FB: American Rivers Conference

[coocooforcoekohawk]

Just looking at the iowaconference.com website and if my public school math is accurate, IIAC kickers were 27-28 on PAT's Saturday. Even though they should be automatic, that is VERY Good.

Do you think it would be a good idea instead of always kicking extra points from the middle of the field that if the offensive team scores a touchdown with a fade pass to the left corner of the endzone you then have to kick your extra point from the left hash mark?  It might spice up the game just a little bit

Sounds a bit too much like Rugby

[doolittledog]

Just looking at the iowaconference.com website and if my public school math is accurate, IIAC kickers were 27-28 on PAT's Saturday. Even though they should be automatic, that is VERY Good.

Do you think it would be a good idea instead of always kicking extra points from the middle of the field that if the offensive team scores a touchdown with a fade pass to the left corner of the endzone you then have to kick your extra point from the left hash mark?  It might spice up the game just a little bit

Sounds a bit too much like Rugby

That's what gave me the idea!!!

[realistic]

a little love for D3.com and Cornell from Pat Forde today

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3003569&sportCat=ncf&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

[youcantseeme]

Mike Hlas from the CR Gazette wrote about Freddy Jackson this AM.

http://gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070904/SPORTS/70904087/1056

Thats a nice article.  I read it this morning.  Usually I am offended that Hlas has a media job because he lacks imagination or the desire to do any research......oh yeah and he acts like a douche in person, but this was a nice little piece.

[Purple Heys]

For me personally, I just don't like the WIAC.  Public schools with 6,000-12,000 enrollments should be Div. II in my opinion... 

This UW thing has always been a headscratcher to me, too.  But waddya gonna do?

I like the idea of an annual "Border War" with the IIAC and the MIAC.  Those kinds of things help expand a conferences recruiting base...although that goes both ways.  If it weren't for the unrealistic expense, I'd like to see an IIAC vs. SCIAC  faceoff...then we could get tapping into that SoCal talent base with the promise of a SoCal trip to recruits every other year.

[Pat Coleman]

I'm fairly certain that if you don't give athletic scholarships, you should be Division III, regardless of size. This isn't high school, where you recruit your entire team as walk-ons from the student body.

[sportsknight]

Congratulations to TE Ryan Hoerner for making the d3fb.com TOW.
The blurb from go-knights.net

"Junior tight end Ryan Hoerner of Epworth, after registering one of the top single-game efforts for a tight end in Wartburg football history at Monmouth College of Illinois last weekend, was placed on D3Football.com's Team of the Week. Hoerner hauled in six catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns during the 35-7 win."

Think its too early to start calling him the second coming of Dump Denner?

[DutchFan2004]

Congrats to Tom and Coe for the award of POW and to Ryan Hoerner for his D3 TOW selection.  That is a nice compliment to be chosen. 

[Purple Heys]

I'm fairly certain that if you don't give athletic scholarships, you should be Division III, regardless of size. This isn't high school, where you recruit your entire team as walk-ons from the student body.

Pat - I hear you...but I can't say I agree with your rationale.  I think enrollment size and their public school status provides potential advantages.  But I am not saying they should be kicked upstairs either, so to speak.

From my perception, the WIAC has more in common, from an enrollment perspective, with the Pioneer League, an NCAA 1-AA non-scholarship league of teams than with the IIAC. 

If the PFL teams played D3, I think they'd do as good as or better than the WIAC collectively.

USD, for example, has 7000 students.  I seem to remember USD was a D3 team way back when...maybe it was NAIA.  I know they used play Redlands and other SCIAC teams regularly.

The PFL teams give scholarships for other sports though, and compete those at the D-1 level.  NCAA does not allow competing at two different levels.  So they can't play D3 football.

But it is all moot really...how then does one account for Mount Union with a enrollment of just over 2k if it were just a numbers game.  Somewhere Coaching and recruiting is involved...

One other note doesn't Colorado College have some sort of loophole allowing them to give athletic scholarships?

[Pat Coleman]

A handful of schools have one or two Division I sports each. None of the athletes in those sports can play a D-III sport at that school. And no school can play "up" in football or basketball.

They have advantages, sure. Hasn't exactly panned out in football, the biggest sport of all, has it?

[DutchHawk]

Pat and everyone else...as far as the larger public school issue goes...has anyone heard much talk about "grayshirting"??

[Purple Heys]

For me personally, I just don't like the WIAC.  Public schools with 6,000-12,000 enrollments should be Div. II in my opinion... 

This UW thing has always been a headscratcher to me, too.  But waddya gonna do?

I like the idea of an annual "Border War" with the IIAC and the MIAC.  Those kinds of things help expand a conferences recruiting base...although that goes both ways.  If it weren't for the unrealistic expense, I'd like to see an IIAC vs. SCIAC  faceoff...then we could get tapping into that SoCal talent base with the promise of a SoCal trip to recruits every other year.  8)

Work with me here...I'm thinking of literary opportunity of Luther and LaVerne or the Storm and the Stags or the Beavers and the Bulldogs, the Knights and the Kingsmen.  'hawks (Du or Ko) vs. 'hens (Sage); Wartburg and Whittier.

Is it just me? 

[Alfredeneumann]

A UW-schools question.

If you are going to limit the enrollment size to be D3 are you going to put minimum to be D1? Duke has less then 7k and several D1 basketball are in the MN- IA D3 schools size?

As long as they play by no scholarship/recruiting rules I have no problems, I'd use the "we're David and they're Golith" when we'd play but it's still 11 on 11.

[formerd3db]

I'm fairly certain that if you don't give athletic scholarships, you should be Division III, regardless of size. This isn't high school, where you recruit your entire team as walk-ons from the student body.

Pat - I hear you...but I can't say I agree with your rationale.  I think enrollment size and their public school status provides potential advantages.  But I am not saying they should be kicked upstairs either, so to speak.

From my perception, the WIAC has more in common, from an enrollment perspective, with the Pioneer League, an NCAA 1-AA non-scholarship league of teams than with the IIAC. 

If the PFL teams played D3, I think they'd do as good as or better than the WIAC collectively.

USD, for example, has 7000 students.  I seem to remember USD was a D3 team way back when...maybe it was NAIA.  I know they used play Redlands and other SCIAC teams regularly.

The PFL teams give scholarships for other sports though, and compete those at the D-1 level.  NCAA does not allow competing at two different levels.  So they can't play D3 football.

But it is all moot really...how then does one account for Mount Union with a enrollment of just over 2k if it were just a numbers game.  Somewhere Coaching and recruiting is involved...

One other note doesn't Colorado College have some sort of loophole allowing them to give athletic scholarships?

Purple Heys:

I'm not intending to be causing any havoc here, however, USD beat Yale last year quite convincingly.  I think that puts them in a slightly different talent level than the average DIII team.  Yet, as always, there are acceptions to "the rule".  Many posters around these boards have had these DIII vs. DIAA or "whomever" discussions before.  Everyone has their opinion, but it is an interesting discussion.

[formerd3db]

BTW, to all you Central supporters who may be making the long trip to Holland this weekend, I wish you all a safe trip.  The evening game will be a special event for our campus and school and here's HOPEing the weather will again be fabulous for the game and community event.