FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[shepherd]

2 things:

1) Elmhurst OL getting lots of love (rightfully so).

2) I didn't realize Hiben was a Soph. My oh my are CCIW DBs in trouble.

Now you no how Wheaton has felt about Kukuc, that huge TE and many other NCC players.  By the way we are loaded with talented receivers on the freshmen squad.

[USee]

Daily Herald article on the North Central, Elmhurst, & Wheaton tie atop the CCIW:

https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20121113/sports/711139609/

Quote from the article:

With Elmhurst and North Central in the playoff bracket, Wheaton was the odd team out. Even after finishing with a share of the title, the Thunder's season is over. While excited over the conference championship, coach Mike Swider can't help but feel overlooked.

"The process of determining those 32 teams has some flaws," Swider said of the playoff bracket. "When you are a co-champion in one of the toughest conferences in the country, ranked in the top 15 and never lost a first-round playoff game ever, it's frustrating."

Swider's team had 13 all-conference players, including quarterback Jordan Roberts (Aurora Christian), and finished 8-2 overall.

The coach said it would be easy to cheer for his conference rivals in their playoff games.

"You always cheer for your conference," Swider said. "North Central deserves to go and Elmhurst deserves to go, I'm just saying we deserve to go along with them."

[cciwrabblerouser]

This comment and question is for Greg Sager, the prolific and highly-regarded apologist for all things North Park:

Comment:  I just re-read your essay that you shared back in October that covered all the difficulties that NPU faces in developing a competitive, CCIW-worthy football program.  I have observations myself, but they of course are very limited.  I agree with everything you wrote about all the challenges for North Park football.  And we all appreciate your sharing them with us.

Question:  Do you know how the senior administration (your President, specifically) and the board of trustees feel about football?  Are they (pardon the pun) athletic supporters?  Or are they eggheads without a clue?  Are the president and the board part of the problem, or are they part of the solution?  I'm just curious, because most (but not sll) Division III schools reflect the priorities of the men and women who run it.  I am interested in hearing your perspective about NPU leadership and what is important to them.

[cciwrabblerouser]

Daily Herald article on the North Central, Elmhurst, & Wheaton tie atop the CCIW:

https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20121113/sports/711139609/

Quote from the article:

With Elmhurst and North Central in the playoff bracket, Wheaton was the odd team out. Even after finishing with a share of the title, the Thunder's season is over. While excited over the conference championship, coach Mike Swider can't help but feel overlooked.

"The process of determining those 32 teams has some flaws," Swider said of the playoff bracket. "When you are a co-champion in one of the toughest conferences in the country, ranked in the top 15 and never lost a first-round playoff game ever, it's frustrating."

Swider's team had 13 all-conference players, including quarterback Jordan Roberts (Aurora Christian), and finished 8-2 overall.

The coach said it would be easy to cheer for his conference rivals in their playoff games.

"You always cheer for your conference," Swider said. "North Central deserves to go and Elmhurst deserves to go, I'm just saying we deserve to go along with them."

What Swider doesn't mention should be noted.  Wheaton's loss to Albion certainly didn't help their chances.  Albion ended the year with four losses despite its big win over the Thunder early in the year.  The simple fact is, Wheaton, if it's deserving of an NCAA playoff berth, shouldn't have lost to Elmhurst.  WC held its fate in its own hands, and the second loss to Elmhurst was something they couldn't afford.  With only 32 teams making the Division III playoffs, DIII is very much like the BCS schools.  Basically every game needs to be viewed as a playoff game.

[USee]

The NCC v CalLu game is interesting. Rogers is an elite reciever and we have seen what a top passing game can do vs NCC (See Hiben/Wheaton). The biggest gap I see is in Cal Lu's defense. They haven't really stopped anyone all year but they have certainly outscored them. The top defense in Cal Lu's league is Redlands and NCC put 42 pts on them. That doesn't bode well. NCC has some players on defense. The interesting part is NCC's deficiency against the pass in select games. We really don't know how good Cal Lu's offense is because they played in a weak defensive conference (statistically speaking). I am pretty sure NCC is going to have their way with Cal Lu's defense and it may become a shootout. If Cal Lu can match their averages offensively, NCC is in trouble. If NCC is the best defense Cal Lu has seen and has trouble scoring, NCC will win pretty handily IMO. I suspect Cal Lu hasn't seen a defense as good as NCC but since Cal Lu will have seen the Wheaton tape, they are likely licking their chops at the prospect of playing against NCC's D. I am interested to see how this unfolds.

[D O.C.]

Personally, I would prefer NCC win.
C-LU is good enough I do not want to have to play them again.

[cludad]

I would bet Linfield's d is as goood if not better than ncc.Redlands struggled early but played like the real dawgs down the stretch. CLU gives up a lot of yards but alot of those points given up were after the game was sealed.If ncc finishes drives it will be a long day for CLU.

[USee]

Personally, I would prefer NCC win.
C-LU is good enough I do not want to have to play them again.

Well that makes absolutely no sense.

[Gregory Sager]

And I take exception at your interpretation of my post GS.  I know progress when I see it. Better students, more retention, more seniors than I don't know when and much more discipline on the field.  Lack of talent, yes, bad coaching no.  I agree with your conclusion, NPU is doomed if they are now firing coaches.  I can't imagine who wants that job.  I am sure someone will take it but that's disappointing to see them fire Pethtel.

I don't understand why you take exception, USee. You said in your initial post that NPU had made "huge strides." Huge strides in what way? Since this is a football forum, after all, it's entirely reasonable to think that you were talking about what happened on the field rather than off the field. And, as I said in my reply to you, if you were talking about off-the-field stuff when you said "huge strides", then I don't have a problem with that. In fact, as should be apparent by now, I agree with you.

[cludad]

Hey Usee, i see you never met D O.c.

[Gregory Sager]

This comment and question is for Greg Sager, the prolific and highly-regarded apologist for all things North Park:

Comment:  I just re-read your essay that you shared back in October that covered all the difficulties that NPU faces in developing a competitive, CCIW-worthy football program.  I have observations myself, but they of course are very limited.  I agree with everything you wrote about all the challenges for North Park football.  And we all appreciate your sharing them with us.

Question:  Do you know how the senior administration (your President, specifically) and the board of trustees feel about football?  Are they (pardon the pun) athletic supporters?  Or are they eggheads without a clue?  Are the president and the board part of the problem, or are they part of the solution?  I'm just curious, because most (but not sll) Division III schools reflect the priorities of the men and women who run it.  I am interested in hearing your perspective about NPU leadership and what is important to them.

These are good questions. My answers, unfortunately, are incomplete. I'm not privy to what goes on behind closed doors with regard to the NPU Board of Trustees. What I can tell you is that President Parkyn makes it a point to be at all athletic events when he's on campus. (Since the presidents of small liberal-arts colleges are required to be traveling salesmen for their schools, their presence on their campuses tends to be sporadic.) That includes football. He's always in the same seat, three rows down from the press box's north entrance, during home NPU football games ... and I've traveled with him to a road football game, so he's no stranger to taking in a Vikings game when they're on the road, too.

In talking to Scott Pethtel, I never got the sense that he viewed the NPU administration in an adversarial sense. Like most coaches regardless of the school involved, I think that he felt that North Park's leadership could've done more to support football, but it's not as though the football team was not getting a big enough piece of the pie. The problem is that it's not a very big pie to begin with.

The problem is bigger than football, in that it involves the admissions department and overall enrollment numbers (as I alluded to earlier). There are several different models for how to run a small D3 liberal arts college out there, and it may be that NPU should follow a different model -- one more like, say, Adrian's -- in terms of resource allotment vis-a-vis expanding both financial aid and athletics offerings as a means to draw students. That would have a positive effect upon football. But, as I said, these are bigger issues than football, and when it comes to matters of higher ed administration and finance, I know my analytical limitations.

So, to answer your question: My impression is that the administration is favorably disposed towards football ... but I'm not sure that it's willing to adopt a "let's do whatever it takes to win at football" kind of an attitude, with all of the ramifications that that entails. Given the massive obstacles standing in NPU's way, I can understand such caution.

[bluejay4ever]

Congrats to all the all conference players along with Coach Lester as coach of the year.  I would also say congrats to their entire staff. I coached with many of them and as good as coaches they are they are even better people. Another very proud day for the program.

As far as the matchup info put up on Ec vs Coe. Those are some very impressive numbers by Coe. The two things that stand out to me is EC has to rely on their strength of running the ball keeping control of the flow of the game. Secondly they both have almost comical plus turnover margins. It may be as simple as who has a plus turnover margin in this game Saturday.

This truly is so exciting.

Safe travels to NC team, alums, and fans going west.

[iwu70]

Good luck to North Central and Elmhurst this weekend.  Do the CCIW proud and bring home a couple of Ws.  Let's hope both teams are playing again the following week. 

IWU70

[D O.C.]

USee...on a linear level for you then. 

I KNOW LINFIELD can beat NCC at home.
The WILDCATS are pushing their luck with C-LU.
Had to block a field goal in the waning seconds to beat them last year in the playoffs and a field goal with 6 seconds left to win in their house this year
.
NCC lost to a team that will not even schedule LINFIELD any more: Redlands.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc, my previous post.

[USee]

What's up DOC,

Your logic is seriously flawed.  NCC lost to Redlands 15 months ago.  You KNOW nothing.