FB: American Southwest Conference

[proudmcmdad]

Based on the Pickem's contest for this week, a couple of pretty obvious observations:
Everyone thinks a whole lot about MHB and SRSU, with me being the lone dissenter so far on MHB this week.  MHB beats CNU at the end of this season in the playoffs, I think, but MHB hasn't played a game yet this year and CNU, even though they are traveling a long way (that didn't hurt UWLC last week at HSU), won a big game last week and having that game under their belt is the reason I went with MHB.
Of course, I only picked 3 out of 8 last week (though there was a lot of people tied and worse than me).
McM is being given the benefit of the doubt this week after a 2 touchdown loss a long way from home against a well thought off opponent.
LC, ETBU and TLU are big underdogs this week with only LC getting moderate support and one lone dissenter for ETBU.
After last week's results, nobody is too far ahead to be caught with a lot of weeks in the season left especially if you consider that MHB will go to the finals of the playoffs.  We have a handful of new players this week, the rest of you show off your prowess and joing the action.

[SRDAD]

"Sul Ross has never looked like a very disciplined team, and the inability to look good even when winning shows that they still need to improve before they expect to be able to contend with the big boys. (UMHB and HSU...TLU doesn't count)"

  CruKid, with respect, they're all big boys in the ASC.

[CruAlum90]

Hey ralph, you don't have to tell me about national championships, I've been on the sideline for one, have you or any person in McMurrys history. No.  You don't have to tall me about Larry Keres either, I've met the man, he's a great guy and a great coach but UMHB is 1-0 against him and his purple raiders. 

[Josh Bowerman]

Hey ralph, you don't have to tell me about national championships, I've been on the sideline for one, have you or any person in McMurrys history. No.  You don't have to tall me about Larry Keres either, I've met the man, he's a great guy and a great coach but UMHB is 1-0 against him and his purple raiders. 

I anticipate a dog piling, soon.  Ralph, I hope that you'll indulge me the liberty of firing the first zinger!   

[Ralph Turner]

Hey ralph, you don't have to tell me about national championships, I've been on the sideline for one, have you or any person in McMurrys history. No.  You don't have to tall me about Larry Keres either, I've met the man, he's a great guy and a great coach but UMHB is 1-0 against him and his purple raiders. 

I anticipate a dog piling, soon.  Ralph, I hope that you'll indulge me the liberty of firing the first zinger!   

Josh, it is almost too easy. 

Okay CruAlum90, in the post season, this board bleeds ASC.

You will not find a more vituperative harangue than mine in addressing the administrative incompetence by not realizing that the change in mileage standards for the 2006 football playoffs should have had Millsaps at UMHB and HSU having a home game.

The "Larry Keres" to whom you refer has brought home 2 Stagg Bowl Championships since you last walked the sidelines in Salem.

I think that obviates the "unrivaled" description of the UMHB staff.

[Bill McCabe]

CruAlum90, why are you coming down on Ralph.  I have found him to be the most knowledgeable person about D3 football on any of these boards.  I don't begrudge him one bit being a supporter of his alma mater.  He is very proud of them and I salute him supporting them.  He has also been very supportive of UMHB and the ASC as a whole.  Your enthusiasm for the Cru is admirable, but your comments to Ralph are way off base.

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks for the kind words, Bill.  I will take Crualum90's initial postings as the intemperate exuberance of youth.     (I won't smite him.  We need all of the posters that we can get.)

Big game for UMHB and the ASC.

Last weekend, we took quite a hit to the conference reputation.

HSU lost big, and must show something at Linfield.

HPU disappointed me.

ETBU's lost to Trinity was an opportunity lost.

My preliminary projection had a 3-TD loss by McMurry as reasonably plausible, long road trip, new coach, new QB.

The circumstances around the MissCollege comeback calls into question the validity of the win.

Good luck on Saturday.  (I see that UMHB needs non-conference games in 2008.  Any rumors?)

[Bill McCabe]

Saturday is a big game for UMHB.  It should be a real test for them and a chance to make a statement nationally.  I hear that they again have lots of speed.  Hopefully, that speed will help them start the season off with a big win.

[roocru]

Saturday is a big game for UMHB.  It should be a real test for them and a chance to make a statement nationally.  I hear that they again have lots of speed.  Hopefully, that speed will help them start the season off with a big win.

Bill,  are you going to Belton on Saturday?  I plan to be there and try to meet up with CNU85 before the game.

[Gray Fox]

Saturday is a big game for UMHB.  It should be a real test for them and a chance to make a statement nationally.  I hear that they again have lots of speed.  Hopefully, that speed will help them start the season off with a big win.

Bill,  are you going to Belton on Saturday?  I plan to be there and try to meet up with CNU85 before the game.

I plan to be there also.

[Bill McCabe]

I'm not going to make the game.  Ryan said he might try to come down from Ft. Worth.

[CruAlum90]

Bill McCabe.........................................................Tell Ryan I said Hey.  Ralph, you're right, we do need all the posters we can get, and you're also right in saying that the NCAA has screwed the ASC pretty much every year we've been in the playoffs.  I'll agree with you there.  However, my comments about the UMHB coaching staff were not directed towards you, they were more of a "shout out", if you will, to people I know and love.  I did not expect you to take it to heart as you did, and your blatant and obvious disrespect for these poeple, who I love, caused my reaction. as a result, I feel it completely appropriate to tell you that while some yankee with his name on a trophy (gagliardi) may claim rights to winningest coach in ncaa history, and blah, blah blah, blah. Pete Fredenberg is the best football coach in divison 3 football.  He runs a program that is eximplified by moral character, respect, discipline, and unity in team.  I would run into a bullet for that guy, and so would his team.  i dont expect you to know what commitment like that feels like, most people don't, but I can assure you that before you make judgement on that coaching staff, and "coordially" invite me to post on some one elses post patern, you need to make it a point to meet these men.  To know the values they teach, to know what breeding winners really is.   Big Game? In the preseason? We save our big games for the post season.  I dont care if you support us in the post season, guy, if you root against the Cru at any point in the season, then you root against us always.  You expect me to respect the fact that you root for us after the fact that you haven't won enough games to get to the playoffs, I will never respect that, its winner take all in this conference, you all know we dont get out of the first two rounds without knocking each other out.  This is cut throat football. period. you would all do better to stand up for your team, represent them to the fulllest, and stand up for what you believe.  I believe in the C.R.U. cru,cru,cru.

[Just_Some_Guy]

However, my comments about the UMHB coaching staff were not directed towards you, they were more of a "shout out", if you will, to people I know and love.  I did not expect you to take it to heart as you did, and your blatant and obvious disrespect for these poeple, who I love, caused my reaction. as a result, I feel it completely appropriate to tell you that while some yankee with his name on a trophy (gagliardi) may claim rights to winningest coach in ncaa history, and blah, blah blah, blah. Pete Fredenberg is the best football coach in divison 3 football.  He runs a program that is eximplified by moral character, respect, discipline, and unity in team.  I would run into a bullet for that guy, and so would his team.

I wouldn't say that Ralph necessarily took your comments to heart.  I would argue that Ralph, who enjoys stirring up good conversation about good football, made a case for other coaches in the discussion of 'best football coach' -- and two pretty good ones at that.

It is your opinion that Pete Fredenberg is the best coach in division III football and you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but that doesn't mean Ralph can't toss some other names out there.  He dind't even really refute your point per say.

Who's to say that these other coaches don't run the same caliber programs that also exemplify these traits you mention?

I mean there's a point to make for plenty of people?  Who is the best Quarterback of all time? Staubach, Starr? Montana? Peyton Manning? You could make a case for a number of different guys.  As I see it, that's all Ralph was doing.

i dont expect you to know what commitment like that feels like, most people don't, but I can assure you that before you make judgement on that coaching staff, and "coordially" invite me to post on some one elses post patern, you need to make it a point to meet these men.  To know the values they teach, to know what breeding winners really is.   Big Game? In the preseason? We save our big games for the post season.

I wouldn't say that it's a requirement to meet anyone to make the assessment Ralph made. I don't need to meet a guy to know that he's a successful coach.  In fact, I have met some that are successful, that win tons of games, and get tons of talent -- and might not be the greatest coaches. Occassionally, that happens. I'm not suggesting that's the case with the UHMB coaches at all mind you.  It just seems like you're attacking Ralph and making assumptions you can't make.  You don't know his background with respect to committment.

I dont care if you support us in the post season, guy, if you root against the Cru at any point in the season, then you root against us always.  You expect me to respect the fact that you root for us after the fact that you haven't won enough games to get to the playoffs, I will never respect that, its winner take all in this conference, you all know we dont get out of the first two rounds without knocking each other out.  This is cut throat football. period. you would all do better to stand up for your team, represent them to the fulllest, and stand up for what you believe.  I believe in the C.R.U. cru,cru,cru.

This is quite honestly a ridiculous statement.  You don't respect someone that would root for THEIR team against your own during the regular season and then cheer for a fellow Texan team in the playoffs? I would say that is WAY more classy than the alternative.  "I hope they lose because they beat us."   A couple of years ago in California some Trinity parents stayed an extra day to root on Texas Lutheran against Chapman.  That's classy in my mind.

Some_Guy

[CNU85]

Saturday is a big game for UMHB.  It should be a real test for them and a chance to make a statement nationally.  I hear that they again have lots of speed.  Hopefully, that speed will help them start the season off with a big win.

Bill,  are you going to Belton on Saturday?  I plan to be there and try to meet up with CNU85 before the game.

Looking forward to meeting you and Gray Fox and other UMHB folks. Time to shut this computer down and start getting ready to head to the airport.....be in Texas in a few hours!

[Ralph Turner]

Good morning CruAlum90,

The way that the playoffs work is that the Selection Committtee looks at all "in-Region" games and seeds the teams from the record in those games.

We mere mortals like, McMurry or HPU, etc., are just trying to win the conference and get a bid.

However, HSU's scheduling UW-L and Linfield and UMHB's scheudling CNU and UW-W are aggressive (and brilliant strategic) attempts** to get the home field advantage all the way thru the post-season.  If UMHB beats CNU and UW-W, there is a very good chance that they might be at least the #2 seed nationally, which would mean 4 playoff games in Belton.

Good luck to the Cru on Saturday.

**I am giving credit to those two schools who have had difficulty finding non-conference opponents.  They have scheduled whom they have scheduled for numerous reasons, but the fact of the matter is that UMHB's going 10-0 against their schedule makes a very strong case for a top seeding.


Travel safely CNU85.