FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[USee]

It is worth noting that, while we saw new blood atop the podium in 2019 (and we all know my loyalties on this site), we were essentially one play away from... Whitewater versus Mount Union in the Stagg Bowl.

At least one of Mount/Whitewater has been in the Stagg Bowl in 18 of the 20 seasons since 2000.  (And in one of the years they didn't make it the title was vacated.)  I'm a bit skeptical that others are there as reaching the quarterfinals by beating teams other than Mount and Whitewater is... not comparable to the level that those two programs are at.

The onus is on all of the other very-good-this-year teams to prove that they are at that elite level.  And not just this year, which is somewhat of an anomaly given the  number of fifth- and sixth-year players scattered about various rosters, but year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year.  That's what Mount and Whitewater have done.

Which is to say: I love seeing the progress that a school like Johns Hopkins (as one example) has made in recent years.  But they're still six miles behind the Purple Raiders and Warhawks on the highway.

There's a difference between a great season and a great program.

Great post Kiko. There is a lot of noise this year with various programs but Purple is still king of the mountain the past 20 years. Those two are still the gold standard by which D3 success is measured. North Central has a chance this year to grab a beach head on that territory with a back to back. They are gonna have to beat one or both of those again to do it.

[TrueGreen]

News from Decatur:

https://herald-review.com/sports/college/millikin/watch-now-millikin-head-football-coach-dan-gritti-leaving-program-after-six-seasons/article_33c8dc8d-558e-5164-b0af-0c2f5de4c6cd.html

[CardinalAlum]

News from Decatur:

https://herald-review.com/sports/college/millikin/watch-now-millikin-head-football-coach-dan-gritti-leaving-program-after-six-seasons/article_33c8dc8d-558e-5164-b0af-0c2f5de4c6cd.html

Wow. Didn't see that one coming. 

[SpartanHouse]

News from Decatur:

https://herald-review.com/sports/college/millikin/watch-now-millikin-head-football-coach-dan-gritti-leaving-program-after-six-seasons/article_33c8dc8d-558e-5164-b0af-0c2f5de4c6cd.html

They would be VERY wise to reach out to Derrick Leonard at Rochester HS.

[TrueGreen]

News from Decatur:

https://herald-review.com/sports/college/millikin/watch-now-millikin-head-football-coach-dan-gritti-leaving-program-after-six-seasons/article_33c8dc8d-558e-5164-b0af-0c2f5de4c6cd.html

Wow. Didn't see that one coming. 

Do you see any others coming?

[Next Man Up]

News from Decatur:

https://herald-review.com/sports/college/millikin/watch-now-millikin-head-football-coach-dan-gritti-leaving-program-after-six-seasons/article_33c8dc8d-558e-5164-b0af-0c2f5de4c6cd.html

Wow. Didn't see that one coming. 

Do you see any others coming?

Perhaps its time for someone who's been in the saddle for 35 years to ride off into the sunset?

[SpartanHouse]

The direction NCC is going....if some programs want to keep up, changes are needed.

[Thunder Vet]

Agree with everything you said. Gotta add that both sides had to deal with injuries. It did not help Wheaton when its star RB had to leave the game for over a quarter because he was banged up. Even though Weeks ran for over 100 yds, he couldn't make his jump cuts and cut backs with his hip injury. Nor could he accelerate to his sprint level speed.

While the Thunder will lose all their 5th and 6th year seniors, there are some (not all) 4th year seniors coming back for their lost COVID year,  including some 2s on the defense, and what I'm hearing, at least one defensive starter.  Add to the fact that there are 2 second string juniors on the defense, it may not be quite as bad as you predicted in a previous post where you thought only 1 or 2 on Wheaton's 2-deep were coming back. I think they'll have alot of talented starters, but not nearly the upperclassman depth Wheaton's been blessed with the past 2-3 years.

It will certainly be interesting to watch the Thunder in September 2022.  The defense has been fortunate enough to have very impactful D1 transfers (e.g. McCrae, O'Connell, Corey Kennedy) over the past few years, so perhaps the Portal will yield some new gems.  I'm also curious to see what happens at QB, since I believe that Luke Anthony and Jeremiah Tucker both have eligibility remaining (not sure if both/either are planning to return), as well as Ben Thorson, WKU transfer/brother of Clayton.  IIRC TJ Williams may have eligibility left, but I'm not plugged in to know if that ship has sailed (just daydreaming about a Weeks/Williams 1-2 punch). 

[Gregory Sager]

The direction NCC is going....if some programs want to keep up, changes are needed.

I'm not sure that Millikin is situated to keep up with NCC on the gridiron. I'm not saying that Dan Gritti bumped his head on Millikin football's ceiling, but he certainly might've felt a warning tingle in his scalp.

[Schipper Strong]

A great season team can still upset a great program team. You have to start somewhere to build. The elite players want to play for a championship, if you can show it is possible, you draw more elite players. Nothing like a national championship to boost recruitment. That is what builds the great programs. Every year it is repeated makes it that much easier to repeat it.

[TrueGreen]

The direction NCC is going....if some programs want to keep up, changes are needed.

I'm not sure that Millikin is situated to keep up with NCC on the gridiron. I'm not saying that Dan Gritti bumped his head on Millikin football's ceiling, but he certainly might've felt a warning tingle in his scalp.

Really?!? I think Millikin just totally gave up on Illinois. Hired Dan, (who I like) who had NO connections to anything Illinois. If you remember the great Millikin teams/years...full of central/southern Illinois blue collar kids and had a great Chicago southside pipeline. Not everyone is comfortable with or looking for the Naperville environment (as nice as many of us feel it is).

The Big Blue re-build could happen. Find out who you are and BE who you are.

[CardinalAlum]

News from Decatur:

https://herald-review.com/sports/college/millikin/watch-now-millikin-head-football-coach-dan-gritti-leaving-program-after-six-seasons/article_33c8dc8d-558e-5164-b0af-0c2f5de4c6cd.html

They would be VERY wise to reach out to Derrick Leonard at Rochester HS.

Have you ever been to Decatur?

[CardinalAlum]

The direction NCC is going....if some programs want to keep up, changes are needed.

I'm not sure that Millikin is situated to keep up with NCC on the gridiron. I'm not saying that Dan Gritti bumped his head on Millikin football's ceiling, but he certainly might've felt a warning tingle in his scalp.

Really?!? I think Millikin just totally gave up on Illinois. Hired Dan, (who I like) who had NO connections to anything Illinois. If you remember the great Millikin teams/years...full of central/southern Illinois blue collar kids and had a great Chicago southside pipeline. Not everyone is comfortable with or looking for the Naperville environment (as nice as many of us feel it is).

The Big Blue re-build could happen. Find out who you are and BE who you are.

Carl Poelker was a great coach and recruiter.  He had a lot of great relationships with high school coaches and did great recruiting the Chicago suburbs as you mentioned. 

[CardinalAlum]

News from Decatur:

https://herald-review.com/sports/college/millikin/watch-now-millikin-head-football-coach-dan-gritti-leaving-program-after-six-seasons/article_33c8dc8d-558e-5164-b0af-0c2f5de4c6cd.html

Wow. Didn't see that one coming. 

Do you see any others coming?

Many times you see where the program is and where it's going and sometimes you can just see the writing on the wall.  I thought Gritti had the Big Blue on an upswing.  If you would've said Carthage or IWU were looking for a new coach, I wouldn't have been surprised. 

[CardinalAlum]

A great season team can still upset a great program team. You have to start somewhere to build. The elite players want to play for a championship, if you can show it is possible, you draw more elite players. Nothing like a national championship to boost recruitment. That is what builds the great programs. Every year it is repeated makes it that much easier to repeat it.