FB: American Rivers Conference

[doolittledog]

Former Dubuque player and assistant coach Michael Zweifel named HC at UW-La Crosse.

https://x.com/UWLEagleFB/status/2023535734053904733?s=20

[Alfred E. Neumann]

I just learned that in the year 2000, Wartburg Mens Basketball beat UCF in what seems to have been an exhibition game in Florida and feel bad since i was on campus at the time and dont even remember.  Anyway, since its the off-season and I love stories like this I thought I'd ask the group...what is your schools best "beating a bigger school" moment from any sport?

(And im not counting a win over Iowa Teachers College in 1949)

It was a match up between former Iowa Hawkeye teammates under Lute Olson. Dick Peth - Wartburg and Kirk Speraw - UCF.

[DriftlessDuhawk]

https://d3football.com/teams/Simpson/2026/index

Simpson is filling their third noncon game with a trip to Texas to play Howard Payne it appears. They will play Augustana and Crown again as the second year of home and home agreements.

[Patrick Coleman]

It's pretty cool -- they play that game in the DFW area, in the Dallas Cowboys' practice stadium.

Nebraska Wesleyan's schedule is also here:
https://d3football.com/teams/Nebraska_Wesleyan/2026/index

Glad to see NWU playing D-III teams in non-conference play!

[DriftlessDuhawk]

Was that announced anywhere Pat? I'm not seeing it on either team's website.

[Patrick Coleman]

Was that announced anywhere Pat? I'm not seeing it on either team's website.

It was announced here -- sometimes we have schedules before schools post them.

[DriftlessDuhawk]

https://nwusports.com/news/2026/2/23/general-nebraska-wesleyan-reveals-refreshed-brand-logos.aspx

Nebraska Wesleyan will be sporting an updated logo and look this year. Not going back to the Plainsmen, just a newer looking prairie wolf.

[DriftlessDuhawk]

Couple more conference team's schedules have been released.

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

Loras starts with St Olaf which is a new opponent for the Duhawks but should be familiar to our new coach coming from St Johns. Loras fills its noncon with NW (MN) as discussed previously (11 AM kick off??). They follow that up with another game against Benedictine which has developed into a decent little noncon rivalry. And I enjoy that the key game will be the last game of the year. The ARC appears to be doing "rivalry week" to end the year.

https://simpsonathletics.com/sports/fball/2026-27/schedule

Simpson as mentioned will play Howard Payne in Frisco Texas which should be a fun cross regional game and a good experience for the student athletes. Simpson the will return home and homes with Crown and Augustana. Simpson will finish the year with conference rival Central for rivalry week. 

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

BV starts the season returning a home and home with Benedictine (lost 35-0 last season). They then have two new teams on their schedule with Lawrence and Minnesota-Morris. I would imagine the Beavers would be favorites in both of these games as Lawrence went winless last year and had to forfeit a game due to low numbers. Minnesota Morris went 3-7 in the UMAC last year. They will end the season with rival (?) Nebraska Wesleyan. I'm not sure if NWU and BV actually consider each other rivals or if they are just the last two single kids who didn't get asked to the dance and chose to go together.

This leaves Coe/Wartburg as the last set of "rivals". Both of them have more traditional rivals who have both left the league in pursuit of "more academic peer institutions". I do think that Coe and Wartburg have started to develop a nice rivalry as the two schools are not far from each other and both have been fairly competitive across most sports so I think it works.

[doolittledog]

Thanks, Driftless for looking those up.  I know when the conference goes from 9 to 8 schools and also from 8, up to 9 schools they have teams that will visit one school at the same place 2 years in a row.  But I find it odd with UD and Loras so close they couldn't just keep the home and away the same.  But this way, with Loras visiting UD again in 2026, I can go one more year without worrying about falling off the cliff on the visitor side of the Rock Bowl 

[DriftlessDuhawk]

Thanks, Driftless for looking those up.  I know when the conference goes from 9 to 8 schools and also from 8, up to 9 schools they have teams that will visit one school at the same place 2 years in a row.  But I find it odd with UD and Loras so close they couldn't just keep the home and away the same.  But this way, with Loras visiting UD again in 2026, I can go one more year without worrying about falling off the cliff on the visitor side of the Rock Bowl 

You're missing out on the charm of the best stadium in the conference 

[doolittledog]

Thanks, Driftless for looking those up.  I know when the conference goes from 9 to 8 schools and also from 8, up to 9 schools they have teams that will visit one school at the same place 2 years in a row.  But I find it odd with UD and Loras so close they couldn't just keep the home and away the same.  But this way, with Loras visiting UD again in 2026, I can go one more year without worrying about falling off the cliff on the visitor side of the Rock Bowl 

You're missing out on the charm of the best stadium in the conference

Rock Bowl has a great vibe to it.  Right in the middle of campus.  Great view of the city below.  A freakin cliff!  I haven't been there since they added seats on the visitor side. Should be a bucket list visit for area D3 fans. 

The conference schedule seems to have changed quite a bit since Luther walked away.  I found what would have been the schedule on the ARC page.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/iowaconference.com/documents/2024/5/3/2026_Football_Schedule_Sheet11.pdf

[MediaGuy]

Couple more conference team's schedules have been released.

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

Loras starts with St Olaf which is a new opponent for the Duhawks but should be familiar to our new coach coming from St Johns. Loras fills its noncon with NW (MN) as discussed previously (11 AM kick off??). They follow that up with another game against Benedictine which has developed into a decent little noncon rivalry. And I enjoy that the key game will be the last game of the year. The ARC appears to be doing "rivalry week" to end the year.

https://simpsonathletics.com/sports/fball/2026-27/schedule

Simpson as mentioned will play Howard Payne in Frisco Texas which should be a fun cross regional game and a good experience for the student athletes. Simpson the will return home and homes with Crown and Augustana. Simpson will finish the year with conference rival Central for rivalry week. 

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

BV starts the season returning a home and home with Benedictine (lost 35-0 last season). They then have two new teams on their schedule with Lawrence and Minnesota-Morris. I would imagine the Beavers would be favorites in both of these games as Lawrence went winless last year and had to forfeit a game due to low numbers. Minnesota Morris went 3-7 in the UMAC last year. They will end the season with rival (?) Nebraska Wesleyan. I'm not sure if NWU and BV actually consider each other rivals or if they are just the last two single kids who didn't get asked to the dance and chose to go together.

This leaves Coe/Wartburg as the last set of "rivals". Both of them have more traditional rivals who have both left the league in pursuit of "more academic peer institutions". I do think that Coe and Wartburg have started to develop a nice rivalry as the two schools are not far from each other and both have been fairly competitive across most sports so I think it works.

Calling Coe/Wartburg a rivalry might be a bit of a stretch...I define a "Rival" as someone you want to beat no matter the season records...and it helps when both sides of the rivalry have the same passion about the game...nothing against Coe, but i think if you asked 100 Wartburg and Central grads, all 100 would say that if they could only beat 1 team every year, it would be Wartburg or Central.

[DriftlessDuhawk]

While I totally agree with you on the front that the Wartburg/Coe "rivalry" is rather forced wouldn't most Central fans say that the team they need to beat is Simpson? Not a Central/Simpson fan or alum but that is the sentiment that had received when talking to fans/alums from those schools.

Now I have heard some stories from some older Luther alums about their distaste for "that orange school". I'm not sure how alive that rivalry is in most sports due to the one sided nature and the new conference realignment move.

[MediaGuy]

While I totally agree with you on the front that the Wartburg/Coe "rivalry" is rather forced wouldn't most Central fans say that the team they need to beat is Simpson? Not a Central/Simpson fan or alum but that is the sentiment that had received when talking to fans/alums from those schools.

Now I have heard some stories from some older Luther alums about their distaste for "that orange school". I'm not sure how alive that rivalry is in most sports due to the one sided nature and the new conference realignment move.

I kind of depends on what time frame you are sampling...I've been a Wartburg/IIAC/ARC fan since the mid 90s and for Wartburg Fans the rivalries were 1. Luther 2. Central 3. Upper Iowa 4. Dubuque (mostly just hate for the former HC Stan)

Most of the Central folks in my generation would usually say 1. William Penn 2. Wartburg 3. Simpson

The Simpson/Central game was kind of elevated to replace the William Penn rivalry but has yet to really get the passion from Central fans (at least that's how I've been told)

PS because college kids are college kids, one of the best rivalries in all of college sports used to be Upper Iowa/BVU...because of the cheers and chants coming from both student sections it was affectionately known as the "Porn Bowl"...a play on the school nicknames, Iowa location, and double entendre cheers from the student sections...it was peak mid 90s pop culture.

[New Tradition]

While I totally agree with you on the front that the Wartburg/Coe "rivalry" is rather forced wouldn't most Central fans say that the team they need to beat is Simpson? Not a Central/Simpson fan or alum but that is the sentiment that had received when talking to fans/alums from those schools.

Now I have heard some stories from some older Luther alums about their distaste for "that orange school". I'm not sure how alive that rivalry is in most sports due to the one sided nature and the new conference realignment move.

I know conference realignment has nuked it, but Coe's traditional rival is Cornell, correct?  At least that's how I understood it when I was being recruited by Cornell a quarter century ago.