FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

seeing this is my first time making predictions I hope I get leeway to be a homer.  Next season, no homerism permitted.  Plus this year I do have some newfound optimism

1.  Millikin  8-2 (6-1)
2.  North Central 8-2 (5-2)
3.  Augustana 8-2 (5-2)
4.  Carthage 7-3 (4-3)
5.  Wheaton 6-4 (3-4)
6.  Elmhust 6-4 (3-4)
7.  Illinois Wesleyan 5-5 (2-5)
8.  North Park 2-8 (0-7)

You must not be a TRUE Millikin homer if you're gonna predict two wins for the Titans!

Or doesn't the Blue-Green rivalry burn as bright as it did in my day?  Back then it ranked right up there with Calvin-Hope or Wabash-DePauw .

[Gregory Sager]

Or doesn't the Blue-Green rivalry burn as bright as it did in my day?  Back then it ranked right up there with Calvin-Hope or Wabash-DePauw .

Or Rome-Carthage or Athens-Sparta. 

[Ditka]

You must not be a TRUE Millikin homer if you're gonna predict two wins for the Titans!

Or doesn't the Blue-Green rivalry burn as bright as it did in my day?  Back then it ranked right up there with Calvin-Hope or Wabash-DePauw .

The rivalry still holds up on the field.  But when not putting it on them on the gridiron the classy Millikin program would not like people to know they are in any way associated with that group of hoodlums who I have heard on good authority all hate their mothers and never say their prayers or eat their vitamins.

Looks like the preseason coaches poll is out, Millikin picked up a first place vote while the weenies are down there hanging out with North Park where they belong. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Ditka,

Now THAT'S more like it - venom at the very thought of the other school!

Though I must be going soft with age (or have become more conference-oriented when taking on outsiders); I was absolutely thrilled by your women's (bball) national title.


Greg,

You gotta cut out those classical references - it just confuses those poor Decatur folks.

[Jim Matson]

Augustana.....8-2
Wheaton........8-2
North Central..7-3
Millikin............6-4
Wesleyan........6-4
Carthage........4-6
Elmhurst........3-7
North Park......3-7

[Thud Bucket]

From the Bloomington (Il) Pantagraph:

IWU out to prove CCIW coaches wrong

By Jim Benson
and Douglas Hamm
jbenson@pantagraph.com;
dhamm@pantagraph.com

NAPERVILLE -- Illinois Wesleyan's disappointing 3-7 record last season apparently didn't inspire much confidence from football coaches in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

The Titans were picked to finish seventh in the eight-team CCIW as the league released its preseason coaches' poll Tuesday. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.

A year ago, IWU tied for sixth in the CCIW with a 2-5 league mark.

"It's kind of unexpected and expected," said IWU coach Norm Eash, who will be in his 20th season with the Titans. "It's unexpected from the standpoint we have a lot of tradition and confidence here and our goal every year is to challenge for a conference championship.

"But if you look at the way polls usually go it's expected because they picked us just (about) where we finished last year. But you do not play this year's schedule with last year's team. It is great bulletin board material and it should be motivating for our players."

Defending champion Augustana took the top spot in the poll. The Vikings, who went 7-0 in the league last year, received four first-place votes and 46 poll points.

North Central, whose only league loss came to Augustana last year, was the second choice with two first-place votes and 38 points. Augustana and North Central advanced to last year's NCAA Division III playoffs.

Wheaton was third with 36 points, while Millikin and Elmhurst tied for fourth with 27 points. Wheaton and Millikin each received a first-place vote.

Carthage was picked to finish sixth, followed by IWU and North Park.

"I don't think it's as clear cut as most people think it is," said Eash of the CCIW race. "I thought the conference was very balanced last year, and I think it will be even more balanced this year."

IWU's players will report to camp Aug. 11. The first practice will be the next day, and Eash can't wait.

"We're going to have a veteran team coming back with 10 starters on offense and eight on defense," he said.

The Titans' first game is at home against Coe on Sept. 2, with their CCIW opener at Augustana on Sept. 30.

Predicted finish

Here is the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Coaches Preseason Football Poll. First-place votes are in parentheses, followed by total poll points. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.

Team Points

1. Augustana (4) 46

2. North Central (2) 38

3. Wheaton (1) 36

4. (tie) Millikin (1) 27

Elmhurst 27

6. Carthage 26

7. Illinois Wesleyan 17

8. North Park 7

SOURCE: CCIW

[FormerCard]

well which team in front of them did IWU really think they should be ranked ahead of? 

NCC (weird) 9-1
Augie           8-2
Wheaton     7-3
Elmhurst      7-3
Carthage     6-4
Millikin          6-4
IWU             4-6
N.P              4-6

[79jaybird]

Sager, forgot to mention the Montagues/Capulets! 
On the air we call the Millikin/IWU rivalry the Battle of Route 51  or the Corn Bowl.
Interesting CCIW Coaches Poll.  I think most coaches use the Pre-Season Polls as a motivator to prove the others wrong.

[Mugsy]

You want to talk about competition in the CCIW, I don't think there have been many years where 4 of 8 teams have received first place votes in the pre-season coaches poll.  

Going back to 1999, only 2 years have had 4 teams receiving first place votes... 2005 and 2006.

I'd be curious as to which coach selected Millikin to win the conference.

[augiedogie]

NC  (6-1)
Augie (6-1) loss @ NC, and a non-conference game because they always lose 1.
Wheaton (5-2)
Elmhurst(3-4)
Milikin(3-4)
Carthage(2-5)
IWU(2-5)
North Park(1-6)

I don't know if this is mathmatically, but I'm sure I'll get told if it isn't.

I find it intersting that Augie is ranked #1.  I think there are more questions there this year than last year.  They have to replace 2 people in the backfield (with Roe gone is a huge loss). Also, Ziefert the AA will be tough to replace (although Augie does have a history of replacing great linemen with great linemen).  Also, the secondary having to replace Shea, and more importantly Anthony is a huge question mark.    With Augie having to travel to NCC I had to give the edge to NCC for them winning their first conference title this year (hopefully I'm wrong).

[79jaybird]

Augiedogie notes the Augustana losses  that need replacement.  I know most of you (me included) think NC will have a strong year, but they have to replace some stars also most notably Radtke and Spencer.  Having Kniss at QB is a great anchor on offense, but the Cards do have some voids to fill as do the other 6 teams.
"I'd be curious as to which coach selected Millikin to win the conference."
Mugsy, we know it isn't Neibuhr obviously, but I would venture to guess it might be Tom Journell.  They are very good friends, Tom is fond of his coaching style, and they have Wittenberg connections.  Just a hunch.

[Gregory Sager]

Sager, forgot to mention the Montagues/Capulets! 

I think that you and Chuck (Mr. Ypsi) must've missed the point of the joke. I was making fun of his advanced age by naming other heated rivalries from back in his day ... hence, Rome/Carthage and Athens/Sparta.

[usee]

"I'd be curious as to which coach selected Millikin to win the conference."
Mugsy, we know it isn't Neibuhr obviously, but I would venture to guess it might be Tom Journell.  They are very good friends, Tom is fond of his coaching style, and they have Wittenberg connections.  Just a hunch.

I doubt it.

more likely one of the top three voted for millikin because they cant stand the other two. I don't see how millikin can be in the top of the conference this year but what do i know. IWU has 18 starters back. i would definately pick iwu ahead of millikin and carthage in the conference race. in fact i did pick them.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Sager, forgot to mention the Montagues/Capulets! 

I think that you and Chuck (Mr. Ypsi) must've missed the point of the joke. I was making fun of his advanced age by naming other heated rivalries from back in his day ... hence, Rome/Carthage and Athens/Sparta.

Now, Greg, I will admit to dating Juliet (and getting my lunch money stolen by that thug Romeo), but Athens/Sparta was my parents' generation.

[Ditka]

I doubt it.

more likely one of the top three voted for millikin because they cant stand the other two. I don't see how millikin can be in the top of the conference this year but what do i know. IWU has 18 starters back. i would definately pick iwu ahead of millikin and carthage in the conference race. in fact i did pick them.

The problem I see with this IWU logic (oxymoron?) is that it is 18 starters returning from a 3 win team and they lost their offensive MVP who also happens to be their QB.  It is always hard to improve a lot when you lose a player who accounts for such a high percentage of your offense. 

The advantage Millikin has in this repect is that Joey Albin is returning for his 2nd full season as a starter so there is stability at the most important position. 

In the head to head matchup one thing that really works in Millikins favor (besides the big guy upstairs being on their side) is that Wallick, who did stuggle at times against a few conference teams last season, absolutely dominated and physically abused Wesleyan.  On the other hand, Kudyba single handidly kept Wesleyan in a game where they were outplayed and beat up on their home turf.  He had 4 touchdown passes and rushed for over 100 yards. 

Overall he accounted for like 350 yards of offense and 4 TDs.  IWU had 380 yards and 4 TDs that game as a team!  One of the more impressive individual performances of the year in the conference that no one talked a lot about if you ask me.

So anyway, returning 18 starters from a 3 win team isn't always a great thing, you want young players and incoming players to challenge and win starting positions because that always shows a team is improving its talent level.  And if the returning starters are a real solid group you just have some bad luck losing having your QB and team MVP the year everyone else returns.

But you never know, someone could step up and be real solid in that spot.  This isnt the Big Ten and first year starters have early impacts a lot more often at this level.


Can't ever sleep on Carthage either, Brandon Fox is a "man among boys" type of player in my opinion and they are a program on the rise more than one who just had some fluke seasons.