FB: Northwest Conference

[d-train]

Hatchet,
I don’t blame UPS for looking for a few games against SCIAC teams…and I’m impressed that they rounded their schedule out to ten games. But my issue comes when you want to throw around this particular 7-win season like it’s something special. Maybe for UPS, it is…but a lot of it came down to a soft schedule. Some if it is out of the Loggers hands. Like the fact that Willamette is down (as is PLU), and Menlo and L&C are fairly easy wins. But the out of conference scheduling was especially soft with CC and 3 of the bottom 4 teams in the SCIAC. Again, some of this is just 'how it played out'. But play Linfield’s, Whitworth’s, Willamette’s, or even PLU’s schedule and I highly doubt you win 6 games…probably not even 5.

M.Cat,
Obviously, I disagree. Linfield and Willamette had WOU on the schedule, for example. Willamette and PLU had an upper-half SCIAC opponent, and Linfield traveled to a top-ten team. And while UW-Stout, Redlands, and Azusa haven’t won as many games as usual this year…I think they are still tougher than the likes of Whitter, CMS, and Colo. College. I don’t agree that the Loggers will be the toughest team (besides Linfield) that the Pirates have played. Uh…and sometimes the final margin of victory has a lot to do with how long the coaching staff leaves it’s foot on the gas. But this is all opinion and largely subjective, so don't take it too seriously.

[downtown48]

Dawg...Oxy fans giving it to Linfield is like Whitworth fans giving it to Linfield, and at least Whitworth has beaten Linfield in the last 30 years.    They can keep beating up on Lewis & Clark and the Colorado school of the Blind all they want and then get blasted in the playoffs.  If they don't beat Whitworth somebody should call up Denny Green so he can yell "They are who we thought they were!!!"  And I don't care that they have to play them on the road either.  Whitworth is the worst team Linfield has lost to in 8 years.  Oxy better win for their sake or the days of the one team only from the SCIAC will continue.

[downtown48]

Anybody else think that the nine game schedule for Linfield is hurthing them this year?  It's already frustrating that there are a bunch of teams with two losses that are being considered when "technically" the WOU loss doesn't count (nor should a win against them, technically).  With only nine games that leaves us with only 6 wins.  Would 7 help considering most of the two loss teams will have 8 wins on the year?  Those teams have two wins and now the dopes at the NCAA have more games to evaluate them on.  That being said I don't think a deep playoff run would be in the cards this year anyway...but just wondering if the 9 gamer hurts us in this situation.

[hatchetman75]

Anybody else think that the nine game schedule for Linfield is hurthing them this year? 

Yup. I know that's why UPS picked up another game, even if it is costing them $$.

[hatchetman75]

In defense if UPS's schedule, they've beat pretty much the same quality opponents as anybody else in the NWC this year.  Linfield played, what turned out to be, one of the harder schedules (but lost to most of the quality opponents).  Whitworth played teams that people thought would be good but ended up not being good (I think UPS and Linfield are going to be the best teams they play in the regular season this year).  What will really go a long way for UPS is to give the Rats a run for their money this weekend---and I think they can.  It's going to come down to the Logger D however.  I think their Offense is clicking pretty well and before you argu about the strength of their opponents lets point out they put 20+ pts more on Menlo than either Whitworth or Linfield and their D allowed the same one score.  They also scored more than Whitworth at PLU (but their D fell apart) and of course we know what happened against the PIOS.  My point, their offense can compete head to head against the better offenses in the league this year but they need to bring their A-game on D to compete this week.  This is where WW has the advantage as they run a pretty balanced offense which will likely give UPS some trouble.  But if the Logger D can keep them in the game, then I like their chances of making things interesting.  I'll give more specific predictions later but for now:

Rats beat Loggers in a close one
Cats beat Pios in a not close one (unless the Cats turnover 7 or 8 times)
Lutes beat Bearcats in a close (and pretty sloppy) one.  

I'll crunch the stats and give some numbers soon!

MC

*thumbs up*

I agree Monrovia Cat, except for the Rats beating the Loggers thing. Honestly, if the UPS special teams game hadn't turned the Linfield game into a track meet, things might've been closer. But two returned kickoffs can make things very bad very quickly. If the UPS D brings its A game and can cut down Clark, the O will step up and grind the Rats into rat-burger.

[wildcat11]

Anybody else think that the nine game schedule for Linfield is hurthing them this year?  It's already frustrating that there are a bunch of teams with two losses that are being considered when "technically" the WOU loss doesn't count (nor should a win against them, technically).  With only nine games that leaves us with only 6 wins.  Would 7 help considering most of the two loss teams will have 8 wins on the year?  Those teams have two wins and now the dopes at the NCAA have more games to evaluate them on.  That being said I don't think a deep playoff run would be in the cards this year anyway...but just wondering if the 9 gamer hurts us in this situation.

DT,

Good question but who would we fill with that 10th game?  I've harped on it enough but we know that 10th game isn't coming from the SCIAC.  So who does that leave that's a DIII?  Another flight to Wisconsin or Minn?  The travel is VERY expensive to say the least and I don't think the athletic department wants to have another big flight/hotel/transportation to deal with in the budget.

The program is hard pressed to find DIII games as is.  We could even be adding Azusa Pacific at this rate.  If we can't even fill our 9 game slate up with DIII teams how do we expect to add an extra game?  Just my two cents.

[wildcat11]

Honestly, if the UPS special teams game hadn't turned the Linfield game into a track meet, things might've been closer. But two returned kickoffs can make things very bad very quickly.

Sorry bro...there are THREE phases to a football game....just ask Mary Hardin-Baylor.  You should know that by now.

[pennstlbu]

Sure, PLU and Willamette could be down this year. And Menlo is up and down. But it works both ways. Could it also be that UPS is "up." It's not their fault that the rest of the conference has not tayed up to its level of the past several years. Let's take a look at UPS the past 6 years and see where they have came from:

2001-2003 record: 1-26 (worst 3 year record of the school's history)
School Rushing record in 2003.
Only win against Menlo in 2002 (21-20).
Outscored by average score of 44-12 in 2001.
Outscored by average score of 37-13 in 2002.
Outscord by average score of 38-17 in 2003.
Conference record of 0-15.

2004-2006 record: 16-11 (Conference record of 5-9).
First winning season in 2004 since 2000 and 2nd since 1987.
First 7 win season since 1985 in 2006.
Opportunity for first 8 win season since 1983 (9-1).
First win over PLU in 2005 since 1987.
Rory Lee has chance to break career and single season school rushing record held by Gary McCurty and Daryl Wright, respectively.
Outscored opponents by average score of 27-19 in 2004.
Outscored by opponents by average score of 27-25 in 2005.
Outscoring opponents in 2006 by average score of 33-21.

Maybe a 7 win season isn't anything to sneaze at for a lot of schools. But considering where UPS has come from, it's one of the biggest seasons in the past 20 years.

[hatchetman75]

Honestly, if the UPS special teams game hadn't turned the Linfield game into a track meet, things might've been closer. But two returned kickoffs can make things very bad very quickly.

Sorry bro...there are THREE phases to a football game....just ask Mary Hardin-Baylor.  You should know that by now.

I was commenting more on the general momentum swing that a kick return brings. From scoring to being scored upon in a play sucks.

[D O.C.]

Does that not leave Chapman, Chapman, Chapman, Chapman for a bit?

Suits me since they're in the O.C.

[hatchetman75]

Rory Lee has chance to break career and single season school rushing record held by Gary McCurty and Daryl Wright, respectively.

He was also about 6 yards short of breaking the single season mark last year as well.

[d-train]

Maybe a 7 win season isn't anything to sneaze at for a lot of schools. But considering where UPS has come from, it's one of the biggest seasons in the past 20 years.

This is going to sound like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, but...

Even if you finish a likely 4th place in the conference, I agree that UPS has come a long, long ways. And in terms of the schedule: I do think the non-conference slate was fairly weak, BUT you've learned how to win (even on the road, which is much harder) and are beating teams you consistently lost to 3-5 years ago. The Loggers are a success story as is the program in Spokane (check out some of their records in the mid-90's). Hopefully the bottom half of the conference (and your cross-town rivals) can similarly improve. That would be good for everyone involved.

[RFB]

Anybody else think that the nine game schedule for Linfield is hurthing them this year?  It's already frustrating that there are a bunch of teams with two losses that are being considered when "technically" the WOU loss doesn't count (nor should a win against them, technically).  With only nine games that leaves us with only 6 wins.  Would 7 help considering most of the two loss teams will have 8 wins on the year?  Those teams have two wins and now the dopes at the NCAA have more games to evaluate them on.  That being said I don't think a deep playoff run would be in the cards this year anyway...but just wondering if the 9 gamer hurts us in this situation.

The solution to scheduling would be solved if the SCIAC/NWC signed an exclusive deal. Have the schedule rotate every two years and everybody is happy. Add in Chapman and the possibility of a ten game schedule is a possibility for both conferences. Of course the SCIAC would have to change the bylaw that limits their teams to nine game schedules.

[steveflegel]

RFB,

The NWC has proposed a similar arrangement on more  than one occasion to the SCIAC.  With each league now having seven teams, it would be easy to create a schedule where each school played one home and one away game each season vs. teams from the other league, building a consistent schedule of eight DIII games. 

It has been consistently rejected.

Steve Flegel

[RFB]

RFB,

The NWC has proposed a similar arrangement on more  than one occasion to the SCIAC.  With each league now having seven teams, it would be easy to create a schedule where each school played one home and one away game each season vs. teams from the other league, building a consistent schedule of eight DIII games. 

It has been consistently rejected.

Steve Flegel

Steve,

Thanks for the information. I really cannot understand why the SCIAC would turn down that proposal. I really does solve many scheduling problems. It would also build on the foundation of a growing rivalry between both conferences. Hopefully, this solution will be looked at again and the SCIAC will accept.