FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[izzy stradlin]

Thanks for sharing USee. Somewhat surprised to hear that Sola Olateju 23 entered the scrimmage as the #1 RB. Can't say I saw enough of him in the games last year to have much of an opinion, but it's always exciting to see which players have a great off-season and come back ready to compete for the starting gig. Starter or not, he needs to hold onto the ball if he wants to continue seeing carries.

Definitely don't like to hear about the PAT snap that flew over the holder's head. That needs to get fixed like yesterday.

Bring on Coe!

Roll Thunder

I remember Olateju getting 2-3 carries for good yards against John Carroll in the playoffs last year as a freshman.  He looked a step quicker than anyone on the field back then.  I saw the fumbles yesterday and I am willing to give him a bit of a reprieve since he lost the ball during the downpour portion of the scrimmage.  Not to mention against a top 10 national defense.  That's why I think this is such a good scrimmage for both teams. Hopefully that experience was what he needed to tighten things up. The coaches actually put him back in with the 2's to get him a few more hits later in the scrimmage.

One other thing I'll mention about Wheaton from yesterday is their new punter.  I don't even know the kid's name off the top of my head but he was hitting some bombs in absolutely terrible weather.  Definitely played a huge role in field position leading to the Wheaton's 1s coming out ahead with the only score between the two teams.  Could be a major weapon this year and just speaks to the overall talent/depth on the roster.   

[USee]

Reading through KickOff. Some great stuff in there. A fantastic resource for D3 football and whatever team you follow. You can read the capsule on your team's opponent, which takes about 5 minutes, and be totally prepared to watch, listen, or make your picks on pick ems.

The conference rankings is always an interesting piece I follow. This year the CCIW has dropped to 9th. Last year we were not very good in the non conference slate and then had only 1 team make the playoffs, losing at home in the 2nd round. More than that, some of the other conferences have stepped up their games. I feel pretty good about the CCIW on a relative basis this year. I think the conference is much better top to bottom than last year I am looking forward to the early games to prove that out. I would be surprised if the CCIW didn't finish with a strong non-conference record, get 2 teams in the playoffs, and move up the list substantially.

Here are the Top 10 Conferences in order:

WIAC-UWW
MIAC:St Thomas, St Johns, Bethel
OAC:UMU, JCU, Heidi
NJAC:Wesley, CNU, Rowan, Montclair
E8:Ithaca, StJF, Buff St
NorthWest:Linfield, Pac Lu
American Southwest: MHB, Hardin Simmons
Iowa IAC:Wartburg, Coe, Central
CCIW
Centennial:Johns Hopkins, Ursinius, Muhl

[matblake]

The CCIW Camp Tour is now complete
North Park and North Central added
http://www.cciw.org/news/2015/8/31/FB_0831151103.aspx

[USee]

When is the last time NPU had 9 returning starters on offense? And all 5 OL? That's a big step for them. Kudos. Conway also mentions depth at DB? NPU is coming around.

[Gregory Sager]

When is the last time NPU had 9 returning starters on offense? And all 5 OL? That's a big step for them. Kudos. Conway also mentions depth at DB? NPU is coming around.

There's actually eight starters back on offense, not nine. There were six players who started at least a couple of games on the OL last season. One of them, All-CCIW second-teamer Kenny Pistorius, has graduated, and another, Logotaeao Etelagi, didn't return to school. The other four -- seniors Matt Davis and Epafara Moananu and sophomores Leuatea Faiai and Zach Smith -- are back, along with a couple of sophomore reserves who saw game time last season. The other two starters on offense who aren't back are RB Drew Walkington, who graduated, and grad student WR Dan Anderson, who no longer has any remaining eligibility.

There is a lot of depth in the defensive secondary, but very little game experience. That, and the fact that the DL is undersized (although very talented), has me a little worried. The linebacking corps, with seniors Brendon Dull and Joe Butz and sophomores Chaun Maiava, Kejahn Joseph, and Zach Ray, should be very strong.

I firmly believe that the NPU football program is on an upward trajectory, but expectations should be modest. With only eleven seniors and eleven juniors, this is still a very young team.

[USee]

When is the last time NPU had 9 returning starters on offense? And all 5 OL? That's a big step for them. Kudos. Conway also mentions depth at DB? NPU is coming around.

There's actually eight starters back on offense, not nine. There were six players who started at least a couple of games on the OL last season. One of them, All-CCIW second-teamer Kenny Pistorius, has graduated, and another, Logotaeao Etelagi, didn't return to school. The other four -- seniors Matt Davis and Epafara Moananu and sophomores Leuatea Faiai and Zach Smith -- are back, along with a couple of sophomore reserves who saw game time last season.

There is a lot of depth in the defensive secondary, but very little game experience. That, and the fact that the DL is undersized (although very talented), has me a little worried. The linebacking corps, with seniors Brendon Dull and Joe Butz and sophomores Chaun Maiava, Kejahn Joseph, and Zach Ray, should be very strong.

I firmly believe that the NPU football program is on an upward trajectory, but expectations should be modest. With only eleven seniors and eleven juniors, this is still a very young team.

I didn't make it up. Mike Conway said 9 on the video.

[Gregory Sager]

Yes, I know he did. I saw it, too. But there are eight returning offensive starters -- Matt Davis, Epafara Moananu, Zach Smith, Leautea Faiai, Dakota Conway, Devin Childress, Anthony Burton, and T.D. Conway -- not nine. I'm positive that Mike wasn't trying to deceive anybody. I'm sure that it's just a simple miscount.

[USee]

Maybe he "mis-remembered". Either way I am sure he is grateful you are here to correct him publicly. 

[Gregory Sager]

Better me than somebody else, since it's on the public record via the North Park football page. Starts are part of the statistical info listed there. Everybody who knows Mike will tell you that he's a scrupulously honest guy, and I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea.

[emma17]

Reading through KickOff. Some great stuff in there. A fantastic resource for D3 football and whatever team you follow. You can read the capsule on your team's opponent, which takes about 5 minutes, and be totally prepared to watch, listen, or make your picks on pick ems.

The conference rankings is always an interesting piece I follow. This year the CCIW has dropped to 9th. Last year we were not very good in the non conference slate and then had only 1 team make the playoffs, losing at home in the 2nd round. More than that, some of the other conferences have stepped up their games. I feel pretty good about the CCIW on a relative basis this year. I think the conference is much better top to bottom than last year I am looking forward to the early games to prove that out. I would be surprised if the CCIW didn't finish with a strong non-conference record, get 2 teams in the playoffs, and move up the list substantially.

Here are the Top 10 Conferences in order:

WIAC-UWW
MIAC:St Thomas, St Johns, Bethel
OAC:UMU, JCU, Heidi
NJAC:Wesley, CNU, Rowan, Montclair
E8:Ithaca, StJF, Buff St
NorthWest:Linfield, Pac Lu
American Southwest: MHB, Hardin Simmons
Iowa IAC:Wartburg, Coe, Central
CCIW
Centennial:Johns Hopkins, Ursinius, Muhl

Usee- out of curiosity why did you choose to list multiple teams for every conference except the WIAC?  I'm not crying for recognition of the WIAC, I'm just curious if the omission of UWO and UWP and maybe UWSP has meaning behind it with you.

[Pat Coleman]

Reading through KickOff. Some great stuff in there. A fantastic resource for D3 football and whatever team you follow. You can read the capsule on your team's opponent, which takes about 5 minutes, and be totally prepared to watch, listen, or make your picks on pick ems.

The conference rankings is always an interesting piece I follow. This year the CCIW has dropped to 9th. Last year we were not very good in the non conference slate and then had only 1 team make the playoffs, losing at home in the 2nd round. More than that, some of the other conferences have stepped up their games. I feel pretty good about the CCIW on a relative basis this year. I think the conference is much better top to bottom than last year I am looking forward to the early games to prove that out. I would be surprised if the CCIW didn't finish with a strong non-conference record, get 2 teams in the playoffs, and move up the list substantially.

Here are the Top 10 Conferences in order:

WIAC-UWW
MIAC:St Thomas, St Johns, Bethel
OAC:UMU, JCU, Heidi
NJAC:Wesley, CNU, Rowan, Montclair
E8:Ithaca, StJF, Buff St
NorthWest:Linfield, Pac Lu
American Southwest: MHB, Hardin Simmons
Iowa IAC:Wartburg, Coe, Central
CCIW
Centennial:Johns Hopkins, Ursinius, Muhl

Usee- out of curiosity why did you choose to list multiple teams for every conference except the WIAC?  I'm not crying for recognition of the WIAC, I'm just curious if the omission of UWO and UWP and maybe UWSP has meaning behind it with you. unnecessarily stirring the pot.

Fixed that for you.

[AndOne]

Visitors to North Central's Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium this season, both new and repeat, will be greeted by a new sight immediately adjacent to the northeast corner of the stadium:

http://northcentralcollege.edu/content/new-residence-hall-construction

[USee]

Emma,

If it makes you feel any better I didn't list any teams from the CCIW.

[Gregory Sager]

Re: North Park's offense, whether it's eight returning starters or nine is really neither here nor there. The important thing is that the offensive line has the size and experience that NPU O-lines really haven't had in the past. That'll go a long way towards allowing the Vikings to establish a ground game. They really struggled in that area last season, and their ability to move the ball on the ground this season will go a long way towards allowing T.D. Conway and his receivers to do their thing.

[emma17]

Emma,

If it makes you feel any better I didn't list any teams from the CCIW.

Usee
I tried to ask the question without antagonism. It would be nice if you didn't follow Pat's lead- as he is just plain wrong.
I'm not looking to stir a pot, I am interested in a conversation about conference strength. I honestly, despite Pat's belief in his omniscience, was curious if the omission was your opinion that perhaps the WIAC was UWW and not much else. For what it's worth, I have a record on these boards as doubting the overall strength of the WIAC (posted last year after non conference). I can discuss the subject objectively as I believe there is a strong case for the MIAC as number 1.