FB: Northwest Conference

[cawcdad]

---Does anybody like Menlo to make any noise?

Since I attended every Menlo home game last year and was accused by the coach of scouting for Linfield  I'll take a stab. They hung with Whitworth at home and had Willamette and PLU on the ropes and let them back in the game and eventually lost. They are a notoriously poor road team, and they play on the road at Whit and PLU, losses for the Oaks. They have the Cats at home (Cats win), L&C at home (Oaks win), Willamette at home (Revenge win for losing last year after blowing an 11 point 3rd qtr lead) and UPS at home (toss up). The Oaks could very well be 3-3 in NWC. The first 4 games will be very telling, at Stout, at Chapman, home against Oxy and D-II Humboldt.

[Tuxguy]

O.K.
I have a Question for the board...........

Does a team have an advantage if they start practice 7-10 days sooner?
SOU has started practice already, the Cats first game, 9/8 is against WOU
which I'm sure has started Practice as well.

The Cats hit the field in a week I think, what's everyones take?

LEAVE NO DOUBT 2007


Quote of the Day!
Baseball is 90% mental,
the other half is physical.
by, Yogi Berra

[Wildcat'64]

Tux,
I think it makes a difference the first couple of games of the season.  WOU gets to start early as does Willamette because they play a week prior to meeting the Cats.  If we had a game the same weekend, we would be able to start when WOU begins practice and then have game under our belt as well.  That gives WOU a definite advantage.  I think by the mid-point in the season when we meet SOU it really has no impact.

[bluenote]

There are a few interesting games I noticed in the first couple weeks of the season that could shed some light on the season:

Menlo @ Wis. Stout
Redlands @ Whitworth
PLU @ Cal Lutheran
Willamette @ Gust. Adolphus
Hardin-Simmons @ Linfield
PLU @ Wisc. River Falls

It will be cool to see the results of these games and how things play out. I would like to see Menlo do well against Stout just for giggles. Also pppppplease Willamette....don't poop out and loose to Adolphous, my word! I'd also like to see PLU hand it to both Cal Lutheran and River Falls. Another intersting game is a little later:

Lewis and Clark @ Chicago    I wonder if they play in Soldier Field?

TuxGuy.....I know what you are saying about the practice schedule. We just have to be mentally prepared and work harder because we don't have as much time. I think our guys learned last year that they weren't quite as organized and ready as they should be to start the year and we got it handed to us on a platter in the 1st 2 games. I'd be surprised if that same thing happens this year. The thing about Western Oregon is that now they have a pretty good coach to go along with the cheap state tuition and scholarships they offer. Looking back on last year though we were in that funky QB alternating thing and they only beat us by a couple TD's. I noticed that their tight end who got drafted is doing very well in the pros so far. I personally thought he was much more of a stud than the other guy from Whitworth. Although the guy from Whitworth is very good also.

That brings me to my question....how much longer are we going to play teams like Western Oregon and who is going to replace Hardin-Simmons next year? It does us absolutely no good to play Western Oregon other than it's easy and a short road trip. I think it's crazy that we can't schedule any SCIAC teams.....there should be a rule that if the SCIAC  commits to playing any NWC schools it should play all of them and rotate or whatever.

[D O.C.]

there should be a rule that if the SCIAC  commits to playing any NWC schools it should play all of them and rotate or whatever.

Now did you really mean that or just tooting your horn?   8)  Wouldn't that scare them farther away?

[wildcat11]

That brings me to my question....how much longer are we going to play teams like Western Oregon and who is going to replace Hardin-Simmons next year? It does us absolutely no good to play Western Oregon other than it's easy and a short road trip. I think it's crazy that we can't schedule any SCIAC teams.....there should be a rule that if the SCIAC  commits to playing any NWC schools it should play all of them and rotate or whatever.

Blue,

We're probably going to be playing WOU as long as they will play us.  Why?  Because we are having a tough enough time coming up with a HSU replacement.  We're having trouble just finding another D3 team to play.  At this rate the 'Cats could be forced to play another NAIA school to replace HSU.  That would leave 6 DIII games we play (all NWC schools).  The staff has been knocking on DIII doors all over the nation and are just having trouble finding teams that have open slots or will play us.  It does WOU no good to play us but it does save them money.

Now...I've said this on the SCIAC board.  Redlands will have the Sept 15th weekend open in 2008.  There is no reason for them not to hook up with Linfield.  We'll be losing a ton of offense and a great majority of our defensive backfield while Redlands will be a vet. team at that point.  It seems like a perfect fit but with our luck we'll be playing another NAIA school.

[D O.C.]

...and they'll be playing Carlisle.

[bluenote]

.....well, I understand Wildcat11, but maybe there needs to be some type of rule made between the SCIAC and NWC that includes inclusion of all the schools playing one another because of geographic distance/economics. Why should Linfield be excluded from the scheduling process when other teams are playing footsie with each other? Either that or could the NCAA come down on the 2 conferences and impose some type of ruling along those lines? They have other rules, why not this type of rule?

Either that or Linfield needs to let the flies out of their wallet and suck it up and pay the money to travel to some other areas like either the IIAC, MIAC or WIAC...or what ever. It seems like Whitworth, Willamette, PLU and even Lewis & Clark all travel once or twice across the country per year? Heck Menlo travels all over the place. With one of the most outstanding football programs in the country I can't see how the administration would not want to fund the travel expenses involved? From what I see going on on campus with all the new construction, etc. I find it hard to believe that we're a bunch of cheapskates. 

[wildcat11]

Either that or Linfield needs to let the flies out of their wallet and suck it up and pay the money to travel to some other areas like either the IIAC, MIAC or WIAC...or what ever. It seems like Whitworth, Willamette, PLU and even Lewis & Clark all travel once or twice across the country per year? Heck Menlo travels all over the place. What are we ....a bunch of paupers?

Blue,

Linfield is contacting all of the schools in these conferences and even outside of the West region teams.  If a D3 will play us....we will travel.

*please note that many of the schools in the mid-west are able to set schedules 2-3 years out and makes it tough to find open dates that fit ours.....but some just don't want to play.

[criswyly]

Bring back the band!....Cardinal red arm bands.....

[Pat Coleman]

Either that or could the NCAA come down on the 2 conferences and impose some type of ruling along those lines? They have other rules, why not this type of rule?

You don't want the NCAA to get into scheduling, believe me. They have their hands full as it is.

[D O.C.]

You may say that again.

If 11 states and restates that the AD is contacting other conferences then I will just have to sit back and accept it. The situation is actually OK (sort of) because that means the age-old battle of academics vs. athletics is not raging outside the boardrooms.

I would like to put in a good word to underwrite such travel fantasies were that the problem but I fear the Keck Foundation does not have a sports bone in it's body......

[bluenote]

Pat....I can understand that, but sometimes a rule will help in a situation that would otherwise leave teams in a bad situation or make things more fair across the board, like they have criteria for the playoffs, practices, ect. I think it would make more sense for the presidents of the SCIAC and NWC to get together along with the Athletic Directors and implement some type of policy that creates a fair schedule that includes all the teams playing one another over the years and doesn't exclude Linfield. I think it's more like a common sense thing for the good of both leagues but I don't know all the politics that go into this type of endeavor. I was looking at the composite schedule and it seemed like all the other NWC schools were playing either 1 or 2 SCIAC teams during the year, every year. You'd think if the SCIAC feels it is worth a hill of beans and worthy of a playoff spot it's teams would want to play not only the lower tiered  teams of the NWC but the upper tier teams as well and not be exclusionary. I guess until they start doing that I'm considering them an inferior level league.

I also noticed that Whitworth and Willamette are both playing 10 game schedules also again this year.

[Cut City]

I would never expect the NCAA to get involved in scheduling requirements and hope they never do. Linfield has shown they will play just about anyone who will schedule them. SCIAC for 4 years I believe, UWSP, now Hardin-Simmons. The administration just needs to keep talking to everyone who's got a decent program around the country. Eventually one of them will have a similar minded AD and they will schedule it.

[Wildcat'64]

Sure would be nice if Mt. Union would agree to a home and away series so that we could finally have the battle of the "all purple" titans! Probably no more expensive to fly to Ohio than it is to Wisconsin.

Almost time to Strike Up The Band!!!