FB: American Rivers Conference

[doolittledog]

Why anyone is here discussing a sport whose ball is not an oblique spheroid is beyond me.

Ok, give me your conference standings for next season 1st through 9th and reasons for their placing!!!

[DBQ1965]

Why anyone is here discussing a sport whose ball is not an oblique spheroid is beyond me.

166 days until the season opener!

[Klopenhiemer]

Why anyone is here discussing a sport whose ball is not an oblique spheroid is beyond me.

Ok, give me your conference standings for next season 1st through 9th and reasons for their placing!!!

1.)  Wartburg:  With Yordi at the helm and all the returners that they have, I look for the Knights being the team to beat.  

T2.)  Coe:  With hiring Staker, I see this as a smooth transition, and I look for the KoHawks to be back at the top of the conference.  

T2.)  Central:  I think they lost to much talent to repeat as champs, but I do see them staying in the top three.  It will all depend upon how well all of the new players mesh together.  

4.)  Simpson:  I see Coach Glo making an impact in the conference right away.  I have heard he has lured some good talent down to Warren County.  

5.)  Buena Vista:  They have a lot of Olineman to replace as well as a three year starting to QB, but I do see the Beavers putting together a decent squad.  

6.)  Dubuque:  A lot of big shoes to fill.  

7.)  Loras:  I can not see them being any better than 4-6 with the talent that they have returning.  

8.)  Cornell:  Heys Jr. is the key to offense that scores some points and wins 2 IIAC games this year.  

9.)  Luther:  With the changing of the guard at the top, and what they have returning, I do not see them making a big impact.  

[DutchFan2004]

I won't rank them but here is how I see the conference race so far.

1-2  Wartburg is in the front place now.  They have many returning defensive players.  We will se how good Yordi really is this year.  After loosing his top two running backs, receivers, and O line man there are a few offensive holes to fill.  The defense will be strong as always.

Central has some good young players that have been getting playing time.  Will they be able to win the conference time will tell.  I think that recruiting has been good this year and last so that there should be something to build on.  It will depend on how the tean jels and if the holes left by graduation are filled adequately. 

Also it seems that lately Wartburg has lost a game that maybe they shouldn't have and it has hurt them in the playoff/conference race.  This is the wild card that may come into play.

3-5  Coe, UD, Simpson all will fight for these postions.  Coe may if the offense is shored up with Raeburn leaving could challange for #2.  UD  IMHO has some players to come back with but with not having any real on the line game expierence for the QB may prove to be the key to thier season.  Simpson has been down but with a new coach and direction may get back to the upper division this year. 

6-9  IMHO Loras is next in line.  BV may be able to fit here and with some luck pull off a win against UD or Coe.  Cornell and Luther are rounding out the list.  Luther losing 90% of the offense and the line they had will hurt a bunch.  Cornell while improved in the last year still needs to get into the win column.  I really believe after 0-16 the last two years this year will be the year the Rams come up win an IIAC win. 


Any of these teams may have their places changed with the exception of Wartburg as the front runner.  They have to much D coming back to unseat them from the frontrunner status.  Having said that if they have losses from their returning players then that could even change.  The other factors are transfers from other schools.  If there are some walkons from D1 schools that transfer it may help some teams move up to different positions.  Way to early to cement places IMHO.  I do like the topic though.

[sportsknight]

Why anyone is here discussing a sport whose ball is not an oblique spheroid is beyond me.

I think the conference is going to be wide open this year.  I'd say that Wartburg is probably the preseason favorite, but 2-9 is anyone's guess.  As DF04 said, the Knights have plenty of replacing to do on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense should be good enough to give some of the new guys a couple games of learning curve.  They also get both kickers back this year, which makes a pretty big difference.

Central lost a lot of talent last year, and it will be interesting to see who steps up for the Dutch.  This season might be a lot like 2004 and the first part of '05 for Central, where they take a couple games to get up to speed, but are playing as well as anyone else by November.  Wartburg might have caught a break in playing Central early in the conference season.

Coe and UD both also have some key losses to recover from, particulary at the quarterback spots.  Coe also needs a vast improvement in their O-Line play if they plan to compete this year.

Everyone else...who the hell knows?  Simpson and Luther both have new coaches and both teams will probably have to adjust to new systems.  Cornell will be in year 3 of the Dillon era, and if he is going to turn things around there, the first indications of that change might be seen this year.  I think BV and Loras could be the surprise teams this year.  Not much there as far as preseason expectations go, but both teams have enough returning that they could do some damage.  If Loras can avoid the injuries that hurt them this past year, I think they could even sneak into the #2 spot.

PS - Sounds like St. Cloud will be announcing their new football coach tomorrow morning.

[Walston Hoover]

I'm not going on record like I have with some other things because I don't want to ruin my excellent "rumor turns to truth" ration, but I have heard from up north that Wartburg will be looking for a new AD soon.

[footballdaddy]

If Wartburg does not win the conference this year, someone needs to be called on the carpet. With the schedule in their favor, experience at key positions, and the sour taste left by being left out of the playoffs last year, The Evil Empire has things in their favor.

I'm still picking Central for #2 as long as the new starters don't take too long to find chemistry.

Coe and Simpson are a toss up for #3. Coe has some holes to fill, but maybe with better leadership at the top they will be tough. simpson has a lot of talent looking for some guidance. this year they get it.

It's do or die at Cornell. I think if Dillon doesn't see real improvment, there may be a new sheriff in town.

As for the remainder, I think it's a toss up with anyone being able to win on any given Saturday. I don't see any one win teams, but a lot of beating up on each other.

[The Show]

Better yet I am 2 points ahead of my wife...so I got that going for me!!!

You're in better shape than I am.  I'm only 1 point up on my wife! 

[doolittledog]

Better yet I am 2 points ahead of my wife...so I got that going for me!!!

You're in better shape than I am.  I'm only 1 point up on my wife! 

Well, we're really never ahead of our wives if you think about it!!!

What do people on here think Willis will find more challenging...The difference from D-III up to D-II...or the difference in dealing with a private institution to dealing with a state school???

[Klopenhiemer]

Better yet I am 2 points ahead of my wife...so I got that going for me!!!

You're in better shape than I am.  I'm only 1 point up on my wife! 

And I am 5 points down to my wife

[Walston Hoover]

I am ahead of my wife, and that's about it.
I have a 2-year streak to defend, and our bracket is very heavily weighted towards picking the champion.
As long as Memphis wins, I 3-pete.

[Wartburg Fan]

1) Wartburg is the front runner in the Conference. But their first two games are going to be big ST. Norbert at home and Ausburg at Ausburg. remember what Ausburg did to the Evil Empire last year. Also they have to find a couple of running backs and someone to open the holes,not sure what they have at the wide out position.

2) I have to put Central here, I don't care how may players they lose they are always going to be in the Hunt.

3) Coe with all the young guy on D that are coming back they will be in the game

4) Simpson with new head guy they will have direction.

From there on out I don't know

[Thunderbolt]

Better yet I am 2 points ahead of my wife...so I got that going for me!!!

You're in better shape than I am.  I'm only 1 point up on my wife! 

I've been divorced for seven years. After losing a lot of points the first couple years, I'm making a nice come back.

And I am 5 points down to my wife

[TheOne89.1]

What do people on here think Willis will find more challenging...The difference from D-III up to D-II...or the difference in dealing with a private institution to dealing with a state school???

I haven't really seen much difference between D2 and D3 as far as philosophies are concerned.  Many athletes at D2 (at least at WSU) have said that they came there because of the family atmosphere and they just fit into the program.  Kind of how many kids are sold on D3 programs.  Willis was a grad assistant at Illinois, so he has seen big programs.  I think as a head coach though, the private to public will be the biggest thing to deal with.  I am assuming there are some extra hoops to jump through at the state school.  With private, there were probably some short-cuts you could take when you needed something.

[Klopenhiemer]

I assume there is even more pressure on the recruiting trail as well.  I assume that the d2 schools are going into the JUCO programs trying to bring in talent along with recruiting their home state.  I have also seen the d2 schools spend more time in the southern states such as TX, FL, CA, and AZ. 

That being said, top talent is going to ink their name on the dotted line on that early Feb. day.  So that being said, I assume there are some sleepless nights preparing for this.  I assume there is also a lot more added pressure in the fact that you are now paying kids to play.  If you bring in a turd from XYZ, IA and he never sees the field or performs, no big deal.  If you pay a kid and hes a turd, that a problem.