FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[kiko]

My Predictions:
B: Hardin Simmons
C1: Whitewater
C2: Wesley
C3: Mary Hardin Baylor
C4: St Johns
C5: Platteville
C6: Ohio Northern (I don't think they leave the #2 OAC team out)

My #1 seeds are : Mt U, Linfield, Oshkosh, and Wheaton

I think Wheaton has a better resume than St Thomas

Thunderdog i think you got it right.

Wheaton may or may not get a #1, but it certainly won't be those four.  As Wally suggests, St. Thomas gets a #1 before Oshkosh does simply because they are the West #1 and Oshkosh is the West #2.

It was those four. 

West had to have kept Whitworth ranked ahead of Platteville which is the only way their last two selections make sense.

Wally - my comment was in regards to the four #1 seeds, not the Pool C selections.

[New Tradition]

Poll out. 

Wheaton clocks in at 6, flip flopping with UWW, who is now 5th.  NCC moves up from 16 to 15 as the benefactor of the John Carroll loss.

[CardinalAlum]

First of all, huge props to Wheaton for a great run through the conference.  This is the best Wheaton team I have seen in a long time, other than their punt team!      I really think Wheaton was deserving of a #1 seed and hopefully shows that in the playoffs.  The NCAA did them no favors for sure, but this team is as ready as any CCIW playoff team has been for a run.   Good luck, Thunder!

The Cards were young in many key spots and will be much better next year because of it!   No playoffs means hitting the recruiting trail earlier.  Hoping for another great class for next season.   

Conference awards coming out later today.  I would guess, Dansdill, Frasco and Swider, but would think Conway may get some votes for Coach of the year.

[thunderdog]

"We'll play anyone...anywhere...at any time..."

Seems as if the NCAA selection committee took that as a challenge

So be it

ROLL THUNDER!

[thunderdog]

Wow... congrats to former Wheaton D-coordinator Rod Sandberg in leading Whitworth to a 9-1 season and the 2015 playoffs in only his 2nd year at the helm.  A tall task with Linfield in first round, but huge accomplishment and I've got to think well ahead of expectations.

Ditto that Mugsy. Rod Sandberg is a great coach and even better person. To make the playoffs in just his 2nd year at the helm is a huge accomplishment, as u stated.

[AndOne]

First of all, huge props to Wheaton for a great run through the conference.  This is the best Wheaton team I have seen in a long time, other than their punt team!      I really think Wheaton was deserving of a #1 seed and hopefully shows that in the playoffs.  The NCAA did them no favors for sure, but this team is as ready as any CCIW playoff team has been for a run.   Good luck, Thunder!

The Cards were young in many key spots and will be much better next year because of it!   No playoffs means hitting the recruiting trail earlier.  Hoping for another great class for next season.   

Conference awards coming out later today.  I would guess, Dansdill, Frasco and Swider, but would think Conway may get some votes for Coach of the year.

I think Austin Breunig of North Central should be considered the favorite for Offensive POY.

* He led the CCIW in rushing by a wide margin-over 300 yards more than the 2nd place finisher.
* Finished 7th in total offense-the highest among non quarterbacks.
* Finished 1st in all-purpose yards
* Led the conference in scoring-30 points more than the 2nd place finisher
* Led the conference in TDs-5 more than the 2nd place finisher

[New Tradition]

First of all, huge props to Wheaton for a great run through the conference.  This is the best Wheaton team I have seen in a long time, other than their punt team!      I really think Wheaton was deserving of a #1 seed and hopefully shows that in the playoffs.  The NCAA did them no favors for sure, but this team is as ready as any CCIW playoff team has been for a run.   Good luck, Thunder!

The Cards were young in many key spots and will be much better next year because of it!   No playoffs means hitting the recruiting trail earlier.  Hoping for another great class for next season.   

Conference awards coming out later today.  I would guess, Dansdill, Frasco and Swider, but would think Conway may get some votes for Coach of the year.

I think Austin Breunig of North Central should be considered the favorite for Offensive POY.

* He led the CCIW in rushing by a wide margin-over 300 yards more than the 2nd place finisher.
* Finished 7th in total offense-the highest among non quarterbacks.
* Finished 1st in all-purpose yards
* Led the conference in scoring-30 points more than the 2nd place finisher
* Led the conference in TDs-5 more than the 2nd place finisher

It has no bearing on the OPOY discussion, but he also set the single season rushing TD record at NCC with his performance against Elmhurst last Saturday.

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton's bracket reminds me of many an IWU basketball bracket.  I've found that it's awfully fun to watch your team compete against the elite teams in the tournament.

I agree. Over the years I've come to appreciate the benefits that can be accrued from a rough slog to the top. Of course, it's a little different in football than in basketball, because injury attrition is so much more of a factor on the gridiron than it is on the hardwood. I would think that the odds are at least slightly higher that Wheaton might face the risk of added injury by facing such an extremely demanding path to Salem than would've been the case with an easier draw in terms of potential opponents. But, in the end, playing such tough competition early in the bracket can have benefits down the road, too. If I was a Wheaton fan (and what a bizarre alternate universe that would be), these are the kind of teams I'd enjoy seeing the Thunder face from Week Two onward ... providing, of course, that the Thunder keep on winning.

Congrats to the Wheaton posters here for having the right attitude about how the bracket shakes out for their team.

[thunderdog]

The first time that Norm Eash met Mike Conway, this was their dialogue:

EASH: Why did you take that job? That's one of the worst football programs in the entire country!
CONWAY: That's exactly why I took it. I want to be the one who turns it around.
EASH: [chuckling] Well, good luck with that. But if North Park ever beats the Titans, it'll be long after I'm gone.

I'm not breaking anybody's confidence by retelling this. It seems like everybody connected to NPU football has already heard it.

Mr Sager,

Won't act as if I enjoyed the NPU over IWU result as much as you did, but I think you'd be surprised by how little of a gap exists between your level and mine (and I suppose many others...)

And that even takes into consideration that with a IWU win, they (IWU) may have snuck back into the North regional ranking @ #10, boosting Wheaton's playoff resume...

[izzy stradlin]

First of all, huge props to Wheaton for a great run through the conference.  This is the best Wheaton team I have seen in a long time, other than their punt team!      I really think Wheaton was deserving of a #1 seed and hopefully shows that in the playoffs.  The NCAA did them no favors for sure, but this team is as ready as any CCIW playoff team has been for a run.   Good luck, Thunder!

The Cards were young in many key spots and will be much better next year because of it!   No playoffs means hitting the recruiting trail earlier.  Hoping for another great class for next season.   

Conference awards coming out later today.  I would guess, Dansdill, Frasco and Swider, but would think Conway may get some votes for Coach of the year.

I think Austin Breunig of North Central should be considered the favorite for Offensive POY.

* He led the CCIW in rushing by a wide margin-over 300 yards more than the 2nd place finisher.
* Finished 7th in total offense-the highest among non quarterbacks.
* Finished 1st in all-purpose yards
* Led the conference in scoring-30 points more than the 2nd place finisher
* Led the conference in TDs-5 more than the 2nd place finisher

Agree. He'd be my pick.

[thunderdog]

Hats off to a Carthage squad that went toe-to-toe w/ Wheaton on Saturday.  To finish 5-5 overall (including a 29-28 road win over playoff bound Lakeland in week 3), 4-3 in conference, with the toughest SOS in the country... that's certainly something to build off of during the off-season. Great job by head coach Mike Yeager, his staff, and of course, his players.

It was awesome to see JP11 back on the field for the Thunder. I thought he looked great! IMO, the offense just has a different feel when he's at the helm. That's not meant to be an insult of any kind towards Bowers. Bowers was awesome in JP11's absence. In fact, I think it's very clear that O-Coordinator Josiah Sears needs to find a way to keep AB2 on the field, even with JP11 running the show. He's clearly one of our "best 11". If Sola23 continues to be hobbled at RB, I'd like to see him get some carries from that RB position. He seems durable enough to withstand the physical beating that naturally comes with the position. He could also spell #13 Trey Hanley (who has stepped up for the injured Matt Norton admirably) at the slot.

The thing I love most about this team is the way the players have all bought into the system. There's no belly-aching over playing time and there's no slacking from the guys that are #4 and #5 on the depth chart. Everyone is doing their job and doing it well. Let's keep it rollin' Thunder...

As for the Lakeland game, don't know much about them, but statistically speaking, they're pretty much a 1 man show on offense. Soph QB #5 Michael Whitley (6'0" 180) does it all. Thru the air, he's 253 for 402, good for a 62.9% completion rate, with 33 TD's vs only 7 INT's. He's also run the ball 166 times for a net of 607 (gained 841 and lost 234) with 15 TD's. The next closest RB, Frosh #15 Eldrada Meeks (5'5" 145) only has 65 carries for 195 yards. Given Whitley's large lost yardage # of 234, I would venture to guess that most of Whitley's runs are designed pass plays, but that's a pure guess on my part. Whitley's top 2 targets are JR #10 Kezlow Smith (6'0" 180) and SR #6 Michael Esiobu (6'2" 210). Smith has 70 grabs for 924 and 15 TD's, while Esiobu has 55 snags for 784 and 7 TD's. I would guess that D-Coordinator Jordan Langs will counter with a 3-3-5 as a base, but I'm looking forward to seeing what else this bright young coach has in store for the Thunder D.

[USee]

Wheaton's bracket reminds me of many an IWU basketball bracket.  I've found that it's awfully fun to watch your team compete against the elite teams in the tournament.

I agree. Over the years I've come to appreciate the benefits that can be accrued from a rough slog to the top. Of course, it's a little different in football than in basketball, because injury attrition is so much more of a factor on the gridiron than it is on the hardwood. I would think that the odds are at least slightly higher that Wheaton might face the risk of added injury by facing such an extremely demanding path to Salem than would've been the case with an easier draw in terms of potential opponents. But, in the end, playing such tough competition early in the bracket can have benefits down the road, too. If I was a Wheaton fan (and what a bizarre alternate universe that would be), these are the kind of teams I'd enjoy seeing the Thunder face from Week Two onward ... providing, of course, that the Thunder keep on winning.

Congrats to the Wheaton posters here for having the right attitude about how the bracket shakes out for their team.

I agree with this. And I would rather face these teams in November and December than in September! 

[Mugsy]

Wheaton vs. Lakeland
"The Tale of the Tape" (Raw numbers)

Stat	Wheaton	Rank	Lakeland	Rank
Points per Game	38.6	35	37.2	41
Points Allowed	10.5	8	24.6	108
1st Downs	246	20	222	52
1st Downs Allowed	139	14	221	187
Ave per Rush	5.5		3.4
Ave Rush Allowed	3.1		3.6
Rushing per Game	241.6	28	112.6	192
Rushing per Game Allowed	92.6	15	155.7	109
Rush TD's	29		18
Rush TD's Allowed	6		20
Pass TD's	20		33
INT's Thrown	12		7
INT's	19	8	19	8
Pass YPG	239.8	75	330.8	11
Pass YPG Allowed	174.8	38	202.4	90
Pass Comp %	63.2%	37	62.8%	41
Pass Comp % Defense	54.5%		48.4%
Pass TD's	20		33
Pass TD's Allowed	7		13
Total YPG	481.4	24	443.3	47
Total YPG Allowed	267.4	14	358.1	96
Kick Return Avg	20.8	80	20.9	64
Kick Return Avg Allowed	14.7	14	19.8	138
Punt Return Avg	9.7	72	8.9	88
Punt Return Avg Allowed	7.0	101	2.1	11
Penalty YPG	58.5		89.7
Net Punt Avg	26.4	235	34.0	53
ToP	30:58	89	27:33	204
3rd Down %	50%	11	37%	134
3rd Down % Defense	26%	9	31%	30
Sacks	18	132	26	52
Sacks Allowed	17	100	35	227
Turnover Margin	+0.5	61	+1.3	14
FG's	6 of 11		2 of 6
Red-Zone Offense	(37-50) 74%	140	(39-48) 81%	61
Red-Zone Defense	(17-30) 57%	7	(26-40) 65%	31
PAT's	(50-53) 94%		(34-45) 76%

Bonus Stat: Wheaton with 100 more points off turnovers (195 to 95)

[markerickson]

Twas looking at the pairings and noticed that St. Norbert finished the year, undefeated!  NP had a chance to win the game against the Green Knights, but a late pick six ended that chance.

[USee]

Wheaton better get their punting in order.  Way more short fields than necessary.   If not for the defense bowing up on real short field after less than 20 yard punts, this game might not have been a W.

Out of 241 ranked teams in D3, Wheaton is 236th in net punting. Since there are only 5 teams worse it's worth noting who they are:

237. Widener
238. Wisconsin Platteville
239. Geneva
240. Gallaudet
241. Carleton

The next best teams to Wheaton in net punting that are playoff teams are UWO 169th, UWW 132 and Wabash 102

In what can be considered a providential bit of irony, Wheaton Punter Zach Feddler was named special teams player of the week yesterday.