FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Comet 14]

Just got done reading Elmhurst preview off there web site. Sounds like a lot of potential for a break out year.

[diehardfan]

Darn, so much for trying to keep my football and basketball personas separate 

Sorta difficult given your name, karma, and post number similarities between the two boards.

[Gray Fox]

I try to pick the standings for four other conferences, and I decided to add yours this year.  I mostly follow that SCIAC, and added CCIW because of the Whittier at Carthage game.  I know I'm late and out of the main stream compared to most prior picks, but here goes:

Carthage 9-1
IWU    8-2      (A lot of good returning, but young, players)
North Central 7-3
Wheaton    6-4
Millikin 5-5
Augustana 5-5  (lost a lot of players.  Reloaded?)
Elmhurst  4-6
North Park 3-7

Speaking of Whittier, they are considered the unknown sleeper team in the SCIAC that can can easily make the leap from poor to very good at any time.  Carthage will have their hands full.

[usee]

I like that NP are underdogs cuz we got a big surprise for everyone this year. 8)

Let me guess.......hmmm......they are going to add pizza to the home game menu?? they are switching to white cleats from black?? Maybe they are going to start putting a coach in the pressbox?? free happy meals from Mcdonalds at halftime for the visiting team? wait, I got it.....North Park has decided to give visiting teams free metra passes to get from the field to the locker room? great idea.

......ok i give up. the suspense is killing me....whats the big surprise?

by the way, donte, say hi to len vandenbos from all us wheaton fans. he is a great coach and a good man and he probably doesn't want you posting on this board.

[usee]

Speaking of Whittier, they are considered the unknown sleeper team in the SCIAC that can can easily make the leap from poor to very good at any time.  Carthage will have their hands full.

if i am not mistaken whittier boasts BJ Hammer as its head coach who is in his first year, succeeding former wabash HC Greg Carlson. Hammer was a studly Dlineman at wabash a few years back. had a brother who wasn't too shabby there either.

[Sterny]

Great to see everyone back on the cciw post patterns.  Usee, here are my picks for the year.  I am an obvious Wheaton homer, but after reading all I could from various sources, I think Carthage is going to be a lot better than the coaches poll indicates.  Just a hunch.

1. Wheaton 7-0
2. Augie 6-1
3. Carthage 5-2
4. North Central 4-3
5. Millikin 3-4
6. Elmhurst 2-5
7. IWU 1-6
8. North Park 0-7

Sorry North Park.  Surprises aside, I just haven't seen anything to make me think any differently from anyone else on this board!

[vikes35]

Gray Fox,

Even with a rebuilding team I believe Augie is going to do a little better than 5-5. The talent that left last year is undeniable and it will be tough to replace, but the reloaded team is going to give NCC, Wheaton, and Elmhurst a fight.  I can't say I agree with the posters that believe Augie is going to go 9-1 though either. I believe that it is going to be another 7-3 season for the Vikings with them just missing the playoffs again (If things work out right 2007 and 2008 should be very good years however).

I know these are late but here are my 2006 predictions

NCC (9-1) That game in Rock Island showed that even missing guys Kniss can and probably will win a couple extra for the Cardinals by himself.

Wheaton (8-2) I can't believe that even with a talent light squad compared to normal that Swider is going to have a bad year. The Thunder just find a way to win.

Augie (7-3) The team is young and like I posted above next year should be their year.

Elmhurst (7-3) This could be the year the Bluejays enter the Top 25 at some point in the year (Actually surprised they didn't have any votes in the preseason poll).

Millikin and Carthage (5-5) These teams have had upside for quite a while now, but they always seem to lose the close games.

IWU (4-6 or 3-7) Another bad year for the Titans not because they are good but because the bulk of the CCIW is just better.

NPU (2-8) New Coach, Same Story!!! They show some promise in non-conference games but the CCIW once again will be too much for them.

A disclaimer on the picks is that I have followed almost no football this summer at all and I am going to have to watch some games before I really get a feel for how the CCIW is going to do this year.

[Ditka]

I think every top team in the conference lost a lot of talent, I wouldn't say Augie lost any more than North Central or Carthage, for instance, and I wouldn't penalize them more than other schools. 

I think it is a little bit of a down year for the CCIW as a whole and it should be a wide open race. 

[tayeday26]

These are my 2006 predictions.

1. Augie   7-0
2. North Central 6-1
3. Wheaton  5-2
4. North Park 4-3
5. Carthage 4-3
6. Millikin 3-4
7. Elmhurst  2-5
8. IWU 1-6

[Ditka]

Tayeday, just curious, are you a current player on the North Park team.  I noticed #26 on North Park is named Donte.  Is that you?

[robertgoulet]

i love the smell of football practice in the morning.....i decided to make today an official "football season kickoff" day by making my cciw picks as well as attending my friends' and my 4th annual fantasy draft (which was held at buffalo wild wings...i dont know if you people know this....i sure didnt until today....if you hold a fantasy football draft at bw3 and have at least 6 people in attendance, they give you....that's right GIVE you $100 to spend on food. un. be. lievable.)

so.......oooooooooon to the picks........

North Central - 9-1
Augie - 8-2
Elmhurst - 7-3
Wheaton - 7-3
IWU - 5-5
Carthage - 5-5
Millikin - 4-6
North Park - 2-8


fantastic. i can go to bed honestly believing that i've done a mediocre job in all of my football related activities for the day. there's no better feeling.

[usee]

Going back to 1999, only 2 years have had 4 teams receiving first place votes... 2005 and 2006.

I'd be curious as to which coach selected Millikin to win the conference.

mugsy, i wouldnt be surprised if swider voted for millikin. wallick has destroyed our thunder, they have a solid core returning and swider is a big neibhur fan. I am certain he wouldn't vote for ncc.

[tayeday26]

I dont kno who Donte is.  You must have me mistaken.

[Pat Coleman]

I saw your e-mail address before you deleted yourself from the board, dcummings. Read the Terms of Service next time -- they're there for a reason.

[diehardfan]

Tayeday, just curious, are you a current player on the North Park team.  I noticed #26 on North Park is named Donte.  Is that you?

When I saw his first comment eariler, about NPU being shockingly good, I figured it had to be a player. I also thought it was charmingly sweet that he believed in his team that much and figured I wouldn't call him on it. It drives me nuts when players don't believe they can win it all. There is no room in sports for realism.

Most schools have a few players who read the board, I've found. Several even post while they're still in school. The funniest emails I get as a regular poster on this site are always from current or former players whose teams you've ragged on.

As long as they're not giving away team secrets or anything, I don't think it's bad... well, as long as their coaches don't care! I think most coaches have rules against posting, but I don't know if all of them refer to the whole year, or if for some players the rules are just for during the season. Hopefully Mr. Donte won't get into too much trouble.