FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[ncc_fan]

So what games exactly did you feel good about? And that's NCC +14 right? If I could get away with it I would mortgage my house to take NCC and 2 TDS. Any takers?

I'm with you...if anything, I feel that BU is the underdog given the loss of their QB....however, that is why they play the games...anything can happen!

He wasn't just an average QB, but rather, the MIAC MVP this season, so he is a huge loss...very solid player, and played with a ton of poise, regardless of how the game was going.

That being said, they are very fortunate to have a senior QB as the backup, and a group of solid senior receivers.

Excited to see how things turn out!  Wondering what the field will be like given that we are supposed to snow here this week, and then enter a deep freeze thursday - saturday (current fcst. high of 4 degrees on saturday!)  I wouldn't be shocked if the venue changes, in order to avoid playing on a torn up and frozen grass field.

Keep your head up.  North Central on the road against a backup senior QB and a solid set of senior WRs...we've seen that one before.   

Epic game. NCC went into that game as a double digit favorite for sure. No one outside of Crawfordsville gave Bash a chance. A 21-0 NCC lead in the first half and a 28-7 lead with 6min left in the 3rd made all the Cardinal fans fat and happy. And then it happened....Tyler Burke was knocked upside the head one too many times and became "unconscious" in the sense he could do no wrong. The last drive and 2 pt conversion for the win was a mix of awesome execution, serious ice in the veins, and incredible luck, but that's what dreams are made of.

Could happen again, this time the NCC opponent is not a double digit underdog by any stretch. But Spencer Stanek wasn't the Cardinal QB in 2011 either.

The Wabash QB in the game in question was absolutely fabulous. But despite his fabulousness (I think I made up a word) Wabash probably doesn't win that game without the "incredible luck" that USee mentioned.

Can it happen again. Sure. But it will probably again take a combination of the backup QB having the game of his life plus some luck, the incredible kind or not, for a BU victory. Not impossible by any means, but for a BU victory it would seem like they would have to play a perfect game. I do feel home field advantage (read crowd) will help negate some of the advantage gained by NCC due to the Bethel starting QB being out.

Bethel didn't go undefeated in the MIAC because of their QB alone, and the MIAC isn't the NCAC.  Furthermore, Bethel's backup QB played pretty well against Wartburg.  IMO we'd better not go in with the attitude that they'll have to play a perfect game to beat us.

[Pat Coleman]

It is confirmed... Bethel doesn't have the capacity to handle two events on Saturday on their campus...

"Football fans will park at a nearby off-campus location and will be shuttled to the stadium. This shuttle is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

Poor field, no parking, crap weather.  Nice job with the site selection vetting process, NCAA!!!

The parking lot is right across the street. Not enough reason to take away the home field that Bethel earned with its strength of schedule this year.

[sigma one]

You will recall that after the two-point conversation, there was still time enough left on the clock for NCC to respond.  The final NCC drive ended with an interception.
     If I recall the play correctly, Kovo is right.  As I saw it, the quarterback's throw was a bit high and went through the raised outstretched hands of the Wabash receiver (Kraus, who the tape shows believing he had missed his chance threw his hands up to his helmet).  As it passed beyond the first receiver, the second Wabash receiver (Young) was standing several yards in the end zone very near the boundary.  The ball went directly to him. Successful conversion.
     The whole second half was astounding, from Burke's performance to some fantastic catches.  And don't forget a Wabash defense that stepped up, even if NCC went a bit conservative, and the back who never fumbles fumbled.  A lot had to go right, or wrong, depending upon your loyalty. 
     The halftime rant by a Wabash player has become legendary.  Wabash trailing 21-0.  Basically,  a senior player took over and said, everyone says Wabash Always Fights.  Always Means Always.  There have long been buttons with the slogan "Wabash Always Fights."  Now, there is another button--"Always Means Always." 
     The best half of Wabash football I've ever seen, and the most shocked I've seen players and fans from the other team at the end of the game.  Once in a lifetime.
     Not this week:  NCC too strong whatever the obstacles in Minnesota.  Best of luck to the Cardinals.  Time for you to get to the Stagg.

[Kovo]

It is confirmed... Bethel doesn't have the capacity to handle two events on Saturday on their campus...

"Football fans will park at a nearby off-campus location and will be shuttled to the stadium. This shuttle is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

Poor field, no parking, crap weather.  Nice job with the site selection vetting process, NCAA!!!

Three things SOB:

1.  When we had a conflict in the basketball playoffs last year we had to move our home game against Whitewater to Illinois Benedictine University.  I didn't like it, but it made sense.  I don't know what is available near Bethel, but it should be considered;

2.  The more I think about it the more disappointed I am in our CCIW brothers.  We schedule 3 WIAC teams and 7 CCIW teams and end up 110 in SOS.  How in the world does that happen?  Oh, I forgot Carthage, MU (an ugly loss to Greenville), NPU (0-3), and Elmhurst all had poor out of conference seasons.  And, Augie managed to get pounded by Central Iowa at home, which didn't help. Come on guys! And while I am on my rant, I'm texting Jim Miller----never schedule a WIAC team.  Why bother?  They might beat you (like Lacrosse did in 2012), but their league is so tough they will beat up on each other and only a few of teams will have  the kind of record that will help your SOS.  Better off playing an 8-2 team from a weak league.  Let's tee up Olivet again.  That will keep us at home!!

3.  How in the world can you be negative karma with all the great info that you provide (ok I'm a bit biased since you used to help me with my math 25+ years ago at NC but seriously )?

[Stagg Again!!]

It is confirmed... Bethel doesn't have the capacity to handle two events on Saturday on their campus...

"Football fans will park at a nearby off-campus location and will be shuttled to the stadium. This shuttle is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

Poor field, no parking, crap weather.  Nice job with the site selection vetting process, NCAA!!!

The parking lot is right across the street. Not enough reason to take away the home field that Bethel earned with its strength of schedule this year.

I'm not suggesting that Bethel didn't have a great season or play a strong schedule Pat, but the NCAA should have reviewed the entire situation and made a better decision.  In 2006, NCC had to go on the road to play Concordia WI in the first round of the playoffs, but the game was hosted by Wisconsin Lutheran.  There are numerous other facilities in the Minneapolis area that could have hosted this weekend's game.  I should note that everyone at Bethel knew that there were going to be three concerts this coming Saturday, and that the school had struggled to handle parking related to basketball games on concert day in the past.  This information was known and available to the NCAA.

[iwu70]

Congrats to NCC and coach Thorne on their second round win.  Good luck this weekend at Bethel.

IWU70

[Pat Coleman]

It is confirmed... Bethel doesn't have the capacity to handle two events on Saturday on their campus...

"Football fans will park at a nearby off-campus location and will be shuttled to the stadium. This shuttle is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

Poor field, no parking, crap weather.  Nice job with the site selection vetting process, NCAA!!!

Three things SOB:

1.  When we had a conflict in the basketball playoffs last year we had to move our home game against Whitewater to Illinois Benedictine University.  I didn't like it, but it made sense.  I don't know what is available near Bethel, but it should be considered;

2.  The more I think about it the more disappointed I am in our CCIW brothers.  We schedule 3 WIAC teams and 7 CCIW teams and end up 110 in SOS.  How in the world does that happen?  Oh, I forgot Carthage, MU (an ugly loss to Greenville), NPU (0-3), and Elmhurst all had poor out of conference seasons.  And, Augie managed to get pounded by Central Iowa at home, which didn't help. Come on guys! And while I am on my rant, I'm texting Jim Miller----never schedule a WIAC team.  Why bother?  They might beat you (like Lacrosse did in 2012), but their league is so tough they will beat up on each other and only a few of teams will have  the kind of record that will help your SOS.  Better off playing an 8-2 team from a weak league.  Let's tee up Olivet again.  That will keep us at home!!

3.  How in the world can you be negative karma with all the great info that you provide (ok I'm a bit biased since you used to help me with my math 25+ years ago at NC but seriously )?

Well, honestly, it's partly because of which three WIAC teams you scheduled.

In the case of basketball, you know full well that your own facility was not available because it was being used as a staging area for the track nationals. That's not the same as another part of campus being used for something else.

[CardinalAlum]

So what games exactly did you feel good about? And that's NCC +14 right? If I could get away with it I would mortgage my house to take NCC and 2 TDS. Any takers?

I'm with you...if anything, I feel that BU is the underdog given the loss of their QB....however, that is why they play the games...anything can happen!

He wasn't just an average QB, but rather, the MIAC MVP this season, so he is a huge loss...very solid player, and played with a ton of poise, regardless of how the game was going.

That being said, they are very fortunate to have a senior QB as the backup, and a group of solid senior receivers.

Excited to see how things turn out!  Wondering what the field will be like given that we are supposed to snow here this week, and then enter a deep freeze thursday - saturday (current fcst. high of 4 degrees on saturday!)  I wouldn't be shocked if the venue changes, in order to avoid playing on a torn up and frozen grass field.

Keep your head up.  North Central on the road against a backup senior QB and a solid set of senior WRs...we've seen that one before.   

Epic game. NCC went into that game as a double digit favorite for sure. No one outside of Crawfordsville gave Bash a chance. A 21-0 NCC lead in the first half and a 28-7 lead with 6min left in the 3rd made all the Cardinal fans fat and happy. And then it happened....Tyler Burke was knocked upside the head one too many times and became "unconscious" in the sense he could do no wrong. The last drive and 2 pt conversion for the win was a mix of awesome execution, serious ice in the veins, and incredible luck, but that's what dreams are made of.

Could happen again, this time the NCC opponent is not a double digit underdog by any stretch. But Spencer Stanek wasn't the Cardinal QB in 2011 either.

The Wabash QB in the game in question was absolutely fabulous. But despite his fabulousness (I think I made up a word) Wabash probably doesn't win that game without the "incredible luck" that USee mentioned.

Can it happen again. Sure. But it will probably again take a combination of the backup QB having the game of his life plus some luck, the incredible kind or not, for a BU victory. Not impossible by any means, but for a BU victory it would seem like they would have to play a perfect game. I do feel home field advantage (read crowd) will help negate some of the advantage gained by NCC due to the Bethel starting QB being out.

Bethel didn't go undefeated in the MIAC because of their QB alone, and the MIAC isn't the NCAC.  Furthermore, Bethel's backup QB played pretty well against Wartburg.  IMO we'd better not go in with the attitude that they'll have to play a perfect game to beat us.

VERY well said!  Bethel is the best team we have seen to this point.  I'm concerned about the playing surface.  I'm not sure if we have played on a grass field this year, but I may be wrong.  As someone that played most of my games on grass or, fields like Bethel's that resemble grass somewhere, this will be a huge adjustment, especially on the expected frozen turf.  There will be players losing their footing at times.  Which team will have that play where someone slips and falls down at the right/wrong time?  I hear we may be heading up there on Thursday, so we should get a couple of chances to run around on the field and at least get a feel for it. 

[Gregory Sager]

It is confirmed... Bethel doesn't have the capacity to handle two events on Saturday on their campus...

"Football fans will park at a nearby off-campus location and will be shuttled to the stadium. This shuttle is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

Poor field, no parking, crap weather.  Nice job with the site selection vetting process, NCAA!!!

The parking lot is right across the street. Not enough reason to take away the home field that Bethel earned with its strength of schedule this year.

I'm not suggesting that Bethel didn't have a great season or play a strong schedule Pat, but the NCAA should have reviewed the entire situation and made a better decision.  In 2006, NCC had to go on the road to play Concordia WI in the first round of the playoffs, but the game was hosted by Wisconsin Lutheran.  There are numerous other facilities in the Minneapolis area that could have hosted this weekend's game.  I should note that everyone at Bethel knew that there were going to be three concerts this coming Saturday, and that the school had struggled to handle parking related to basketball games on concert day in the past.  This information was known and available to the NCAA.

1.  When we had a conflict in the basketball playoffs last year we had to move our home game against Whitewater to Illinois Benedictine University.  I didn't like it, but it made sense.  I don't know what is available near Bethel, but it should be considered;

I think Pat's right. Bethel earned the right to host by virtue of the NCAA's stated criteria. Part of earning the right to host is being able to dictate where the game will be played, as long as the site meets the criteria stated in the D3 football handbook. Bethel's home field meets those criteria. The parking issue? A tempest in a teapot. Nobody's going to miss the chance to attend the football game because of parking problems.

2.  The more I think about it the more disappointed I am in our CCIW brothers.  We schedule 3 WIAC teams and 7 CCIW teams and end up 110 in SOS.  How in the world does that happen?  Oh, I forgot Carthage, MU (an ugly loss to Greenville), NPU (0-3), and Elmhurst all had poor out of conference seasons.  And, Augie managed to get pounded by Central Iowa at home, which didn't help. Come on guys!

Seriously? NPU owes you an apology for not winning a non-conference game and thereby ruining North Central's SOS? I think not.

I'll let you in on a little secret, Kovo: North Park does not play football games with the consideration of what it's going to do or not do for North Central's strength of schedule uppermost in the minds of Vikings players, coaches, and/or fans. And I don't think that I'm going out on a limb by saying that Carthage, Millikin, Augustana, and Elmhurst likewise don't give a rat's tuchus what their non-conference performance does or does not do for North Central's SOS.

Fortunately, I haven't noticed any other North Central fans who are deluded or self-absorbed enough to think that it's all about their Cardinals, all the time -- even including the games in which, you know, NCC isn't actually playing.

And while I am on my rant, I'm texting Jim Miller----never schedule a WIAC team.  Why bother?  They might beat you (like Lacrosse did in 2012), but their league is so tough they will beat up on each other and only a few of teams will have  the kind of record that will help your SOS.  Better off playing an 8-2 team from a weak league.  Let's tee up Olivet again.  That will keep us at home!!

Yeah, right. Like you, or anybody else, could've foreseen Olivet going from 0-10 to 6-4 in one year.

[USee]

So what games exactly did you feel good about? And that's NCC +14 right? If I could get away with it I would mortgage my house to take NCC and 2 TDS. Any takers?

I'm with you...if anything, I feel that BU is the underdog given the loss of their QB....however, that is why they play the games...anything can happen!

He wasn't just an average QB, but rather, the MIAC MVP this season, so he is a huge loss...very solid player, and played with a ton of poise, regardless of how the game was going.

That being said, they are very fortunate to have a senior QB as the backup, and a group of solid senior receivers.

Excited to see how things turn out!  Wondering what the field will be like given that we are supposed to snow here this week, and then enter a deep freeze thursday - saturday (current fcst. high of 4 degrees on saturday!)  I wouldn't be shocked if the venue changes, in order to avoid playing on a torn up and frozen grass field.

Keep your head up.  North Central on the road against a backup senior QB and a solid set of senior WRs...we've seen that one before.   

Epic game. NCC went into that game as a double digit favorite for sure. No one outside of Crawfordsville gave Bash a chance. A 21-0 NCC lead in the first half and a 28-7 lead with 6min left in the 3rd made all the Cardinal fans fat and happy. And then it happened....Tyler Burke was knocked upside the head one too many times and became "unconscious" in the sense he could do no wrong. The last drive and 2 pt conversion for the win was a mix of awesome execution, serious ice in the veins, and incredible luck, but that's what dreams are made of.

Could happen again, this time the NCC opponent is not a double digit underdog by any stretch. But Spencer Stanek wasn't the Cardinal QB in 2011 either.

The Wabash QB in the game in question was absolutely fabulous. But despite his fabulousness (I think I made up a word) Wabash probably doesn't win that game without the "incredible luck" that USee mentioned.

Can it happen again. Sure. But it will probably again take a combination of the backup QB having the game of his life plus some luck, the incredible kind or not, for a BU victory. Not impossible by any means, but for a BU victory it would seem like they would have to play a perfect game. I do feel home field advantage (read crowd) will help negate some of the advantage gained by NCC due to the Bethel starting QB being out.

Please refresh my memory, as I don't recall this incredible luck.

Wabash also converted 2 4th downs in the 4th quarter TD drives in improbably fashion. Wes Chamblee came down with a 4th and 12 hail mary in the middle of 4 NCC defenders that was literally a pop fly. It netted 14 yds. Then on 4th and 14 Tyler "Superman" Burke took off running through a fast NCC defense and got 15 yds for the 1st. Either of those plays go NCC's way and it's a Wabash loss. As I said, a combination of making your own luck through execution and some improbable fortune.

Always means Always.

[Kovo]

It is confirmed... Bethel doesn't have the capacity to handle two events on Saturday on their campus...

"Football fans will park at a nearby off-campus location and will be shuttled to the stadium. This shuttle is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

Poor field, no parking, crap weather.  Nice job with the site selection vetting process, NCAA!!!

Three things SOB:

1.  When we had a conflict in the basketball playoffs last year we had to move our home game against Whitewater to Illinois Benedictine University.  I didn't like it, but it made sense.  I don't know what is available near Bethel, but it should be considered;

2.  The more I think about it the more disappointed I am in our CCIW brothers.  We schedule 3 WIAC teams and 7 CCIW teams and end up 110 in SOS.  How in the world does that happen?  Oh, I forgot Carthage, MU (an ugly loss to Greenville), NPU (0-3), and Elmhurst all had poor out of conference seasons.  And, Augie managed to get pounded by Central Iowa at home, which didn't help. Come on guys! And while I am on my rant, I'm texting Jim Miller----never schedule a WIAC team.  Why bother?  They might beat you (like Lacrosse did in 2012), but their league is so tough they will beat up on each other and only a few of teams will have  the kind of record that will help your SOS.  Better off playing an 8-2 team from a weak league.  Let's tee up Olivet again.  That will keep us at home!!

3.  How in the world can you be negative karma with all the great info that you provide (ok I'm a bit biased since you used to help me with my math 25+ years ago at NC but seriously )?

Well, honestly, it's partly because of which three WIAC teams you scheduled.

In the case of basketball, you know full well that your own facility was not available because it was being used as a staging area for the track nationals. That's not the same as another part of campus being used for something else.

Well in the WIAC preseason poll we had #4, #6 and #7.  #4 having beaten us the year before.  At this point we have played (and beaten) the WIAC #2, #4, #5 and #6.  But, I do recognize the weakness in the CCIW this year doesn't help us.

Of course, we knew about the track meet which would use Gregory Arena as a staging area.  But, they knew about the concert as well.  And, knew when it was scheduled that it could conflict with a playoff game.  I'm merely inquiring as to whether there is an alternative.

[Kovo]

It is confirmed... Bethel doesn't have the capacity to handle two events on Saturday on their campus...

"Football fans will park at a nearby off-campus location and will be shuttled to the stadium. This shuttle is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

Poor field, no parking, crap weather.  Nice job with the site selection vetting process, NCAA!!!

The parking lot is right across the street. Not enough reason to take away the home field that Bethel earned with its strength of schedule this year.

I'm not suggesting that Bethel didn't have a great season or play a strong schedule Pat, but the NCAA should have reviewed the entire situation and made a better decision.  In 2006, NCC had to go on the road to play Concordia WI in the first round of the playoffs, but the game was hosted by Wisconsin Lutheran.  There are numerous other facilities in the Minneapolis area that could have hosted this weekend's game.  I should note that everyone at Bethel knew that there were going to be three concerts this coming Saturday, and that the school had struggled to handle parking related to basketball games on concert day in the past.  This information was known and available to the NCAA.

1.  When we had a conflict in the basketball playoffs last year we had to move our home game against Whitewater to Illinois Benedictine University.  I didn't like it, but it made sense.  I don't know what is available near Bethel, but it should be considered;

I think Pat's right. Bethel earned the right to host by virtue of the NCAA's stated criteria. Part of earning the right to host is being able to dictate where the game will be played, as long as the site meets the criteria stated in the D3 football handbook. Bethel's home field meets those criteria. The parking issue? A tempest in a teapot. Nobody's going to miss the chance to attend the football game because of parking problems.

2.  The more I think about it the more disappointed I am in our CCIW brothers.  We schedule 3 WIAC teams and 7 CCIW teams and end up 110 in SOS.  How in the world does that happen?  Oh, I forgot Carthage, MU (an ugly loss to Greenville), NPU (0-3), and Elmhurst all had poor out of conference seasons.  And, Augie managed to get pounded by Central Iowa at home, which didn't help. Come on guys!

Seriously? NPU owes you an apology for not winning a non-conference game and thereby ruining North Central's SOS? I think not.

I'll let you in on a little secret, Kovo: North Park does not play football games with the consideration of what it's going to do or not do for North Central's strength of schedule uppermost in the minds of Vikings players, coaches, and/or fans. And I don't think that I'm going out on a limb by saying that Carthage, Millikin, Augustana, and Elmhurst likewise don't give a rat's tuchus what their non-conference performance does or does not do for North Central's SOS.

Fortunately, I haven't noticed any other North Central fans who are deluded or self-absorbed enough to think that it's all about their Cardinals, all the time -- even including the games in which, you know, NCC isn't actually playing.

And while I am on my rant, I'm texting Jim Miller----never schedule a WIAC team.  Why bother?  They might beat you (like Lacrosse did in 2012), but their league is so tough they will beat up on each other and only a few of teams will have  the kind of record that will help your SOS.  Better off playing an 8-2 team from a weak league.  Let's tee up Olivet again.  That will keep us at home!!

Yeah, right. Like you, or anybody else, could've foreseen Olivet going from 0-10 to 6-4 in one year.

I agree Gregory.  If most schools in the league could figure out how to win and hurt our SOS at the same time, I think that they would do it.    But with that said, one of the reasons I root wildly for the CCIW teams is not because of my affection to the member institutions, but how it could possibly help my team.  Yes, a rising tide lifts all boats.  And, a strong CCIW nonconference season could have kept NC at home, or whatever team earned the AQ.  So while I recognize that when NPU takes the field you will never once consider "how will this help NC/IWU/Wheaton etc." I most certainly will be watching and pulling for NPU and all the CCIW teams, in large part for that reason (and the fact I actually enjoy your broadcasts )

[Stagg Again!!]

It is confirmed... Bethel doesn't have the capacity to handle two events on Saturday on their campus...

"Football fans will park at a nearby off-campus location and will be shuttled to the stadium. This shuttle is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

Poor field, no parking, crap weather.  Nice job with the site selection vetting process, NCAA!!!

Three things SOB:

1.  When we had a conflict in the basketball playoffs last year we had to move our home game against Whitewater to Illinois Benedictine University.  I didn't like it, but it made sense.  I don't know what is available near Bethel, but it should be considered;

2.  The more I think about it the more disappointed I am in our CCIW brothers.  We schedule 3 WIAC teams and 7 CCIW teams and end up 110 in SOS.  How in the world does that happen?  Oh, I forgot Carthage, MU (an ugly loss to Greenville), NPU (0-3), and Elmhurst all had poor out of conference seasons.  And, Augie managed to get pounded by Central Iowa at home, which didn't help. Come on guys! And while I am on my rant, I'm texting Jim Miller----never schedule a WIAC team.  Why bother?  They might beat you (like Lacrosse did in 2012), but their league is so tough they will beat up on each other and only a few of teams will have  the kind of record that will help your SOS.  Better off playing an 8-2 team from a weak league.  Let's tee up Olivet again.  That will keep us at home!!

3.  How in the world can you be negative karma with all the great info that you provide (ok I'm a bit biased since you used to help me with my math 25+ years ago at NC but seriously )?

Well, honestly, it's partly because of which three WIAC teams you scheduled.

In the case of basketball, you know full well that your own facility was not available because it was being used as a staging area for the track nationals. That's not the same as another part of campus being used for something else.

Pat, you can't honestly tell me that the SOS number is a good indicator of the strength of a team's opponents and the only one used by the NCAA.  If that were the case, Mount Union should be a #2 or #3 seed every year as their SOS is always mediocre at best.  This year, they are in at #84.  Does that mean that John Carroll, Heidelberg, and Franklin were weak opponents?  NO.  The math is just not in their favor with nine conference games and only one chance to boost SOS.  In my opinion, 5-5 UWSP would defeat 90% of all DIII teams (ask the folks at UWW or UWP if they'd disagree).  As a matter of fact, Massey ranked UWSP #31... Ahead of St. John's.  UWS also had their moments in the WIAC (ask the folks at UWO).  The reality is that UWSP, UWS, and UWL would have all dominated in the HCAC, MIAA, MWC, NACC, and UMAC and we'd be talking about them just like we do Franklin. 

[Gregory Sager]

Of course, we knew about the track meet which would use Gregory Arena as a staging area.  But, they knew about the concert as well.  And, knew when it was scheduled that it could conflict with a playoff game.  I'm merely inquiring as to whether there is an alternative.

But it's not a conflict. That's the point that Pat is trying to make. The facility itself is the issue. NCC needed the airplane hangar last year for the track meet. That's why the UWW @ NCC basketball game got moved to BU, because the facility itself was directly involved in the scheduling conflict. That is not the case for this coming Saturday's game. The concert will be held elsewhere on campus, not on the football field. There is no scheduling conflict as far as the facility itself is concerned -- Royal Stadium has no other event scheduled for that day. That's why your comparison was apples to oranges.

The only issue here is parking. And Bethel has already dealt with that issue.

I agree Gregory.  If most schools in the league could figure out how to win and hurt our SOS at the same time, I think that they would do it. 

Say the words: "Norm Eash would do that." C'mon, you know that you want to!

But with that said, one of the reasons I root wildly for the CCIW teams is not because of my affection to the member institutions, but how it could possibly help my team.  Yes, a rising tide lifts all boats.  And, a strong CCIW nonconference season could have kept NC at home, or whatever team earned the AQ.  So while I recognize that when NPU takes the field you will never once consider "how will this help NC/IWU/Wheaton etc." I most certainly will be watching and pulling for NPU and all the CCIW teams, in large part for that reason (and the fact I actually enjoy your broadcasts )

I finally get a listening fan from North Central ... and I manage to alienate him. This day's going from bad to worse.

[USee]

NCC and Bethel are both facing their best opponent of the season. NCC is the #5 ranked offense and the #14 ranked defense (NCAA). Bethel is the #12 offense and the # 22 defense.

The best opponents either team has faced are:

St Thomas: #38 offense, #15 defense
Wheaton: #23 offense, #15 defense (tied w STT)

Bethel beat St Thomas @home 28-21
NCC beat Wheaton @Wheaton 35-16

Massey has NCC -5.5 and score
NCC    36
Bethel 31

with a 66% chance of an NCC victory

http://www.masseyratings.com/pred.php?s=cf&sub=11620&dt=20131203