FB: American Southwest Conference

[Ralph Turner]

I was going to suggest that if we remodel the 'Catdome we do all the finish work in shiplap.  Then we can slap some big rusty letters on the wall that spells out L-I-N-F-I-E-L-D and put 500 pillows on a set of bleachers.

ROTFL   +1!

[USTBench]

I was going to suggest that if we remodel the 'Catdome we do all the finish work in shiplap.  Then we can slap some big rusty letters on the wall that spells out L-I-N-F-I-E-L-D and put 500 pillows on a set of bleachers.

ROTFL   +1!

Could really make it feel like a Cat-HOME.

[RFB]

Not saying it's impossible, SJU has done it, UST has played in two championships, so it's conceivable. But if you take a look at the powers more closely, there are certainly factors that go beyond game plan that go into building a winning program. I already touched on Mount Union, but here are some others.

UWO - Can pull from Green Bay, Milwaukee and Madison areas. No D2 or FCS nearby to compete with. Competes with UWW over players.

UWW - Can pull from Milwauikee, Madion and Chicago areas. Top 2 or 3 stadium in D3. No D2 or FCS nearby to compete with. Competes with UWO over players.

UMHB - Between Austin and Dallas. Nicest stadium in DIII. Some FCS and D2 programs nearby, but more than enough talent to go around in Texas.

SJU - Top atmosphere in D3. Pulls from St. Cloud and the Twin Cities. Great tradition. One-of-a-kind experience. Negatives: competes with UST, Bethel, all Minnesota D2 schools and to a lesser extent UND and NDSU for players. All male school in the country.

UST - Nice urban campus in Minnepolis/St. Paul. Pulls from the Twin Cities, Wisconsin and has shown ability to get players from Chicago area. Facilities have improved vastly, to enhance game day experience. Opportunity to play in a big time atmosphere once a year. Recent success ensures more games than most college kids get. Negatives: Has to compete with SJU, Bethel, D2 schools and to a lesser extent UND and NDSU for players. Inconsistent fan support.

UST and SJU have had to get creative with recruiting recently to compete at their current sustained level. I think either UWW and UWO will manage to stay in the national conversation for years to come, simply because they can pull an incredible amount of talent from that region with little or no competition for recruiting. If you're not going to play for the Badgers and you're from Wisconsin, your options are going to play for an FCS school 500 miles away or staying close to home and playing for the local DIII school. UST and SJU have perennial D2 powers UM-Duluth and MSU-Mankato nearby offering scholarship money, and a tuition tab that is pretty substantial. Quite honestly, it's pretty amazing they're as good as they are.

Good post. Try recruiting in California with tough admissions, a 60K yearly price tag, and 60+ junior college football programs.

[USTBench]

RFB,

Could also be indicative of the culture. In certain part of the country it's almost a slap in the face to not get that D1 offer, so JUCO is their last chance. Some kids (or parents) have unrealistic expectations. I think UMHB has done a good job of giving their program a D1 feel, and showing a kid it's possible to get to the NFL from there helps. That's hard to create in the south and in California where HS kids are used to playing in front of 15K+ and now expected to go to some school and play in front of 200 mildly interested people looking to pass the time on a nice fall day.

I was watching the Netflix documentary "Last Chance U" where the second year guy won the starting job over a Florida State outcast and was only recruited by Mississippi College and some other DIII schools. When his academic adviser suggested it would be a good opportunity he looked like he'd rather die. The "happy ending" epilogue is that he walked-on at Mississippi State where he gets to be the third string Scout team QB and 7th on the depth chart.

There's some parts of the country that really embrace D3: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio. And some parts where it doesn't even exist, either for logistical reasons or regional devotion to NAIA or Division II, like Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska (save for one school), Kansas, Colorado. Then there's the south. Texas has started to turn a corner it seems. But Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, are missing out. Sure, there's a few schools there. And Berry's rise seems promising, but I'd like to see some more decent teams out there. These parts of the country are missing out. Honestly, schools like Jamestown in North Dakota or Carroll College in Montana would be a great fit are doing themselves a disservice. Why take on the logistical nightmare of scholarships and air travel, when you can create a conference of 9 or 10 teams, bus to games, and be competitive right away? Montana Tech, Carroll, Montana Northern, Montana State - Billings, Southern Oregon, Rocky Mountain College, the College of Idaho; likewise, Mary, Mayville St., Presentation, Dickinson St., Jamestown, Valley City State (even Mary and Minot in D2, which is woefully ill-equipped to compete at that level), could eliminate 90% of their budget headaches by competing against each other in D3.

I'm not sure what the answer is in California. There's Cal, Stanford, SDSU, USC, UCLA, SJSU, USD, Davis, Poly, Sac State, and maybe a few other FBS/FCS schools I'm missing, but not many. That's not a lot of big time football for 60,000,000 people. I'm surprised there isn't a stronger D2/D3 presence there.

[RFB]

RFB,

Could also be indicative of the culture. In certain part of the country it's almost a slap in the face to not get that D1 offer, so JUCO is their last chance. Some kids (or parents) have unrealistic expectations. I think UMHB has done a good job of giving their program a D1 feel, and showing a kid it's possible to get to the NFL from there helps. That's hard to create in the south and in California where HS kids are used to playing in front of 15K+ and now expected to go to some school and play in front of 200 mildly interested people looking to pass the time on a nice fall day.

I was watching the Netflix documentary "Last Chance U" where the second year guy won the starting job over a Florida State outcast and was only recruited by Mississippi College and some other DIII schools. When his academic adviser suggested it would be a good opportunity he looked like he'd rather die. The "happy ending" epilogue is that he walked-on at Mississippi State where he gets to be the third string Scout team QB and 7th on the depth chart.

There's some parts of the country that really embrace D3: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio. And some parts where it doesn't even exist, either for logistical reasons or regional devotion to NAIA or Division II, like Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska (save for one school), Kansas, Colorado. Then there's the south. Texas has started to turn a corner it seems. But Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, are missing out. Sure, there's a few schools there. And Berry's rise seems promising, but I'd like to see some more decent teams out there. These parts of the country are missing out. Honestly, schools like Jamestown in North Dakota or Carroll College in Montana would be a great fit are doing themselves a disservice. Why take on the logistical nightmare of scholarships and air travel, when you can create a conference of 9 or 10 teams, bus to games, and be competitive right away? Montana Tech, Carroll, Montana Northern, Montana State - Billings, Southern Oregon, Rocky Mountain College, the College of Idaho; likewise, Mary, Mayville St., Presentation, Dickinson St., Jamestown, Valley City State (even Mary and Minot in D2, which is woefully ill-equipped to compete at that level), could eliminate 90% of their budget headaches by competing against each other in D3.

I'm not sure what the answer is in California. There's Cal, Stanford, SDSU, USC, UCLA, SJSU, USD, Davis, Poly, Sac State, and maybe a few other FBS/FCS schools I'm missing, but not many. That's not a lot of big time football for 60,000,000 people. I'm surprised there isn't a stronger D2/D3 presence there.

Another good post. The SCIAC is the only D3 conference in California, but many kids have trouble qualifying for admittance. Couple that with the soaring costs, and JC ball looks like a great option. California used to have great presence in D2, but most schools dropped their programs in the 90's. I think that Humboldt State and Azusa Pacific are the lone D2 schools left, but Humboldt looks like they are dropping football which is sad as they have a successful program.

[Jack Parkman]

RFB,

Could also be indicative of the culture. In certain part of the country it's almost a slap in the face to not get that D1 offer, so JUCO is their last chance. Some kids (or parents) have unrealistic expectations. I think UMHB has done a good job of giving their program a D1 feel, and showing a kid it's possible to get to the NFL from there helps. That's hard to create in the south and in California where HS kids are used to playing in front of 15K+ and now expected to go to some school and play in front of 200 mildly interested people looking to pass the time on a nice fall day.

I was watching the Netflix documentary "Last Chance U" where the second year guy won the starting job over a Florida State outcast and was only recruited by Mississippi College and some other DIII schools. When his academic adviser suggested it would be a good opportunity he looked like he'd rather die. The "happy ending" epilogue is that he walked-on at Mississippi State where he gets to be the third string Scout team QB and 7th on the depth chart.

There's some parts of the country that really embrace D3: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio. And some parts where it doesn't even exist, either for logistical reasons or regional devotion to NAIA or Division II, like Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska (save for one school), Kansas, Colorado. Then there's the south. Texas has started to turn a corner it seems. But Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, are missing out. Sure, there's a few schools there. And Berry's rise seems promising, but I'd like to see some more decent teams out there. These parts of the country are missing out. Honestly, schools like Jamestown in North Dakota or Carroll College in Montana would be a great fit are doing themselves a disservice. Why take on the logistical nightmare of scholarships and air travel, when you can create a conference of 9 or 10 teams, bus to games, and be competitive right away? Montana Tech, Carroll, Montana Northern, Montana State - Billings, Southern Oregon, Rocky Mountain College, the College of Idaho; likewise, Mary, Mayville St., Presentation, Dickinson St., Jamestown, Valley City State (even Mary and Minot in D2, which is woefully ill-equipped to compete at that level), could eliminate 90% of their budget headaches by competing against each other in D3.

I'm not sure what the answer is in California. There's Cal, Stanford, SDSU, USC, UCLA, SJSU, USD, Davis, Poly, Sac State, and maybe a few other FBS/FCS schools I'm missing, but not many. That's not a lot of big time football for 60,000,000 people. I'm surprised there isn't a stronger D2/D3 presence there.

Another good post. The SCIAC is the only D3 conference in California, but many kids have trouble qualifying for admittance. Couple that with the soaring costs, and JC ball looks like a great option. California used to have great presence in D2, but most schools dropped their programs in the 90's. I think that Humboldt State and Azusa Pacific are the lone D2 schools left, but Humboldt looks like they are dropping football which is sad as they have a successful program.

Humboldt keeping football....

https://twitter.com/RyanPForan/status/938174391967293440

[RFB]

RFB,

Could also be indicative of the culture. In certain part of the country it's almost a slap in the face to not get that D1 offer, so JUCO is their last chance. Some kids (or parents) have unrealistic expectations. I think UMHB has done a good job of giving their program a D1 feel, and showing a kid it's possible to get to the NFL from there helps. That's hard to create in the south and in California where HS kids are used to playing in front of 15K+ and now expected to go to some school and play in front of 200 mildly interested people looking to pass the time on a nice fall day.

I was watching the Netflix documentary "Last Chance U" where the second year guy won the starting job over a Florida State outcast and was only recruited by Mississippi College and some other DIII schools. When his academic adviser suggested it would be a good opportunity he looked like he'd rather die. The "happy ending" epilogue is that he walked-on at Mississippi State where he gets to be the third string Scout team QB and 7th on the depth chart.

There's some parts of the country that really embrace D3: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio. And some parts where it doesn't even exist, either for logistical reasons or regional devotion to NAIA or Division II, like Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska (save for one school), Kansas, Colorado. Then there's the south. Texas has started to turn a corner it seems. But Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, are missing out. Sure, there's a few schools there. And Berry's rise seems promising, but I'd like to see some more decent teams out there. These parts of the country are missing out. Honestly, schools like Jamestown in North Dakota or Carroll College in Montana would be a great fit are doing themselves a disservice. Why take on the logistical nightmare of scholarships and air travel, when you can create a conference of 9 or 10 teams, bus to games, and be competitive right away? Montana Tech, Carroll, Montana Northern, Montana State - Billings, Southern Oregon, Rocky Mountain College, the College of Idaho; likewise, Mary, Mayville St., Presentation, Dickinson St., Jamestown, Valley City State (even Mary and Minot in D2, which is woefully ill-equipped to compete at that level), could eliminate 90% of their budget headaches by competing against each other in D3.

I'm not sure what the answer is in California. There's Cal, Stanford, SDSU, USC, UCLA, SJSU, USD, Davis, Poly, Sac State, and maybe a few other FBS/FCS schools I'm missing, but not many. That's not a lot of big time football for 60,000,000 people. I'm surprised there isn't a stronger D2/D3 presence there.

Another good post. The SCIAC is the only D3 conference in California, but many kids have trouble qualifying for admittance. Couple that with the soaring costs, and JC ball looks like a great option. California used to have great presence in D2, but most schools dropped their programs in the 90's. I think that Humboldt State and Azusa Pacific are the lone D2 schools left, but Humboldt looks like they are dropping football which is sad as they have a successful program.

Humboldt keeping football....

https://twitter.com/RyanPForan/status/938174391967293440

Great news! Thanks for sharing.

[joelmama]

Going to rookie mini camp and signing a deal are two different things. SMH. Anyway, I believe it was this website  that reported double digits had tryouts, but 5 actually signed with teams from the 2012 team according this article: https://www.ohio.com/akron/sports/larry-kehres-effect-mount-union-players-who-played-in-nfl

If you don't think that's a little unprecedented for D3 then I guess I don't know what to say anymore.

You're arguing that you're less talented than I'm implying. Which is odd, but I didn't arbitrarily pick a number.

I don't think double digits had tryouts and I don't think this site reported it. 
They did report this.  http://www.d3football.com/notables/2013/04/2013-draft-coverage
But do not let the facts get in the way.

And wow five tryouts is a great accomplishment but only one has played professionally and that is in Canada which is not to be sneezed at but its not 10 guys getting NFL tryouts.  I am not even sure they had ten seniors first string on the depth chart that year.

[umhb2001]

De'Eric Bell must be Bo Jackson's second coming.

[DFWCrufan]

RFB,

Could also be indicative of the culture. In certain part of the country it's almost a slap in the face to not get that D1 offer, so JUCO is their last chance. Some kids (or parents) have unrealistic expectations. I think UMHB has done a good job of giving their program a D1 feel, and showing a kid it's possible to get to the NFL from there helps. That's hard to create in the south and in California where HS kids are used to playing in front of 15K+ and now expected to go to some school and play in front of 200 mildly interested people looking to pass the time on a nice fall day.

I was watching the Netflix documentary "Last Chance U" where the second year guy won the starting job over a Florida State outcast and was only recruited by Mississippi College and some other DIII schools. When his academic adviser suggested it would be a good opportunity he looked like he'd rather die. The "happy ending" epilogue is that he walked-on at Mississippi State where he gets to be the third string Scout team QB and 7th on the depth chart.

There's some parts of the country that really embrace D3: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio. And some parts where it doesn't even exist, either for logistical reasons or regional devotion to NAIA or Division II, like Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska (save for one school), Kansas, Colorado. Then there's the south. Texas has started to turn a corner it seems. But Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, are missing out. Sure, there's a few schools there. And Berry's rise seems promising, but I'd like to see some more decent teams out there. These parts of the country are missing out. Honestly, schools like Jamestown in North Dakota or Carroll College in Montana would be a great fit are doing themselves a disservice. Why take on the logistical nightmare of scholarships and air travel, when you can create a conference of 9 or 10 teams, bus to games, and be competitive right away? Montana Tech, Carroll, Montana Northern, Montana State - Billings, Southern Oregon, Rocky Mountain College, the College of Idaho; likewise, Mary, Mayville St., Presentation, Dickinson St., Jamestown, Valley City State (even Mary and Minot in D2, which is woefully ill-equipped to compete at that level), could eliminate 90% of their budget headaches by competing against each other in D3.

I'm not sure what the answer is in California. There's Cal, Stanford, SDSU, USC, UCLA, SJSU, USD, Davis, Poly, Sac State, and maybe a few other FBS/FCS schools I'm missing, but not many. That's not a lot of big time football for 60,000,000 people. I'm surprised there isn't a stronger D2/D3 presence there.

It's not that he would rather not play at a D3 program, he had his heart set on that one school and that school only - Most of the Juco would not fit into a D3 setting, many believe they are too good and only will accept a DI appointment or nothing.

[GillCJ1]

RFB,

Could also be indicative of the culture. In certain part of the country it's almost a slap in the face to not get that D1 offer, so JUCO is their last chance. Some kids (or parents) have unrealistic expectations. I think UMHB has done a good job of giving their program a D1 feel, and showing a kid it's possible to get to the NFL from there helps. That's hard to create in the south and in California where HS kids are used to playing in front of 15K+ and now expected to go to some school and play in front of 200 mildly interested people looking to pass the time on a nice fall day.

I was watching the Netflix documentary "Last Chance U" where the second year guy won the starting job over a Florida State outcast and was only recruited by Mississippi College and some other DIII schools. When his academic adviser suggested it would be a good opportunity he looked like he'd rather die. The "happy ending" epilogue is that he walked-on at Mississippi State where he gets to be the third string Scout team QB and 7th on the depth chart.

There's some parts of the country that really embrace D3: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio. And some parts where it doesn't even exist, either for logistical reasons or regional devotion to NAIA or Division II, like Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska (save for one school), Kansas, Colorado. Then there's the south. Texas has started to turn a corner it seems. But Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, are missing out. Sure, there's a few schools there. And Berry's rise seems promising, but I'd like to see some more decent teams out there. These parts of the country are missing out. Honestly, schools like Jamestown in North Dakota or Carroll College in Montana would be a great fit are doing themselves a disservice. Why take on the logistical nightmare of scholarships and air travel, when you can create a conference of 9 or 10 teams, bus to games, and be competitive right away? Montana Tech, Carroll, Montana Northern, Montana State - Billings, Southern Oregon, Rocky Mountain College, the College of Idaho; likewise, Mary, Mayville St., Presentation, Dickinson St., Jamestown, Valley City State (even Mary and Minot in D2, which is woefully ill-equipped to compete at that level), could eliminate 90% of their budget headaches by competing against each other in D3.

I'm not sure what the answer is in California. There's Cal, Stanford, SDSU, USC, UCLA, SJSU, USD, Davis, Poly, Sac State, and maybe a few other FBS/FCS schools I'm missing, but not many. That's not a lot of big time football for 60,000,000 people. I'm surprised there isn't a stronger D2/D3 presence there.

Another good post. The SCIAC is the only D3 conference in California, but many kids have trouble qualifying for admittance. Couple that with the soaring costs, and JC ball looks like a great option. California used to have great presence in D2, but most schools dropped their programs in the 90's. I think that Humboldt State and Azusa Pacific are the lone D2 schools left, but Humboldt looks like they are dropping football which is sad as they have a successful program.

Humboldt keeping football....

https://twitter.com/RyanPForan/status/938174391967293440

Random fun fact - one of our former players (who is now an assistant coach) was a QB transfer from Humboldt State.  In fact, I believe his father posted on these boards for a short time after his transfer.  Never saw the field though due to injuries (was it concussions?).  Anyways, he tweeted his excitement when the program announced they would continue fielding the team.  Good stuff.

[Kelly Boggs]

UMHB had better be ready to play on Saturday and the offense must be better than it was against St. Thomas. Brockport is going to come to play and has nothing at all to lose. I expect Brockport to throw everything it has, and then some, at The CRU. UMHB must be ready to weather the storm and respond in championship fashion.   

Just an FYI and a FWIW: In 2004, UMHB was ranked #8 at the end of the regular season. The CRU went on a tear in the playoffs and eventually beat #1 Mount Union, at Alliance, in the Semifinals to secure a spot in UMHB's first Stagg Bowl. This year, Brockport ended the regular season ranked #10. The Golden Eagles have been rolling in the playoffs and will face #1 UMHB on the road in Belton. UMHB burst onto the D3 national scene with an upset of mighty Mount in 2004. Upsets happen and The CRU needs to bring its A+ game to ensure that doesn't happen on Saturday.

   

[USTBench]

UMHB had better be ready to play on Saturday and the offense must be better than it was against St. Thomas. Brockport is going to come to play and has nothing at all to lose. I expect Brockport to throw everything it has, and then some, at The CRU. UMHB must be ready to weather the storm and respond in championship fashion.   

Just an FYI and a FWIW: In 2004, UMHB was ranked #8 at the end of the regular season. The CRU went on a tear in the playoffs and eventually beat #1 Mount Union, at Alliance, in the Semifinals to secure a spot in UMHB's first Stagg Bowl. This year, Brockport ended the regular season ranked #10. The Golden Eagles have been rolling in the playoffs and will face #1 UMHB on the road in Belton. UMHB burst onto the D3 national scene with an upset of might Mount in 2004. Upsets happen and The CRU needs to bring its A+ game to ensure that doesn't happen on Saturday.

UMHB - 56
Brockport - 0

[wm4]

UMHB - 56
Brockport - 0

UHMB 34
Brockport 3

[wildcat11]

It's gonna be an UMHB ass kicking.