FB: American Southwest Conference

Ron Boerger · December 21, 2007, 02:06:21 PM

That was my impression too - but if so, the folks at UMHB need to change their about us page which still refers to the "Crusaders" and "Lady Crusaders."

A very Merry Christmas to all, with wishes for a joyous and successful New Year!

Ralph Turner · December 21, 2007, 03:09:21 PM

Quote from: Ron Boerger on December 21, 2007, 02:06:21 PM
That was my impression too - but if so, the folks at UMHB need to change their about us page which still refers to the "Crusaders" and "Lady Crusaders."

Ron, you may remember when Wheaton IL changed their mascot from the politically incorrect "Crusaders" to "Thunder" back about 2000 and 2001.

If Billy and Ruth Graham's alma mater had trouble with "Crusaders"...

Toby Taff · December 21, 2007, 04:38:03 PM

I know the nickname on the two-deep for UMHB was listed as the CRU, but I don't know if that applies to all sports teams. I for one am a long time Crusader... Well, I guess now I'm technically more like a Cowboy Crusader

TXGuru · December 21, 2007, 05:40:45 PM

Excuse my ignorance if this is a dumb question, but is it possible for 3teams from the same conference to make the playoffs in D3? I ask this because i feel like 2008 will be a very competive year in the ASC.

Ralph Turner · December 21, 2007, 06:19:38 PM

Quote from: TLU_G.O.A.T on December 21, 2007, 05:40:45 PM
Excuse my ignorance if this is a dumb question, but is it possible for 3 teams from the same conference to make the playoffs in D3? I ask this because I feel like 2008 will be a very competitive year in the ASC.

GOAT, that is actually a very good question because the Empire 8 got 2 at-large (Pool C) bids.

I have raised the question of how to do that on the Pool C board, among others.

To do that, we almost need to have tri-champs that each beat 2 strong in-region opponents, preferably teams that are making the playoffs as conference champs.

We may think that we are competitive, but there is a huge gap between what we think is competitive and the last step to getting one of the 7 Pool C bids. Specifically, for us in the ASC, it involves scheduling of the type that UMHB and HSU have done.

I can imagine ETBU as tri-champ (7-1) and a win over St Johns MN (8-1 in-region), and
UMHB as tri-champ, and we don't know who they play in the non-conference,
and HSU (which wins both non-conference games...Linfield and UW-~~Oshkosh~~ LaCrosse).

I am glad that McMurry has scheduled D-3's Huntingdon and AC, but I don't know if McMurry at 9-1 overall/ 9-1 South Region and 7-1 ASC Tri-champ would have had the OWP/OOWP to earn a Pool C bid.

And don't forget Mississippi College and LaCollege, with their non-conference games,
and/or TLU as tri-champs, beating SCAC champion Trinity.

Thanks to Josh! LaCrosse, not Oshkosh.

Josh Bowerman · December 21, 2007, 08:42:09 PM

Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Ralph.

That is, unless something has changed that I haven't heard about yet...

Ralph Turner · December 21, 2007, 10:45:40 PM

MRSA is a bad bug!

I think that the most effective tactic will be conscientious efforts to teach student-athletes to inspect their abrasions carefully, daily, and to use the best hand-hygiene possible.

Ron Boerger · December 21, 2007, 11:30:59 PM

Quote from: Ron Boerger on December 21, 2007, 02:06:21 PM
That was my impression too - but if so, the folks at UMHB need to change their about us page which still refers to the "Crusaders" and "Lady Crusaders."

A very Merry Christmas to all, with wishes for a joyous and successful New Year!

Our good friends at UMHB, still hard at work this close to Christmas, have changed their "about us" page to refer to the "Cru" and "Lady Cru."

Toby Taff · December 21, 2007, 11:34:13 PM

nevre let it be said that they don't read the boards here.

The Observation Deck · December 21, 2007, 11:37:51 PM

Then hopefully they'll finish the job. Sloppy work. They only did one listing on the page. There are still many other places on that same page that reference Crusaders.

Bill McCabe · December 22, 2007, 12:21:40 PM

Merry Christmas to everyone. Thanks for another great D3 season.

crufootball · December 22, 2007, 05:46:35 PM

UMHB has done a bad job at going from the Crusaders to the Cru. I am not sure if its lazines or what, but maybe one reason for the slow change is many of the current students did not want the change.

umhb2001 · December 22, 2007, 08:28:10 PM

Quote from: Josh Bowerman on December 21, 2007, 09:34:53 AM
That was 3/4th of my main thrust, Pat (the "stupid" part, at least). The other 1/4th is that it's ridiculous, IMO, to have one great season and assume that you're just so much better than the rest of DIII that you have to play DII competition just to level up. How short-sighted is that, especially when the Crusaders are losing as much as they are?

Even in the year UMHB made it to the Stagg Bowl, they were certainly tested--even beaten--by in-conference, DIII competition. This (2007) was the first, and only to date, season the team was clearly superior to everyone they played. And as I mentioned above, most of these players won't be back next year.

I don't want to take anything away from this year's UMHB team. They were great--I thought they were maybe one of the four or five the best DIII teams (certainly one of the top one or two defenses at this level) that I'd ever seen--in any year. But they're a long way from being able to say that they're consistently that much better than the rest of the peons in DIII and the ASC--which is what I believe was being more than just insinuated earlier.

If we had played a DIV 2 school, or some other highly ranked team

See where it says D2 or SOME OTHER HIGHLY RANKED TEAM...

That means it DOESN"T have to be D2, but some other team. We have cruised through the ASC for a couple years now. We haven't just shown up or something, Bowerman, we've been winning for a while. Is it possible that we could face stiffer competition, yes. Is it possible that we could also get better, that we may have young tallent that is very good, yes. This wasn't a brazen lack of respect for the ASC, but you have to admit that, again, stronger competition makes a better team. That is all I'm saying.

Bill McCabe · December 22, 2007, 09:39:46 PM

Incarnate Word in San Antonio went from Crusaders to Cardinals. I never did understand that change and I don't understand UMHB's change.

crufootball · December 22, 2007, 11:21:07 PM

To me the Cru did as good as they could have in terms of their schedule. Obviously UW-Whitewater was a good team and CNU was ranked #12 I believe when we played them. I know CNU did not finish ranked but they were supposed to be better and I almost feel UMHB should schedule younger programs like them (and UMHB themselves) so they can get on the map by playing some good competition.