FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[faunch]

Esme Murphy (WCCO News) is under the impression that U$T beat Olaf 97-0 in a conference championship game...how's that for journalism???

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/05/22/st-thomas-involuntarily-removed-from-miac-conference-report-says/

[AO]

Esme Murphy (WCCO News) is under the impression that U$T beat Olaf 97-0 in a conference championship game...how's that for journalism???

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/05/22/st-thomas-involuntarily-removed-from-miac-conference-report-says/

You don't remember when St. Olaf beat Carleton and St. Mary's to win the MIAC South division and advance to the Dr. Pepper MIAC Championship Game™ at US Bank Stadium?

[miac952]

Esme Murphy (WCCO News) is under the impression that U$T beat Olaf 97-0 in a conference championship game...how's that for journalism???

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/05/22/st-thomas-involuntarily-removed-from-miac-conference-report-says/

The two anchors should be able to lend some help. Their son was a heralded freshman on the UST basketball team last year.

[MiacMan]

Well it sounds to me that the way things unfolded (coincidence?) that UST will be petitioning to move directly to D1. The Pioneer league would be the home for football. Because they were involuntary removed but in good standing and the fact they sponsor varsity hockey, it appears they have a very solid case for the NCAA to wave some or all of the steps to jump from D3 to D1. It's amazing the timing of all this as they open their Health Sciences School which includes a Nursing program and inevitably a Medical School.

[WW]

Well it sounds to me that the way things unfolded (coincidence?) that UST will be petitioning to move directly to D1. The Pioneer league would be the home for football. Because they were involuntary removed but in good standing and the fact they sponsor varsity hockey, it appears they have a very solid case for the NCAA to wave some or all of the steps to jump from D3 to D1. It's amazing the timing of all this as they open their Health Sciences School which includes a Nursing program and inevitably a Medical School.

Pioneer League would be a good fit. And reduces the immediate burden of offering 85 full rides.

[hazzben]

To the rumors that Mac wants to return when U$T leaves:  When Mac quit playing MIAC football, U$T was medicore.  Mac would/will still get throttled by the likes of SJU, Bethel, Concordia, and likely GAC.

That's exactly it. The top 4 teams in the MIAC in a given year would and will beat MAC in double monkey stomp fashion. Pat already pointed out, it's a double hit for the MIAC since we lose UST's SOS and gain MAC's pathetic numbers. MAC is gonna peak around 5-5 in the MIAC in a great year. Almost want them to make a requirement for re-entry: You are only allowed back in, provided you schedule stupid easy non-con games against the weakest competition so that your record doesn't kill playoff aspiring teams.

I'm not sure it kills MIAC Pool C bids. The league has been consistently getting those, even when UST was mediocre from 99-08. This was never a two or even three team conference. UST, SJU, Bethel, and Concordia have all had playoff success in the D3football.com era. GAC and Olaf have knocked on the door a few times. It does behoove teams to up their game in the non-con. Bethel's scheduled some very good non-con opponents over the years (Wheaton, Wartburg, Dubuque, Central, WIAC teams, etc.). So have SJU & Concordia. It'll require a change in strategy for the GAC's and Olaf's of the league though. A 9-1 Olaf with non-con games against the likes of Luther & Crown ain't gonna be an at large bid.

Initially this felt like an isolated UST thing. The more I digest it, the more it feels like a warning shot against any team being too dominant for too long in a high profile sport. Let alone having the audacity to be nationally relevant in multiple sports over a stretch of time.

It's just gross. No one looks worse than St. Olaf. But we're kidding ourselves if we don't think the whole league is getting smeared. National and a lot of local media is just glossing "The MIAC voted to oust UST" ... Bethel, SJU, and any other school that didn't want this is getting smeared with the rest of the cowards.

Is it too late for UST, SJU, Bethel, GAC, & Concordia to band together and try to create a new conference?? Grab Hamline & Augsburg, since I don't think they'd have a place to land. Recruit CSS & UNWSP from the UMAC and UW-Superior (non-football). Offer Carleton a chance to stay if they want. Pipe dream, but a man can dream.

First ByLAW of the new Pipe Dream conference: You can't schedule MAC or Olaf in non-con for any sports. Embargo them from access any good MN competition and force them to live their MWC road warrior fantasy to the full extent.

[Pat Coleman]

To the rumors that Mac wants to return when U$T leaves:  When Mac quit playing MIAC football, U$T was medicore.  Mac would/will still get throttled by the likes of SJU, Bethel, Concordia, and likely GAC.

That's exactly it. The top 4 teams in the MIAC in a given year would and will beat MAC in double monkey stomp fashion. Pat already pointed out, it's a double hit for the MIAC since we lose UST's SOS and gain MAC's pathetic numbers. MAC is gonna peak around 5-5 in the MIAC in a great year. Almost want them to make a requirement for re-entry: You are only allowed back in, provided you schedule stupid easy non-con games against the weakest competition so that your record doesn't kill playoff aspiring teams.

Games against, let's say Grinnell and Beloit, would still drag down Mac's SOS and thereby drag down everyone else's in the MIAC, based on Grinnell and Beloit's recent trends.

[wildcat11]

[57Johnnie]

+k 11
MIAC becomes Snowflake Conference!

[hazzben]

To the rumors that Mac wants to return when U$T leaves:  When Mac quit playing MIAC football, U$T was medicore.  Mac would/will still get throttled by the likes of SJU, Bethel, Concordia, and likely GAC.

That's exactly it. The top 4 teams in the MIAC in a given year would and will beat MAC in double monkey stomp fashion. Pat already pointed out, it's a double hit for the MIAC since we lose UST's SOS and gain MAC's pathetic numbers. MAC is gonna peak around 5-5 in the MIAC in a great year. Almost want them to make a requirement for re-entry: You are only allowed back in, provided you schedule stupid easy non-con games against the weakest competition so that your record doesn't kill playoff aspiring teams.

Games against, let's say Grinnell and Beloit, would still drag down Mac's SOS and thereby drag down everyone else's in the MIAC, based on Grinnell and Beloit's recent trends.

Totally. There's no good solution. But at least MAC going 2-0 in non-con mitigates the damage a little bit. OOWP would still stink, but OWP would be less.

Bottom line, it sucks. And one of the best parts of MAC being gone was that you didn't have a 9 game conference slate and so could add 2 quality non-con opponents. When multiple teams did that, there were years MIAC teams had monster SOS numbers. We won't be doing a 9 game conference slate, but still, it hurts.

This might be my sign for the Olaf vs. UST game. The other side will be Anderson's face photoshopped onto the cowardly lion. Or maybe the cowardly lion on the Olaf Crest. New Logo!!

[sncdangler]

Mediocrity
Is
A
Choice

[Walter Eagle]

This, however, is completely different and I don't think we bear the stain of hypocrisy. Turning a game into trick-play practice is something all together different. Particularly when that novelty practice is against a perennial cellar dweller and after the game is well, well in hand. Check out that YouTube clip and have another think.

The two point conversion featured on ESPN was executed when the game was 6-3 in favor of UST. Some may argue that the game was, in fact, well in hand at that point, but Carleton had also just opened the game by eating up half of the first quarter against a UST defense largely devoid of passion. The conversion changed the energy level on the UST sideline and in the crowd.

The other two conversions were attempted because Carleton is a fundamentally unsound football team. On the second two point conversion, the holder running the ball in from the swinging gate formation was possible because Carleton didn't line up to properly defend the point of attack. On the third, they left a UST player split out wide completely undefended. The receiver could have ordered a pizza for delivery from Davanni's and finished half of it by the time the closest Carleton player came close to making a play. It would have been irresponsible of UST to not convert that pass.

As art76 astutely mentioned, teams trade film from the three previous games. UST's potential first & second round NCAA opponents won't see the (failed) first half onside kick attempt against Bethel, but they will see the (successful) first half attempt against Carleton, and the same goes for the two point conversions. Whether or not future opponents practice against these specific plays/formations is somewhat irrelevant because it pays dividends either way. Communicating the threat of exploiting fundamentally unsound football is the goal.

I realize it's popular to find any opportunity to rip the UST coaching staff on this forum, but there's a point where it betrays an ignorance, willing or otherwise, I don't expect from fans of a team with a rich tradition of championship caliber football.

I have been off this board for a long time and am a long time Tommie fan, season ticket holder and financial supporter.  I was so upset with the lack of respect these plays represented that I left the game before halftime.  I have spent a lot of time trying to rationalize why these "ultra" trick plays were done and I can't come up with anything that would be justified.  You explanation is a load of BS.  BTW you did not throw in the drop kicked extra point that I heard about but did not see.

I don't know what is going on with this program and why we at St. Thomas would want it run this way but things have gone from suspicious to completely shocking, starting with the end of the Mount Union game, continuing with the photo at the end of the Johnnie game and now this ridiculous display of what?  Immaturity, hubris, megalomania?

Even beyond the mocking and bullying aspect of Saturday's behavior you are putting your players in jeopardy for retaliation that could result in a severe injury.  I JUST DON'T GET IT.

One last thing re the trading of game video.  There are many ways to get way more video than the last three games.  Any game that is web-cast can be live copied as it is broadcast or later archived and coaches will often freely trade video among themselves.

I thought I would dig out this post of mine from the "iconic" Carleton game with all the trick platys. 

As I left this game at half time I complained to Steve Fritz and said that I was not coming to a Tommie Football game as long as this issue with Caruso went unaddressed.  I have held true to my boycott since; not renewing my $30 veranda seats or setting foot in the stadium (I will admit that I went to the Target Field game). 

In the last couple of years I have seen Caruso make attempts to hold down the score and was thinking about ending the boycott last year; until I looked at the crappy home game schedule which all looked like they would be double-monkey stomps. 

I see no point in staying in a conference that has this many bad teams and I'm hoping for the WIAC or NSIC

[Alfredeneumann]

Using the MIAC Presidents Council model, maybe the MIAC FB board should be kicked off this site. You have twice as many posts as any other West Region Football.

Just kidding.

[jamtod]

Using the MIAC Presidents Council model, maybe the MIAC FB board should be kicked off this site. You have twice as many posts as any other West Region Football.

Just kidding.

First, we need to get rid of all the posters that have too strong of a karma ratio.

Bye bye johnnie posters. It's been fun.

[Enginerd]

The rest of the MIAC got tired of having to compete against Division II and low-mid-major Division I athletes in their Division III conference.
I'd love to know what St. Thomas' best athletes are paying to go to school there. I do not think I am suggesting anything untoward as their are many, many ways to keep things street-legal as far as the NCAA is concerned - but financial aid is the elephant in the room. St. Thomas is a very good academic school that rightly attracts student-athletes for the right reasons, but families absolutely take financial aid into consideration when making decisions - and when your son has an offer from a Division II school and a Division III school is also recruiting you, the better academics are only going to take you so far when you're discussing free vs. what Wikipedia states is St. Thomas' average student cost of $30,000 AFTER financial aid. You cannot build an ass-whupping athletic program at the D-III level with only the level of athlete paying 30K per year.