FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[art76]

Saw the news that MAC was joining the MWC and checked in here to see what's shakin'. After reading the posts to date, in my mind it settles some football scheduling concerns in that each team is always guaranteed 8 conference and 2 non-conference games. Now just get everyone in the MIAC to schedule all their non-conference games in the first 3 weeks of the season and then the final 8 weeks take care of themselves.

Two conference teams would have to play in week three during "non-conference" game weeks, and one of those teams would then get a by week later in the season. My suggestion would be it should be the very next week. At his level of play, having a bye-week as the last week of an 11 week season is a huge advantage going into the playoffs, if the team that has that kind of schedule does in deed go into the playoffs.

That makes the last 7 weeks "even" in the sense of a break at the end of the season. And if some out there like the idea of having a break built into the latter part of the season, simply front load the scheduling so that everyone is getting their off week in the last 4 weeks of play by scheduling the non-conference games then. You only have to get all of football-dom to go along with that thinking to make it happen.

Without trying to sound trite or condescending, "it's just numbers" - that is, to set a 9 roster conference to play 10 games in an 11 week season. But we all know that politics and "previous commitments" and the saying used oft among dying organizations "we've never done it this way before" will make it impossible to "make it so" any time soon.

I say though, the sooner the better. The MIAC could be the leader in this kind of scheduling and be looked up to as being innovative and decisive if executed well. If done poorly, there might be other kinds of actions executed.

This makes for a kind of "pre-season", yet it really helps teams check out other teams from other conferences - Especially if the MIAC were to make some kind of pact with the IIAC and the WIAC saying that they will strongly encourage all 9 teams to play a team from each of these two conferences each season whenever possible. Now there's something we could all look forward to. It would really open up the idea of cross conference play to teams that have shunned that in the past. The MIAC could be the leader in saying to its football teams, "this is what we expect of you in your scheduling".

OK, feel free to slam me now as being too "pie in the sky" in my dreaming - but we (the MIAC faithful) really need to get behind some workable plan to get the football season scheduling out of mediocrity and to make it more meaningful to all the teams in the conference. It will make us a stronger conference.

[Pat Coleman]

PS If MAC actually wins the Midwest Conference, I pray to God they play a MIAC school. And regardless of who that school is, I will cheer as loudly as if it was Bethel. And I hope they'd lay a quadruple Monkey Stomp on em. Just to make sure they realized they had snuck into the playoffs by running away from competition.

I don't believe that will be an issue, not for some time. Last year I think Macalester would have won two or three games.

[sjusection105]

There's no room for two-timing here. Especially when the girl doing the two-timing is as unattractive as MAC.

Great observation. If the other MIAC institutions let MAC stay, that proves the administrations of the other MIAC schools are in serious denial or have the "beer goggles" on,looking at MAC as a hottie instead of the strumpet that she is. Take your Reader's Digest endowment to the MWC 

[Tom Thumb]

For my fellow Tommie fans. Below are a few additional guys heading to UST to play football next fall:

Moise Igeno, Centennial HS
Joey Puk, Eden Prairie HS
Hayden Reich, Huntley HS (IL)
Adam Schnobrich, New Ulm Cathedral HS
Ryan Anderson, Champlin Park HS
Turner Sagat, New Berlin HS (WI)
Noah Larson, Bloomington HS

[stanbob]

[rant]

The issue is not whether a school runs a full suite of sports, but that Mac runs some sports in one league and one sport in another league.  And the sport it runs "renegade" is THE sport.  Football is the college sport, then basketball and probably baseball.  The issue is that Mac treats the other schools in the MIAC with a distinct lack if respect, sort of like disposable friends that can be called for a night out when needed but ignored when they are inconvenient or embarrassing to Mac's classier friends.  Mac is a taker from the MIAC and not a giver.  Even, gasp, UST cannot have that low claim made against it.  For all their faults (and there are many) UST does not, and can be trusted to never, treat the schools in the MIAC with the same degree of contempt and selfishness that Mac has demonstrated with this narcissistic decision.

[/rant]

Spot on once again Oz.

[Tom Thumb]

And a few more that are heading to UST:

Joel Hylton, North Shore Country Day School, (Winnetka, IL)
Makael Lunning, Albert Lea HS
Luke Hermann, Cretin-Derham Hall HS
Jared Schmit, Totino Grace HS

Hylton looks like he could be a great pickup for the Tommies. He had an offer from South Dakota State. According to the link below, it looks like he wants to play on the defensive side of the ball. He could be a solid replacement for Ayo Idowu.

http://seasonpass.suntimes.com/news_article/show/185785?referrer_id=662039

[OzJohnnie]

The Hawks beat North Melbourne on the weekend in a s*** house contest which before the game North should have never had a chance to win and once the game started the Hawks should have never won.  They played horribly, but North blew multiple chances to seal the victory and somehow Hawthorn squeaked home.

On the brighter side, the Oz girls were randomly selected to be in the Hawthorn honor guard as the players took the field at the beginning of the contest.  #1 has a red sweater on under her Hawks jumper in the middle of the first photo.  #3 is hidden behind #1's flag.  #2 is on the far right next to the camera man.  And you can see them again in the wider shot as the players run through their ANZAC themed banner.

 

There were 42,000 at the game.  The MCG is so damned big it's still over half empty with that crowd.

[badgerwarhawk]

At one time the WIAC did have a provision that all of it's members must sponsor football.  However when UW-Superior decided to discontinue it's program the provision was either dropped or ignored depending on your take of the situation.  Since that time we've seen other schools drop programs particularly baseball which nearly lost it's automatic bid when EauClaire and River Falls discontinued their programs and LaCrosse came close to doing the same.   

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

At one time the WIAC did have a provision that all of it's members must sponsor football.  However when UW-Superior decided to discontinue it's program the provision was either dropped or ignored depending on your take of the situation.  Since that time we've seen other schools drop programs particularly baseball which nearly lost it's automatic bid when EauClaire and River Falls discontinued their programs and LaCrosse came close to doing the same.   

I didnt know LAX nearly dropped baseball....what is it with Wisconsin and baseball?  UW dropped it a while back too, if I remember right.

[badgerwarhawk]

The UW dropped baseball in the early 1990's ('91, I think).  Fortunately fund raising, largely by UW-LaCrosse alumni, saved the program at least for the time being. Interesting two who were very involved had offspring that were WARHAWKS. 

[AO]

Not that I want to have another 2 week discussion about St. Thomas going D-1, but this blogger at least put together a pretty good collection of data.

http://minnesotahoops.blogspot.ca/2013/01/time-for-st-thomas-to-move-on-up.html

Basically, the only peer catholic institutions that play football are Georgetown, Duquesne and Holy Cross.

[emma17]

Not that I want to have another 2 week discussion about St. Thomas going D-1, but this blogger at least put together a pretty good collection of data.

http://minnesotahoops.blogspot.ca/2013/01/time-for-st-thomas-to-move-on-up.html

Basically, the only peer institutions that play football are Georgetown, Duquesne and Holy Cross.

Fascinating article- thanks for sharing.

[ron doney]

Not that I want to have another 2 week discussion about St. Thomas going D-1, but this blogger at least put together a pretty good collection of data.

http://minnesotahoops.blogspot.ca/2013/01/time-for-st-thomas-to-move-on-up.html

Basically, the only peer catholic institutions that play football are Georgetown, Duquesne and Holy Cross.

Real classy reply on that site by, I'm guessing, Oz. 

[ron doney]

Not that I want to have another 2 week discussion about St. Thomas going D-1, but this blogger at least put together a pretty good collection of data.

http://minnesotahoops.blogspot.ca/2013/01/time-for-st-thomas-to-move-on-up.html

Basically, the only peer catholic institutions that play football are Georgetown, Duquesne and Holy Cross.

When did the push for UST to become D1 start?  90s? Early 2000s after first baseball title?

[ron doney]

Not that I want to have another 2 week discussion about St. Thomas going D-1, but this blogger at least put together a pretty good collection of data.

http://minnesotahoops.blogspot.ca/2013/01/time-for-st-thomas-to-move-on-up.html

Basically, the only peer institutions that play football are Georgetown, Duquesne and Holy Cross.

Fascinating article- thanks for sharing.

Intersting fact.  St. Thomas received $110M from two individuals with no prior ties to the school (Shulze and Anderson).  That would rank 6th in the conference if it were an endowment.