serious statement as well. But my Bethel squad can attest to what happens when you overlook a BV team you manhandled the year before 

Hardin-Simmons - Coe: I might actually take Coe in this one, and that's in no way a knock on HS. Call it a hunch, but they've got an elite QB and plenty of big game experience from the last two years. But its also a long road trip. The winner is definitely making a national statement in the early going.

Central-UW-Oshkosh: This was a very competitive game last year. The Dutch are always competitive and always have great balance, but isn't it maybe a stretch to say they'll dominate on both sides of the ball? They won by a score at home last year and go on the road this year. I'd still probably favor Central (they have knack for winning the close ones) but I don't expect them to dominate UWO.

[Bird Dog]

NAIA rankings of all 85 teams are out.  Interesting that the NAIA is currently at 85 schools for football...there were 95 just 3 or 4 years ago.  NAIA fans seem to think everything is fine but it seems to me like they are slowly bleeding to death. 

There are 10 Iowa NAIA football schools.  Their preseason rankings are...

5  - Morningside
7  - Northwestern
8  - William Penn...plays Luther early in the season
26 - Grand View...new team making steady improvement
40 - St Ambrose
62 - Briar Cliff
65 - Iowa Wesleyan...Coe took care of them last season
70 - Graceland
75 - Waldorf
79 - Dordt

The Heart of America Athletic Conference, which Graceland is a member of lost two teams to Division II.  Lindenwood which has 15,000 students and William Jewell which is considerably smaller have moved to two different DII conferences.  Lindenwood went to the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Jewell to the Great Lakes Valley Conference.  This accounts for two of the ten member drop in NAIA membership.

You would think that Graceland might be getting nervous but there are still ten teams in the league and about half of them are in the Kansas City area, other than a trip to Springfield Mo.  everything seems relatively close. 

It's too bad Lindenwood didn't go DIII.  They might have been able to give Wisconsin schools another team their own size to play with.

[emma17]

Week #1

Dubuque over Augustana  -  Spartans make a statement.

St. Olaf over Luther  -  MIAC takes two over the IIAC this week.

Wartburg over Monmouth  -    With Monmouth's quarterback returning for a fifth season, the Knights could be in trouble.  (Oranges oozing through my veins made this prediction.)

Hardin-Simmons over Coe  -  Simply took the home team on this one.  They both have good football programs.

Loras over Elmhurst  -  A middle over the pack IIAC team should beat a second division CCIW team.

Buena Vista over UW Platteville - The IIAC takes two from the WIAC this week.

Bethel over Simpson  -  Bethel is simply an excellent football team.

Central over UW OshKosh  -  Central should dominate on both sides of the ball.

Cornell over Olivet  -  Cornell gets their lone 2011 win.

Good stuff. Here's my 2¢ on the games I might disagree with (not that you guys care what this MIAC poster thinks  ).

Wartburg-Monmouth is gonna be a barn burner. I'd wager Wartburg has the better team, but that QB is just sick good and is the wildcard. Simply too close to call, but if I was in your shoes, I'd go with the homer pick as well!

BV-UWP: Platteville crushed BV in Storm Lake last year. Has BV improved and Platteville digressed that much that BV takes this one on the road? This would be a pretty serious statement as well. But my Bethel squad can attest to what happens when you overlook a BV team you manhandled the year before 

Hardin-Simmons - Coe: I might actually take Coe in this one, and that's in no way a knock on HS. Call it a hunch, but they've got an elite QB and plenty of big game experience from the last two years. But its also a long road trip. The winner is definitely making a national statement in the early going.

Central-UW-Oshkosh: This was a very competitive game last year. The Dutch are always competitive and always have great balance, but isn't it maybe a stretch to say they'll dominate on both sides of the ball? They won by a score at home last year and go on the road this year. I'd still probably favor Central (they have knack for winning the close ones) but I don't expect them to dominate UWO.

Hazzbeen- I think your 2 cents makes a whole lot of sense.  Obviuosly it's all speculation, but like you, I'd be surprised if Central comes close to dominating any part of the game vs Oshkosh. 
I'm hoping  Coe does well vs. Hardin Simmons. 
I have a hard time buying BV beating Platteville- BV scored 2 points last year I think.

Bird dog- You're not one that thinks the bigger schools have the football advantage are you?

[hazzben]

NAIA rankings of all 85 teams are out.  Interesting that the NAIA is currently at 85 schools for football...there were 95 just 3 or 4 years ago.  NAIA fans seem to think everything is fine but it seems to me like they are slowly bleeding to death. 

There are 10 Iowa NAIA football schools.  Their preseason rankings are...

5  - Morningside
7  - Northwestern
8  - William Penn...plays Luther early in the season
26 - Grand View...new team making steady improvement
40 - St Ambrose
62 - Briar Cliff
65 - Iowa Wesleyan...Coe took care of them last season
70 - Graceland
75 - Waldorf
79 - Dordt

The Heart of America Athletic Conference, which Graceland is a member of lost two teams to Division II.  Lindenwood which has 15,000 students and William Jewell which is considerably smaller have moved to two different DII conferences.  Lindenwood went to the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Jewell to the Great Lakes Valley Conference.  This accounts for two of the ten member drop in NAIA membership.

You would think that Graceland might be getting nervous but there are still ten teams in the league and about half of them are in the Kansas City area, other than a trip to Springfield Mo.  everything seems relatively close. 

It's too bad Lindenwood didn't go DIII.  They might have been able to give Wisconsin schools another team their own size to play with.

I've actually met a couple of OLB's from Graceland's conference at the gym here in KC. They play at Benedictine are solid guys. We've taken up some games of 21 together for a little cardio. And they constantly remind me just how old my body is getting. But it's been fun to see some quality small college guys that remind me of the quality DIII guys I played with and against.

[warthog]

Here's my 2¢ on the games I might disagree with (not that you guys care what this MIAC poster thinks  ).

Wartburg-Monmouth is gonna be a barn burner. I'd wager Wartburg has the better team, but that QB is just sick good and is the wildcard. Simply too close to call, but if I was in your shoes, I'd go with the homer pick as well!

BV-UWP: Platteville crushed BV in Storm Lake last year. Has BV improved and Platteville digressed that much that BV takes this one on the road? This would be a pretty serious statement as well. But my Bethel squad can attest to what happens when you overlook a BV team you manhandled the year before  

Hardin-Simmons - Coe: I might actually take Coe in this one, and that's in no way a knock on HS. Call it a hunch, but they've got an elite QB and plenty of big game experience from the last two years. But its also a long road trip. The winner is definitely making a national statement in the early going.

Central-UW-Oshkosh: This was a very competitive game last year. The Dutch are always competitive and always have great balance, but isn't it maybe a stretch to say they'll dominate on both sides of the ball? They won by a score at home last year and go on the road this year. I'd still probably favor Central (they have knack for winning the close ones) but I don't expect them to dominate UWO.

Hazzbeen- I think your 2 cents makes a whole lot of sense.  Obviuosly it's all speculation, but like you, I'd be surprised if Central comes close to dominating any part of the game vs Oshkosh.  
I'm hoping  Coe does well vs. Hardin Simmons.  
I have a hard time buying BV beating Platteville- BV scored 2 points last year I think.

Bird dog- You're not one that thinks the bigger schools have the football advantage are you?

Hazzbeen and emma17:  Those predictions I made concerning the IIAC/WIAC matchups had more to do with wishful thinking than they had to do with well thought out analysis. Although I do believe Central will win by +10.

[dutchfan1]

Here's my 2¢ on the games I might disagree with (not that you guys care what this MIAC poster thinks  ).

Wartburg-Monmouth is gonna be a barn burner. I'd wager Wartburg has the better team, but that QB is just sick good and is the wildcard. Simply too close to call, but if I was in your shoes, I'd go with the homer pick as well!

BV-UWP: Platteville crushed BV in Storm Lake last year. Has BV improved and Platteville digressed that much that BV takes this one on the road? This would be a pretty serious statement as well. But my Bethel squad can attest to what happens when you overlook a BV team you manhandled the year before  

Hardin-Simmons - Coe: I might actually take Coe in this one, and that's in no way a knock on HS. Call it a hunch, but they've got an elite QB and plenty of big game experience from the last two years. But its also a long road trip. The winner is definitely making a national statement in the early going.

Central-UW-Oshkosh: This was a very competitive game last year. The Dutch are always competitive and always have great balance, but isn't it maybe a stretch to say they'll dominate on both sides of the ball? They won by a score at home last year and go on the road this year. I'd still probably favor Central (they have knack for winning the close ones) but I don't expect them to dominate UWO.

Hazzbeen- I think your 2 cents makes a whole lot of sense.  Obviuosly it's all speculation, but like you, I'd be surprised if Central comes close to dominating any part of the game vs Oshkosh.  
I'm hoping  Coe does well vs. Hardin Simmons.  
I have a hard time buying BV beating Platteville- BV scored 2 points last year I think.

Bird dog- You're not one that thinks the bigger schools have the football advantage are you?

Hazzbeen and emma17:  Those predictions I made concerning the IIAC/WIAC matchups had more to do with wishful thinking than they had to do with well thought out analysis. Although I do believe Central will win by +10.

Aw, Warthog, you say the sweetest things...

[hazzben]

Here's my 2¢ on the games I might disagree with (not that you guys care what this MIAC poster thinks  ).

Wartburg-Monmouth is gonna be a barn burner. I'd wager Wartburg has the better team, but that QB is just sick good and is the wildcard. Simply too close to call, but if I was in your shoes, I'd go with the homer pick as well!

BV-UWP: Platteville crushed BV in Storm Lake last year. Has BV improved and Platteville digressed that much that BV takes this one on the road? This would be a pretty serious statement as well. But my Bethel squad can attest to what happens when you overlook a BV team you manhandled the year before  

Hardin-Simmons - Coe: I might actually take Coe in this one, and that's in no way a knock on HS. Call it a hunch, but they've got an elite QB and plenty of big game experience from the last two years. But its also a long road trip. The winner is definitely making a national statement in the early going.

Central-UW-Oshkosh: This was a very competitive game last year. The Dutch are always competitive and always have great balance, but isn't it maybe a stretch to say they'll dominate on both sides of the ball? They won by a score at home last year and go on the road this year. I'd still probably favor Central (they have knack for winning the close ones) but I don't expect them to dominate UWO.

Hazzbeen- I think your 2 cents makes a whole lot of sense.  Obviuosly it's all speculation, but like you, I'd be surprised if Central comes close to dominating any part of the game vs Oshkosh.  
I'm hoping  Coe does well vs. Hardin Simmons.  
I have a hard time buying BV beating Platteville- BV scored 2 points last year I think.

Bird dog- You're not one that thinks the bigger schools have the football advantage are you?

Hazzbeen and emma17:  Those predictions I made concerning the IIAC/WIAC matchups had more to do with wishful thinking than they had to do with well thought out analysis. Although I do believe Central will win by +10.

Aw, Warthog, you say the sweetest things...

Do you guys need some privacy 

[doolittledog]

I do think BVU will lose to UW-Platteville...but, I can understand those picking BV to win. 

A - While UW-Platteville won convincingly last season...the previous two seasons BV found ways to lose what was a close game late to the Pioneers.

B - We're IIAC fans...if it's a close call, we tend to choose the IIAC team...See warthog picking UD over Augustana

[doolittledog]

Cornell has a new roster up an their website.

http://www.cornellrams.com/roster/0/5.php

30 Freshmen listed on a roster of 61...numbers are up for them.

6 Iowans in the freshmen class...decent numbers for Cornell and Brautigam based on their history.  9 Florida kids...Brautigam and Davis are still working their Florida gravy train.  3 kids from California...including 1 from Vista High School, Purple Heys still working the recruiting trail for Cornell!!!

If I can convince Mrs Doolittle the lawn doesn't need mowing, and with this heat I should really stay inside today...I will take looks at all the IIAC football pages today

[doolittledog]

BVU making progress on their field renovation.

http://www.bvu.edu/athletics/news_detail.dot?id=202307

They also have their roster up...

http://www.bvu.edu/athletics/sports/football/roster.dot

Looks like 38 newcomers for the Beavers, with 26 of those from Iowa.  

[AZDutchman]

If I can convince Mrs Doolittle the lawn doesn't need mowing, and with this heat I should really stay inside today...I will take looks at all the IIAC football pages today

Dear Mrs. Doolittle,

Please excuse Mr. Doolittle from cutting the lawn today.

If there's one thing I know about, it's heat. I really don't think it would be a good idea for Mr. Doolittle to be outside mowing the lawn today. Even though the riding mower has a cup holder for his "beverages" (and probably a place to strap on the cooler), he may become delusional. You probably would think that this state of mind to be normal, but the heat could possibly cause a level of dehydration were his mind could even be unrecognizable to you.

Sincerely,
AZDutchman
Expert in Heat Analysis

[hazzben]

BVU making progress on their field renovation.

http://www.bvu.edu/athletics/news_detail.dot?id=202307

They also have their roster up...

http://www.bvu.edu/athletics/sports/football/roster.dot

Looks like 38 newcomers for the Beavers, with 26 of those from Iowa.  

I'm most impressed by their clone recruit. Weston Bremer v. 1 is a real athlete, Weston Bremer v. 2 I've heard is the more cerebral player. I'm assuming their planning to use them on different sides of the ball since they have the same number.