FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Stagg Again!!]

North Region
1. Mount Union 6-0 7-0
2. Otterbein 7-0 7-0
3. Wittenberg 5-0 7-0
4. Case Western Reserve 6-0 7-0
5. Mount St. Joseph 7-0 7-0
6. North Central (Ill.) 6-1 6-1
7. Wabash 5-1 6-1
8. Wheaton (Ill.) 6-1 6-1
9. Illinois Wesleyan 6-1 6-1
10. Trine 6-1 6-1

[/quote]

Looks like plain vanilla "pick 'em based on their record only".  If you look at S.O.S., it tells a slightly different tale.  Opponents Win % and Opponents Opponents Win% for each of the ten teams are as follows:

                       O      O-O
Mount Union    .472     .600
Otterbein        .433     .587
Wittenberg     .350      .568
Case              .296      .565
Mt. St. Joes    .355      .511
NCC               .538     .598
Wabash          .694     .479
WC                .619     .619
IWU               .610     .540
Trine              .505     .501

Too early to be troubled by the list though as things will play out over the next couple of weeks (Mount Union v. Otterbein; MSJ v. Manchester and Thomas More; NCC v. IWU; IWU v. WC).  Of note is the fact that the NATHC champion is not on this list (Concordia WI or IL).  Interesting to note the apparent logjam at the top of the West Region with UWW ranked 4th -- could be a sign of one of those teams moving to the North Region as the top seed (Central, St. Johns, UWW).

[Titan Q]

IWU QB Kraig Ladd, who has missed the last two games with a broken bone in his throwing hand, will be back Saturday for the NCC game...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/illinois-wesleyan/article_c27a9ff2-c413-11de-8c15-001cc4c03286.html

[HScoach]

Whitewater is the only one close enough to the north to be moved in.  Central is over 600 miles and SJU over 800 miles from Ohio and the heart of the north region.  A north team like Wabash could make it to Central under 500 miles, but none of the Ohio teams (Wittenberg, Otterbein, Case, etc) could make it without a flight.

[Stagg Again!!]

Whitewater is the only one close enough to the north to be moved in.  Central is over 600 miles and SJU over 800 miles from Ohio and the heart of the north region.  A north team like Wabash could make it to Central under 500 miles, but none of the Ohio teams (Wittenberg, Otterbein, Case, etc) could make it without a flight.

Thanks for the info.  I hadn't broken out the Mapquest yet as it is a bit too early for me given that there are still three weeks to go in the regular season.  One question though -- how far is it from Central and SJU to the CCIW teams -- the real "heart of the North Region"?    (I couldn't resist.)  It is difficult to see a fourth-ranked team in the West Region (UWW) becoming the top seed in the North Region -- but, of course, that may change in the weeks ahead.  Perhaps a move of a lower-ranked West Region team to the North Region (like Monmouth) might be in the Cards (pun intended)?

[RedBear1107]

I think the TITANS will give NCC more than they can handle, especially with the defensive injuries the Cards have sustained...But I do give them credit for absorbing such losses as Wenger and Sulo and not missing a beat.  The key to the game for the Titans, in my mind, is whether or not they can run the ball on the Cards...if they can, the IWU offense should put up at least 35 points.  Taking into account unforeseen problems for the Titan O, and coupled with a stout defensive effort, my prediction is IWU 28, NCC 24.

[NCF]

Have you watched NCC this season? They are solid even with the losses of Wenger and Sulo. They are deep on defense and can stop the run. The secondary-that's a little shaky at times. I don't see them giving up 28 points to IWU, but who knows. Hopefully they don't come out flat after last weeks game.  Keep rolling Cards!

[Stagg Again!!]

I think the TITANS will give NCC more than they can handle, especially with the defensive injuries the Cards have sustained...But I do give them credit for absorbing such losses as Wenger and Sulo and not missing a beat.  The key to the game for the Titans, in my mind, is whether or not they can run the ball on the Cards...if they can, the IWU offense should put up at least 35 points.  Taking into account unforeseen problems for the Titan O, and coupled with a stout defensive effort, my prediction is IWU 28, NCC 24.

I've seen quite a few CCIW games this year, but have not yet seen IWU (I missed them at EC last week as I was at the WC v. NCC game).  What is it that has made their defense so special this year, and why do you think they can stop NCC's and, I assume, WC's offenses which are both multi-dimensional?  I know that IWU has defeated Carthage and Augustana (and has been setback a bit with the injury bug), but CC is pass first, last, and always, and AC is run first, last, and almost always.  NCC and WC seem to mix up their play calling very well and are both quite balanced in run/pass.  Would be great to hear from a few "Spartan"/Titan fans out there on this one since IWU has only played in the Chicago area once, and many of us may have missed them.

[Son of Tailgater]

Like most people, I usually just drive around Bloomington because there has never been a reason to take an exit. But this weekend Oswego HS plays Bloomington HS and NCC at IWU. Hopefully I can figure out how to turn off the auto pilot.
Better find my flannel shirt so they don't think I'm an alien. 

I played for Oswego High School so I will be at that game tomorrow as well. That makes my weekend easy to plan: High school football Friday, College football Saturday and NFL Sunday/Monday. Christmas has come early!

[Crutches McGee 87]

I think the TITANS will give NCC more than they can handle, especially with the defensive injuries the Cards have sustained...But I do give them credit for absorbing such losses as Wenger and Sulo and not missing a beat.  The key to the game for the Titans, in my mind, is whether or not they can run the ball on the Cards...if they can, the IWU offense should put up at least 35 points.  Taking into account unforeseen problems for the Titan O, and coupled with a stout defensive effort, my prediction is IWU 28, NCC 24.

More than they can handle?  I'm sorry but the cards put up 63 on Carthage, and defeated Wheaton 27-7.  Wheaton has a very potent offense and usually has a great running game.  The Cardinal defense kept Rocky Gingg in check all day.  I highly doubt IWU will be able to top Wheaton's efforts.  NCC's defensive line is strong, fast and can provide pressure as well as clog holes, and the linebacking corps that NCC has is phenominal (even without Wenger), and the DBs are very good as well.  And then there's the offense which speaks for itself.  I stick with my original prediction of NCC 49 IWU 23

[oldnuthin]

I think the TITANS will give NCC more than they can handle, especially with the defensive injuries the Cards have sustained...But I do give them credit for absorbing such losses as Wenger and Sulo and not missing a beat.  The key to the game for the Titans, in my mind, is whether or not they can run the ball on the Cards...if they can, the IWU offense should put up at least 35 points.  Taking into account unforeseen problems for the Titan O, and coupled with a stout defensive effort, my prediction is IWU 28, NCC 24.

I've seen quite a few CCIW games this year, but have not yet seen IWU (I missed them at EC last week as I was at the WC v. NCC game).  What is it that has made their defense so special this year, and why do you think they can stop NCC's and, I assume, WC's offenses which are both multi-dimensional?  I know that IWU has defeated Carthage and Augustana (and has been setback a bit with the injury bug), but CC is pass first, last, and always, and AC is run first, last, and almost always.  NCC and WC seem to mix up their play calling very well and are both quite balanced in run/pass.  Would be great to hear from a few "Spartan"/Titan fans out there on this one since IWU has only played in the Chicago area once, and many of us may have missed them.

While not IWU fan, Go Big Blue. I did have a chance to see the IWU Carthage game. Due to either an early lead, or just a more pass happy offense, i did not get a good sense as to how well IWU will be against the run. Against the pass they were very impressive in providing QB pressure and pass coverage. They are a hard hitting team, you should see the hit put on the elmhurst receiver in last weeks game, and are a very fast and swarming defense. 3-4 most of the time with 93 eating up blockers and 90 using leverage very well to shed blocks and pressure the QB. Linebackers are very fast and the DBS are good.I think it will be a very close game at the half, but the adjustments made during half will tell if this is will stay close or turn into a route. Having read the article posted by Q, it seems they may have Ladd back this week. I think that will be the X factor. The IWU O seems much more potent numbers wise when he is leading them. This will be the game of the week.

[Mugsy]

I think the TITANS will give NCC more than they can handle, especially with the defensive injuries the Cards have sustained...But I do give them credit for absorbing such losses as Wenger and Sulo and not missing a beat.  The key to the game for the Titans, in my mind, is whether or not they can run the ball on the Cards...if they can, the IWU offense should put up at least 35 points.  Taking into account unforeseen problems for the Titan O, and coupled with a stout defensive effort, my prediction is IWU 28, NCC 24.

More than they can handle?  I'm sorry but the cards put up 63 on Carthage, and defeated Wheaton 27-7.  Wheaton has a very potent offense and usually has a great running game.  The Cardinal defense kept Rocky Gingg in check all day.  I highly doubt IWU will be able to top Wheaton's efforts.  NCC's defensive line is strong, fast and can provide pressure as well as clog holes, and the linebacking corps that NCC has is phenominal (even without Wenger), and the DBs are very good as well.  And then there's the offense which speaks for itself.  I stick with my original prediction of NCC 49 IWU 23

Umm... while I will NOT reject the notion that the Cardinal defense put serious clamps on the Wheaton offense, I will dispute the "Cardinal defense kept Rocky Gingg in check all day" comment.

For starters Gingg only had 9 carries for the game.  This was in part due to the game plan design by the coaching staff, but primarily due to his overall health.  Anyone watching Wheaton this year knows Rocky Gingg is not the Rocky Gingg of 2008.  Has his skill and ability dropped or has there been something else going on (nagging injury)?

Gingg in 2008:
280 carries for 1290 yards, 15 TD's and 4.6 yards per carry.  An excellent sophomore season.

Gingg in 2009:
Bethel: 25 for 98, 3.9 ypc
CUW: 15 for 77, 5.1 ypc
Hope: 23-77, 3.3 ypc
NPU: did not play
Augie: 17-69, 4.1 ypc
Millikin: did not play
NCC: 9-1, 0.8 ypc

Season: 89-328, 3.7 ypc

Gingg's backup (Charlie Velling):
85-435, 4.8 ypc

Is Velling better than Gingg?  At this point, NO WAY!  Yet he is average almost 1 yard per carry more...  Watching how hard Gingg ran in 2008, I'm just not seeing it this year and based on what I know, it is easy to understand why.

There was much excitement coming into the 2009 campaign related to Wheaton offense.  Gingg & Norris (a combined 53 TD's in 2008), several returning receivers (including All-CCIW selections in Bertucci & Hindman) and 3 starters on the OL.

Fact of the matter is that the OL has not performed to the same level as in 2008, Wheaton lost their All-CCIW TE in Bertucci for the season and starting FB (affecting run blocking) and Gingg has been banged up all year.  Wheaton isn't rushing as effectively and this puts more pressure on Norris to pickup the slack by airing it out.  

[wheels81]

I think the TITANS will give NCC more than they can handle, especially with the defensive injuries the Cards have sustained...But I do give them credit for absorbing such losses as Wenger and Sulo and not missing a beat.  The key to the game for the Titans, in my mind, is whether or not they can run the ball on the Cards...if they can, the IWU offense should put up at least 35 points.  Taking into account unforeseen problems for the Titan O, and coupled with a stout defensive effort, my prediction is IWU 28, NCC 24.

More than they can handle?  I'm sorry but the cards put up 63 on Carthage, and defeated Wheaton 27-7.  Wheaton has a very potent offense and usually has a great running game.  The Cardinal defense kept Rocky Gingg in check all day.  I highly doubt IWU will be able to top Wheaton's efforts.  NCC's defensive line is strong, fast and can provide pressure as well as clog holes, and the linebacking corps that NCC has is phenominal (even without Wenger), and the DBs are very good as well.  And then there's the offense which speaks for itself.  I stick with my original prediction of NCC 49 IWU 23

Umm... while I will NOT reject the notion that the Cardinal defense put serious clamps on the Wheaton offense, I will dispute the "Cardinal defense kept Rocky Gingg in check all day" comment.

For starters Gingg only had 9 carries for the game.  This was in part due to the game plan design by the coaching staff, but primarily due to his overall health.  Anyone watching Wheaton this year knows Rocky Gingg is not the Rocky Gingg of 2008.  Has his skill and ability dropped or has there been something else going on (nagging injury)?

Gingg in 2008:
280 carries for 1290 yards, 15 TD's and 4.6 yards per carry.  An excellent sophomore season.

Gingg in 2009:
Bethel: 25 for 98, 3.9 ypc
CUW: 15 for 77, 5.1 ypc
Hope: 23-77, 3.3 ypc
NPU: did not play
Augie: 17-69, 4.1 ypc
Millikin: did not play
NCC: 9-1, 0.8 ypc

Season: 89-328, 3.7 ypc

Gingg's backup (Charlie Velling):
85-435, 4.8 ypc

Is Velling better than Gingg?  At this point, NO WAY!  Yet he is average almost 1 yard per carry more...  Watching how hard Gingg ran in 2008, I'm just not seeing it this year and based on what I know, it is easy to understand why.

There was much excitement coming into the 2009 campaign related to Wheaton offense.  Gingg & Norris (a combined 53 TD's in 2008), several returning receivers (including All-CCIW selections in Bertucci & Hindman) and 3 starters on the OL.

Fact of the matter is that the OL has not performed to the same level as in 2008, Wheaton lost their All-CCIW TE in Bertucci for the season and starting FB (affecting run blocking) and Gingg has been banged up all year.  Wheaton isn't rushing as effectively and this puts more pressure on Norris to pickup the slack by airing it out.  

If Gingg was really that hurt why did he play so much.? I think it was also the play calling that contributed to his poor performance.   Velling was more effective when he was in there running the same plays.  Gingg could not get outside all day as they were too fast so why did they keep trying it.  He also lost 6 yards on an outiside outlet pass.  Gingg needs to go North and South between the tackles w/o a delay.  That's his strength.  When Velling was in he ran to the hole quickly and turned it upfield as he seemed to find a seam and adapted better.  Did he get hurt as well and that's why he had limited time in the second half? 
Is it because the starting full back is out they opted not to try any screen passes?  That seems to be the logical play when the qb is getting pressure.

[Wags]

So Mugsy, since I have been involved in the CCIW postings, I note that you are quite the officiando of the bunch of us posters here, and are quite respected by all, myself included. . .what is your prediction for the IWU vs. NCC game this weekend?   

[Mugsy]

So Mugsy, since I have been involved in the CCIW postings, I note that you are quite the officiando of the bunch of us posters here, and are quite respected by all, myself included. . .what is your prediction for the IWU vs. NCC game this weekend?   

So I have you duped too, eh?     Waiting... waiting...  (CardinalAlum should be here any minute to cut me down at the knees lest I get a big head).

Actually I believe there is a wealth of good, knowledgable posters on the CCIW board who can present an opinion or argument in a respectful way - along with some jabs and good natured ribbin'.  Part of why I've enjoyed being a regular here.

Umm... I'll come up with my wild guess later tonight when I can give it a bit more thought.

[SaintsFAN]

I played for Oswego High School so I will be at that game tomorrow as well. That makes my weekend easy to plan: High school football Friday, College football Saturday and NFL Sunday/Monday. Christmas has come early!

Amen, SOT.  By the way... how are things this year?  Your team has rebounded nicely from the ONU game... and the result against Wheaton was impressive..