FB: Northwest Conference

[coco]

Well, I was on the UST bandwagon....but now I'll jump to Bethel, although I have very little confidence that the Royals can get the job done.  Personally, I am getting bored of the Stagnant Bowl.  Perhaps the NCAA needs to change a few rules to make it more competitive for the other schools.  As a PAC 10 fan I remember there used to be a rule that a teams couldn't go to the Rose Bowl two years in a row.

Good topic criswyly. I'm not a big fan of rule changes to make teams "...competitive." Exactly how do rules make a team competitive? Schools will just have to make improvements in recruitment, facilities, play etc.  What do others think?

GO CATS!

56 IN '11

I agree. Instead of changing the rules to keep certain schools out, the rest of us need to get better. Those guys have been beaten before and can be again.

George,

I'm looking forward to the answers.

[RedandPurple]

Well, I was on the UST bandwagon....but now I'll jump to Bethel, although I have very little confidence that the Royals can get the job done.  Personally, I am getting bored of the Stagnant Bowl.  Perhaps the NCAA needs to change a few rules to make it more competitive for the other schools.  As a PAC 10 fan I remember there used to be a rule that a teams couldn't go to the Rose Bowl two years in a row.

Good topic criswyly. I'm not a big fan of rule changes to make teams "...competitive." Exactly how do rules make a team competitive? Schools will just have to make improvements in recruitment, facilities, play etc.  What do others think?

GO CATS!

56 IN '11

I agree. Instead of changing the rules to keep certain schools out, the rest of us need to get better. Those guys have been beaten before and can be again.

George,

I'm looking forward to the answers.

coco:
Giving you +k to push you past 1099.  

[RedandPurple]

Well, I was on the UST bandwagon....but now I'll jump to Bethel, although I have very little confidence that the Royals can get the job done.  Personally, I am getting bored of the Stagnant Bowl.  Perhaps the NCAA needs to change a few rules to make it more competitive for the other schools.  As a PAC 10 fan I remember there used to be a rule that a teams couldn't go to the Rose Bowl two years in a row.

Good topic criswyly. I'm not a big fan of rule changes to make teams "...competitive." Exactly how do rules make a team competitive? Schools will just have to make improvements in recruitment, facilities, play etc.  What do others think?

GO CATS!

56 IN '11

I agree. Instead of changing the rules to keep certain schools out, the rest of us need to get better. Those guys have been beaten before and can be again.

George,

I'm looking forward to the answers.

coco:
Giving you +k to push you past 1099.  

coco:
Someone smote you and erased your karma. They dropped you back to 1098.

[D O.C.]

1999 again

What if, unjustly, UMU was put onto the west one season. I would expect they would do just fine. Put 'em in consecutively and either they'd begin to feel the punch, or we'd start complaining about them doing to us what they do to the east. At least we'd know some more about parity.

[Bubs1856]

Oregon 6A State Championship features strong Cat ties.

Hey guys...just wanted to give you all a heads up that the Oregon 6A state championship game on Saturday with Aloha playing Tualatin features two Cat alumni as their head coaches.  Chris Casey of Aloha and Rob Hastin of Tualatin.

Great to see the strong arm of Linfield coaches featured in this weekend's showdown.

[MUC57]

Coco

I'm hurt that you're rooting for Bethel. (Just Kidding).
However, don't bet against the Purple Raiders. They aren't as good this year
as in the past, but are 13-0 and in the semifinals.
Good luck to Linfield next year!

Aloha

[George Thompson]

Although I hate the thought of Linfield not having 4 home playoff games, I strongly believe that every playoff team should play at least one away game before the Stagg bowl.    Could MU win on the road every year?    Could WWW?    Maybe, maybe not.

I do know that the 3 Wildcat playoff losses in the last 8 years on the road, might well have been different if we were hosting.

That is a rather simple rule change that requires every playoff team to travel at least once.


George

[George Thompson]

For Linfield fans:

Linfield's great teams of recent, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2010:

1.   2005 team had the biggest point spread, 30.9 points per game.

2.   Surprise, the team 2002 had the most yards difference, 200 yeard advantage per game.

3.   Best defense?   Again the 2002 team; allowed only 13.9 points and 268 yards per game.   This year's team was a close 2nd.
 
4.   The 2003 team had the best interception rate, 2.33 per game.

5.   The 2002 team had a clear edge in recovered fumbles, 1.5 per game.

Please remember: these are not my opinions.    These are the statistics.    Nothing more, nothing less.    These six teams were all outstanding; all unbeaten in conference and won at least one playoff game.   With a break here or there, at least one more might have joined the 2004 team as Stagg Bowl winners.   

Here is a summary:

A.   Win %:
   1 - 2004
   2 - 2009

B.   Points scored per game:
   1 - 2004
   2 - 2005

C.   Points allowed per game:
   1 - 2002
   2 - 2010

D.   Point spread per game:
   1 - 2005
   2 - 2004
   
E.   Net yards difference:
   1 - 2002
   2 - 2010

Offense: (per game)

F.   Rushing yards:
   1 - 2002
   2 - 2010

G.   Passing yards:
   1 - 2005
   2 - 2004

I.   Total offense:
   1- 2004
   2 - 2005

J.   Least fumbles:
   1 - 2009
   2 - 2002

K.   Pass completion %:
   1- 2005
   2 - 2004

L.   TDS/pass attempt:
   1 - 2004
   2 - 2005

M.   Lowest interceptions/pass attempt:
    1 - 2005
    2 - 2004

Defense:


N.   Rushing yards allowed per game:
   1 - 2010
   2 - 2005

O.   Passing yards allowed per game:
   1 - 2002
   2 - 2003

P.   Fumbles recovered:
   1 - 2002
   2 - 2009

Q.   Interceptions made:
   1 - 2003
   2 - 2009

Hope you enjoy this information.

GO CATS! GO!

[badgerwarhawk]

   Could MU win on the road every year?    Could WWW?    Maybe, maybe not


George

Could WHITEWATER win on the road every year, I don't know.  But we're 4-0 on the road in the playoffs to date (excluding Stagg Bowls).   Hopefully we'll take  it to 5-0 this weekend. 

[coco]

George,

Those numbers are really interesting and I am surprised at some of them, especially the 2002 stats. Thanks for the work you put into this and for sharing it with the rest of us.

MUC57, where have you been all this time? I gotta stick up for the West.

Thanks for the love, guys, which I'm returning. I know my directness ruffled the feathers of a few Bearcats.

[Retired Old Rat]

Thanks for the love, guys, which I'm returning. I know my directness ruffled the feathers of a few Bearcats.

Bearcats have feathers? 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Thanks for the love, guys, which I'm returning. I know my directness ruffled the feathers of a few Bearcats.

Bearcats have feathers? 

Well, when you're trying to match the Warhawks ...

[coco]

Thanks for the love, guys, which I'm returning. I know my directness ruffled the feathers of a few Bearcats.

Bearcats have feathers? 

Well, when you're trying to match the Warhawks ...

LOL

[speedybigboy]

Although I hate the thought of Linfield not having 4 home playoff games, I strongly believe that every playoff team should play at least one away game before the Stagg bowl.    Could MU win on the road every year?    Could WWW?    Maybe, maybe not.
I do know that the 3 Wildcat playoff losses in the last 8 years on the road, might well have been different if we were hosting.
That is a rather simple rule change that requires every playoff team to travel at least once.
George

George, I appreciate the input and the idea.  I'm not sure how easy that would be though.  The easiest way to do it would be to have all the better seeds go on the road the first week, but that seems a bit extreme.  Back in the old days of the NAIA they decided to try that, every team on the road idea.  In 1979 Findlay and then in 1980 we (PLU) hosted all three rounds and won the championship.  In 1981 it was decided that this was an unfair advantage so the NAIA decreed that no school could host all three rounds.  With this in mind, and with PLU being ranked #1 and undefeated Frosty chose (as I recall) to pass on the first round and try to host out from there.  We went on the road to Missouri and lost to #2 William Jewell in the first round, in a well played close game.  William Jewell lost the next week on the road.  The trouble is that we missed the obvious, if both teams who advanced to the championship had hosted twice then one of them would have to host the championship.  That in fact is what came about.  The NAIA abandoned that rule.  I think some sort of rotating by league would work best.

[D O.C.]

Isn't it sort of American apple pie that the higher seeds get to play at home as long as they can?

Those 1st decade new millennium LINFIELD teams would still have had to play superior UMU and WW teams. Conjecture can be fun ( when the season is over). If you look at what happened when LINFIELD did get the johns at home and then away the next year, the result was the same. At least we did not peak there.   

Co$t is why the great UMU program has not been put in The West during their run. At least they were playing at home most of the time.

Running back game breaker speed is what the WILDCATS need to get to the semis or Stagg with regularity. Plenty of those guys lounging on Division I 4th team depth charts in the state of Oregon. Of course, for once some of those  kids have a chance at the big prize. Has not always been that way.