FB: Region 4 fan poll

[Mr. Ypsi]

I didn't rank Illinois Wesleyan. I think Kickoff scared me off of them.

Almost did for me too.  They're listed as #21 in the country, but in the CCIW listings of Kickoff, they're behind Millikin, which was 42nd.  Pat and Keith just went with the preseason poll for 1-25, but it is pretty obvious they were simply outvoted in the poll on some teams.  I'm really curious where THEY would have had IWU (somewhere in the 50s?)

Loyalty (and optimism) made me put them 6th (I'm third column from the left), but they'll drop out quickly if they don't beat UWLaX in the opener.  Their QB is now an upperclassman, and IMO only a half-step behind Brock Rutter, which always gives one some hope.

Speaking of Hope, I agree with FCGG that the MIAA top dog is generally worthy of a spot at least near the bottom of the top 10, but wonder who that top dog is - I kinda suspect Trine, but decided to take a flyer on Hope.

[USee]

I think the CCIW group of Carthage, IWU, Millikin are all very, very close overall and that group is a step ahead of the next lower group in the CCIW and 1-2 steps behind the top 2. I wouldn't be surprised to see those three in any order as the 3-5 teams in the league.

As for Bauer, he is a playmaker (see last drive vs Wheaton last year) and a gunslinger, but he doesn't quite have the accuracy or efficiency to be compared with Rutter in my opinion.

[HOPEful]

I'm column 10. Top five are pretty much the same as everyone else. I've got Trine and Hope basically in a tie for 6th. I really like what Stuursma is doing at Hope, and Trine really impressed me last season. I should have had John Carroll next, I don't know why I went with Franklin before them. And 10 was a toss up... I went Ross Hulman but could easily change that to Wabash or DePauw after week 1.

10 days until Hope v. Milikin! 7:00 night game under the lights.

[Captain_Joe08]

I did not rank Wittenberg (Hence I have Lakeland at 10). Just an educated guess for me at this point considering I have not paid much attention than I really should have considering how busy I have been. We'll see how teams stack up once the season gets underway.

[Ryan Stoppable]

My gut feeling is that 10 might be a little high for the Muskies, especially now with Whitley having graduated, but like you say, once September rolls around things will take care of themselves,.one way or the other.

[USee]

Love the Hope/Millikin matchup. Will be a fun one to watch to measure both teams.

[Dr. Acula]

I did not rank Wittenberg (Hence I have Lakeland at 10). Just an educated guess for me at this point considering I have not paid much attention than I really should have considering how busy I have been. We'll see how teams stack up once the season gets underway.

Joe Fincham...the Rodney Dangerfield of the NRFP?      

[CollegeGolf18]

Hey guys, long time lurker here. Have been bouncing around on this site for a few years and loved reading the comments you all had. One of my favorite parts of the board is the poll that comes out every week. It was interesting to see your thoughts and the view how you reflected that into your poll. So, this year I am looking forward to partaking in a poll with you all every week and hearing your thoughts about why you put a team where. I was the last slot this week and here is my breakdown:

#1 - Mount Union - This one doesn't need any explaining.

#2 - Trine - I think the defense is going to take a big step forward this year. They return 8 guys on that side of the ball and a transfer comes in from Siena Heights who was a two time all-conference player to anchor the linebackers. They are young but experienced and I think the loss of Wyse won't be as large as everyone thinks. Duckett will step in and do a good job with all the skill players they have back. I may have them a little high but I think they are a mainstay on the top 10 this year.

#3 - North Central - Love their QB situation with the addition of a transfer from Illinois State. Their defense is very athletic and their secondary while losing some players, I don't think will miss a beat. NCC is going to be solid as usual this year.

#4 - Wittenberg - I love Jake Kennedy. This is his year and I think he will really wreck havoc on opposing defenses. I am high on Witt due to his return. Their defense returns seven guys to a team who was very good defensively all of last year beside the postseason game.

#5 - Mt. St. Joseph - I am very high on Mt. St. Joseph as you can see. I love what they have returning and their defense has been together for a few years now. In year two of their passing attack I think will be Franklin-esque with how well they pass the ball. It'll be interesting to see what they bring this year but I am expecting them to only lose a game besides the Morehead State game.

#6 - John Carroll - I had to slot the OAC #2 here as I think they'll have a bounce back year and contend for the playoffs again. Last year was strange for JCU.

#7 - Illinois Wesleyan - The last half of my poll got a little shaky, first here with IWU. I know that they struggled last year and only return one offensive lineman starter but I have faith that they will bounce back this year and do better than their predicted kickoff season. QB and skill guys come back so if they can correct their defensive woes, IWU could be headed to another playoff berth.

#8 - Wheaton - I am lower on Wheaton than most but I think that even with 36 seniors on their roster they won't be someone who goes out and dominates this year. I'm sure they'll move up but the first two weeks of the season are huge for them. Two wins and they'll jump a few teams. Just have to see how they respond out of the gate.

#9 - Franklin - This year with the fastest player on the team at QB, I think Franklin could be an animal. But, their defense will really have to step up this year. A few new receivers are in the mold too so I think it'll be a bit of a learning curve at first. It's kind of a wait and see thing with Franklin as I think their defense needs a bit of work.

#10 - Wabash - Wabash is a bit of a wildcard. Depending on their QB they could be one of the best offenses in the NCAC as their main skill guys return. They needed someone to throw the ball and with Reid and Williamson there, they have it. It's a new secondary so I think that if they are able to keep big plays in check that they will be able to surprise some people.

[USee]

Welcome to the board and the NRFP.  Great to have some new perspectives. I like the bold picks.  And as a fellow golf nut I love the handle.

[Dr. Acula]

Just sent my ballot to wally.  No changes for me this week.  Everything went pretty much as I expected.

[CollegeGolf18]

Got mine in on Sunday, a few changes to mine after seeing some of the offenses play. Not a ton of movement though.

[wally_wabash]

2018 Week 1 NRFP:


click to enlarge

The NRFP is voted on (usually) by: Captain_Joe08, CollegeGolf18, Dr. Acula, FCGrizzliesGrad, HOPEful, Li'l Giant, Mr Ypsi, NCF,  smedindy, thunderdog, USee, and wally wabash.

Edit: Table updated with one last ballot.  I thought we lost HOPEful!  That's an even dozen and I think that'll be the cap for 2018.  I do appreciate everybody's interest in the poll and maybe we'll expand further in the future.

[Dr. Acula]

I'm the last column with Millikin at #9.  As I said, I didn't change anything.  The only things I really debated were flip flopping JCU and IWU at 5/6 and possibly moving Franklin in at 10 in place of DPU.  Had Wabash struggled with Hiram a little I would have considered moving Millikin up to 8 on the strength of a nice win over Hope, but that didn't play out.   

[bluestreak66]

Kind of confused by the Trine #2 vote. I feel like they're closer to being undeserving of a ranking than they are of being the second best team in the region

[USee]

Kind of confused by the Trine #2 vote. I feel like they're closer to being undeserving of a ranking than they are of being the second best team in the region

I am second column from the right and have Trine as second highest among voters at #4. I am usually a skeptic of MIAA teams but have seen a handful that can compete with nationally ranked top 10 teams. This Trine team, if you take the time to look deep enough, looks and smells like a team in that category for me. They went undefeated in the MIAA last year and won every regular season game by at least 20 points. They won their first round team, albeit against another suspect team in Monmouth. They return 8 starters from that undefeated MIAA team on both offense and defense (Kickoff has 20 starters back but lists 8O, 8D, and 2 specialists =18). I think Trine is unarguably a top 25 team and pretty clearly a top 10 NRFP team. How high is really subjective. I happen to like them this year better than some others that I have historically liked in the past. I also like the way Witt opened up and strongly considered moving them up ahead of Trine. For now, Trine has performed in a way that keeps them at 4 with Witt at 5.

For my other spots I moved Wabash up a spot mainly because the biggest question I had was at QB and I like how Jake Reid performed last week. If he can sustain that level, Wabash will continue to win and will rise on most ballots.

I kept Carthage in my top 10. For me, they provided the best data point of any team in the poll with their level of play against #4 in the country. For me, If Carthage isn't a top 10 team in the North, I don't know who is. I believe they will win a lot of games this year. Carthage's issue, which did come out a little on Saturday, is they are not deep and their schedule will result in some injuries. Last year I believe their lack of depth cost them 1-2 games (on a 7-3 team). They stay for now. Millikin is my #11 team and will appear on my poll at some point if they continue.

I am very eager to see IWU, NCC and Depauw this weekend as its tough to measure teams who haven't played (so all based on who they have returning, schedule, etc) against teams that have played a game. In particular I am eager for the IWU game against an upper half WIAC team. I have my questions about IWU (as documented on the CCIW board) which are mainly up front on offense and defense, which will definitely be answered this weekend against a physical team.