FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[USee]

Regional rankings are out and NCC remains behind Wabash, which was expected. In another important development, Bethel was ranked behind Platteville as a 2 loss team which means, if it holds, North Central is the top 2 loss team on the board after Wabash and the JCU/Mt U loser is taken. NCC's prospects appeared to get a significant boost with todays rankings.

[Dennis_Prikkel]

NP at IW

Don't know if this has been mentioned:
1- NP has never won at IW in football

2- NP has never finished ahead of IW in the final cciw football standings. In 1968 the two teams tied at 5-2.

[kiko]

The Park has an opportunity to win two in a row in the conference.  They didn't do that last year -- any idea when the last time was?

[USee]

On the Pool C board Wally Wabash does a great mock selection of pool C teams based on the rankings. His mock selections based on today's rankings has North Central being selected, which I think is right if these rankings hold. NCC fans are rooting hard for Platteville this weekend against Oshkosh.

[wally_wabash]

That trump card that NCC  holds on Platteville is so massive.  And this is two weeks in a row now where those two teams hit the board at the same time.  North Central is effectively the top ranked at-large team in the West with that h2h result. 

[AndOne]

That trump card that NCC  holds on Platteville is so massive.  And this is two weeks in a row now where those two teams hit the board at the same time.  North Central is effectively the top ranked at-large team in the West with that h2h result.

The first thing the Cardinals need to do is put all this talk about rankings and trump cards out of their minds and just concentrate on beating Elmhurst @ Elmhurst on Saturday to get to 8-2. Its win or go home which, if they finish 7-3, is exactly what they will be doing.

[CardinalAlum]

That trump card that NCC  holds on Platteville is so massive.  And this is two weeks in a row now where those two teams hit the board at the same time.  North Central is effectively the top ranked at-large team in the West with that h2h result.

The first thing the Cardinals need to do is put all this talk about rankings and trump cards out of their minds and just concentrate on beating Elmhurst @ Elmhurst on Saturday to get to 8-2. Its win or go home which, if they finish 7-3, is exactly what they will be doing.

Completely agree.  This is a huge trap game.   We have traditionally not played very well at McCully.  Take care of business.  This is a playoff game in every sense and they need to approach it that way.  There is no next Saturday without this Saturday!

[CardinalAlum]

And even with a win, we are at the mercy of the NCAA selection committee!   

[USee]

That trump card that NCC  holds on Platteville is so massive.  And this is two weeks in a row now where those two teams hit the board at the same time.  North Central is effectively the top ranked at-large team in the West with that h2h result.

The first thing the Cardinals need to do is put all this talk about rankings and trump cards out of their minds and just concentrate on beating Elmhurst @ Elmhurst on Saturday to get to 8-2. Its win or go home which, if they finish 7-3, is exactly what they will be doing.

Completely agree.  This is a huge trap game.   We have traditionally not played very well at McCully.  Take care of business.  This is a playoff game in every sense and they need to approach it that way.  There is no next Saturday without this Saturday!

You already had your chance @McCully. This Saturday you get to hope there is no bell ringing after the game @Langhorst. 

[CardinalAlum]

That trump card that NCC  holds on Platteville is so massive.  And this is two weeks in a row now where those two teams hit the board at the same time.  North Central is effectively the top ranked at-large team in the West with that h2h result.

The first thing the Cardinals need to do is put all this talk about rankings and trump cards out of their minds and just concentrate on beating Elmhurst @ Elmhurst on Saturday to get to 8-2. Its win or go home which, if they finish 7-3, is exactly what they will be doing.

Completely agree.  This is a huge trap game.   We have traditionally not played very well at McCully.  Take care of business.  This is a playoff game in every sense and they need to approach it that way.  There is no next Saturday without this Saturday!

You already had your chance @McCully. This Saturday you get to hope there is no bell ringing after the game @Langhorst. 

UGH!!  Still reeling from McCully!   Yes, LANGHORST!!  Thanks for the correction.  Thankfully, it wasn't Mugsy that caught it first! 

Actually, it was AO's fault!! 

[iwu70]

Gonna be some COLD games this Saturday.  To be snowy with temps in the low 30s here at TUCCI Stadium at Wilder Field @IWU.  Titans haven't been a very good cold weather team of late.  Sure hope they are ready, come to play on Senior Day on Saturday. 

I wish NCC well for getting a bid.

IWU 70

[Mugsy]

Greg, unless I am way off in my prediction, I want to apologize in advance for what IWU will do to NPU next Saturday.  I suspect that a season of frustration will result in a double (or even triple) monkey stomp.

What impact will the low temps have on the outcome of the game?  I'm not too sure monkeys like cold weather.   

[Gregory Sager]

NP at IW

Don't know if this has been mentioned:
1- NP has never won at IW in football

2- NP has never finished ahead of IW in the final cciw football standings. In 1968 the two teams tied at 5-2.

I was hoping to hold both of those facts in abeyance. NPU has enough to worry about this weekend without any of the Vikings seeing this kind of stuff on the internet. Oh, well, I suppose it probably won't matter if they see it or not. Besides, everyone involved with NPU football has long since grown used to the idea that practically every CCIW game North Park plays will feature long, ugly negative streaks of one form or another being on the line.

The Park has an opportunity to win two in a row in the conference.  They didn't do that last year -- any idea when the last time was?

The last time that NPU won two CCIW games in a row was way back in the Rucks era. In 1993 the Vikings won their seventh game, beating Carthage at Hedstrand Field, 26-19, and then won the season's penultimate game the next week over North Central, 29-16, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

Greg, unless I am way off in my prediction, I want to apologize in advance for what IWU will do to NPU next Saturday.  I suspect that a season of frustration will result in a double (or even triple) monkey stomp.

What impact will the low temps have on the outcome of the game?  I'm not too sure monkeys like cold weather.   

These guys refused to comment on Saturday's potential weather conditions.

[thunderdog]

I know we've given Ypsi a hard time over his NPU +40 line (myself included), but I'll make a similar prediction on the NCC vs Elmhurst game (since I'm a fan of neither team, I figured, what the hey?)

Having seen both teams play against Wheaton, I'd be shocked if Elmhurst keeps it within 28. Considering Thorne and his team will also probably try leaving a lasting impression on the NCAA selection committee, I'd be inclined to make it more like 35.

[ExTartanPlayer]

I know we've given Ypsi a hard time over his NPU +40 line (myself included), but I'll make a similar prediction on the NCC vs Elmhurst game (since I'm a fan of neither team, I figured, what the hey?)

I don't think setting big lines in itself merits a hard time.

I think making bold predictions of a blowout against a team that sat at the bottom of the league standings for over a decade (and is just now finding traction) when your own team (which is supposedly a contender and conference blue-blood) is sitting at 1-5 in the conference absolutely merits a hard time.  It's kind of like a bully-wannabe popping his mouth off, getting beat up by a few other kids at recess, then walking over to the smallest kid on the playground and telling him "Well, I can still kick your ass!" 

That's probably not the perfect analogy, but something like that.  If IWU has been reduced to bragging about a blowout win against North Park - in a season where the best they can do with Saturday's results is a tie for fifth with a 2-5 conference record - I, um, whatever.