FB: American Rivers Conference

[doolittledog]

For you guys that are starting to get the itch for six weeks from now, you can get your fix this afternoon by watching the Iowa Shrine Game broadcast.  Starts at noon on your local Fox station (or at least it does here in Eastern Iowa).

Hopefully the announcers do a good job of mentioning where the kids are going for college.  I saw in the Dubuque paper one kid that was going to Wartburg.  Two others that were considering small schools instead elected to walk-on at Iowa. 

[Klopenhiemer]

My take on Iowa is this. To be totally honest, Iowa is a second tier school. They will alyas be looking up at the USC's, LSU's, and Florida's of the BCS. This means that they end up having to recruit second tier players. The top players will never look at Iowa. Iowa's choice is getting a solid citizen with less talent, or a potential impact player with baggage. Obviously we can see which way they went, and it's backfiring. I believe Hayden Fry went the other way with less talented players and found a way to get the most out of what he had. Maybe Iowa recruits in a way to imply that in the state of Iowa, there is less trouble to get in to, but that has been proven not the case. My biggest fear is that this is only the tip of the iceberg, and that coverups are the norm. I know that the other state schools aren't immune to problems. but it seems like it's the culture at Iowa.

I'll echo the sentiment: Thank goodness for D3 and the IIAC!

FBdaddy...I see what you are saying.  I also must reiterate that I am catching up so I am sorry if I am beating dead horses.  

I am a die hard Hawkeye fan and I think its a total outrage what is happening in Iowa City with the players these days.  Lets look at the bigger picture though, I think its an outrage what kids are doing/getting away with at even younger ages today.  Drugs, sex, and rock n' roll are deeply rooted in our middle schools now.  

If you are saying that Iowa is a second tier team, what does that say for ISU.  Are they a third tier along with the likes of Bowling Green, Akron, and Toledo?  Please do not give me the Big 12 crap and how is a far superior conference.  In the last 10 years there are few bowl wins, New Years Day Bowl, Big 10 Championships, impact pro players coming out of Iowa City.  Can the same be said in Ames?

[Klopenhiemer]

I do support and love ShowMe's optimism.  I think there are lots of reasons for teams and fans to have optimism and concerns.  In my mind, Cornell has the most reason for optimism because they can only do better, or at worse, the same.  From years of watching Central men's and women's basketball, both of which have seen down times, I know that when you are at, or near the bottom, there is always hope.  Every game is a reason for hope.  Maybe you aren't going to have the long run of good luck that ShowMe is predicting, but you can come into each game with hope that the team will really come to play.  They have nothing to lose because the expectations aren't there to the extent that they are with other teams.

Central is still my pick for first place.  But when I take off my red glasses, I can see that Central is really the team with the most to lose this year.  The expectations are high because all of us red glasses fans believe they will always find a way.  At the same time, they lost the most talent to graduation this year that I have seen in years and years of following the Dutch.  And let's face it, the IIAC was a challenge nearly every single week last year.  Granted, we had some extremely talented young men with injuries during the IIAC part of the season that added to the closeness of the games, but this year those players will not be there to step back in.  Dustin V and David Z. are both good players who could have started for some other conference teams, but they don't have the same spark as Vance did.  Sure Connell was an unknown entity for the most part until his sophomore year, but he stepped up big time and kept getting better and better.  Can Bandow follow his example?  The Dutch have the pressure of high expectations and a long regular season win streak.  Will this year's version be able to handle that?  Will Wartburg come too early in the season for a young team, or will the early season favor a relatively unknown team who may be unpredictable?  I think this is the year that people will stop questioning why McMartin wins coach of the year if he is able to pull off another championship.

If Cornell can get a solid performance on the OL/DL, better defensive pressure and an average kicking game, we have reason to be optimistic because of the returning players in the skill positions on offense. My hopes are based on the principle that a few players can make a big difference. With the investment Cornell made in last years freshman class, I predict some of them will make a big difference this season along with the returning players that have carried the program. The combination will lead to something that hasn't been seen at Cornell lately

The expectations are high for Central and Wartburg. It's a lot easier for those teams to take other teams for granted and not recognize the competing talent. Each year is a new team that has to jell together. I believe both are very good football programs.

Great post.  This could apply to BV, Simpson, Lurther, and Loras regarding success in the upcoming season. 

[Klopenhiemer]

The combination will lead to something that hasn't been seen at Cornell lately

1 conference win will accomplish this..... 

My skeptism around Cornell is based on:

0 Conference wins the last 2 years
2 Conference wins the last 4 years
0 Wins against Central the last 10 years (Combined Score of the 10 games 389-62 w/ 2 games where Cornell scored > 7 pts)
1 Win against Wartburg the last 10 years

Just hard to imagine Cornell challenging for a conference title.  Maybe they will.....but....

And when the above numbers change and they finally reach the top, it will be one sweet party in Mt. Vernon.  The same will be said for BV and Loras. 

[Klopenhiemer]

Thanks Doolittle. I had to catch up on a lot of BS to get to the end.
This is the time of year where everyone is happy because no one sucks yet and supposedly everyone got better in the offseason.
There's not enough wins to go around to make all the new coaches "good hires." Most likely one or more will never have a winning season in the IIAC.
Something I have to get off my chest. Those who say the past doesn't matter are more than likely from a school that doesn't have a past to celebrate. Every place I have been, our pride has been in our tradition. WHen the kids suit up and play, or when we get ready to coach, we are trying to uphold the standards that have been set by those that went before us. That is why the past matters. When Central scores on their first possession against Cornell (sorry to pick on you Rams), don't think the first thought from the Dutch will be "here we go again," Likewise, don't think the first thought from the Rams will be "here we go again."
Central is still Central, and they are still the champs. Don't try and discredit 40 or more years of history by saying that doesn't matter. Its no accident that they win all their close games over the last 3 years. The mindset has been developed. Best of luck to the rest of the conference changing that, but guys, it ain't happening. I'm not saying the Dutch will be the champs for sure, but you won't see them out of the top 3.
Only one team, ONE team can say that they've been playing for a conference championship in week 10 ever year since 1998. That team is Wartburg. Programs are what are going on in Waverly and Central, and as much as it pains me to say it, Coe. Whether that program will continue or not with Staker, the jury is out on that. Brautigham has done an excellent job at UD pulling that program out of the toilet. They may dip to .500 in a given year, but I don't ever see them falling below that. Right now, those are the 4 programs in the conference. Everyone else can talk all they want, but as long as McMartin, Koehler, and Brautigham are around, it is going to be a race for 4th place in the IIAC on a consistent basis. I'm not saying another team can't sneak in there every once in a while, but year in and year out, those are going to be your teams.
So here's to every year, Wartburg and Central battling it out for the conf championship, and UD and Coe playing spoiler. Good luck to everyone else at being that surprise team that finishes over .500 in the conf.
There's 36 IIAC wins to be had each year, and Central, Wartburg, UD, and Coe are going to take 26 of them. That leaves 10 wins to spread amongst the other 5.
Fire away with the negative remarks, but don't discount and take away from the programs that win year in and year out by saying that the past means nothing.

Hoover....I am on board with what you are saying and I think that tradition plays a much bigger role in wins and losses than anyone wants to admit.  Take a look at Notre Dame.  They have not won anything of recent but still have the aura around them as a top 10 program in the nation.  Lets face it, kids go there because of what was built 40 plus years ago and want to be a part of that. 

I had a nice discussion on the WIAC board a while ago regarding this same thing between UWW and SJU.  The UWW boys were trying to blame the Johnnies of the same crime.  The facts are that is UWW boats another successful 10 year and makes it 13 seasons in a row as a top tier team, they will be saying the same thing. 

The only way that Cornell, BV, and Loras will make it to the top is if the players within the program but aside all past performances and start to believe in a winning tradition.  Leave the traditions to the programs that have it, and I hope the players who play on teams with less tradition make it a point to start one. 

Ram fans, if you can go 5-5 this season then you will have a block to start building your tradition based wall out of.  The future could be bright. 

[sportsknight]

For you guys that are starting to get the itch for six weeks from now, you can get your fix this afternoon by watching the Iowa Shrine Game broadcast.  Starts at noon on your local Fox station (or at least it does here in Eastern Iowa).

Hopefully the announcers do a good job of mentioning where the kids are going for college.  I saw in the Dubuque paper one kid that was going to Wartburg.  Two others that were considering small schools instead elected to walk-on at Iowa. 

Yeah, Tyler Hoerner, a DL from West Dubuque.  I'd guess that he' either the brother or cousin of current Wartburg TE Ryan Hoerner.

That Tobin lad from Beckman that is walking on at Iowa lives just down the road from my grandma and by all accounts he's one heck of a good kid.  You won't hear me say that about many kids from Beckman.

Basically all the announcers (Rob and Bob Brooks) have talked about so far is James Vandenburg, the QB from Keokuk that's headed to Iowa in a couple weeks.

[Old Dutch]

ya, by the looks of the score in the paper he was kind of featured all game.  I'm with Doolittle, I wish they'd stop talking about the walkons and give all the college bound kids destinations.

[footballdaddy]

My take on Iowa is this. To be totally honest, Iowa is a second tier school. They will alyas be looking up at the USC's, LSU's, and Florida's of the BCS. This means that they end up having to recruit second tier players. The top players will never look at Iowa. Iowa's choice is getting a solid citizen with less talent, or a potential impact player with baggage. Obviously we can see which way they went, and it's backfiring. I believe Hayden Fry went the other way with less talented players and found a way to get the most out of what he had. Maybe Iowa recruits in a way to imply that in the state of Iowa, there is less trouble to get in to, but that has been proven not the case. My biggest fear is that this is only the tip of the iceberg, and that coverups are the norm. I know that the other state schools aren't immune to problems. but it seems like it's the culture at Iowa.

I'll echo the sentiment: Thank goodness for D3 and the IIAC!

FBdaddy...I see what you are saying.  I also must reiterate that I am catching up so I am sorry if I am beating dead horses.  

I am a die hard Hawkeye fan and I think its a total outrage what is happening in Iowa City with the players these days.  Lets look at the bigger picture though, I think its an outrage what kids are doing/getting away with at even younger ages today.  Drugs, sex, and rock n' roll are deeply rooted in our middle schools now.  

If you are saying that Iowa is a second tier team, what does that say for ISU.  Are they a third tier along with the likes of Bowling Green, Akron, and Toledo?  Please do not give me the Big 12 crap and how is a far superior conference.  In the last 10 years there are few bowl wins, New Years Day Bowl, Big 10 Championships, impact pro players coming out of Iowa City.  Can the same be said in Ames?

Unfortunately, ISU (I state?) is among the 70 or so D1 (BCS?) teams on the outside looking in. I guess that Iowa State is the equivavlent to Simpson or BV in the IIAC except that ISU has the share of a division title and competed for another in the last 5 years. And like Simpson, BV, and the other schools that haven't been at the top for a while, hope springs eternal.

And maybe with 15% of Iowa's players in legal trouble, ISU may be the second best football team in the state to UNI.

[footballdaddy]

ya, by the looks of the score in the paper he was kind of featured all game.  I'm with Doolittle, I wish they'd stop talking about the walkons and give all the college bound kids destinations.

I finally turned it off. I'm sorry, but Bob Brooks is a fossil. Sometimes I wonder what game he is watching. There has to be someone better to broadcast these games. The major reason to watch this game is to see kids from your area play, and find out their future plans. That's not happening today.

[footballdaddy]

Well it took until 2:30 lest in the Shrine bowl before the IIAC was mentioned. It was described as "fun" football .

[sportsknight]

I finally turned it off. I'm sorry, but Bob Brooks is a fossil. Sometimes I wonder what game he is watching.

BLASPHEMY!!!

Doing color commentary is clearly not his element, but Brooksie still adds quite a bit to the broadcast.

I think Fox is doing a poor job of covering the Shrine Game year in and year out.  They never tell you when its going to be on and they do an awful job of making sure every kid gets a mention.  It is an all-star game after all.  Why they didn't have graphics with the starting lineups at any point is beyond me.  I think Mediacom or IPTV could do a much better job of airing the game.

[New Storm]

I finally turned it off. I'm sorry, but Bob Brooks is a fossil. Sometimes I wonder what game he is watching.

BLASPHEMY!!!

Doing color commentary is clearly not his element, but Brooksie still adds quite a bit to the broadcast.

I think Fox is doing a poor job of covering the Shrine Game year in and year out.  They never tell you when its going to be on and they do an awful job of making sure every kid gets a mention.  It is an all-star game after all.  Why they didn't have graphics with the starting lineups at any point is beyond me.  I think Mediacom or IPTV could do a much better job of airing the game.

The Des moines Register does no advance stories for the game . Sad  because it is a great game for an even greater cause

[sportsknight]

But that would require the Rag to stop their minute-by-minute coverage of Shawn Johnson's every move.

[New Storm]

But that would require the Rag to stop their minute-by-minute coverage of Shawn Johnson's every move.

Or what is happening at Iowa

[old 40]

Just visiting the IIAC from the NAC. Just wonding about the validity of the rumor around Grand Valley that the Wartburg coach has taken the OC job at Grand Valley State. Iam just seeing if these are truths or someone's imagination running amuck. Keep us posted Wartburg fans.