FB: American Rivers Conference

[Charlie Kohawk]

I'm going to madison instead. Anybody have any recomendations as far as bars or restaurants go? I have never been up there.

State Street Brats. You're in for a great time. Madison is an awesome college football town.

[Ash Park]

Thanks Charlie I'll check it out. I have heard that madison is awesome.

[DutchHawk]

Madison would be a great time this weekend! Maybe Iowa decides to show up and upsets? We can hope anyway!

Good luck to all the IIAC teams this weekend, hopefully everyone has a safe and injury free Saturday and of course....GO DUTCH!!

[warthog]

PH:

Good for you.  There is no better reason than that to be for the Rams.

[MNbeev]

First to sportskinght in the words of Billy Madison, NO YOU SUCK...kidding, but explaining BV's uniforms the team/coaches wanted to bring back the tradition of gold and blue uni's and make them look "new age."  I am sorry we can't all be ready for Holloween every saturday, but blue and gold is the way we roll.  Rhyming is Key. 

Secondly to youcan'tseeme, in response to your reaction trap it worked.
1. I will agree with you on the dubuque/simpson game, dubuque will win, but by a larger margin.  I can't see simpson's D, yes with some talent stop so much offense.
2.  Yes, BV's O is struggling, alot, but maybe they might show up.  And BV's D is for real, having all returners except for 2 is a solid D.  And we all know from past scores BV doesn't play well at Waverly.
3.  Correct.
4. I do agree that Wartburg is at the top of the conference, but that was against a struggling BV O, and a D that doesn't do well at Waverly.  So somethings could be different when they play non-struggling Teams. 

[BeaverFan3208]

For the record:  I think BV's new uniforms suck.

Sportknight - well you know what they say... opinions are like assholes...every one has one

[TheOne89.1]

I have heard that madison is awesome.

I am a Bears fan, so naturally I hate the Packers very much so....but I will be the first to admit that every football fan needs to go to Lambeau Field.  It is one of the BEST places to watch a football game.

I am not really much of a Badgers fan (actually an Irish fan...bad year to be one of those)...but I had the chance to go to a game at Camp Randall last year.  I was in the alumni section and it was an early non-conference game, but it was one of the best college stadiums (fans and atmosphere) I have ever been to.  When "Jump Around" comes on and the student section starts jumping or when they do the wave (with many variations)...just a great time.  I'm sure you will have an awesome weekend there Ash Park....and State Street is one hell of a party (kind of a more expensive version of La Crosse's 3rd Street).

Anyone else out there know of some amazing stadiums to visit?

[Purple Heys]

Purple Heys,

I think that is the difference in programs.  Central, Wartburg, and Coe don't measure a sucessful season by the IIAC crowns it is measured in how far we get in the playoffs.  We as a conference have not had a lot of success these last years.  Saying that it is a given that we will have a loss this year is a defeatest attitude  (much like Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and Move On.org have with our country).  I think that if you ask any of the successful programs MUC, St Johns, UWW they all expect to get to the Stagg Bowl that is their goal.  Maybe a lofty one but a goal none the less.  I know the Central players as many as 65 I was told worked at the off season workouts with just that goal in mind.  I hope that we do not have a loss this year and so far we do not.  There is no quick answers to success but hard work.  I think your Coach Dillon has that mentality.  I hope it pays off for the Rams.  You are right that D3 ranks our conference at 12th I believe.  We have to have some success in the playoffs to change that.  That is how D3.com measures the conference and if we continue to go 0fer in the playoffs maybe they are correct.  I think you are envious of the stature of  Coe, Central, and Wartburg.  We expect to win IIAC crowns.  If that is a crime I plead guilty.  As Charlie and CooCoo from Coe,  any of the Wartburg crowd,  Sportsknight, Walston Hoover, Warthog, or any other of the Dutch we are not happy with less than an IIAC crown. Are we infalible not on your life there was only one and he didn't play football.  But to assume that we will get beat is a bad attitude and IMHO has no place in a winning program.  If you don't think you can win the Stagg Bowl you never will. 

No need to address the other stuff...

Dutchfan you missed my point...which was/is the IIAC has not established itself as a premier conference, which is a direct result of our top teams not beating the top teams from other conferences.  It is not defeatist to state that the Dutch will lose this year..it is accepted that they most likely will not beat the likes of Mt. Union or UW-W...one of whom the Dutch must probably beat to complete an unbeaten season.  That does not mean that one should not aspire to do so.

Now there are those on this board that have basically told me to put a sock in it because I support Cornell and I can't claim they are going to win an IIAC game because they haven't won one in 2 years.  On the other hand it's perfectly OK for them to claim, in their own myopic way, that their team will have success beyond what their respective past history has indicated to the contrary.

To that I say bunk.  Every team that values competition should have lofty goals.  Reach as far as you can I say.

Honk as loud as you can for your team...try to honk louder than me, but don't tell me to stop honking and I won't tell you to stop either.

[Purple Heys]

I'm still honkin'...GO RAMS!!

...errr...it's a Bye Week...

Go IIAC, good luck and good health to all teams.

[ramfan27]

I've been reading the board for awhile but haven't posted for awhile.  I just wanted to say Heys as a fellow Ram supporter and a recent grad I would only say one thing.  People on this board will never tell you to put at sock in it b/c of who you support, in fact I'm fairly certain everyone in here loves more people to debate different views.  However, most of these people are very knowledgeable on their IIAC football, past and present.  So you can claim the Rams will win any or every IIAC game this year, but to be taken seriously you had better have some legitimate points to support that.  Realistically Cornell is a few years away from hopefully climbing the ranks in the IIAC.  We haven't won more than 3 conference games in a year since '01.  Cornell is taking the right steps I believe but they have a ways to go.  I do think that they have a legitimate shot in winning some conference games, but you have to win the close ones like last week.  That was always the knock us under Reasland, couldn't ever pull out the close ones.  My senior year we lost 5 of our 8 games by 14 points or less.  Thats a hurdle Cornell needs to get over to start moving up the ladder.

[Fannosaurus Rex]

I went to a Wisconsin football game and left right after it was over.  Now people tell me I missed the best part.  They call it "The 5th Quarter," and I'm told it is one of the better post game shows put on by the band and, I gather, anyone else who wants to join in.

I have heard that madison is awesome.

I am a Bears fan, so naturally I hate the Packers very much so....but I will be the first to admit that every football fan needs to go to Lambeau Field.  It is one of the BEST places to watch a football game.

I am not really much of a Badgers fan (actually an Irish fan...bad year to be one of those)...but I had the chance to go to a game at Camp Randall last year.  I was in the alumni section and it was an early non-conference game, but it was one of the best college stadiums (fans and atmosphere) I have ever been to.  When "Jump Around" comes on and the student section starts jumping or when they do the wave (with many variations)...just a great time.  I'm sure you will have an awesome weekend there Ash Park....and State Street is one hell of a party (kind of a more expensive version of La Crosse's 3rd Street).

Anyone else out there know of some amazing stadiums to visit?

[SpeedKills84]

Madison is one of the top stadiums to go to a collegiate football game.  I would advise Ash Park to check out the Nitty Gritty while he is there, along with all of State St. To say that Madison is a party town is an understatement, have fun watching the UW take it to em haha.



As for Cornell football, I can say that they are on the upswing.   It'll take time and they may not win many this year but in time their status/reputation in the league will improve.  Being around the players on a daily basis, it is nice to see the difference in mentality from when Reasland was coaching to now with Dillon at the helm.  Having guys like Purple Heys around makes it even better.  Confidence breeds success. 

[Purple Heys]

Hell yeah, Speedie.

That's a good point...confidence...Cornell has more of that than I saw last year...I can't speak for any further back.

BTW Ramfan, I would say Cornell can win close games, out of conference at least, and showed they have the potential to do it, this year, in the IIAC...IF Loras can be used as an indicator.  We'll see more by how Loras fares against the remainder of the IIAC.

Last year Cornell really had few close IIAC games...after halftime; this year against Loras they drove the ball very quickly in response to the INT return for TD that put Loras ahead.  Yes, the Rams failed to convert...once on consecutive penalties and the other on an INT at the Loras 5 when the receiver slipped.

Both of these were unforced mistakes.  The penalty was totally avoidable and one would expect a better tteam does not make that sort of error when the chips are down.  The slip was just blind, stinking luck.

Clearly these are should-a/would-a's...but I think more recent Cornell teams would not even have been in a position where these mistakes would have any bearing on the game.

The real answer is talent.  Cornell has a lot more talent than last year...but they still don't have the depth or breadth of talent compared to most of the rest of the league.  I think the gap has narrowed though, which is why I am convinced the IIAC winless streak ends this year.

Loras was a winnable game, last year I could not say that emphatically.

Progress.

[Purple Heys]

 So you can claim the Rams will win any or every IIAC game this year, but to be taken seriously you had better have some legitimate points to support that.

Never said that...read:  http://www.d3sports.com/post/index.php?topic=3785.msg755866#msg755866

It still comes down to talent as in more talent gives a team better potential.  Talent can be squandered.  Dillon is a good coach and is taking good advantage of the talent he has.  He simply needs more.

And what I will say is that this year the Rams have futher developed the existing talent base and are making inroads to bringing in more talent.  Enough talent to have a chance to compete while lacking the numbers that the other schools enjoy...most other schools have talent AND numbers.  Cornell seems to only be able to pick one thus far.  Pick quality over quantity, I say.

I would be happy if Cornell develops in the next year or two as Dubuque has this year and last.

[DutchFan2004]

ramfan27,

+k well said about the Rams.  I think that your coach going 4 -0 in nonconference has proved that he is turning it around.