FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Besides, "easy win" and "mid-level performer" are two completely different things in CCIW football.

I guess I could have clarified more, but no, they aren't necessarily two different things. WashU could be an easy win for the big dawgs like NCC, and sometimes Wheaton, but also could be a mid-level performer like Illinois Wesleyan, Carroll, and Augustana in recent years.

Yes, but you didn't specify "big dawgs like NCC, and sometimes Wheaton" in your original statement about CCIW teams thinking the Bears would be an easy win. In fact, you implied the opposite:

CCIW teams in the lower echelon (not named Wheaton or NCC) probably got tired of driving down to St. Louis to get beat and wanted a shot at the Culver's Bowl, which will now be wide open with Augustana's recent struggles. They accepted WashU into the conference thinking they would be an easy win, mid-level performer, but were surprised when WashU has finished 3rd place every year but one. Sounds like sore losers to me wanting to get rid of one of the only playoff competitors in the conference.

Emphasis mine.

I don't see how the "They" that begins your second sentence can be inferred as a reference to Wheaton or NCC rather than the "CCIW teams in the lower echelon." And for those "CCIW teams in the lower echelon," a mid-level CCIW opponent isn't an easy win at all.

As someone who is relatively new to the forum and brand new to posting in it, I don't appreciate your condescending tone about why I think the CCIW bottom feeders are voting them out and your withholding of information that you may think you know.

I didn't mean to sound condescending, and I apologize if you took it that way. But this is a two-way street. Your first post openly threw shade at the league by calling its members "sore losers," which is not exactly a friendly greeting.

As for "witholding information that you may think you know," I do know that information, because it's information that I was told by a CCIW athletic director. The reason why I'm withholding it is as a courtesy to long-time d3boards.com participant and diehard Wash U fan WUPHF, whom I hold in high regard, because it's not absolutely necessary that the particulars of Wash U's exit from the league be shouted from the housetops.

Anyway, this squabble aside, welcome to the board! We're always happy to get new posters ... and I can assure you that I don't mind in the least a little bit of back-and-forth.

[Patrick Coleman]

As someone who is relatively new to the forum and brand new to posting in it ...

Welcome to the boards!

[WUPHF]

As our resident Wash U fan, if you're fine with my disclosing the reason publicly, then I'll share it. Otherwise, as a gesture of politesse, I won't.

I guess I'll go with the what's done is done part of my post and focus on Saturday's game.

[CarollFan]

Regarding NPI, D3 Datacast crew did a good job, by giving examples, on how NPI is calculated if you're interested.
Frank started out crunchtime by holding up a printout of the NPI rankings and ripping it in half. So you knew where this was going.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/2Uwew8i4uRKdF2NT/?mibextid=WC7FNe

He did mention don't assume top 40 go to playoffs. Conference champs get automatic bids and some of them won't be in the top 40.

[ziggy]

Regarding NPI, D3 Datacast crew did a good job, by giving examples, on how NPI is calculated if you're interested.
Frank started out crunchtime by holding up a printout of the NPI rankings and ripping it in half. So you knew where this was going.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/2Uwew8i4uRKdF2NT/?mibextid=WC7FNe

He did mention don't assume top 40 go to playoffs. Conference champs get automatic bids and some of them won't be in the top 40.

Thanks for the kind words about our NPI show. There has been and continues to be a lot of noise out there and we really tried to cut through that and stick to the reality of NPI as we currently have it rather than to advocate for it or condemn it.

The point about a 40-team tournament not necessarily being the top 40 teams is a good one. If I may make one more shameless plug, we include this kind of view on the NPI tracker we post every week on the D3 Datacast website: https://d3datacast.com/npi/football/

If you look at the far right column you will see a team's overall seed. For much of the top of the NPI rankings this will be the same but once the Pool C bids are gone there will be a few Pool A bids still to account for.

In our update through last weekend's games, the 12th Pool C bid is the 33rd overall seed, leaving seven automatic qualifiers remaining. Endicott happens to still be inside the top 40 but the remaining six are not. Obviously a lot can change but that's the "where we currently sit" view of that dynamic.

[markerickson]

While NP has improved from a talent perspective during Rooker's tenure, I suspect this year's W/L record will reflect a decline in quality of teams.  Elmhurst and Carthage have fallen.  Millikin has fallen even harder since Scottie Williams ran roughshod over the Vikings.

I am not overlooking the Augie upset road victory.  Conway had one too.

[CarollFan]

Finals

Wheaton 27 WashU 20
NPU 28 IWU 24
Carthage 24 Millikin 20
Carroll 45 Elmhurst 14
NCC 49 Augie 10

[Gotberg]

Finals

Wheaton 27 WashU 20
NPU 28 IWU 24
Carthage 24 Millikin 20
Carroll 45 Elmhurst 14
NCC 49 Augie 10

And norm refused to shake some coaches hands in chicago.

[Crusader92]

An obviously important 27-20 win for Wheaton today. But the failure of the Thunder to put together a complete game was still frustrating. Turnovers (some inexplicable) and penalties (several the result of a pretty inexcusable lack of discipline), made the end result much closer than it probably should have been. Props to Wash U for fighting to the end! I think our playoff hopes are still very uncertain, but we have lots of room to improve between now and then in any event. Still, grateful for the big road win today!

[mr_b]

Finals

Wheaton 27 WashU 20
NPU 28 IWU 24
Carthage 24 Millikin 20
Carroll 45 Elmhurst 14
NCC 49 Augie 10

And norm refused to shake some coaches hands in chicago.

That is truly appalling, a real lack of class and sportsmanship.

[CarollFan]

Finals

Wheaton 27 WashU 20
NPU 28 IWU 24
Carthage 24 Millikin 20
Carroll 45 Elmhurst 14
NCC 49 Augie 10

And norm refused to shake some coaches hands in chicago.

That is truly appalling, a real lack of class and sportsmanship.

Wonder what that was about. Looked like a good game. IWU was driving at the end and threw a pick down by end zone. I think the same player on NPU got 3 picks in the 4rth Q.

[Cardinal773]

Another epic ending for North Park.  Wow!

The shift from shotgun to the tush push go ahead TD.  3 picks.  Congrats to NP and great call, Greg.

[CarollFan]

Standings with 3 games left.

          Overall.    Conference
NCC           7-0.        6-0
Wheaton.    5-2.        5-1
NPU.           5-2.        4-2
WashU.      5-2.        4-2
Carroll.     4-3.        3-3
IWU.         3-4.        3-3
Augie.       3-4.        2-4
Elmhurst.  2-5.        2-4
Carthage.  1-6.        1-5
Millikin.    0-7.        0-6         
 

[USee]

Gritty win in St Louis by the Thunder and epic comeback in Chicago for the Vikings. Wheaton certainly didn't repeat last week's "no penalty" performance and it looked like they were trying to make sure it didn't happen again. WashU also with some really costly flags.

I think Wheaton has a chance and, ironically enough, WashU may still have a chance at 8-2 as well depending on how the final weeks fall. There are going to be 4-5 two loss teams that get in this year. We'll have to wait to see where the NPI numbers fall this week. Wheaton's number shouldn't go down by much after this week, despite playing Elmhurst and Millikin (NPU would be a slight boost if the Thunder win out). The calculation only needs your 5 best wins and drops any other wins that hurt your NPI while adding wins that help NPI. You need around a 63 NPI to get into the field.

[Gregory Sager]

In an NPU season filled with epic nailbiters, this was the most epic of all. Set aside the historical importance for a moment; the Vikings didn't have the lead in this game until there were five minutes left, and they were outgained by over 50 yards on the day by the Titans. It was another classic bend-but-don't-break defense day for NPU, coupled this time by the ability of the Park to not only hold onto the ball for a whopping 18 plays covering 77 yards and almost eight and a half minutes' worth of clock in the 4th quarter but to also get the winning TD on the same sort of Eck tush-push QB sneak at the goal line that the Vikings used to beat Augie in Rock Island.

I've watched several hundred football games over the course of my lifetime, and I don't ever remember seeing a DB make three interceptions in a quarter before at any level. The fact that junior safety Ben Butler not only picked off three Dermot Smyth passes in the fourth quarter, but picked off all three in the last three and a half minutes of a football game that had a four-point margin -- one of them on the game's final play -- is totally mind-blowing. I mean, c'mon ... three picks in the last 3 1/2 minutes of a tight football game? Are you kidding me?

As I said to Butler on the air in our postgame show, if the CCIW office doesn't make him the league's Defensive Player of the Week there ought to be a federal investigation. Someone in the press box chimed in, "CCIW? How about D3football.com Team of the Week?" I'll second that idea.

Despite being considerably outgained by IWU, the Vikings were a +1 in the turnover/takeaway game (basically thanks to Butler), and they dominated the conversions battle. North Park converted 10 of 20 third down attempts and 2 of 3 fourth down attempts, while holding the Titans to 4 of 14 on third down and 1 of 4 on fourth down. The Park was good when it mattered most, and that won the ballgame for them.

And now the historical matters: this marks the first time in NPU football history that the Vikings have beaten the Titans in back-to-back seasons. And this is the first time that North Park has had back-to-back non-losing seasons since the Vikings went 7-1 in 1958 and 6-1-1 in 1959, back when North Park played as an independent before joining this league.

And, dare I say it ...?

A win at Carthage next Saturday will end The Streak.

Pinch me, I must be dreaming.