FB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Thunder44]

Nice win for Bluffton yesterday. Hopefully they'll continue their improvement in the next few seasons.
With Rose losing, that takes tiebreaker pressure off of Franklin. Now if they lose one of their next two and beat Hanover they'll still have sole possession of the conference.
If Hanover loses to either Bluffton or MSJ and Franklin gets by Anderson and Earlham, then Franklin will have locked up the title before the Bell game.
If Franklin and Hanover both get a loss in one of their next two then Hanover beats Franklin... I don't even want to think about the tiebreaker possibilities. I think the largest I can come up with is a 4 way tie with Franklin, Hanover, Bluffton, and Rose-Hulman.

Can we just hurry up and play the next three weeks of games this week so we can settle things?

Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but if both Hanover (Bluffton at home and MSJ away) and Franklin (Anderson and Earlham) win their next two games, the final game will really mean something. 

I like that the Panthers have decent games the next two weeks, to keep them mentally prepared for Franklin.  The back to back wins over Earlham and Manchester were deceiving, so now they will have to really focus their preparation if they want to have a shot at the conference title.

The Earlham game for Franklin just before Hanover will give the Grizzlies some cushion to rest anyone who might be banged-up, so they should enter that final game ready to go.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

With the way Franklin has been playing, I'm glad we have the cushion that we can lose one of the next two. Maybe they can experiment a bit and work on rushing better and not turn it over. Hanover has the tougher schedule and can't afford to lose. I know I'll be rooting for Hanover to lose because honestly (and don't tell the Franklin people this cause I'd like to keep my diploma ) I think Hanover would win if they played right now instead of in a few weeks.

[Thunder44]

With the way Franklin has been playing, I'm glad we have the cushion that we can lose one of the next two. Maybe they can experiment a bit and work on rushing better and not turn it over. Hanover has the tougher schedule and can't afford to lose. I know I'll be rooting for Hanover to lose because honestly (and don't tell the Franklin people this cause I'd like to keep my diploma ) I think Hanover would win if they played right now instead of in a few weeks.

Against Anderson, outside runs/sweeps will be big gainers all day long.  They have no speed on D to the outside, and Franklin will see that on film.  As to running against Earlham, Franklin should have a lot of success there too.

No doubt, the next two weeks for Hanover are huge.  Bluffton coming off the big win at home against Rose is going to be looking to make a statement this week at Hanover.  Depending on which MSJ team shows up for that game, that one could be a dogfight.

Hopefully everyone will stay healthy, and the game on the 12th at Hanover can live up to the billing!

[panthersfan]

The best game of the year for Hanover.  Definitely played like a team on a mission.

Hanover has a tough road to get there unscathed but if they do...  The Monon Bell game will lose some spotlight to the Victory Bell game.

First things first though...  A good Bluffton team comes to town on a winning streak and fresh off a big win over Rose.

[GRIZ_BACKER]

With the way Franklin has been playing, I'm glad we have the cushion that we can lose one of the next two. Maybe they can experiment a bit and work on rushing better and not turn it over. Hanover has the tougher schedule and can't afford to lose. I know I'll be rooting for Hanover to lose because honestly (and don't tell the Franklin people this cause I'd like to keep my diploma ) I think Hanover would win if they played right now instead of in a few weeks.

I agree.  I am looking forward to a competitive game at season's end.  Boring football (blowouts) gets old after a while.  I am glad Hanover is getting better.  A true championship atmosphere is always fun to end the regular season.

[panthersfan]

... I am looking forward to a competitive game at season's end...

So far the prospects look good for it.

If I could watch any other game this week, I think this would be it:

Defiance @ Rose-Hulman

Rose will be looking to rebound but Defiance is on a roll and will be hungry to make it 4 in a row.

[Thunder44]

... I am looking forward to a competitive game at season's end...

So far the prospects look good for it.

If I could watch any other game this week, I think this would be it:

Defiance @ Rose-Hulman

Rose will be looking to rebound but Defiance is on a roll and will be hungry to make it 4 in a row.

I agree the Defiance @ Rose game is one of the best games this weekend.  A Defiance win helps the new coach solidify his candidacy for the HC job (removing the interim title), while a Rose win gets them back on track tofinish strong in the coach's first year.

Looking like the weekennd is going to have decent weather (at least for Hanover v Bluffton).  It will be interesting to see how the Panthers come out following their last 2 wins.  No time for a letdown!

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Here's the games this week...

Bluffton @ Hanover: Bluffton with the big win last week has their best conference record since 2001. If they can win one of their last two games (which won't be easy) they can finish at .500 for the first time since 2004. Hanover meanwhile continues their push to what could be a conference championship game against Franklin as long as they continue to win.

Anderson @ Franklin: Anderson has had a disappointing season with just one win so far, but a win here would be huge. Franklin has looked vulnerable all season but have found ways to win. The Grizzlies can afford one loss in the next two games, but they'll have to get it sorted before Hanover.

Mount St. Joseph @ Manchester: MSJ's season went down the drain when they lost 3 straight, but they can still play spoiler next week against Hanover, and they'll be ready to go against Thomas More in a couple weeks. Manchester has been competitive all season until last week's drubbing by Hanover. Who will play more for pride?

Defiance @ Rose-Hulman: A battle of 3-4 teams who are 3-2 in the conference. Both teams a bit disappointed with how things have gone, Defiance starting 0-4, Rose looking like they could be a factor after beating Hanover then struggling the past few weeks. Defiance seems to have momentum coming into this game compared to Rose. Should be an interesting game.

Earlham gets the week off which means for the first time this season they will not lose. They'll try next week to break their 18 game losing streak vs Franklin.

[panthersfan]

Here's the games this week...

Bluffton @ Hanover: Bluffton with the big win last week has their best conference record since 2001. If they can win one of their last two games (which won't be easy) they can finish at .500 for the first time since 2004. Hanover meanwhile continues their push to what could be a conference championship game against Franklin as long as they continue to win.

If Hanover gets the Rose Hulman virus again this could be anyone's game.  Will be interesting to see if the Panthers continue to play hungry.

Anderson @ Franklin: Anderson has had a disappointing season with just one win so far, but a win here would be huge. Franklin has looked vulnerable all season but have found ways to win. The Grizzlies can afford one loss in the next two games, but they'll have to get it sorted before Hanover.

If Anderson doesn't pin their ears back on D and protect the ball on O, this one won't be close.

Mount St. Joseph @ Manchester: MSJ's season went down the drain when they lost 3 straight, but they can still play spoiler next week against Hanover, and they'll be ready to go against Thomas More in a couple weeks. Manchester has been competitive all season until last week's drubbing by Hanover. Who will play more for pride?

MSJ will be visiting a ticked-off squad ready for some redemption but I'm not sure it will be enough for Manchester.  Definitely a big game brewing in The Queen City next week.

Defiance @ Rose-Hulman: A battle of 3-4 teams who are 3-2 in the conference. Both teams a bit disappointed with how things have gone, Defiance starting 0-4, Rose looking like they could be a factor after beating Hanover then struggling the past few weeks. Defiance seems to have momentum coming into this game compared to Rose. Should be an interesting game.

Definitely my pick for game of the week.

Earlham gets the week off which means for the first time this season they will not lose....

I say with some guilt (cause many of us have been at varying degrees) but...  That was funny

[SaintsFAN]

Here's the games this week...

Bluffton @ Hanover: Bluffton with the big win last week has their best conference record since 2001. If they can win one of their last two games (which won't be easy) they can finish at .500 for the first time since 2004. Hanover meanwhile continues their push to what could be a conference championship game against Franklin as long as they continue to win.

Anderson @ Franklin: Anderson has had a disappointing season with just one win so far, but a win here would be huge. Franklin has looked vulnerable all season but have found ways to win. The Grizzlies can afford one loss in the next two games, but they'll have to get it sorted before Hanover.

Mount St. Joseph @ Manchester: MSJ's season went down the drain when they lost 3 straight, but they can still play spoiler next week against Hanover, and they'll be ready to go against Thomas More in a couple weeks. Manchester has been competitive all season until last week's drubbing by Hanover. Who will play more for pride?

Defiance @ Rose-Hulman: A battle of 3-4 teams who are 3-2 in the conference. Both teams a bit disappointed with how things have gone, Defiance starting 0-4, Rose looking like they could be a factor after beating Hanover then struggling the past few weeks. Defiance seems to have momentum coming into this game compared to Rose. Should be an interesting game.

Earlham gets the week off which means for the first time this season they will not lose. They'll try next week to break their 18 game losing streak vs Franklin.

I'll take the week off by 7 over Earlham.

[panthersfan]

...
I'll take the week off by 7 over Earlham.

Nearly lost my drink of coffee on that one.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

I'll take the week off by 7 over Earlham.

That's just wrong... but very good

[Thunder44]

So, with over 300 yards rushing, and 5 different players scoring rushing touchdowns, is it safe to say that Franklin got their running game going today?  Or is Anderson just that bad at stopping the run?

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

That is probably the best Franklin has looked since Valpo at the start of the season. No turnovers for once, but if you take out the 2 long runs of 67 and 75 they averaged just 4 yards a rush (which sadly is still better than usual). They should be able to do the same next week @ Earlham. Hopefully this will give them confidence and they can continue like this against Hanover.

[Thunder44]

That is probably the best Franklin has looked since Valpo at the start of the season. No turnovers for once, but if you take out the 2 long runs of 67 and 75 they averaged just 4 yards a rush (which sadly is still better than usual). They should be able to do the same next week @ Earlham. Hopefully this will give them confidence and they can continue like this against Hanover.

I felt that Franklin was going to be able to run pretty well against Anderson.  Against Hanover, it just didn't seem that Anderson had all that much speed, especially to the outside.

The last 3 games for Hanover have been confidence builders, but I hope the Panthers aren't getting over confident.  The D has been playing well, and will need to next week at MSJ to keep the hopes alive for a shot at the conference title.