Hey all -

Just wanted to drop in and introduce myself. Looking forward to this (somewhat) inaugural season

Absolutely absurd that the HC/ Witt game had to be postponed.

I'd love to let the student athletes from each team have 10 minutes alone in a room with the nut jobs making these threats

Let's just hope the Tigers don't eat any Terriers this weekend

Quote from: DagarmanSpartan on May 24, 2024, 10:08:36 AMSo, you know how people are already talking about what the next wave of realignment in D1-FBS will be............we are doing the same thing here with d3 realignment.

Regarding Hiram, welcome back!  Since our resident Hiram fan lives in Cleveland, attending any Hiram v. CWRU game on the CWRU campus will be easy.

Look forward to renewing the conference rivalry!

I will be there!

Also, as a Hiram fan, I have to say that I'm thrilled about what Grove City's been able to accomplish - what an incredible turnaround.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on May 14, 2024, 09:40:43 AM

Quote from: HCAlum86 on May 13, 2024, 08:38:38 PM

Quote from: WashJeff68 on April 29, 2024, 11:36:14 AMSo Hiram rejoins the PAC which will, like Allegheny, enable them to save a bunch on travel, make life easier for their fan base to follow them on the road. and enable them to be more competitive athletically.  They have also lost enrollment (according to Niche they have just under 700 full time undergrad students) and are loosing money virtually every year. I suspect the NCAC will hardly notice that they are gone and not sure what they add to the PAC unless there are other shoes yet to drop.

Official total is around 950 and the school is on very solid financial footing. Having said that, I agree with the rest of your takes and look forward to the PAC.

Actual total reported to the U.S. Department of Education, though, is 684 full-time undergraduates.

Yep, we have some issues with our reporting that's being addressed with the new president - someone in the registrar's office is lazy, and that's the most diplomatic way I can say it lol. There are a few hundred commuter students who take reduced workloads (below 12 hours but usually above 9 and on campus everyday) and, Hiram has agreed to honor all of Notre Dame College's student credits following its closure. We currently have 75+ students enrolled from NDC, and anticipate at least a few dozen more before the fall semester.

Quote from: WashJeff68 on April 29, 2024, 11:36:14 AMSo Hiram rejoins the PAC which will, like Allegheny, enable them to save a bunch on travel, make life easier for their fan base to follow them on the road. and enable them to be more competitive athletically.  They have also lost enrollment (according to Niche they have just under 700 full time undergrad students) and are loosing money virtually every year. I suspect the NCAC will hardly notice that they are gone and not sure what they add to the PAC unless there are other shoes yet to drop.

Official total is around 950 and the school is on very solid financial footing. Having said that, I agree with the rest of your takes and look forward to the PAC.

... Looks like I'll be spending some more time over here soon

Quote from: sigma one on April 23, 2024, 02:39:08 PMThe Hiram move is hardly surprising.  And the NCAC's acceptance of JCU was proactive because the new the Terriers were on the move.  Geographically and financially the move makes sense for them.  It's been reported in a number of outlets that Hiram has been struggling recently.  As a counter, over the last 10 years or so, it has revised curriculum, laid of a few tenured faculty, (usually a move that comes after the school has declared a financial crisis, which Hiram has not done), and made several other moves to try to become more financially secure.  As a supporter of various kinds of liberal arts education, I wish them well.
     This probably for several conferences is another step in reimagining themselves.  It will be interesting to see where the NCAC and the OAC go from here--and throw the Heartland conference into that mix as well.  Will we see more attention paid to greater geographical alignment?  The NCAC travel distances could be a strong factor in determining who ends up where.  Will one of the mid-pack OAC teams also jump to the NCAC?  Will the NCAC begin to have a different view of traveling to west central Indiana if they can make an arrangement that would add more schools from Ohio?  If the OAC shrinks, what will be their response?  These, and other
questions, have the possibility of making the next few years surprising and perhaps consequential as schools deal with the  demographic cliff in high school graduation rates and the attendant financial consequences of higher operating expenses and lower enrollment at a number of member schools in the HCAC, NCAC, and OAC. 

As someone who was in the room for some of these decisions, I can tell you that the school's finances (insofar as worrying about the future health of the school) were not a factor. It was, in short, a move that made sense historically and from a competitive standpoint. While the PAC has some great programs in football, across the board, Hiram is on better footing with the PAC's competition.

Despite a road win against an above average team, Depauw somehow dropped 7 votes further away from being in the Top 25 this week...

Quote from: Whitecarrera on September 24, 2023, 12:51:29 PM
Is it possible that Kenyon, Oberlin, and Hiram are the worst bottom three of any conference in the country right now?  Upper Midwest maybe? USAC?

Toughhhhhhhh first four games on the schedule for the Terriers. Heidelberg, MSJ, Depauw, and Denison... Yikes.

Quote from: CollegeGolf18 on August 31, 2023, 08:16:41 PM
Watched the first half of Heidleberg/Hiram and it was rough for the Terriers.

The OL was pushed around handily and their defense looked pretty lax. Heildberg probably averaged 12 yards a run in the first half. The QB is intriguing but we will see how he progresses through the year.

Yep - I'd say up front they averaged 3" and 30 lbs more than us. Hiram showed some glimpses, though - and honestly I'm happy we scheduled such a tough opponent, despite the score. That's likely going to be the best team we play all year - no disrespect to the other posters on here lol.

Also, how about Heidelberg's TE!?!? 6'7" 250 and a pretty good athlete!

It's clear Heidelberg is much better than us... but I'm happy we're playing tough competition. Seeing little wins against a team that's likely going to play a close game with JCU and Mount will make this team - and program - better off.

Quote from: HansenRatings on August 30, 2023, 11:23:17 AM
Playoff projections for the season using my model's preseason ratings:



You can look at other conferences on my website: https://hansenratings.github.io/.

Quote from: D O.C. on August 23, 2023, 06:01:10 PM
Makes sense

Most things in Northern Ohio refer to "North Coast" - it's usually an allusion to Lake Erie.