FB: American Rivers Conference

[hazzben]

The ARC is on the forefront of promoting 5 for 5 in D3.
https://x.com/D3Ticker/status/2088317667312582930

5 for 5 is fascinating to me, on the face of it Pat and Greg called out it's not in line with the D3 mission and ethos.

Having said that, enrollment implications color everything nowadays. If NAIA adopts 5 for 5, that's not nothing when you're recruiting kids, especially in Iowa where there are so many strong NAIA programs. Kids know they have a very limited window to play football, a guaranteed 5th year is enticing. Makes sense why the ARC is leading the charge on this.

Also an interesting wrinkle for the WIAC and grey shirting. They would lose the advantage of 90% of their seniors being 5th year guys.

In football most guys could just save a class or two for the fall of their 5th season. It's a lot harder for a sport like basketball that spans two semesters each season.

[DriftlessDuhawk]

I think that the 5 for 5 proposal for football is a no brainer. If a kid wants to play 5 years of football he would just leave a single class for the fall of the fifth year and be done with it. Maybe accrue an extra 1-4k in debt?  That is what most of the 5th year covid seniors did and I would bet most of those guys would tell you it was the correct decision.

That being said football (and all fall sports) are in a much different place than winter and spring sports. Staying for an extra semester and taking 1-3 credits feels like a no brainer with a limited cost. Staying for a full semester plus additional classes in the spring costing up to around 10-20k extra for one more year? That year starts to seem less worth it.

I totally understand why the ARC is leading this charge. Most of the schools in the conference are enrollment based institutions that need more and more kids enrolling than ever. They most likely see this as a cash cow and are willing to pass the buck along to the students to bear the load of some of their debt. I personally do not believe that these schools are searching for what's best for the athletes, and simply looking for ways to stay open.

All that being said... If it keeps my favorite school and conference afloat then I guess I am here for it.   

[MediaGuy]

https://youtu.be/I7qnCmqaoes?is=emY9uenL2rY93lAR

Media day at Wartburg...sounds like a hungry senior class and quite a few good transfers might make for an interesting season at Wartburg

[Schipper Strong]

Feeling excited for football season. Things are looking good. We have Coach Baethke back where he belongs and a nice size freshman class looking to make an impact. Even though I can't wait to see how things will shake out I may not have a choice. First home game is in October.

[MediaGuy]

Wartburg scrimmaged UW-Platteville Thursday afternoon and while they were playing a couple of thoughts hit me...

When these 2 teams started playing a preseason scrimmage against each other 15ish years ago, neither team was mentioned as a threat in the post-season, this year theyre both pre-season favorites and wouldn't be a surprise in the quarter-finals or further...iron sharpens iron.

Are there any other places in the country with a legit top 15 matchup as a pre-season scrimmage?

[doolittledog]

Dubuque released their roster with 141 listed at this time.  Noticeably more Iowans on the roster this year.
IL - 38
IA - 36
WI - 17
AZ - 8
MN - 7
TX - 7
FL - 6
MO - 3
MI - 3
OH - 2
CA - 2
NC - 2
MS - 2
LA - 1
CO - 1
HI - 1
OK - 1
GA - 1
SC - 1
Bahamas - 1
Ontario - 1
 

[Patrick Coleman]

Are there any other places in the country with a legit top 15 matchup as a pre-season scrimmage?

Not Top 15, but Mount Union and Washington & Jefferson have scrimmaged each other for decades.

[DriftlessDuhawk]

Football season is finally here! If you would like to participate in the Pick'em this year I have week 1 games posted on the other board.

Can't wait for this weekend!

[DriftlessDuhawk]

Duhawks will now be taking on St. Olaf at 7 pm, hoping that the night will allow for a cooler environment. This heat adverse guy of Scandinavian decent is quite happy about this decision!

Rock Bowl under the lights is just an added plus!

[Schipper Strong]

Duhawks will now be taking on St. Olaf at 7 pm, hoping that the night will allow for a cooler environment. This heat adverse guy of Scandinavian decent is quite happy about this decision!

Rock Bowl under the lights is just an added plus!

I really wish all the teams would do that when it is this hot. It isn't safe for the players, coaches or fans. I was going to make the trip to Gustavus, but I just can't handle the heat anymore.

[Schipper Strong]

Central game at Gustavus is moved up to 10 AM. I hope you have your pick-ems in!

[Schipper Strong]

Congratulations to Gustavus on an impressive win today against Central 29-3. Gustavus played well in every aspect of the game. Central needs a lot of work on both sides of the ball. The only stat we won today was punting. I was truly surprised by how unprepared Central looked on both offense and defense. The o-line really needs to step up and give the quarterback some time as well as open some holes. The coaches have their work cut out for them. As a fan I expect to see significant improvement next week as the coaches will work hard. Get to work Dutch.

[doolittledog]

UW-Stout beats Dubuque 34-20.  2nd year in a row UD had a 4th quarter lead on Stout.  Fair result though, Stout made adjustments at half and looked like the stronger team after the break. 

[DriftlessDuhawk]

Duhawks come out and impress in their home opener. There was a buzz in the air that I have not felt in the Rock Bowl in quite some time. The Coach Novak era is off and running. I was not incredibly impressed by St. Olaf overall and am very happy with a 15-point victory. But I think that the Duhawks left quite a few points on the field, which is not something I feel I have ever said after a 15-point Loras victory.

Starting QB Joey Helminiak (yeah, you read that last name correctly) is back taking snaps and played an almost flawless first half (15-19 233 yds, 2 TDs, 1 rush TD). Things cooled off in the second half and Loras still struggled to run the ball. It was encouraging to see an offensive scheme that was able to recognize this fact and lean into throwing the ball and not continue to run plays that haven't worked previously. The defense scheme that Novak brought from St. Johns is the real deal and I feel that this team will have to lean on the defense. Defense forced 4 turnovers and kept the Oles out of the end zone in the second half.

People are very excited on the corner of Alta Vista and Loras Blvd 

[DriftlessDuhawk]

The conference going 3-5 in week 1 in certainly not ideal for the ARC trying to be a 2 bid league.

Looking ahead to next week, it doesn't get much easier (week 3/4 may provide a reprieve...). Wartburg's schedule just gets tougher, welcoming in NCC, the number 1 team in the country. UD goes on the road to #4 UWP. And Coe hosts #6 UWRF. If the conference can find a win in one of these games, it would be huge.

Simpson/Central/BV will all be favored in their matchups, and I would hope they can roll up some Ws.

Loras plays at BenU, which has been a very close contest over the last few seasons, and I expect it to be a toss up.

NWU plays on the road at Dakota St, who is NAIA and I don't beleive will impact NPI so *shrugs*