FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[blue_balls]

Recap on the Big Blue win over Franklin yesterday....Little bit of offense.....Blue get a solid opponent next weekend in Albion...Should help prepare them for the CCIW.

On the subject of cupcakes I think the Big Blue's non con schedule is a good one without a cupcake....Wartburg is a solid team....Franklin is a respectable opponent and Albion is also a very solid football team.

http://www.millikin.edu/athletics/headlines.asp?ID=19020

[augiedogie]

You can say the same thing about Augie's schedule. Their non-conference is normally pretty tough with the exception of Catholic this year. However, having to travel out to D.C. was a little concern until they actually took the field. Does going 2-1 (hopefully) in a hard non-conference schedule look better at the end of the year vs going 3-0 in a cupcake schedule when trying to get one of the last playoff bids? I'm glad to see NP winning some games. My manager at work is a former player and it keeps him happy on Monday mornings.

[wheatonbrando]

hello all

i dont know if yall are basketball fans or what not, but i thought i should post some sobering news here.

im very sketchy on the details as i just found out late last night. but former wheaton forward Will Landry died in his sleep on thursday night. Landry was class of '04 i believe and played the PF spot along side joel kolmodin for a few years. all i really know is that he apparently had a seizure in his sleep. ive been trying to find out more, but havent been able to yet. i do know that he was engaged his senior year here, so probably married already.

i also know that your thoughts and prayers would be appreciated for the Landry family right now as they try to understand this, and also for the Wheaton family as this is the second recent graduate we've lost in the last month.

thanks.

brandon anderson '05

[Mugsy]

Defense showed why they are the best in conference.

Little early to state that claim, don't you think?  I'm sure there are some NCC posters who would dispute that claim.  Besides last year performance and "potential" doesn't automatically translate into reality.  7 CCIW games to play, need to avoid injuries... etc... A lot of football to play... at the end of the season, then we can debate who had the best so and so...

[Mugsy]

BUT, is this something to be proud of, of a function of 'cup-cake' scheduling?

I'm  NOT a sports historian, so I may be wrong on long-term statuses, BUT...

Benedictine is a worthy bball opponent, but do they belong on anyone's fball schedule?  Unless there is some other justification, do Eureka or Greenville belong on anyone's schedule in either fball or bball?

Don't think Greenville will be back on Wheatons schedule in the future.  One other issue you need to consider... football has only 10 games.  One non-conference loss and a 2nd place conference finish could eliminate yourself from Pool C.  A non-conference loss in bball isn't quite as costly.

[Mugsy]

If you look at the schedules of most CCIW contenders you'll see a mixture of competitive levels.  You'll see some tough non-conference teams, along with one game against a lesser opponent.  For the most part...

[Tailgater]

Mugsy:
you're right, a little to early to claim Carthage has the best CCIW defense, but I sure like their chances to earn that claim. After wittnessing Carthage play Benedictine this weekend I and the NCC faithful must ponder how it was possible for that offense to put 27 points up against NCC's defense? Benedictine was never a threat to score in the Carthage game.

[Mugsy]

Tailgater,
Don't get me wrong, Carthage has a very good chance at staking the claim to the best defense.  I just have problems when it is stated emphatically only 3 weeks into the season.

Who knows what happened with NCC...  maybe they took Benedictine too lightly? Before Saturday's games, statistically NPU had one of the best defenses so far, yet I don't see many staking the claim that NPU will have the most dominate D by years end.  Who know maybe they will?

Don't count out Wheatons defense just yet either.

[formerd3db]

To all my Wheaton friends:

This is the week: Wheaton vs. Hope at your house.  As much as I hate to say it, your team probably won't have much trouble they way ours has been playing.  Add to that being at your stadium which is always trouble for us.  I'll still be rooting for the alma mater and stranger things have happened re: an upset, but I won't hold my breath! 

[usee]

I don't know how carthage defense will stack up against the conference yet because i haven't seen anyone else. i will say this: carthage will not be better on defense, statistically, than they were a year ago. there are a lot of reasons I think this but mainly it is because of their scheme. i know they have 10 starters returning and that is huge and will make them one of the best in the conference. but their scheme surprised a lot of people last year. the cciw has some good coaches and you can bet most of them spent the offseason preparing  for the carthage d. the familiarity with their scheme will make a big difference in games where the talent is more equal. last year they had a huge edge because they had great players and a scheme that was unfamiliar. this year they lose part of that and it will have an impact. In the end, they could still be the best defense, but they won't be statistically better than a year ago. you won't see the same number of turnovers, defensive td's and you will see teams put up more points against them this year.

[79jaybird]

This was a great week stats wise for the CCIW, but like some earlier posters have pointed out,  many of these wins aren't something to tell Mom about.  The "real, meaningful" season starts in two weeks and that will be a 7 week brawl.
Congrats to NPU first 3-0 start since 1971 ( I was 8 years in the making)  and to Elmhurst who had a strong comeback in the 2nd half.  I was nervous after the first half, but the Bluejays had a strong 3rd quarter.
Formerd3db, I had a chance to go and see Jay Berwanger's trophy and the historic relics at U of C.  Chicago is my Great Grandpa's Alma Mater and he has many mementos and memories that are still in our family today.
Looking forward to Kudyba vs. Kudyba when we host IWU 10/1.

[formerd3db]

79jaybird:
Very neat.  Thanks for the follow-up and sharing about your connections to U of C.  Good luck this weekend to your team (as for us, we'll need it for sure against Wheaton at their house

[Mugsy]

formerd3db,
So what's up with Hope?  Recently this has been a barn burner of a game (not saying it can't or won't be this year).  Where is Hope having problems?  Seems like they are turning the ball over WAY too many times - 6 turnovers in first half against John Carroll?  Seems like the offensive that has been so potent recently is spuddering a bit?  Are there injury issues?

My "hope" is that Hope doesn't suddenly figure everything out at least until Oct. 1st.

[Mugsy]

One other thought regarding the notion of cupcake scheduling in comparison to CCIW bball...

Typically there are what 12-15 players on a bball team, plus coaches, trainers, etc... so let's say 25 people in total.  Not nearly as expensive to travel across the country to play a "more competitive" team than to load up 50-60 players, plus coaches, trainers, etc... along with all the football equipment.  Seems to me this would significantly reduce possible opponents to the more immediate geographical areas.  Thus increasing the chances of playing a less competitive team?

It probably differs from team to team in the decision of what teams to schedule, but I guess most coaches would want to schedule at least one tough non-conference game to provide a good test and provide more in-depth evaluation on how strong their team is.  If you take care of business in conference play, a loss to a strong non-conference opponent won't penalize too much, while a win in this case could vault a 2nd place CCIW team into pool C considerations.  All this is speculation on my part... as in reality many schedules are setup 4-6 years in advance.  Hard to gauge what the relative strength of a team will be in 5 years.

I don't have much knowledge in this area (obviously) and I know there is an "Open Dates" section for both D3Football and D3Hoops, but Pat... does football have more difficulty filling a complete schedule than bball?  I'm sure each has it's issues, ie. football is more expensive to travel further while bball has far more games to schedule.

[Mugsy]

Incidently, Wheaton's schedule looks to be much tougher in coming years:
2006 & 2007 non-conference opponents are Albion, Washington U. and Hope
2008 & 2009 opponents are Bethel and Hope, with one game still to be determined.