FB: Northwest Conference

[footballfan413]

bleedpurple
"bbaddict..............the answer to why some consider you the underdogs?   Hard for homefield, as important as that can be to trump three Stagg Bowl trips and those rings"

Being underdogs is soley a perspective....According to Pat Coleman he favors Willamette....and points to the fact that this year's edition of the Warhawks ain't last years.....that says a lot to me....Having been on this board since about 1999 I've learned to have a great deal of repsect for the man's opinion...He knows his D3 football.  It still makes me wonder awhole lot when I think about Wartburg going into OT with a 0-10 Dubuque and then beating your conference champ two weeks later....gotta wonder about that....That's not scores comparison....that's win comparison

Ya, you have a right to be supect of Point as I still can't decide whether they were good or just lucky.  They won 6 games by 3 points or less and if I remember correctly at least 3 games were come-from-behind, (never having the lead,)  wins in the waining minutes.  The win against the Hawks may say more about us playing flat than the Pointers being great.  UWW led the entire game but gave them the ball back in the final few minutes and then allowed the TD and 2 point conversion for them to win by 1 point.  Hawks special teams uncharacteristically, missed an extra point and a field goal in that game.  Stupid loss for the Hawks and maybe, the Pointers 5 point loss to Wartburg can be viewed the same way.  Certainly, 2 fumbles, an interception and 10 penalties did help them.  But I think the Hawk's loss to the Pointers served as a very good wake up call and left a nasty taste in their mouths that they were unaccustomed to.   
     
Anyway, many have doubted the Hawks ability to reload every year since the 05 season and I know these boys are tired of hearing that they are not as good as the 07 team.  Puts a chip on their shoulder.  The underdog role works for them.  If their season does end Saturday, they can be very proud of the season they have put together after losing so many talented seniors and the pressure of having a bullseye on their backs.  They are very young and inexperienced this year and to go as far as they did on what was a maiden voyage for many of them, has been terrific.  As a Johnnie poster stated, their youth and accomplishments don't bode well for the West Region the next couple of years.   

bbaddict, the Hawks have 3 rings, one from each Stagg Bowl, but they were designed as a combo ring recognizing being WIAC conference champs and Stagg Champion/runner up.  Guess it depends on what each program does.  Does not come from the NCAA.  The program designs, orders, etc, the rings.  NCAA did give the champs a "gold" watch last year, (which turned their wrists green in some cases.)   

[footballfan413]

and those rings .   

and that ring. 

"Rings," as in multiple players.   

   

[BoBo]

criswyly, pls tell us a link where Pat Coleman says he favors Willamette.  It know it wasn't the most recent podcast - which I just finished listening to a second time - starting at the 32 min 20 sec mark in the podcast they started talking about this game and they actually said very little about WU.  What they did say was this:  UWW is underseeded, they are built for the playoff type atmosphere, they are going to be a tough out, the way they run, it's going to wear you down if your not stout defensively, and they can throw the ball, too! I respect Pat Coleman's knowledge about this too, but pls show us where he favors Willamette. 

Also, you've mentioned a couple times now about how the Wartburg/Stevens Point result mystifies you...but consider this, too - UW-Platteville, 2-5 WIAC, 4-6 overall beat the IIAC's Buena Vista 21-14 in Iowa.  UWW beats Platteville 52-13 two weeks ago. Had BV not lost a late season game to Central, they would have been the AQ from the IIAC, not Wartburg. Wartburg played a great game...Point didn't...Wartburg wins...not much to wonder about.  Even the Wartburg posters who attended the game have said on the IIAC board that the Knights played their best game of the year.  This year, SP won all those games by a FG or less, a couple on the last play of the game.  Last year, they lost a whole mess of games the very same way.  Odd, but true...but that's football.

[criswyly]

2-8 Dubuque...not 0-10....see I'm getting old....

BoBo
http://www.d3football.com/atn.php

Quote:
Pat: I guess Willamette. I tend to like to see some previous playoff experience before I pick a team to go deep but I see a lot of things in Willamette's favor -- everyone has to get on a plane to get there, they present a scheme that's not usually seen and the region's traditional powers are down.

I believe he also said something similar in the "Skinny on all 32 Teams" article which I can't seem to find.

Also, maybe the WIAC and IIAC are comparitively and evenly matched conferences at the end of this season....This Saturday's game will reveal a lot...won't it?

[RedandPurple]

BoBo:
Never mind. I figured it out. Thanks.

[footballfan413]

2-8 Dubuque...not 0-10....see I'm getting old....

BoBo
http://www.d3football.com/atn.php

Quote:
Pat: I guess Willamette. I tend to like to see some previous playoff experience before I pick a team to go deep but I see a lot of things in Willamette's favor -- everyone has to get on a plane to get there, they present a scheme that's not usually seen and the region's traditional powers are down.

I believe he also said something similar in the "Skinny on all 32 Teams" article which I can't seem to find.

Also, maybe the WIAC and IIAC are comparitively and evenly matched conferences at the end of this season....This Saturday's game will reveal a lot...won't it/ 

I like Keith's take a lot better!   


West Region Champion
Keith: I think I'm going with No. 1 seeds elsewhere, and the final four matchups rarely play out as expected. So let's chalk one up for playoff experience (even if its roster got most of it not starting) and the mighty WIAC and send UW-Whitewater back to the semis.

Not to mention, Frank's:

Frank: UW-Whitewater needed to lose in order to have a chance to defend their championship this season. So, the one loss to me is actually a benefit. The experience, the schedule, the taste in their mouths and the desire to win right now puts this #5 seed clearly on my radar -- and you know they have to be salivating over a potential Stevens Point rematch.

[D O.C.]

"Rings," as in multiple players.

Got it!

[BoBo]

2-8 Dubuque...not 0-10....see I'm getting old....

BoBo
http://www.d3football.com/atn.php

Quote:
Pat: I guess Willamette. I tend to like to see some previous playoff experience before I pick a team to go deep but I see a lot of things in Willamette's favor -- everyone has to get on a plane to get there, they present a scheme that's not usually seen and the region's traditional powers are down.

I believe he also said something similar in the "Skinny on all 32 Teams" article which I can't seem to find.

Also, maybe the WIAC and IIAC are comparitively and evenly matched conferences at the end of this season....This Saturday's game will reveal a lot...won't it?

Thx...so Pat picks WU, he guesses - hardly a ringing endorsement, but 2 of the four "experts" pick UWW...kind of a toss-up then!


Playoff capsules
WU - How far can they go? A good shot at the semifinals if they can keep opponents off balance.

UWW - How far can they go? Any number of tournament wins from zero to two would seem reasonable.

[criswyly]

Experts have been wrong before....any weathermen around?

[BoBo]

+k to all the NWC guys...the banter with you guys is a lot more enjoyable than it was last week against the johns!!   

[footballfan413]

   

Being underdogs is soley a perspective....According to Pat Coleman he favors Willamette....and points to the fact that this year's edition of the Warhawks ain't last years.....that says a lot to me....Having been on this board since about 1999 I've learned to have a great deal of repsect for the man's opinion...He knows his D3 football.  It still makes me wonder awhole lot when I think about Wartburg going into OT with a 0-10 Dubuque and then beating your conference champ two weeks later....gotta wonder about that....That's not scores comparison....that's win comparison

I believe that you were the one who started the "Expert" ball rolling.   

[stanbob]

+k to all the NWC guys...the banter with you guys is a lot more enjoyable than it was last week against the johns!!   

Sorry for not providing the arrogance you seem to enjoy.   

[DustySJU]

2-8 Dubuque...not 0-10....see I'm getting old....

BoBo
http://www.d3football.com/atn.php

Quote:
Pat: I guess Willamette. I tend to like to see some previous playoff experience before I pick a team to go deep but I see a lot of things in Willamette's favor -- everyone has to get on a plane to get there, they present a scheme that's not usually seen and the region's traditional powers are down.

I believe he also said something similar in the "Skinny on all 32 Teams" article which I can't seem to find.

Also, maybe the WIAC and IIAC are comparitively and evenly matched conferences at the end of this season....This Saturday's game will reveal a lot...won't it?

Willamette Folks;  You've got a freaky good team coming to visit your campus this Saturday.  Ouch! 

Goodluck.

Developing....

[Pat Coleman]

Although in this week's podcast I said I was probably going to the Monmouth/Wartburg game, I finally found an itinerary and a price that worked for me to come out west. So I'll be in Salem this weekend.

[runyr]

Although in this week's podcast I said I was probably going to the Monmouth/Wartburg game, I finally found an itinerary and a price that worked for me to come out west. So I'll be in Salem this weekend.

Pat, If I see you in the crowd, I'll come up and say hello and thanks.