FB: American Rivers Conference

[the_mayne_event]

For those needing a football fix -- Joe Brannen threw four touchdown passes tonight in the Barnstormers' 53-38 victory over the Steamwheelers. Could he be the next Kurt Warner? Fred Jackson? 

I hope his success will lead to the Barnstormers giving other IIAC players a chance to break into the league.  There are many that have the talent to play at that level.  They had a Barnstormer announcer on the local sports radio station up here in Waterloo last week who tried to bring up Brannen a few times but the local DJ only wanted to talk UNI players getting a chance and former Hawkeyes and Cyclones...he just wasn't interested in IIAC players unfortunately. 

The Steamrollers, QuadCity team, which played the Barnstormers on Saturday night, featured 2 other former IIAC stars in Jessie Schmit (BV- WR) and Sean Kennedy (Coe-OT).  Schmit had atleast 2 touchdowns from what i saw

[Purple Heys]

We had a little action in the Chicago this morning with a 5.2 level earth quake hitting 230 miles south of the windy city. 

This thing was felt from Kansas to Ohio from what the news reports are saying. 

The wife, who is from Cali, and I felt the first one, My daughter and I felt the second one at about 10:15 a.m.  My wife said, "if this wasn't Iowa I would swear that was an earthquake."

CooCoo...tell your wife she missed a golden opportunity to make you feel like a stud.  Her comment should have gone as follows:

"Coocoo honey...either that was an earthquake or your just made the Earth move."



But you can tell by her calibrated experience that 5.2 isn't really registering on the typical Californians sensitivity meter.

Watch out for more according to the NGS, this one may trigger a bigger one.  Thanks for making PH Jr. feel at home.   

[DBQ1965]

What ... no posts since Sunday morning?

Everybody's scrambling trying to figure out a 19 to put in today!!!

19 ... number of Baltimore QB Johhny Unitas ... one of the all-time great NFL quarterbacks.

[Alfredeneumann]

Another NFL Hall of Famer #19 - Lance Alworth of the Chargers.
Powder blue uni's and all.

Wartburg futball hires BJ Buchholtz from Northwestern of Ia, Orange city for both men and wome's teams.
http://www.go-knights.net/news/Article.aspx?ID=2707

[Alfredeneumann]

19 - Wartburg's most consecutive IIAC games WON, 1998-99-2000

[Alfredeneumann]

19 - Varsity sports most IIAC schools have. A few have a couple more.

[DBQ1965]

Anyone remember which school in Ohio hired the former UD Offensive Coordinator as Head Coach?

[oldNorse]

.......back to IIAC football to stew the conversation:

I just looked at the Central football website and found that the Dutch have scheduled Lakeland and Albion for their non-conference games.  I am wondering why Central doesn't play some real competitors in those games.  Is it simply to stack up more wins against pansies?  Last year they had at least one real contest.  Now it seems the goal is simply to put two notches in the belt.

I realize Luther has scheduled Waldorf but they also have St. Olaf once again.  Both are natural selections given the backgrounds of the schools.

Come on Dutch.....schedule somebody. 

[Walston Hoover]

I'm all for the pre-conference games being against a patsie. No sense going in to the conference slate with a loss already. Plus the Dutch will be breaking in a new QB.

[Pat Coleman]

It's possible that scheduling is a two-way street, as well, and that nobody who's that good wants to play Central.

[Purple Heys]

It's possible that scheduling is a two-way street, as well, and that nobody who's that good wants to play Central.

I think Pat is close to the mark here.  Nobody in D3 wants to schedule UW-W and way out west, Linfield would love to get a game against a SCIAC team but typically no soap.

At a certain point a team get too good for its own good I guess.   

[DutchFan2004]

.......back to IIAC football to stew the conversation:

I just looked at the Central football website and found that the Dutch have scheduled Lakeland and Albion for their non-conference games.  I am wondering why Central doesn't play some real competitors in those games.  Is it simply to stack up more wins against pansies?  Last year they had at least one real contest.  Now it seems the goal is simply to put two notches in the belt.

I realize Luther has scheduled Waldorf but they also have St. Olaf once again.  Both are natural selections given the backgrounds of the schools.

Come on Dutch.....schedule somebody. 

Old Norse,

Pat is dead center on.  After having games with Augustana, Bethel, and St Thomas the last three years, Hope was also there but that was a two year deal and they were a playoff contender.  Hope was not a real tough playoff team but they were a qualifier none the less.  Bethel would not renew, and St Thomas would not renew as well.  Augustana filled up so in a way they chose not to renew with Central as well.  I know that there was a scramble to get a tenth game for this fall.  Albion would not return the game in Pella so it is only a one year deal so there could be a tenth game.  I do know that Redlands was contacted to fill the tenth game but they could not return the game in Pella as well.  I also know that Mount Union was even contacted but when you only have one non conference game they fill up fast.  With the MIAC not wanting to schedule games it makes it a little more difficult to schedule.  Waldorf being a natural selection is a stretch IMHO.  They are not a d3 school and would give Luther no boost in a selection process for a playoff game what so ever.  So before you start casting stones maybe you should move out of the glass house you live in.  Walston brings up a good point as well.  With all the losses to graduation the Dutch have some holes to fill.  Why would you want to load up the non conference schedule as well as having to go through a usually demanding IIAC schedule too?  When Central was down from 4-5 years ago they did not have any trouble filling the nonconference games.  

As discussed in previous posts scheduling tough teams do no good for the upper level teams in the AQ conferences.  With needing a 9-1 record to get into the dance unless you win the conference why would you schedule a loss.  SJU, UWW, and the other conference leaders do not "load" up.  If you suffer a conference loss and then have a nonconference loss you are almost out of the playoffs.  I hope this helps anwwer your question.  

[doolittledog]

It has been said many times on this board before.  Central has probably become a victim of their own success in that nobody wants to schedule a loss...something a non-con game against Central probably will be. 

That said, there was some talk on here last year by some Central supporters when the topic of non-con games came up that other IIAC teams should schedule their non-con games against good teams...like Central does 

[5 Words or Less]

...With needing a 9-1 record to get into the dance unless you win the conference why would you schedule a loss.  SJU, UWW, and the other conference leaders do not "load" up.  If you suffer a conference loss and then have a nonconference loss you are almost out of the playoffs.  

Does Pool C consider schedule strength?

[DutchFan2004]

Strength of Schedule is a criteria that is used in the pool C selection yes.