FB: American Rivers Conference

[Walston Hoover]

I didn't realize that the Gopher game started at 6. They are my favorite big 10 team (this week) so I look forward to listening to them on the way back.

[dutchfan1]

Good Morning to everyone. 2 days away from Football again.

WH, do you think the bye week at the end of the season will make a difference in the Knight game? Sometimes a bye week helps heal nagging injuries, sometimes it slows growing momentum. Thoughts?

[Klompen]

If urgency is what has gotten WB through the past few weeks, I'm worried about their playoff longevity.  Urgency got them OT against Dubuque???  That sounds like a one and done forecast, not something I would be talking about in terms of the playoffs.  I know Central barely beat Dubuque this year too, then again, we finished fifth in the conference and if we hadn't been talking about playoffs in week one and two, we wouldn't have gotten to talk about them at all.  

Good luck to WB on Saturday.  I would love to see the IIAC continue the progress that Central made last year going 3 deep into the playoffs.  Just saying, I would not use the past few weeks to talk about being prepared for the playoffs.  

[DutchFan2004]

Charlie,

Not picking on the Kohawks but you last post got me to thinking.  With Coe having field turf and I believe this is year two is it not?  Do you think that has affected them in any way changing playing surfaces?  Losing all their home games was it the change to turf or schedule with the teams you had at home this year?  I think the last time Coe beat Central, Central still had grass.  This is what got me to thinking along this line.  Your opinion and comments may have some insight.  Just curious on what you thought about it.  I know there could be and probably are more reasons but I just got to thinking about the change and the questions popped into this old brain of mine. 

[Kohawk Krazy]

Charlie,

Not picking on the Kohawks but you last post got me to thinking.  With Coe having field turf and I believe this is year two is it not?  Do you think that has affected them in any way changing playing surfaces?  Losing all their home games was it the change to turf or schedule with the teams you had at home this year?  I think the last time Coe beat Central, Central still had grass.  This is what got me to thinking along this line.  Your opinion and comments may have some insight.  Just curious on what you thought about it.  I know there could be and probably are more reasons but I just got to thinking about the change and the questions popped into this old brain of mine. 

I don't think it affected the Kohawks play what-so-ever.  We had it last year and played fine at home.  Coe was 4-1 in 2007 at home, with the only loss being a 28-21 overtime defeat to Dubuque.

[the_mayne_event]

Charlie,

Not picking on the Kohawks but you last post got me to thinking.  With Coe having field turf and I believe this is year two is it not?  Do you think that has affected them in any way changing playing surfaces?  Losing all their home games was it the change to turf or schedule with the teams you had at home this year?  I think the last time Coe beat Central, Central still had grass.  This is what got me to thinking along this line.  Your opinion and comments may have some insight.  Just curious on what you thought about it.  I know there could be and probably are more reasons but I just got to thinking about the change and the questions popped into this old brain of mine. 

I don't think it affected the Kohawks play what-so-ever.  We had it last year and played fine at home.  Coe was 4-1 in 2007 at home, with the only loss being a 28-21 overtime defeat to Dubuque.

i just think it was the fact that Coe wasnt as good as years past.  i dont think playing surface has anything to do with it.

[doolittledog]

Throw out non-con games and you have a Coe team that went 4-4 in conference play this season.  Coe went 5-3 in conference play each of the last 2 years.  Throw in a coaching change and I think dropping to 4-4 from 5-3 the previous year isn't that drastic of a situation to be in. 

[the_mayne_event]

Throw out non-con games and you have a Coe team that went 4-4 in conference play this season.  Coe went 5-3 in conference play each of the last 2 years.  Throw in a coaching change and I think dropping to 4-4 from 5-3 the previous year isn't that drastic of a situation to be in. 

the team 2 years ago shouldnt have been 5-3

[sportsknight]

If urgency is what has gotten WB through the past few weeks, I'm worried about their playoff longevity.  Urgency got them OT against Dubuque???  That sounds like a one and done forecast, not something I would be talking about in terms of the playoffs.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, Klompen, but a year ago at this time I'd be willing to bet that you'd be singing the praises of a team that "just found a way to win."  I don't think it would take a lot of effort to look back to last year's regular season to find games that Central probably should have won by a much larger margin than they did.

[doolittledog]

Teams with new coaches this year...

Coe went from 5-3 to 4-4
Luther went from 4-4 to 4-4
Simpson went from 3-5 to 5-3
Wartburg went from 7-1 to 7-1

[DutchFan2004]

If urgency is what has gotten WB through the past few weeks, I'm worried about their playoff longevity.  Urgency got them OT against Dubuque???  That sounds like a one and done forecast, not something I would be talking about in terms of the playoffs.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, Klompen, but a year ago at this time I'd be willing to bet that you'd be singing the praises of a team that "just found a way to win."  I don't think it would take a lot of effort to look back to last year's regular season to find games that Central probably should have won by a much larger margin than they did.

I am not sure that is entirely true.  I think that last year's IIAC was a much stronger conference as a whole.  UD was better, Luther was better, Coe was better, you can argue Wartburg was better and Central was much better.  So to say that Central should have won by larger margins I don't think you can say for certainty.  In the end Wartburg got it done, the rest of the league didn't is the bottom line.  The W's all look the same on the IIAC page.  There aren't pretty ones and there are no ugly ones just W's. 

[Walston Hoover]

But this year BV is better, Loras is better, Simpson is better, and, even though it didn't show in the W column, COrnell was better.
Just because the traditional powers aren't the same doesn't mean the conference as a whole is down. We'll find out Saturday a lot more.

If urgency is what has gotten WB through the past few weeks, I'm worried about their playoff longevity.  Urgency got them OT against Dubuque???  That sounds like a one and done forecast, not something I would be talking about in terms of the playoffs.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, Klompen, but a year ago at this time I'd be willing to bet that you'd be singing the praises of a team that "just found a way to win."  I don't think it would take a lot of effort to look back to last year's regular season to find games that Central probably should have won by a much larger margin than they did.

I am not sure that is entirely true.  I think that last year's IIAC was a much stronger conference as a whole.  UD was better, Luther was better, Coe was better, you can argue Wartburg was better and Central was much better.  So to say that Central should have won by larger margins I don't think you can say for certainty.  In the end Wartburg got it done, the rest of the league didn't is the bottom line.  The W's all look the same on the IIAC page.  There aren't pretty ones and there are no ugly ones just W's. 

[doolittledog]

I think the IIAC going 9-9 in their non-con games is where the perception the conference is down is coming from. 

[sportsknight]

But this year BV is better, Loras is better, Simpson is better, and, even though it didn't show in the W column, COrnell was better.

Those are actually the three ugly Central wins from '07 that I was thinking of.

[Willie University]

Regarding endowments...

A lot of Wartburg's endowment weakness (and it used to be worse) comes from it's historical mission... educating teachers and pastors.  While this mission has been broadened over the last few decades, the people that are dying now  that went to Wartburg way back when generally participated in professions that may have been good for the soul, but perhaps not so good for the wallet.

Wartburg has recently done quite well in putting people into medical school and the hard sciences... I suspect you will see a subtantial shift in the endowment profile when these people (my generation +/- and later) start to croak ;-)

Ed

Wartburg's historical mission no different then the University of Dubuque or many of the other IIAC colleges ........ Your president, board of trustees, and Alumni department just need to think outside the box with regards to inspiring giving.

One of UD's biggest supporters, Charles & Romona Myers, who have given at least over $20+ million aren't even alums. They are "friends" of UD. In addition to the Wendt family who gave over $30 million. They may have had some family attend UD in the past, I don't know but they would be considered "friends" of UD as well.

You just have to find good "friends" 

Willie U