FB: American Southwest Conference

[jmnaseum]

My predictions:

UMHB
HSU
TLU
ETBU
Miss
La
HPU
McM
SR

[Ralph Turner]

My predictions:

1) UMHB--Still the king!
2) HSU--Makes the Playoffs
3) TLU--Can earn a Pool C bid if they beat Trinity
4) ETBU--Best of the Rest
5) HPU--With their best season
6) AC--Moving on out!  Glad to be dropping UMHB and HSU for Millsaps and Sewanee.
7) MC--Maybe the D2 talk is vanquished.
8) LC  (I just discovered the "8" "0" is the sunglasses emoticon!)
9) McM (But 5-5 would not surprise me either!)
10) SRSU (Might win several conf.  in other parts of the country... )

[roocru]

jmnaseum,

Austin College has not left yet.   You left my Roos out of your picks !!

[Josh Bowerman]

With all due respect to you, Ralph, and to the MHB players that have worked hard and deserve their recognition and success over the last few years, HSU's 10 conference championships and 8 playoff apperances since 1993 still earns them the "King" title in the ASC. 

At least until UMHB can put together a few more seasons like the last two.  Just MHO.

[Ralph Turner]

Josh, ain't it gonna be fun when UMHB and HSU meet again this year? Twice?   I hope that someone can fly either Pat Coleman or K-Mack in for the regular season game . . . a Game of the Week!

What I would really like for the conference is for the conference to be sent to different regions in the playoffs like 2001, except win this time?

If we had tri-champs at 9-1, we might even see 3 playoff bids, too!  That would be special!

Well, we are only 8 days away!

Pick'em contest rules and the Week #1 games will be posted on the other board by Sunday pm.

[Ron Boerger]

Josh, ain't it gonna be fun when UMHB and HSU meet again this year? Twice?   I hope that someone can fly either Pat Coleman or K-Mack in for the regular season game . . . a Game of the Week!

Huh.  If I have to drive to cover the game then those guys can take their chances.   

[Josh Bowerman]

Josh, ain't it gonna be fun when UMHB and HSU meet again this year? Twice?   I hope that someone can fly either Pat Coleman or K-Mack in for the regular season game . . . a Game of the Week!

What I would really like for the conference is for the conference to be sent to different regions in the playoffs like 2001, except win this time?

Agreed, agreed on all fronts.  Kings of the conference or not, UMHB will still be the most formidable opponent on the HSU schedule this year (with UWSP right behind), and is certainly capable of not only winning the ASC, but going deep into the national playoffs.   

And, barring disaster, I think the ASC is a lock for two teams in the playoffs--at least this year.  Three may be hoping for a bit much, even if the nuclear scenario of 3 nine-win teams becomes a reality.

If there's any way I can get down there for that game, I'm certainly gonna try.  I've got the FF miles to do it, but don't know if the work schedule will allow me to get away.

[Ron Boerger]

Three 9-1 teams from the ASC would IMO stand a decent chance of getting three bids.  That would mean that TLU had quality wins against Trinity and either MHB or HSU, with the team losing to TLU beating the one that did not.  It would be virtually impossible to break a tie (unless one of the three losses was substantial).  The "quality of wins" would be very high for all three.  Ralph can probably calculate it in the next ten minutes 

I doubt it will happen (this year, anyway) but it is an interesting scenario to consider.  And should TLU defeat Trinity in two weeks, you can bet it will get some coverage in my column. 

[Ralph Turner]

Bonzo, I forgot about your covering again this year.  Sorry about that!  I will make the same statement .  On October 22nd, HSU ought to pay your gas...200 miles each way, at least 34.5 cents per gallon or better.  That would be reasonable and laudable!  (And I am spending someone else's money! )

UMHB at Willamette is a creditable win!

Ditto for HSU at UWSP on Sep 3rd and TLU at Trinity Sep 10th.

All three of those wins would be creditable but only the South Region win by TLU over TU would count under primary criteria as stated in the 2004 Handbook.

The bubble team might be the 8-1 South Region team which lost to TLU (South Region 9-1).

[Pat Coleman]

Interestingly, HSU has three times benefited from another school's generosity in getting me and/or Keith McMillan to an HSU game -- UW-Stout brought us out for the Stout/HSU game. McMurry brought us out for a Abilene football weekend in 2003 and the HSU/McMurry basketball doubleheader in January 2005.

[Ron Boerger]

And, hey, if someone wants to fly Pat and/or Keith out so it can be the national Game of the Week, I'll gladly get out of the way.  I acknowledge being little more than a bump on the mountain that is D3football.com 

[Ralph Turner]

First press release by the ASC office.

http://www.americansouthwestconf.org/media0506/50824football-weekly.pdf

[cruprez]

Hey Cru fans......
  Thursday's scrimmage (Sept. 1st) has been moved to Friday, Sept 2nd!  Same place...same time...just pushed back a day.....
  G O   C R U!

[Bill McCabe]

I'm interested in the TLU-Trinity.  Should give us a good indication of how much better (?) TLU will be this season.  Trinity already having played a game will give them a huge advantage in my opinion.

[cgmatch]

I think MC will be interesting to watch this year.  Coach Joseph is an excellent coach, and they will definitely be a much better team than in the years past.