FB: Northwest Conference

[downtown48]

Too bad USC's not on Linfield's schedule, maybe then WOUfan would think we played somebody decent...

Elliott needs to throw about 95 teeters this year to get into that race, could you imagine the uproar if they picked a DIII guy!

[woufan]

I'm not the guy who wants you to play USC, someone else does.

I am of the opinion that the streak is a bit tainted because all you have to do is win two games after three gimmes (L & C, Whitworth, and UPS); and WU (as noted here) has won in McMinnville only once in 50 years. That tells me something about Linfield's strength as well as the weakness of Willamette and the NWC.

As noted here by Linfield fans, Whitworth, UPS, and L & C all suck and will never win conference titles. To me that shows the conference needs more parity.

* And yes, I'm well aware that the GNAC is really weak and a four-team conference is hardly a conference at all.

[downtown48]

So I guess Texas' winning tradition is suspect because they play Louisiana-Lafayette, Baylor, Rice and Kansas...all gimmies.  Or Florida State who plays The Citadel, Duke, and Wake Forest...all gimmies.  Or Miami who plays Duke, South Florida, Temple and Wake Forest...all gimmies.  Or Nebraska who plays Maine, Wake Forest, Baylor and Kansas...all gimmies.  It goes on and on.  When you're an elite team, you're going to have gimmies because you are that much better than everybody else.  PLU, UMHB, Mount Union, Rowan, St. Johns, all have gimmies because they have elite football teams that will always have some gimmies on the schedule.  Should we take away some of Bowden or Paterno or Gagliardi's wins because some were against the Citadel or South Florida.  I think not.  So to fault Linfield for wins against lowly Lewis & Clark or WOU or UPS is a joke.   

[wildcat11]

 Great point DT48.

WOUalum.... you do know how long 49 years are? It's 49 feaking years!!!!!  So what if L&C are scrubs?  Because at one time L&C was a playoff team that won a conference title or two...same with UPS....same with Whitworth....same with PLU....same with Willamette.  It just happens that Linfield has manged to change with the times while keeping its core in place....that's why you see the number of 49 winning seasons in a row.

I don't know how you can the NWC is a weak league when 3 of its members have played in a title games and do well vs. out of region competition...year in and year out.

What do you want from the NWC?  2 DIII titles in 5 years, 24-5 vs. out of conference games last year, 4 teams have been in the DIII playoffs in the past 4 years.   Seriously, what more can the NWC do to prove it's a top DIII conference?

[woufan]

Your D-I analogies don't hold up: In addition to FSU's creampuffs, they also have played Miami and Florida in non-conference every year, and also have played Georgia Tech, Virginia, Clemson, etc., every year in conference.

The Texas analogy was weakest. In addition to Baylor, Texas plays in a league called the Big 12, where Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas Tech, and others reside. In addition, Texas is playing Ohio State this year, they're stepping up.

I'm very impressed with Linfield's title run and I admire the streak, I just think a lot of it is suspect. Of late, all it's taken is to step it up for two league games and you get to 5-4.

Also, in D-I the partity is a lot greater than D2, D3, and NAIA. It's OK to question things, really, that's one of the reasons you received a college education. If Scott Carnahan feeds you a bowl of sh-t, it's not soup just because it's served in a Linfield bowl.

[Pat Coleman]

I guess if it's so easy to do, I wonder why not more teams have done it. 

[woufan]

Didn't say it was easy, just suspect.

Why haven't more teams done it? Because there aren't three gimmes on their roster in a 9-game slate.

As noted on this board, L & C, UPS, and Whitworth will never win NWC titles -- that says a lot when Linfield and PLU fans are speaking it.

Also, it's noted that every player from Whitworth or UPS who is pumped up here is inferior to a Linfield or PLU athlete. So apparently all the great athletes are at two schools.

Linfield's national titles are far more impressive to me than the streak because almost every team in the playoffs is good or has at least earned their way into post-season. I have tremendous respect for the national titles and solid respect for the streak, I just see the flaws in it, which I know in saying so here is akin to saying one is a commie during the McCarthy era. So be it ... it's good to question things, even legends, legacies, and streaks.

[d-train]

Fan,

Your argument at the ratio of gimmies to overall games (with only a 9-game slate) may hold some water, but the D-1 analogies hold up fine. In addition to UPS, Whit. and L&C, Linfield faces PLU and Will. every year...and they don't find creampuffs to schedule out of conference (except maybe WOU). Just like Texas and FSU end up with a mix of easier games and hard ones, Linfield does the same. Four of the six teams in the NWC have been to the playoffs over the past four years. If the NWC were a D-1 conference, five out of six would have been in bowl games last year. And by the way, Whit. did share the NWC title in 2001.

[Lance Harbor]

Wildcat11 - I agree with you completely, 49 years is a very long time.  Even the best teams are going to hit a snag here or there.  49 yerars is very impressive. Any streak that's more than twice as old as its players is worthy of note, regardless of the circumstances.  You can't make it that far just relying on wins over cream puffs.  Linfield must be doing something right.

Best of luck to the Cats this year.

p.s. D-Train, woo woo.

[wildcat11]

you guys can keep up on my draft status in the D3 fan football league.

http://www.bridgewaterfootball.com/fantasy_rules4.html

just picked up Hazenberg

[downtown48]

Maybe Linfield could pick up some tougher games if they dropped the two creampuff state schools from their schedule...   Give it up dude your attempts to find chinks in the armour are futile.  I don't blame you though, I'd be sick of hearing of Linfield too if I went to any of the other small schools in Oregon.  Hang an L on the Cat's more than once every half century and maybe it will change...   By the way, does WOU still have purple toilet seats in their locker room down at the "house of pain?"

[downtown48]

WC11-

Your squad looks pretty good, I would have taken Wales at the kicker spot though, I hope you don't lose in the championship game by 2!!

[wildcat11]

DT48,

Would have taken Wales but he was gone really early in the draft.  I figured that Dailey would be a good back.  I can always drop one of my WR from BVU and find another kicker before the first week.

[shane falco]

WOU,

Come on man, just think about what you're sayin.  "Suspect", give me a break.

You seemed like a really smart Football Guy.

[downtown48]

...sorry bout their luck!

By the way, do the Indians know they will need to change their name before the post season?