FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Olinemom]

Already in Salem at my Stagg Bowl home away from home-- the Quality Inn.  Awaiting arrival of 2 teams and many d3football posters.  Brownies are waiting to be  :)chomped!!!  Safe travels all!!

[D O.C.]

We are envious of you OLM.
Joyeux Noel

[rscl70]

Agree completely with the point of your post. What people trying to "adjust" the system don't realize: if you somehow penalize the best team the title is diminished. If "their team" if gets to the Stagg or wins a conference title after an "adjustment", they will be playing for a less meaningful title. Just ain't worth as much.

Can't speak for the team but as a fan I wouldn't enjoy a Wesley trip to the Stagg if we got it because of some such adjustment.  I respect what MU and UWW have built for themselves.  Rather than want to tear it down, I would prefer to see other programs step up and build one of their own.  Wesley is a good example of that, as are a few others.  Drass has shown a true commitment to the school to stay and build the program, the school has put out the money to make some facility upgrades (still a ways to go in that area to be the best, but they are more than adequate), and we keep making positive strides towards a championship.  Does it hurt like **** to fall a little short?  Sure does.  But the victory will be all the sweeter when it finally happens.  I'm sure the other teams in your conference feel much the same about a conference title (and if they don't, then that may explain why they aren't #1).

When Wesley finally gets over the hump, and I'm sure they will sooner rather than later, please make sure they don't pull a Rowan and forget to show up the next week.  Beating Mount in the semi's does not win you a championship.  Unfortunately for KC Keeler he didn't realize that and it made us all look bad.

Or a Mary Hardin-Baylor.

I respectfully disagree.  MHB played Linfield very tough and had a chance to win that game.  Rowan on the other hand looked like Wilma playing PLU.

You are correct.  I bow to your superior memory.

[formerd3db]

rscl70:

Okay, I admit, my bad.   Allow me to rephrase/clarify that.  I think that if Mount wins, it will be a close win, otherwise, I have a sense (fear? ) that they might be blown out.  I could be wrong, that has not been uncommon before.   Also, do not take that as me being a "Mount hater" or someone who wishes they will lose the Stagg again.  I have no stake in the game, other than wanting it to be a very good competitive game showing once again to others that DIII football is worth and deserves (as it should) having a nationally televised championship game.

[WarhawkDad]

Let me make sure I've got this right:  Either Mount Union or White Water will win, and the game will either be very close or a blow-out? 

Rscl70

After reading everything, I come to the same conclusion you do.....      

[mtfan]

Already in Salem at my Stagg Bowl home away from home-- the Quality Inn.  Awaiting arrival of 2 teams and many d3football posters.  Brownies are waiting to be  :)chomped!!!  Safe travels all!!

Glad to hear you made it there already Olinemom!! It looks like this time i won't need to haul you and the brownies through a winter wonderland as before.  Can't wait to try those brownies again and hopefully you made those "special" ones again too. Just a reminder...stay out of that Quality Inn lobby this time...LOL
We are tailgating again as well and look forward to seeing you along with our Mount fans making the journey. Hope all you D3'ers will come join us well, see ya there!

[runyr]

Thanks for your post on this week's game, Ric. +k all the way.

[Olinemom]

We are envious of you OLM.
Joyeux Noel[/i
[/quote ?happy to be here! Hard to text on Mmyg kindle

[badgerwarhawk]

I don't see us blowing out Mount.  That's just silly.  We may or may not win but if we do it won't be a blow out.  Mount is just way too good for that to happen. 

[footballfan413]

I don't see us blowing out Mount.  That's just silly.  We may or may not win but if we do it won't be a blow out.  Mount is just way too good for that to happen.

Absolutely.  Well, maybe if they left LK at home......................

[skunks_sidekick]

........"those guys are starting to tick me off!" (or something like that) 

An angry LK is something I would be uneasy about if I were an opponent.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Ok I surrender. I was just playing devil's advocate. Nobody seems to think that having one school dominate the league for 20 years is a bad thing. I have officially raised the white flag. The OAC is a better league this way for all ten teams.

No one ever said that - you're attacking a straw man.  Of course it's far from optimal, and it would be "better" if the rest of the OAC caught up to Mount.  Unfortunately, there's no easy way to make that happen.  Your argument that Mount should move up a division is one of those "sounds a lot easier than it actually is" things that, frankly, we shouldn't even have to address.

Looking back at your FIRST post on the boards where you decried the lack of competition from your OAC brethren: in many of those years, an OAC team provided the stiffest challenge to UMU.  In several cases, the OAC runner-up made the playoffs and advanced until they ran into Mount in the quarters/semis (2002 John Carroll, 2005 Capital, 2006 Capital).  In 2005, Ohio Northern actually beat a Mount Union team that eventually won the Stagg.  Capital came very close to knocking off Mount in 2005 and 2006 in the playoffs.

Heck, even this year, Mount was "tested" twice in OAC play.  Ohio Northern and Baldwin-Wallace both gave it the old college try.  If you argue that the OAC isn't providing stiff enough competition, where, pray tell, ARE you going to find stiff enough competition?  You know, Whitewater has a hard time filling their OOC schedule, you could always schedule them for a home-and-home again.   Betcha that would prepare you pretty well.

[aueagle]

Did people complain that Witt and BW ran the show in the old OAC for years?
I say: Step-up your program or hang on to your hats for 60 minutes.
Mount paid their dues....built the program the right way...and they win.

[B.W. jacket]

I don't like to post much, but To the people who keep posting the OAC doesn't have good teams other than Mount, you probably didn't see the game between Mount and Baldwin Wallace this year. Yes we lost, but in alot of other conferences we would of been 10-0 or 9-1. Mount is a freak of Nature, and deserve all the credit to thier program. Good luck in your bowl , I wish we would of made the playoffs and shown what a great team we had this year. I will be a Raider fan this week.

[raiderpa]

BW jacket, you definitely had a playoff quality team, and one loss would have put you in the dance.  I would like to see a breakdown of some of the automatic bids over the years to see if any particular conferences keep getting blown out in the first round.  However, it probably would be next to impossible to withdraw automatic bids that are already on the books, but if a conference keeps getting throttled, maybe they should lose the automatic spot....
I only bring this up because there are a few conferences where second and third place teams are much more deserving, but it all goes back to changing the status quo and this is very difficult to do...

BTW Oline mom, thanks for the gracious invite for the brownies but my one and only grandson's first birthday and family get together will preclude my attendance, however I will be parked in a room where the game will be on.

go Raiders and thanks again Stone Station.. happy holidays