FB: American Rivers Conference

[Floyd in Iowa City]

I personally count all of the Iowa Conference seasons, not just from when Wartburg first won a title.

All time (according to the IIAC website):
Central - 26
Simpson - 12
Luther - 11
Wartburg - 10
Dubuque - 6
B.V. - 4
Coe - 2
Loras - 0
Cornell - 0

Its too bad Loras was out of the league for a time and also did not have football.  That still does not completely explain how a pretty good football program has yet to win a league crown.  For your average Iowan who knows something about football, the fact that Loras has not won a title would be considered very surprising.

[Floyd in Iowa City]

Central being good in football should never suprise anyone, just as I would always think Iowa might be able to put together a wrestling team.  However, the Dutchmen have not have two seasons like the last two seasons for over 40 years.  In addition, they do have to replace a lot a seniors on offense and defense.

Dubuque has not had much tradition in football recently.  Cornell has struggled the last couple of years.  B.V. surprised me with how they were playing early but lost a lot of good players from last season's team.  Those three teams would be the shockers to me if they could get it done this year.  Loras might be next after those three since they have to rebuild the offense and have never won a title despite having good teams.

[predictionking]

I'm not here to start "shiite" on your board, but you're kidding yourselves if you really believe the IIAC is even comparable to the MidStates Conference. William Penn and Iowa Wesleyan have both done nothing since they joined that league. And I can promise you both teams have actually improved their talent levels since they became NAIA teams.
I think a lot of you should give Loras some credit for keeping last year's game close. SAU was replacing all of their defensive backfield and virtually their whole offensive line, which was one of the best in the NAIA during the '03 season. This was a team which normally threw the football 25-30 times a game, and they were only able to muster 13 passes because of an inneffective o-line. Had those two teams played later in the season, SAU would've won the game pretty handily. I would wager SAU wins this year's game by two touchdowns or more. The rivalry aspect will keep the game closer, but the talent gap is plenty wide between both programs.

Simpson was beaten soundly by Central Methodist, a 4-6 NAIA team. The margin of victory was only 7 points, but Simpson scored their last two touchdowns against reserves in the 4th quarter. Simpson blew out Loras 31-7. There is no doubt in my mind St. Ambrose would've beaten Central Methodist handily.

Also remember, SAU beat William Penn and Wesleyan by a combined margin of 72-28.

Every season, there are two or three teams from the MidStates better than any team in the IIAC. McKendree, Trinity International, St. Xavier, and maybe even Sat. Ambrose could've beaten any team from the IIAC last year. The midstates champ would be a top 10 D-III team every season.

I'm not trying to start a D-III vs. NAIA debate, because it's a futile argument. But I will definitely take issue with anyone who believes the IIAC is on par with the Mid-States.

IMO, the NAIA and D-III are very similar at the upper echelons of both levels. You guys know very well your league is not one of D-III's elite conferences. The Mid-States MidWest is the 3rd or 4th strongest conference in the NAIA.


p.s. I'm not a St. Ambrose fan, in fact I hate them and their conference, but I can let my own personal biases fall by the wayside to inject a dose of reality into this board.

[Freebird]

DIII football is so funny to me.  for the last two weeks all I have been hearing up here(in minnesota and miac board) is Bethel is going to dominate BV.  I read a few postes on this conferences board and people are saying BV will win.  Knowing only what I remember from BV last year at BU and that they lost 9 D starters I can't imagen how they could be favored or expected to win but that is just me.  I guess that is what happens when you get all your info from fans.  BV fans or dutchman or sc_stormchaser what gives BV the edge over BU?  Good luck this weekend IIAC.

[Confused77]

I don't want to get mixed up in this NAIA talk, but I after predictionkings comments, I feel I must.

NAIA= National Association of Illegal Athletics. There, I did it..I took a swing and connected with a low blow.

The only way people will go to those schools is to pay them to go.

Wow-another low blow.. I am sorry--but come on- the is d3football.com and the iiac message board, not the- any NAIA team would beat (insert d3 team here) board.

Oh- and of course Billy Penn improved their talent level once they left the IIAC. 4th grade pee wee players could have improved their talent level.

-I will sit back and take my written bashing that predictionking will probably give me. But, I am willing to bet that there may be some regulars on this board that just may jump in and save me from my beating

Predictions to come tomorrow

[Lance Harbor]

Prediction King - Central Methodist plays in a different conference than the Mid-States.

The NAIA is a very stretched out level of football.  Some teams have lots of $$$$$ and can fund 24 scholarships (which I think is the limit).  Carroll (MT) and others are basically like D-II schools.  On the other hand, you've got a whole bunch of teams way down on the other end  (Wm Penn, IA Wesleyan, Waldorf) who couldn't hack it in D-III if they tried.

[Freebird]

I have no idea what the talent difference is but I do believe that NAIA has a self report policy which makes it hard to regulate which schools are breaking rules.  

Someone asked earlier about D3 teams affected by Katrina.  The school my father works at in Jackson, Mississippi, Belhaven College, canceled classes for the week and their football game on Saturday vs Mississippi College.  Belhaven is actually NAIA but MC is D3. The Belhaven campus is still w/o power but should re-open with power on Tuesday.  I have no idea what schools like Tulane and others in New Orleans are going to do...

[predictionking]

Lance,

I know more about the NAIA than you would ever know, but thank you for letting me know Central Methodist is in a different conference than St. Ambrose.

It's called the HAAC, it's actually a more athletic conference than the Mid States, but trust me, SAU would've beaten Central Methodist had they played.

Again, I'm not trying to start an NAIA vs. D-III debate.

However, I do believe wholeheartedly the MidStates Conference is better and deeper than the IIAC.

As far as the low blow comment, I could give a rat's crap. I only care about watching quality football. I could care less if a player can read.

BTW, Central Methodist offers 24 scholarships. Carroll College only offers 20.
Money isn't everything, it's how the coaches use their money. Iowa Wesleyan offers 24 scholarships for that matter, but why would anyone want to attend school there? There is no logical reason. The only place worse would be Oskaloosa. Osky is quite possibly the white trash capital of the world.

Waldorf is arguably the worst team in the NAIA, and I'm not sure they've won a single game yet. Iowa Wesleyan and William Penn are brutal as well, but making a judgement on the NAIA or the MidStates because of those teams is like saying the Sun Belt Conference is better than the Big 12 because North Texas beats Baylor every season.

There are plenty of D-III conferences which are stronger than the Mid-States, but the IIAC is not one of them.

[Spurrier]

once and future prediction king. . .

and this free bird you can't change. . .


you men have made it your mission to suck all the fun out of this board. . .i,
king menelaus of sparta, the king of the spartan nation will not allow it. . .
both of you are hereby banished from the iiac board. . .the king has spoken

let the games begin. . .

[lorbec47]

Prediction--You make your comparison to a game that was never played. "Well Central Methodist beat Simpson, whom beat Loras, so Ambrose would have Simpson." Who cares, if it would be such an easy victory get them on the schedule.

St. Ambrose beat Loras by 2. Congrats, you won. Ever see a boxscore to that game? Loras totally controlled the ball, but again they did lose. However, Simpson really thrashed Loras. I can't lie about that. There's a cold, hard-fact comparison.

And if you think that's one game, Loras owned the trophy from the last time those teams played in the 80's.

"I could care less if a kid can read?" That's just insane. If NAIA stands on the same ground you do, get lost. IIAC schools don't sacrifice academics, anywhere.

[Spurrier]

lorbec,

you are on shaky ground as well. . .please go to east dubuque. . .get really drunk. . .then eat two mulgrews chillidogs. . .your prospective of the world will change. . .

[Lance Harbor]

PredictionKing - "Waldorf probably hasn't won a game yet"

Well, golly that certainly shows how much you know about NAIA.  Waldorf won three games last season (2 vs. D-III teams, 1 vs. NAIA)
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Best of luck to all teams this weekend.

Winners:
Luther
Coe
Cornell
Bethel (will be a closer game than MIAC people think)
Augustana
UW-Platteville
Simpson
Loras
Wartburg

[Fannosaurus Rex]

As a long-time Central fan, I am getting just a little tired of all of this talk about the Dutch being "washed up."  Based on nothing but my burning desire (the doctor says the penicillin will clear it up in a week or two) to see Central return to its rightful place atop the IIAC, here is how I see the 2005 season.

Central hasn't done well on the road or on man-made playing surfaces lately.  So, I'm not optimistic about their prospects on Augustanna's rug.  I only feel a little better about the Bethel game because, at least they play on real grass and, if we are lucky, they still haven't found a kicker.  Win or lose, those two hard fought road games will provide valuable seasoning to the inexperienced Central squad.  The next generation of super-stars will emerge, and the Dutch will win out, including their first win over Wartburg in the twenty first century (the win in 2000 was the last of the twentieth century).  It will go down in Central lore like, "The Miracle in the Mud," only it will have to be called something like, "The Miracle on the Chopped up Tires."

[lorbec47]

Spurrier,
What are you basing this on? A 2-point loss last year, finally snapping a 4 game win-streak Loras had over Ambrose. Not that Mulgrews doesn't sound awesome right about now!!!

[Lance Harbor]

The Knights are struggling mightily right now:

Millikin 21
Wartburg 0

HALFTIME