Bethel officially announces schedule:

https://x.com/BethelRoyalsFB/status/2025992889507962972?s=20

Both NCC and St. Johns away

NCCs 2026 schedule released today...which is how we find out that Bethel is going back to Naperville start of this season - getting all we can this year from the one OOC opponent I guess.

https://northcentralcardinals.com/sports/football/schedule

Quote from: BDB on December 12, 2025, 07:55:53 AM

Quote from: fredfalcon on December 11, 2025, 07:58:01 PMI wonder whether the UWRF AD or Coach Walker have had any calls from parents concerned about frostbite Saturday.

This game should be moved to US Bank stadium is it's available.

I think it's available, there isn't a pro team playing there this season as far as I can tell.

Quote from: bleedpurple on December 12, 2025, 07:57:07 AMI'm probably the only one, but I truly think Bethel/NCC is a toss up.

As long as Bethel doesn't shoot themselves in the foot, I think they are on par. I'm hoping to see NCC's OL pushed around by a DLine that they haven't seen the caliber of this year yet.

Quote from: Mister36 on November 16, 2025, 05:26:32 PMAs expected, pain on the left side of the bracket with BU in the quadrant with NCC and then a likely semifinal matchup with UMU if they get there.

Honestly I think Bethel can take Mount Union well, which speaks both to Bethel's growth and UMU maybe being a little underwhelming compared to usual this year. I just hope they get the chance.

Circling back to this now moot matchup thought - Logan Hansen also gave these projected ratings if it was UMU/Bethel in Semis:

@ MU = BU -3.7
Neutral = BU -5.7
@ BU = BU -7.7

According to Logan Hansen: "The spread for the NCC/Bethel game is NCC -10.9. This is the lowest spread for NCC this season (last week's -18.9 is next lowest), and the lowest NCC spread in my model since the 2021 Stagg Bowl vs. UMHB (NCC +0.4)"

NCC underperformed their spread by about 10 points against LAX.

Also remember that Bethel is the last team to defeat NCC in Naperville, playoffs 2018

Quote from: hazzben on December 06, 2025, 05:22:50 PMBethel with a gritty win today. Down 3 lineman, I was impressed with how we held up up front. Oline especially impressed and imposed their will in the 2nd half.

Couldn't have started out worse with a fumble on the opening play. D with a huge stand, down 7 and UWP with 1st and goal from the 1. Big stops and a sack lead to a FG and momentum shift. Offense got it going and the D settled in.

Didn't notice any injuries today. Hoping we might get a guy or two back next week. We'll need all our bullets against NCC.

Geebli looked great, Drew's with some really gutsy runs on big 3rd downs. Win and advance.

It's a bummer how stacked the NCC and Wart quads were. The 4 quarter finalists in those quads look like they could have been semifinalists if separated. But at least the winners of each won't meet until a potential Stagg. 

Really hoping for Conant back on the field next week..

Platteville was higher seeded/ranked than LAX, and Bethel had a better MOV than NCC did over respective opponents. I think the run game is gonna be key next week.

Albert Rundell and Jack Curtis representing MIAC in Gagliardi semi-finalists group

https://d3football.com/notables/2025/12/gagliardi-semifinalists-announced

It could always be worse...(looks at FBS). I am fully behind the removal of loud yelling people deciding who gets into playoffs

Quote from: art76 on December 02, 2025, 05:08:28 PMCouple of random playoff questions - on the NCAA official bracket site it has the times as TBA - but it looks like 3 Eastern time zone games and 5 Central time zone games. Does that mean these games are going to be spread out more during the day?

And more of a curiosity question, but is anyone keeping track of the updated NPI calculations of the remaining 16 teams? Or any of the playoff teams, for that matter - just to see how things fully shake out?

All the games are starting Noon local time: https://d3football.com/scoreboard/2025/composite?view=14

I hope the Bethel coaches are emphasizing special teams a bit this week. Slow punts leading to a block and some leaky return coverage will be heavily exploited by better teams. Obviously some of it could have been elements - but truth is they don't have much punting experience this year

Who write the Bethel-Coe recap in the 2nd round wrap-up article?

https://d3football.com/playoffs/2025/second-round-recap

They incorrectly state that Bethel is playing Alma next week...I know it wasn't pulled from the Bethel Athletics recap, they correctly stated it.

Also a note from the two matchups between Bethel and Coe from last year and yesterday - Coe QB Brady Kelly was sacked 18 times between the two games, 10 and 8 respectively. Drews only twice, both last year.

Quote from: sjujohnnie on November 29, 2025, 07:29:09 PM

Quote from: jakeMN91 on November 29, 2025, 07:08:12 PMIf SJU were to win next weekend, would the next game be at Clemens? Does it depend who wins between Wheaton/DePauw?

I listened to the announcers on the ESPN feed and they mentioned that they thought if St John's could advance past River Falls that the following game (the quarterfinals) would be back in Collegeville. I hope that's accurate and even more importantly, I hope St John's can defeat River Falls!

Based on NPI seeding, DePauw and Wheaton are lower than St. Johns, so yes if they beat RF they should be hosting round after.

Looks like a MIAC-WIAC border battle next week, and if LaCrosse could do us all a huge favor and take out NCC that'd be awesome 

Quote from: Bofadeeznuts on November 29, 2025, 05:15:59 PMWhoopsi. Now how can that happen? Losing to a team that took second place in an inferior conference? The best defense in the country allowing almost 200 yds on the ground? And at home?
I'll tell you.
The refs screwed us again. They could have called a holding penalty on every play. How else do you explain all the rushing yds against our team. Don't the refs know who we are? And especially at home? Every time Klunker passed, there was either holding or pass interference from the DBs.
If it wasn't snowing, there's no doubt it would have been a different story. Felt like it only snowed when our Warhawks had the ball.
Here's hoping Nick Saban takes the best job in the country. Or wait another year when Lance will need a job. Or just hire all of us. We seem to have all the answers.
On a positive, I'm sure we'll still be ranked in the top 25 in the final and preseason rankings. Even though I don't know why. But that public perception will give us a leg up to maybe sneak into the playoffs next year. Just need a chip and a chair. Then we roll in the playoffs to another championship.

I can't tell if this is a bit or not, but not because it's good.

The white stuff has finally shown up - possible more on Saturday in the twin cities, though I think less chance in Collegeville #SnowGame