FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[seventiesraider]

Here is a link to the release from the OAC page: http://www.oac.org/documents/2009footballpoll.pdf 

Hey, where did the 11th 1st place vote come from?

[Small but Slow]

Hope springs eternal!  I hope the level of play in the OAC has risen to a point where more than one team per year provides MUC a true challenge.  It's good for the conference and d3 football in general.  The downside is if the top teams knock each other off then only the champ may be given a shot at the playoffs.  The past few years the runnerup has got in with eight or nine wins.  If second place wins less than eight will it receive an at-large bid?

[HSCTiger74]

Here is a link to the release from the OAC page: http://www.oac.org/documents/2009footballpoll.pdf 

Hey, where did the 11th 1st place vote come from?

Maybe one of the coaches is from Chicago.

[skunks_sidekick]

I realize that as a Mount fan, an Ohio football guy, and a general fan of the OAC, I want the OAC to shine as a conference.  And over time, that has been the case in most years.  There is always a strong #2 that battles Mount, does well in the play-offs, etc...

HOWEVER.......I really am not seeing/feeling it at this point.  I thought last year was the most pathetic overall performance of the conference in a long time.  I HOPE that DP can get ONU to the next level.  If Rafferty is back, and OTT can get over their "#$@# down their leg itis, maybe they can really contend.  CAP...please......with the way the administration is going they will be lucky to field a 2-8 team in a few years.  Scafe is a decent guy at JCU, but evidently (according to "Short (NCAC BOARD)" they are just DYING to get into the NCAC (yah...right).  B-W....who KNOWS what is going on up there.  Tough kids...usually play great D....offense sucks!  The rest.....well they are the rest.  

I have had my fill of PC today.  I had to kiss some client $%# today, when I KNEW they were totally wrong, and A-holes to boot.  I LOVE MY JOB!

Skunk........beam me up..............I am done!  

[JK]

S-S,

I think you are right, unfortunately.  I think the wide variation in the poll proves it to a point.  Look at how close (relatively) 2-6 are.  I think it shows that:

1) there is not a second team in the OAC that really stands out as being that much better than the teams in 3-6.

2) although there may be greater parity, it's because 2-6 aren't as good as #2 and even #3 have been in recent years.

It may sound like sour grapes since I am not a MUC fan, but I really think this is the fall out from Mount being so good.  Two points here:

1) More and more kids are coming to MUC every year for the very likely chance to get a ring.  Kids that might not even play at MUC but might be good enough to make the other OAC teams better.

2) The general numbers of most NCAC teams and HCAC teams are increasing and those teams are getting generally better.  My theory is that more kids are going there rather than other OAC schools so they don't go in knowing they are playing for second in the conference.  If they finish first or even second in the NCAC or HCAC, they will and might get into the playoffs, respectively.  If they are in the OAC at a school other than Mount, they know they better finish second or they are going home.

Thoughts?

[TooForRaider]

S-S,

I think you are right, unfortunately.  I think the wide variation in the poll proves it to a point.  Look at how close (relatively) 2-6 are.  I think it shows that:

1) there is not a second team in the OAC that really stands out as being that much better than the teams in 3-6.

2) although there may be greater parity, it's because 2-6 aren't as good as #2 and even #3 have been in recent years.

It may sound like sour grapes since I am not a MUC fan, but I really think this is the fall out from Mount being so good.  Two points here:

1) More and more kids are coming to MUC every year for the very likely chance to get a ring.  Kids that might not even play at MUC but might be good enough to make the other OAC teams better.

2) The general numbers of most NCAC teams and HCAC teams are increasing and those teams are getting generally better.  My theory is that more kids are going there rather than other OAC schools so they don't go in knowing they are playing for second in the conference.  If they finish first or even second in the NCAC or HCAC, they will and might get into the playoffs, respectively.  If they are in the OAC at a school other than Mount, they know they better finish second or they are going home.

Thoughts?

I agree with you to an extent, JK.  I also think there is another reason, with which I am sure about because of personal knowledge.  Some players are afraid of the competition at Mount.  When I was being recruited and coaches knew I was thinking about MUC, they all said the same thing. They told me that it is really hard to play there because of so many players and that it is nearly impossible to make a name for yourself there.  

While this may be true, the cream always rises to the top (lame, I know).  If you are good enough, odds are the MUC staff will find you.  Two players I went to HS with took the bait from these coaches and went to other schools. I remember I came into camp as a freshman I was one of 17 WR's.  3 were left after my senior year.

All in all, I agree with you, JK.  If I could award karma, then I would!

What is the threshold for me to give karma??

[jaypeter]

I think it might be 100 posts, but I got JK for ya.

[seventiesraider]

Peter King, SI on Pierre:

I really liked Pierre Garcon. There was a play in the afternoon practice, with the Colts in the red zone, when Garcon, lined up in Harrison's traditional wide-right spot, cut toward the post with defensive backs Matt Giordano and Nick Graham bumping him before the ball came. Garcon ignored the traffic and caught the laser from Manning. At 6-foot and 210, he's a little thicker than Harrison, and probably straight-ahead faster than Harrison was, but not as quick.

He's a great story, a south Florida kid who had to go to military school in Vermont because of grades, then went to Ohio powerhouse Mount Union College because had no Division I football options. Last year the Colts picked him in the sixth round and basically had him redshirt the season. Now he knows Wayne's left spot and the right receiver spot as well, and if he's reliable, Manning's going to him, because Manning's made such a living throwing to the right. He'll do so again with Gonzalez and Garcon -- one or the other, or both -- out there.



Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/08/12/colts/#ixzz0NzQvSlNM

[Small but Slow]

It's good to see Garcon getting national media recognition.  Dungy was on a local (Tampa) radio show last week and spoke highly of Pierre's talent, as well.  He said that the Colts staff saw enough in him last season to not go out and draft a WR or sign a free agent to replace Harrison.

25 years ago MUC was a second tier OAC program.  B-W and Witt were the perrenial powers.  Coaches Wable and Kehres used that as a recruiting tool.  They recruited outstanding athletes away from those schools with the promise of building a program that would compete against the traditional d3 powers.  MUC has not relented in their recruiting, and seems to have stepped it up recently in its nationwide recruiting base.  Other OAC programs can use the MUC model to make their own programs stronger.  Coaches have to salesmen of themselves and their programs.  Look at the job Lane Kiffin has done recruiting at TN.  He has lured recruits from UF and other top SEC schools with a controversial approach and outstanding staff.

[HScoach]

Good to hear that Garcon is making strides.  Here's to hoping he keeps it up and earns the 3rd receiver spot.



On the subject of the OAC, I don't think there is any doubt the OAC has been really down the last few years.  I thought the league was very weak in '07 after Capital lost Assman due to injury, and '08 was even worse.   And '09 looks to be more of the same. 

There wasn't a legitimate 2nd playoff caliber team in the entire league last year.  Otterbein had a good offense, but their defense was horrid.  The rest of the league had too many holes to even be competitive, and most were missing a QB. 

For the last 2 years and heading into this one, I think MUC is the usual strong MUC team that is going to win the OAC, but the rest of the conference is really weak making the Raiders look more dominant than they might really be. 

The bottom of the conference has gotten better, but the 2nd and 3rd place teams have gotten worse thereby making the rest of the conference more even and competitive, but overall the gap between Mount and the rest has widened.  What I don't understand is the why behind it.   

Capital has the potential on paper to be pretty decent this season, but I have no faith in them since the departure of Jim Collins coupled with Assman continually being injured.   Some might disagree, but I think we can officially stick a fork in the Capital program that Collins built into a beast.  The change in president seems to be killing everything.

Otterbein should have a darn good offense again this season with Rafferty back,  but they lost a lot off of a bad defense and they've been too inconsistent year to year to put much faith in the Cardinals.

Ohio Northern has been a real disappointment since shocking Mount back in 2005 with a over-rated TB that couldn't stay healthy and a cheerleader at QB.  Since then they've had zero playmakers on offense and an average defense.  Their starting to look like BW.

Outside of a couple years with Larlham making plays by himself, Baldwin Wallace has been very pedestrian.  They'll play you tough, but they have no real shot at scoring enough to actually win.

And I'm not what sure to make of John Carroll.  They've been all over the place.  One year they'll have a great defense and the next they'll be horrid.  They had potential with the elder Petruziello at QB but had a high school line in front of him and no RB's.

[SaintsFAN]

question for you Northeast Ohio guys...

Thomas More has a RB in camp from Akron Hoban, Laymon Carter.  Is anyone familiar with him?  

Stud or roster filler?  The Saints do have two very good TB's returning... so I'm wondering if he'll get carries this year.

And I'm not what sure to make of John Carroll.  They've been all over the place.  One year they'll have a great defense and the next they'll be horrid.  They had potential with the elder Petruziello at QB but had a high school line in front of him and no RB's.

The JCU team I saw last year in Week 1 was decent.  There's no way they should've beaten TMC the way they did... that was a direct result of the brand new offense installed two weeks previous (when they saw who reported for camp)... not being run efficiently.  It put the defense in some very bad positions and made Petruziello look like an All American (1 incompletion on the day). 

TMC is a little more sure of themselves after a year in that offense and will be a very good test for JCU in week 1.  The Saints are picked to win the PAC in 2009 by the coaches and media associated with the conference. 

[seventiesraider]

Laymon Carter is very small (5' 9"), very quick and very talented (about 1700 yards last year). Only saw Hoban once in the last two years but I remember him. Hoban always seems to have a great runner. Had a couple of Sutton kids

[SaintsFAN]

Laymon Carter is very small (5' 9"), very quick and very talented (about 1700 yards last year). Only saw Hoban once in the last two years but I remember him. Hoban always seems to have a great runner. Had a couple of Sutton kids

thats the kind of RB we've been getting at Thomas More of late... 5'9  185 is what he's listed as.  I was wondering about the talent level... hopefully he sticks around then... should maybe get some PT this year though.

I was curious how he made it down to Crestview Hills KY?  I just figured he was a scrub..

[seventiesraider]

Good Catholic boy???  (Archbishop Hoban HS)

[02 Warhawk]

I thought i'll cater your guys ego a bit (as well as mine too) 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/235234-division-iii-footballs-dynasty-problem

I'm sure there thousands of fans out there who agree with this guy.....