FB: Region 4 fan poll

[wally_wabash]

Here is your preseason NRFP.  One abstention this week so we have eight ballots instead of the usual nine.  Should be back to full strength next week. 


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The NRFP is voted on by: Captain_Joe08, Dr. Acula, FCGrizzliesGrad, Li'l Giant, Mr Ypsi, NCF,  smedindy, USee, and wally wabash.

[Dr. Acula]

We're back!  Finally.  A few thoughts:

I'm not questioning the consensus, but I thought someone may have gone with a non-Mount #1.  If it ain't broke I guess. 

While I am cautiously optimistic about Denison, I am mildly surprised they were outside the top 10 on 3 of the 8 ballots.   

I figured I was going to be the most bullish on Franklin (#6) but someone bested my blue tinted glasses!  As usual Franklin had a wide spread (4 to 9).  Opening with TMC will hopefully help us out with gauging the Grizz. 

[smedindy]

I'm the outlier on Wheaton, just a gut. I think Wheaton / NC / John Carroll are close to even, and Witt just slightly behind.

I'm disappointed in Wheaton's NC schedule - Benedictine and K'Zoo won't tell us much.

Meanwhile, JC opening up with UW-O is brilliant. IF there's anything that can be a 'good loss' (not in the criteria, but still...) it's a close one to Oshkosh. And if they win, well they may just defend their OAC crown

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

I was the 6th column. I had the most teams in the ORV category with 3. At least I was with the consensus of which teams were in the top 7.
2-4 are really 2a 2b and 2c as they're 6-8 on my top 25 ballot. I thought I was stretching it a bit putting Franklin at 7 but I didn't have anyone else to stick up there. Hopefully whoever put them at #4 is right . IWU was team 10b with Denison and Rose-Hulman next in line.

[Li'l Giant]

I'm the column that had RHIT at 10. I'm going in on Denison and I'm between cautiously optimistic and bullish on RHIT. I'm also frequently wrong.

[wally_wabash]

We're back!  Finally.  A few thoughts:

I'm not questioning the consensus, but I thought someone may have gone with a non-Mount #1.  If it ain't broke I guess. 

While I am cautiously optimistic about Denison, I am mildly surprised they were outside the top 10 on 3 of the 8 ballots.   

I figured I was going to be the most bullish on Franklin (#6) but someone bested my blue tinted glasses!  As usual Franklin had a wide spread (4 to 9).  Opening with TMC will hopefully help us out with gauging the Grizz.

I couldn't find a good reason to not pick Mount Union #1 here (not that I'm actively looking for reasons to do so).  The guys that beat them last year lost the coaching staff.  That's a big deal.  Kickoff readers know I'm super bullish on Wheaton, but I don't know who is playing QB at Wheaton and that's a bit too much question mark to make them #1.  I think Wheaton is really the only other semi-reasonable option for that spot, but you kind of have to hand wave around the QB thing to get there.   

And I'm the 4 on Franklin.  Franklin has a badass senior quarterback which is an incredibly valuable and rare piece.  As much as this poll- this week in particular- is a measure of potential, Burton really moves the needle. 

[Dr. Acula]

The stud senior QB thinking was what kind of drove my Franklin and Denison thinking.  I liked Gebele a lot the couple times I saw him last year. 

I was torn somewhat on what to do with Wabash.  Not sure what's going on at QB there.  The only things I was sure of were a stout D and a solid running game.  That's good stuff, but I'm not sure where that leaves you relative to the competition especially if we think Denison may be ascending a little.

I'm interested to see what the new staff wants to do offensively at JCU.  They're going to be just nasty in the front 7 on D and they return both starting RB's and QB (who can run).  I wonder if that combined with the losses at WR/TE doesn't spell more ground and pound.  Unfortunately you're not just going to run the ball at will on UWO so we'll learn about the new pass catchers right away! 

[wally_wabash]

Gebele is just a junior!   

[USee]

Column 4 for me.

I found this easier than most years because many of these teams have a lot of returning players. For me that's always easier to predict in the pre-season. I flirted with a non MUC #1 but in the end they are still the team to beat in the North. UMU has 16 starters back (9 on D) from a team that was playing their best at the end of the year. JCU has only 13 starters back and a new coach so there is much more uncertainty for me.  Easiest was Wheaton and NCC. The Thunder return 19 starters from a final 8 team (10 on a defense that led nation in sacks). I don't need to see what they do against Bendecitine and Kzoo to know they are going to be there at the end. Same with NCC. They have one of the best QB's in the country and a top line Defensive front (top 3 in country in sacks). I am pretty sure they will be top 10 all year.

Witt was the hardest for me. They have only 11 back and I flirted with bumping them below Denison (18 starters return with 9 on Offense) but I put them ahead of Denison and Wabash for now.

I feel like Carthage (19 returning starters from 7-3 team) has a better team right now than IWU (17 starters from 7-3 team) so I ranked them ahead of the Titans. Wabash (15 returning starters, 2nd year coach) I am looking for a bounce back from last year.

[Dr. Acula]

Gebele is just a junior!   

You'd think I wouldn't have been too lazy to look that up before posting...oops! 

[Dr. Acula]

Looking at the schedule there are some nice games for us to chew on from a NRFP perspective this weekend.

UWO/JCU is obviously the game of the week involving a NR team.  But also...
TMC/Franklin
UWW/IWU
Berg/Olivet
Hope/Monmouth

I like it.  Some good stuff to watch right out of the gate.  Only a few more days!

[Dr. Acula]

Franklin's D gave up 246 yards in the 1st QUARTER.  Yikes.  Burton better make sure that arm is stretched out today.

[Captain_Joe08]

Sent my ballot in. IMO was a little tough to hash out a ballot this week due to the results put forth by the teams in the poll (and ORV).

[wally_wabash]

Final tally coming early this evening.

[wally_wabash]

NRFP through games of Week 1:


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The NRFP is voted on by: Captain_Joe08, Dr. Acula, FCGrizzliesGrad, Li'l Giant, Mr Ypsi, NCF,  smedindy, USee, and wally wabash.