FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[ncc58]

Wheaton outplayed North Central on offense, defense, and special teams. And, Wheaton flat out out-coached NCC.

It wasn't Hiben who impressed me the most, it was Roberts. Roberts was very accurate, although he had a lot of open receivers to throw to. NCC used the same defense they used against Wabash. The defenders seldom challenged the receivers. I was concerned about match-ups of Hiben and Cook against shorter NCC defenders but when you play soft coverage, it doesn't matter. NCC needed to watch the Wheaton pass defense. Wheaton put some licks on NCC receivers, and were looking to strip the ball all day. I think Mitchell and Dierking are All-Conference players, but the NCC coaching staff didn't put them in position to make plays.

On the second to last drive where Wheaton returned a fumble, NCC dropped three passes. That had to be a consequence of some of the hits Wheaton was dishing out. On the last drive, I said it was critical to score, and the people around me thought I was crazy until I explained the tiebreaker.

In 2011, NCC completed a long pass and then dominated the game.
In 2012, Kukoc had a nice run on the first play but Wheaton forced a fumble at the end - and Wheaton dominated the rest of the game.

It's been a long time since a team dominated NCC from beginning to end.

[shepherd]

Given the downward spiral in Augie FB in recent years I find the progress and improvement made by the team this year encouraging. Last second loss to Elmhurst actually reversed things. Not all that close to the level of NCC, Wheaton and perhaps Elmhurst currently but moving in the right direction. A good recruiting year based on this finish could keep things moving in the right direction.

Congrats to Wheaton. They are certainly the best team Augie faced all year. But for being snake bit against Elmhurst, they would be a lock for a high playoff seed. Is it possible for all three of the top teams to go to the playoffs at this point?

I don't know but I think its a lock one or more teams with two losses get a pool c.  There are not as many 1 loss teams in pool c contention as there usually is this year.  Not sure of the numbers but I think Pat and Keith will be discussing pool c and two loss teams chances this week in the Podcast.

That might be true,  but I don't think you'll see three teams from a conference in the play-offs.

Many of the strong conferences are not in pool C contention or are the ones with two loss teams.  They will be making decision of putting the weaker conferences in pool C vs two loss teams and possibly the odd three teams from a conference which I believe only happened once in the past decade.  Pool C is going to get odder than normal this year.

[NCF]

Wheaton outplayed North Central on offense, defense, and special teams. And, Wheaton flat out out-coached NCC.

It wasn't Hiben who impressed me the most, it was Roberts. Roberts was very accurate, although he had a lot of open receivers to throw to. NCC used the same defense they used against Wabash. The defenders seldom challenged the receivers. I was concerned about match-ups of Hiben and Cook against shorter NCC defenders but when you play soft coverage, it doesn't matter. NCC needed to watch the Wheaton pass defense. Wheaton put some licks on NCC receivers, and were looking to strip the ball all day. I think Mitchell and Dierking are All-Conference players, but the NCC coaching staff didn't put them in position to make plays.

On the second to last drive where Wheaton returned a fumble, NCC dropped three passes. That had to be a consequence of some of the hits Wheaton was dishing out. On the last drive, I said it was critical to score, and the people around me thought I was crazy until I explained the tiebreaker.

In 2011, NCC completed a long pass and then dominated the game.
In 2012, Kukoc had a nice run on the first play but Wheaton forced a fumble at the end - and Wheaton dominated the rest of the game.

It's been a long time since a team dominated NCC from beginning to end.

We were saying the same thing about the defense playing like they did at Wabash!  And about needing to score as well. We have more than two all-conference players on D, but they sure were not all playing on the same page, with the same intensity today! Time to re-group and get ready for Augie, there's much to be learned from the beating they took today.

[CardinalAlum]

Wheaton outplayed North Central on offense, defense, and special teams. And, Wheaton flat out out-coached NCC.

It wasn't Hiben who impressed me the most, it was Roberts. Roberts was very accurate, although he had a lot of open receivers to throw to. NCC used the same defense they used against Wabash. The defenders seldom challenged the receivers. I was concerned about match-ups of Hiben and Cook against shorter NCC defenders but when you play soft coverage, it doesn't matter. NCC needed to watch the Wheaton pass defense. Wheaton put some licks on NCC receivers, and were looking to strip the ball all day. I think Mitchell and Dierking are All-Conference players, but the NCC coaching staff didn't put them in position to make plays.

On the second to last drive where Wheaton returned a fumble, NCC dropped three passes. That had to be a consequence of some of the hits Wheaton was dishing out. On the last drive, I said it was critical to score, and the people around me thought I was crazy until I explained the tiebreaker.

In 2011, NCC completed a long pass and then dominated the game.
In 2012, Kukoc had a nice run on the first play but Wheaton forced a fumble at the end - and Wheaton dominated the rest of the game.

It's been a long time since a team dominated NCC from beginning to end.

We were saying the same thing about the defense playing like they did at Wabash!  And about needing to score as well. We have more than two all-conference players on D, but they sure were not all playing on the same page, with the same intensity today!

You hit right on the head.  The intensity was missing all day.   We didn't get pressure with our four D-linemen and had to bring LB's to bring pressure opening up the middle for the Wheaton receivers.  We got away from the run way too quick.  Wheaton played great and NCC was outcoached in this one.   Have to win Saturday and then hit the road for the playoffs now.   

[Mr. Ypsi]

Guys, some assistance requested.

I vote in the North Region Fan Poll.  How the he!! am I gonna sort out the NCC/Wheaton/Elmhurst triangle?  NCC was dominating everyone after their opening loss, demolished Elmhurst, but was dominated by Wheaton.  Wheaton barely lost to Elmhurst, barely beat IWU (back when they were good ), lost to Albion (barely), but dominated NCC (which no conference team had done in years).  Elmhurst has probably been the least impressive, but is the only one with one loss.

I have no clue in what order to place them.   (With Wabash losing at home to Oberlin (Oberlin! ), the trio will probably be 3, 4, and 5; I'd vote them all #4, but not sure my ballot would be accepted!)

[Mugsy]

Guys, some assistance requested.

I vote in the North Region Fan Poll.  How the he!! am I gonna sort out the NCC/Wheaton/Elmhurst triangle?  NCC was dominating everyone after their opening loss, demolished Elmhurst, but was dominated by Wheaton.  Wheaton barely lost to Elmhurst, barely beat IWU (back when they were good ), lost to Albion (barely), but dominated NCC (which no conference team had done in years).  Elmhurst has probably been the least impressive, but is the only one with one loss.

I have no clue in what order to place them.   (With Wabash losing at home to Oberlin (Oberlin! ), the trio will probably be 3, 4, and 5; I'd vote them all #4, but not sure my ballot would be accepted!)

I'm sure this will be a topic of considerable conversation for the next 10-14 days.  I have my thoughts based on "if they played 10 times, who would win the most...", but that is somewhat irrelevant.

I think we need to look at the NCAA regional rankings.  It is highly unlikely that Wheaton would go from not even in the ranking to ranked higher than Elmhurst.  NCC will likely drop below Elmhurst.

Personally I believe Wheaton is a better team than Elmhurst, but Elmhurst won the game this year and that is what counts at this point.

If I were to guess, the NCAA regional rankings will have these three as Elmhurst, NCC and then Wheaton.

[NCF]

Guys, some assistance requested.

I vote in the North Region Fan Poll.  How the he!! am I gonna sort out the NCC/Wheaton/Elmhurst triangle?  NCC was dominating everyone after their opening loss, demolished Elmhurst, but was dominated by Wheaton.  Wheaton barely lost to Elmhurst, barely beat IWU (back when they were good ), lost to Albion (barely), but dominated NCC (which no conference team had done in years).  Elmhurst has probably been the least impressive, but is the only one with one loss.

I have no clue in what order to place them.   (With Wabash losing at home to Oberlin (Oberlin! ), the trio will probably be 3, 4, and 5; I'd vote them all #4, but not sure my ballot would be accepted!)

Just put all the names in a hat and see what happens:)

[Mr. Ypsi]

Guys, some assistance requested.

I vote in the North Region Fan Poll.  How the he!! am I gonna sort out the NCC/Wheaton/Elmhurst triangle?  NCC was dominating everyone after their opening loss, demolished Elmhurst, but was dominated by Wheaton.  Wheaton barely lost to Elmhurst, barely beat IWU (back when they were good ), lost to Albion (barely), but dominated NCC (which no conference team had done in years).  Elmhurst has probably been the least impressive, but is the only one with one loss.

I have no clue in what order to place them.   (With Wabash losing at home to Oberlin (Oberlin! ), the trio will probably be 3, 4, and 5; I'd vote them all #4, but not sure my ballot would be accepted!)

Just put all the names in a hat and see what happens:)

It may come to that!  Or more likely a die: going alphabetically, a 1 or 2 is Elmhurst, 3 or 4 is NCC, 5 or 6 is Wheaton (a 7 and I'll resurrect the 'Gallik' Titans!).

[NCF]

Guys, some assistance requested.

I vote in the North Region Fan Poll.  How the he!! am I gonna sort out the NCC/Wheaton/Elmhurst triangle?  NCC was dominating everyone after their opening loss, demolished Elmhurst, but was dominated by Wheaton.  Wheaton barely lost to Elmhurst, barely beat IWU (back when they were good ), lost to Albion (barely), but dominated NCC (which no conference team had done in years).  Elmhurst has probably been the least impressive, but is the only one with one loss.

I have no clue in what order to place them.   (With Wabash losing at home to Oberlin (Oberlin! ), the trio will probably be 3, 4, and 5; I'd vote them all #4, but not sure my ballot would be accepted!)

Just put all the names in a hat and see what happens:)

It may come to that!  Or more likely a die: going alphabetically, a 1 or 2 is Elmhurst, 3 or 4 is NCC, 5 or 6 is Wheaton (a 7 and I'll resurrect the 'Gallik' Titans!).

If they all win out it will probably be EC,NC,WC. I will worry (and cry) over my poll tomorrow.

[Langhorst_Ghost]

And never in my life did I ever think would I say GO AUGIE

You and me both, brother  .  It has certainly been a wild ride ride this season, why not fully embrace Bluejay Pride and wave the Rock Island flag this week...i'm okay with with it for 7 days if it means a shot at a conference championship (however unlikely it may seem) - here's hoping!

[robertgoulet]

I guess I picked the right word when I said I had a "nasty" ringing in my ear!

Congrats to Wheaton, they dominated every aspect of the game. Even the fans seemed louder than the NCC fans (which always seems to be the case when I attend a NCC game).

It makes me throw up a little in my mouth to say this...but go Jays!

[bluejay4ever]

I guess I picked the right word when I said I had a "nasty" ringing in my ear!

Congrats to Wheaton, they dominated every aspect of the game. Even the fans seemed louder than the NCC fans (which always seems to be the case when I attend a NCC game).

It makes me throw up a little in my mouth to say this...but go Jays!

I know I'm getting ahead of myself but.....if there is a 3 way tie let's say. If team a wins the auto bid but team B is ahead on the regional rankings who gets the higher seed? Just wondering no real reason why......

[lakeshore]

Guys, some assistance requested.

I vote in the North Region Fan Poll.  How the he!! am I gonna sort out the NCC/Wheaton/Elmhurst triangle?  NCC was dominating everyone after their opening loss, demolished Elmhurst, but was dominated by Wheaton.  Wheaton barely lost to Elmhurst, barely beat IWU (back when they were good ), lost to Albion (barely), but dominated NCC (which no conference team had done in years).  Elmhurst has probably been the least impressive, but is the only one with one loss.

I have no clue in what order to place them.   (With Wabash losing at home to Oberlin (Oberlin! ), the trio will probably be 3, 4, and 5; I'd vote them all #4, but not sure my ballot would be accepted!)

I'm sure this will be a topic of considerable conversation for the next 10-14 days.  I have my thoughts based on "if they played 10 times, who would win the most...", but that is somewhat irrelevant.

I think we need to look at the NCAA regional rankings.  It is highly unlikely that Wheaton would go from not even in the ranking to ranked higher than Elmhurst.  NCC will likely drop below Elmhurst.

Personally I believe Wheaton is a better team than Elmhurst, but Elmhurst won the game this year and that is what counts at this point.

If I were to guess, the NCAA regional rankings will have these three as Elmhurst, NCC and then Wheaton.

No question Wheaton and NCC are the two best teams in the CCIW with EC a distant 3rd.  Wheaton did yesterday what no team in the last 5-6 years has done to the NCC defense.  If EC beats IWU they will block Wheaton from getting to the pool C table.  Happened last year to WC as they were clearly a better team than IWU at the end of the season but IWU kept winning ugly and got the pool C.

What is interesting is that Wheaton has the much higher SOS of the 3 right now...

[Mugsy]

Guys, some assistance requested.

I vote in the North Region Fan Poll.  How the he!! am I gonna sort out the NCC/Wheaton/Elmhurst triangle?  NCC was dominating everyone after their opening loss, demolished Elmhurst, but was dominated by Wheaton.  Wheaton barely lost to Elmhurst, barely beat IWU (back when they were good ), lost to Albion (barely), but dominated NCC (which no conference team had done in years).  Elmhurst has probably been the least impressive, but is the only one with one loss.

I have no clue in what order to place them.   (With Wabash losing at home to Oberlin (Oberlin! ), the trio will probably be 3, 4, and 5; I'd vote them all #4, but not sure my ballot would be accepted!)

I'm sure this will be a topic of considerable conversation for the next 10-14 days.  I have my thoughts based on "if they played 10 times, who would win the most...", but that is somewhat irrelevant.

I think we need to look at the NCAA regional rankings.  It is highly unlikely that Wheaton would go from not even in the ranking to ranked higher than Elmhurst.  NCC will likely drop below Elmhurst.

Personally I believe Wheaton is a better team than Elmhurst, but Elmhurst won the game this year and that is what counts at this point.

If I were to guess, the NCAA regional rankings will have these three as Elmhurst, NCC and then Wheaton.

No question Wheaton and NCC are the two best teams in the CCIW with EC a distant 3rd.  Wheaton did yesterday what no team in the last 5-6 years has done to the NCC defense.  If EC beats IWU they will block Wheaton from getting to the pool C table.  Happened last year to WC as they were clearly a better team than IWU at the end of the season but IWU kept winning ugly and got the pool C.

What is interesting is that Wheaton has the much higher SOS of the 3 right now...

What will also hurt is the fact Wheaton will lose the 3-way tie breaker (h-t-h point differential) by 6 points. 

They led 35-14 with 5 minutes remaining and moved away from their original aggressive defensive plan to reduce risk of a quick TD that would give NCC a remote chance.  Wheaton allowed the short underneath routes.  NCC took advantage and marched down for a TD, making it 35-21 and Wheaton was then able to run out the remaining clock.  It was the right thing to do from a coaching standpoint to insure the victory.  But that last TD for NCC will likely result in Elmhurst receiving the pool C consideration over Wheaton.

Still the loss to Albion and/or Elmhurst is what really cost them.  If Wheaton beats NPU, it'll be two years in a row of 8-2 and missing the playoffs based on various criteria - which really stings.  Happened to me my senior year, when we missed out on playoffs due to voting of the playoff committee.

You want to reach the playoffs?  Win your conference outright, or if you are a co-champ you need to be flawless in non-conference action.

I'm extremely proud of how the Wheaton team has dealt with adversity this year and has finished strong.  Who knows... maybe the IWU team that is a shadow of it's early season self and has had far more adversity than most teams could fathom (particularly with loss of teammate to cancer), can find away to take down an Elmhurst team that is on a roll?  I don't see it happening, but I didn't see Wheaton defeating NCC either.   

[NCF]

And never in my life did I ever think would I say GO AUGIE

You and me both, brother  .  It has certainly been a wild ride ride this season, why not fully embrace Bluejay Pride and wave the Rock Island flag this week...i'm okay with with it for 7 days if it means a shot at a conference championship (however unlikely it may seem) - here's hoping!

Elmhurst doesn't need Augie to help them achieve anything. You're in control of yur own destiny. Win and you're conference champs, lose and hope you still get invited to the dance.