FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Congrats to Coach Swider.

'70

[Gregory Sager]

In thinking more about the unexpected and bad loss to Alma, I think that a lot of it has to do with youth. North Park is a very young team, and I think that the team's youth showed to bad effect on Saturday night -- even though Alma, too, is a team that has a lot of youth at the skill positions. As good a quarterback as T.D. Conway is, we have to keep in mind that he's still early in his sophomore year. He's by no means a finished product yet. The experience situation is even more acute with the wide receiver corps, which starts a freshman (Devin Childress) and a pair of players who have never played WR at the college level until this year, converted DB Marquel Hawkins and former baseball player Dan Anderson. Drops and wrongly-run routes are the nature of the beast when you're dealing with inexperienced receivers. And the offensive line features a freshman, a sophomore who didn't start last season, and a junior who didn't see much playing time at the D1 school he played for prior to transferring to NPU. It's a talented offense, but it's going to need time to solidify.

But they're going to have to stay on the field longer, not just to score points but to give the defense a chance to keep its wind for sixty minutes.

I'm not sure what to expect on Saturday down in St. Louis. Washington (MO) has always been a solid program. Last year the Bears won the UAA for the second season in a row and went 8-3 with a playoff appearance. This year they've started off 0-2, but Ohio Northern and Rhodes are also well-respected programs, and my worry is that all that 0-2 record is going to do is make the Bears all the more angry on Saturday at Francis Field. NPU's drawn a tough opponent for next week, 0-2 record or not.

One team's going to bounce back on Saturday and crack the goose egg on the left side of the season ledger. I hope it's going to be NPU, but the Vikings need to get on the stick and sharpen up the offensive performance that in Alma was just plain ... well, offensive from the fan's point of view.

[kiko]

My perspective re: the Park is that progress is not always linear.  NPU probably has more talent this year than they've had in a couple of decades, but that doesn't mean their w/l record will necessarily show it.  Per Gregory's point, there's a difference between what you'll get on the field from a talented underclassman who is essentially learning on the fly in game situations and a talented upperclassman.  And growing pains will be magnified when you are thrust immediately into a bigger role.

In some respect, NPU has been struggling over the years to simply retain talented players for four years; retaining them and creating an environment where newbies (a) are able to ease into important roles over time, and (b) have veterans they can learn from to ease the transition will be part of the journey to a more stable program.  NPU has perhaps started down this path, but you really can't fix this overnight.

[robertgoulet]

Really looking forward to this weekend's match-up between UWP and NCC. Hoping to make the short trip across town to see it in person!

[DadofBashWarrior..]

Really looking forward to this weekend's match-up between UWP and NCC. Hoping to make the short trip across town to see it in person!

I am looking forward to the game as well...will be there.

[Gregory Sager]

My perspective re: the Park is that progress is not always linear.  NPU probably has more talent this year than they've had in a couple of decades, but that doesn't mean their w/l record will necessarily show it.  Per Gregory's point, there's a difference between what you'll get on the field from a talented underclassman who is essentially learning on the fly in game situations and a talented upperclassman.  And growing pains will be magnified when you are thrust immediately into a bigger role.

In some respect, NPU has been struggling over the years to simply retain talented players for four years; retaining them and creating an environment where newbies (a) are able to ease into important roles over time, and (b) have veterans they can learn from to ease the transition will be part of the journey to a more stable program.  NPU has perhaps started down this path, but you really can't fix this overnight.

Well put, kiko.

[79jaybird]

Nice tidbit in the Daily Herald about Josh Williams. 

[markerickson]

Greg:  Faulting the plebs not knowing routes does not excuse All-CCIW receiver Conway from grabbing <50 yards.  Did Alma have a Sherman-esque lockdown cb?  The brother combo should have scorched Alma.

[Gregory Sager]

Greg:  Faulting the plebs not knowing routes does not excuse All-CCIW receiver Conway from grabbing <50 yards.  Did Alma have a Sherman-esque lockdown cb?  The brother combo should have scorched Alma.

The Scots did have their most experienced CB, Brandon Wegenke, on Dakota Conway. T.D. threw to his brother a dozen times. Seven of those passes were incomplete and five were complete. T.D. was hurried on one of the incompletions. I'd have to look at the game film to say anything definitive, but based on my memory I'll hazard a guess that the onus for the other six misses was probably more on T.D. than on Dakota. But some of it was just plain ol' good defensive play.

[AndOne]

#7 UW-Platteville invades Naperville and #5 North Central tomorrow for a battle scheduled to begin at 6:00. The heavy thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow PM may ultimately have something to say about the actual eventual start time.

Rather than the Southern Wisconsin/Northern Illinois Bowl, this game might be labeled the WIAC/CCIW "Cost Bowl." The Wisconsin and Minnesota State College systems have long had a reciprocity agreement which allows students from either state to attend a state school in the other state for up to a few hundred dollars more than a state school in their state of domicile. For example, WI residents pay $14,541 for tuition and the most common room & board package, to attend Platteville. MN residents pay $375.00 more or $14,916.
However, in an attempt to lure Illinois and Iowa students over the borders to the pleasure capital of Southwest Wisconsin  , the UWP Administration has come up with something called the "Tri-State Initiative." This allows students from Iowa and Illinois to attend Platteville for $3,000 more than a Wisconsin resident, or $17,541. Students from states other than WI, MN, IA, and IL pay $22,114. Accordingly, a student from a Chicagoland HS can attend UWP for $17,541 as opposed to attending say, North Central, where current tuition plus the most common room and board costs total $44,025.

I'll leave the question of to what degree, if any, the UWP "Tri-State Initiative" provides the Pioneers with any form of a recruiting advantage over private institutions in nearby states. However, it is interesting to note that in the official 2 Deep Chart report submitted by UWP for tomorrow's game, 28 of Platteville's 52 starters and 2nd teamers are Chicagoland residents. I did not take into account any players from Iowa in my analysis. Specifically, 14 of the 22 UWP starters and 2nd teamers on offense, 10 of 22 on defense, and 4 of 8 on special teams are from high schools in Chicago or it's suburbs. All these players are certainly not at UWP due solely to the "Tri-State Initiative," but I'll bet the substantial cost differential played at least somewhat of a role in many of the player's decisions. Hence tomorrow's "Cost Bowl." 

[ncc_fan]

It would be interesting to know a typical cost of attendance at each school.  I suspect that most students at CCIW schools do not pay the full "sticker price". 

[AndOne]

Just like car shopping. Anyone who pays full "sticker price" is either nuts, rich, or both. 

[AndOne]

TO UWP FANS ATTENDING THE NCC GAME:

For those unaware, parking on/around the NCC campus is severely limited.
Accordingly, I would suggest trying the city parking deck on Chicago Ave just east of Washington in downtown Naperville. The deck is the equivalent of 2 blocks directly north of the stadium. Walk between Patterson Hall and the small shoping center directly across Chicago from the deck. There is another, larger deck a few blocks NE. Its just west of Washington between Van Buren and Benton. You can enter on either Van Buren or Benton.

For those wanting a gusto before the game, The Lantern is a block SW of the deck entrance. Jimmy's is directly north across Chicago from Lantern. Lantern serves lunch, not sure about dinner. Jimmy's has both food and drink. Also, Bar Louie, Five Guys, and Chipotle are in the strip mall straight across from the deck and just 1/2 block east of Lantern and Jimmy's.

* Bring your umbrella. 80 degrees and 80% chance of rain as of now.

[shepherd]

#7 UW-Platteville invades Naperville and #5 North Central tomorrow for a battle scheduled to begin at 6:00. The heavy thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow PM may ultimately have something to say about the actual eventual start time.

tomorrow?
Isn't the game Sat?
Sat 9.20.14 6:00 p.m.

[markerickson]

NACUBO, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, annually tracks the concept known as "tuition discounting."  NACUBO studies the extent to which private, postsecondary institutions discount tuition.  Yes, one should not pay the sticker price and like a car, negotiate that sticker price.  One cannot do that with a state-run school.  Tuition discounting, at least a couple of years ago, was at an all-time high - over 40%.  So if tuition is $30,000, the average cost paid was a little more than $15,000.  If you don't believe me, go to www.chronicle.com, which is a bible of sorts for those connected to higher ed, and search for NACUBO and/or tuition discounting. There are several reasons why tuition discounting is high these days.