Missouri Valley Football Conference Blog

[mmiller_34]

Yes its by me, and its for fun.

http://mvfcfans.blog.com/

Poll along the side on the right. Who will win the MVFC in 2012?

[mmiller_34]

New post: Thoughts on NDSU in 2012, FBS game vs. Colorado State, and the random Sioux Falls game vs. USD.

[GABison]

I think we will go to 6-3 against FBS teams with Colorado State. I believe the USD game will be a lot like the Nat Champ game where we, as the visiting team, will be at least half the crowd. With UNI's tough schedule, I believe it will an opportune time for the Bison to win our first MVFC title outright.

PS - I like your blog, looks like you put a lot of work into it.

[mmiller_34]

I think we will go to 6-3 against FBS teams with Colorado State. I believe the USD game will be a lot like the Nat Champ game where we, as the visiting team, will be at least half the crowd. With UNI's tough schedule, I believe it will an opportune time for the Bison to win our first MVFC title outright.

PS - I like your blog, looks like you put a lot of work into it.

I agree, I don't see Youngstown State beating the Bison at the Dome again this year. Illinois State at the very end might be a difficult task. But, again, only time will tell.

Thanks for the compliment, I'll try to keep it up-to-date as possible.

[underdawg]

The Valley always has some big surprises every year. I wouldn't try to extrapolate too much from last year to 2012. Some teams may have picked up or developed talent that they didn't possess in 2011 and some who think they will be alright by replacing key personnel will be disappointed.

[TheBisonator]

The Valley always has some big surprises every year. I wouldn't try to extrapolate too much from last year to 2012. Some teams may have picked up or developed talent that they didn't possess in 2011 and some who think they will be alright by replacing key personnel will be disappointed.

Yup. There's seems to always be somebody in a given year that ends up completely SUCKING that we didn't expect to do terribly. I didn't think WIU would be terrible at the beginning of last year. I think the same goes opposite. There will likely be a team that's under the radar that will be in the top 3 or 4.

But as far as unexpected sucky teams go, I think we can safely say that USD will not do well in the conference this year. Some people have said they'll go winless in the MVFC, but I think they'll find a win somewhere on their schedule.

[darell1976]

Yup. There's seems to always be somebody in a given year that ends up completely SUCKING that we didn't expect to do terribly. I didn't think WIU would be terrible at the beginning of last year. I think the same goes opposite. There will likely be a team that's under the radar that will be in the top 3 or 4.

But as far as unexpected sucky teams go, I think we can safely say that USD will not do well in the conference this year. Some people have said they'll go winless in the MVFC, but I think they'll find a win somewhere on their schedule.

It would be something if their only win came against SDSU. USD didn't find success on the road last year and with new coach Joe Glenn taking over this team will be rebuilding for their MVFC future. 5 home games will definately work against them with 1 of those home games in Sioux Falls a MAJOR disadvantage for the Yotes against NDSU. I predict 1-7 in MVFC play and 2-9 overall (OOC win against Colgate). Their FBS game against Northwestern could be very ugly...its not the Gophers they will be playing.

[TheBisonator]

It would be something if their only win came against SDSU. USD didn't find success on the road last year and with new coach Joe Glenn taking over this team will be rebuilding for their MVFC future. 5 home games will definately work against them with 1 of those home games in Sioux Falls a MAJOR disadvantage for the Yotes against NDSU. I predict 1-7 in MVFC play and 2-9 overall (OOC win against Colgate). Their FBS game against Northwestern could be very ugly...its not the Gophers they will be playing.

Yeah, that win definitely won't be against SDSU. Though I see them beating the Jacks in Vermillion in the near-future.

Joe Glenn will make them a decent team eventually, but I don't think he has much to work with this season. USD graduated what, 20 of its 22 starters from last year?? I don't think there's much of any talent on that team currently.

[mmiller_34]

New post on Illinois State and their upcoming year. Cheers, Cya tomorrow.

http://mvfcfans.blog.com/

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Great job with this!!!

It will be fun to check in on your site throughout the season.

I cannot argue with your picks on the season but anything can happen. Although I believe USD will finish last and go winless in the conference this season. No way they beat the Jacks in Brookings this year.

UNI-Youngstown-Ill State-In State- NDSU will all be tough plus SIU-SDSU will have somthing to prove this year. MSU-WIU-USD do not have a chance at the MV title this year.

Again, good job!!

[mmiller_34]

I think the Missouri Valley is going to be really interesting this year. Like many of you have said before, we can talk and make all the predictions we want. But, in the end its going to be completely unpredicted. I can't wait to see how wrong I am, haha.

[BisonHype!]

Blog looks good man!

[mmiller_34]

New post on Northern Iowa:

http://mvfcfans.blog.com/

[344Johnson]

nice blog, i digged it.

[Sycamore51]

I would put INST in the 3-4 range. Ill St at home and no UNI will put us at 5&3 I predict

[mmiller_34]

Indiana State is one of those teams that I am unsure of. They will have Shakir Bell back, but they lose Fouch who was reliable to keep defenses honest with a decent pass every once in a while. We'll see who can step in to replace Fouch. If someone steps up, I would put them at the top of the second tier. Its hard to argue that they would be better than the top four, but not playing UNI is a huge plus. We'll see how it shakes out.

[Sycamore51]

Indiana State is one of those teams that I am unsure of. They will have Shakir Bell back, but they lose Fouch who was reliable to keep defenses honest with a decent pass every once in a while. We'll see who can step in to replace Fouch. If someone steps up, I would put them at the top of the second tier. Its hard to argue that they would be better than the top four, but not playing UNI is a huge plus. We'll see how it shakes out.

I think we'll see numbers out of whatever QB we put in this year similar to Fouch from last year, probably not his junior year though. We lost Fouch and Hilton and that's about it, and with us beating both YSU last year as well as Ill St, I would put us even with those two teams. Probably a notch behind UNI and NDSU though.

[Houndawg]

I think we'll see numbers out of whatever QB we put in this year similar to Fouch from last year, probably not his junior year though. We lost Fouch and Hilton and that's about it, and with us beating both YSU last year as well as Ill St, I would put us even with those two teams. Probably a notch behind UNI and NDSU though.

By your reckoning that would leave you a little behind SIU....

[mmiller_34]

Youngstown State is the topic of the post today. Hope everyone had an awesome 4th! I'm headed out to the lake. xthumbsupx

http://mvfcfans.blog.com/

[penguinpower]

Youngstown State is the topic of the post today. Hope everyone had an awesome 4th! I'm headed out to the lake. xthumbsupx

http://mvfcfans.blog.com/

Pound for pound I would put YSU up against the rest of the league. They have done a great job in recruiting. Last year the DC was terrible....a nightmare. The kids are older and in Y-town defense is easier learned than offense. We'll see, but i expect great things from the team, especially with the off season recruiting. Nice blog but i think you are overestimating UNI.

[mmiller_34]

New post on South Dakota State, and new poll today.;)

[darell1976]

New post on South Dakota State, and new poll today.;)

Is there a lot of excitement and hype around the state of SD for USD being back in the same conference as SDSU? I would think excitement would be big around Vermillion, maybe more than Brookings.

[goyotes]

Is there a lot of excitement and hype around the state of SD for USD being back in the same conference as SDSU? I would think excitement would be big around Vermillion, maybe more than Brookings.

USD put up a couple of these billboards last fall, including one on the Brooking exit off I-29.

http://www.ls-unscripted.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/USDAthletic_RivalryBB_web.jpg

[eiu1999]

Nice blog

[mmiller_34]

Yah, I guess USD thought putting those billboards up was clever.

There is a lot of hype, the attendance will easily be 16000+.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Yah, I guess USD thought putting those billboards up was clever.

There is a lot of hype, the attendance will easily be 16000+.



Sumner will shred that defense this year.

35-3 Jacks beatdown in that game.

[344Johnson]

Yah, I guess USD thought putting those billboards up was clever.

There is a lot of hype, the attendance will easily be 16000+.

The NDSU game had around 15,000 didn't it? That seemed absolutely packed. 16,000 would be nuts at CAS (dump of a stadium, needs some work)

[clenz]

Pound for pound I would put YSU up against the rest of the league. They have done a great job in recruiting. Last year the DC was terrible....a nightmare. The kids are older and in Y-town defense is easier learned than offense. We'll see, but i expect great things from the team, especially with the off season recruiting. Nice blog but i think you are overestimating UNI.

Overestimating a team that returns 4 of 5 offensive lineman, every running back, and every WR that actually contributed last year, and will have better passing QB under center running an offense our OC actually wants to run? Odd......

[clenz]

Yah, I guess USD thought putting those billboards up was clever.

There is a lot of hype, the attendance will easily be 16000+.

I remember growing up in Northwest Iowa and watching the SD newsstations (KELO and KSFY) and USD and SDSU were mostly ignored. They got highlights in the telecast but that was about. During the winter it was all Vikings and summer was all Twins with the high schools sprinkled in.

HOWEVER, during USD/SDSU week that is pretty much ALL they talked about. Pretty entertaining to watch actually. I'm sure the new D1 status will up that as well.

[344Johnson]

Pound for pound I would put YSU up against the rest of the league. They have done a great job in recruiting. Last year the DC was terrible....a nightmare. The kids are older and in Y-town defense is easier learned than offense. We'll see, but i expect great things from the team, especially with the off season recruiting. Nice blog but i think you are overestimating UNI.

I'll gladly throw NDSU against the Guins. I think that is going to be a really fun game to watch. We were missing our NT who was a beast. Our Run-Defense stats fell off the games he missed, I have no doubt the Penguins were missing a key player or two. That was a fun game to watch even though we lost.

NDSU and YSU are my two teams to compete for the conference this year.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

I'll gladly throw NDSU against the Guins. I think that is going to be a really fun game to watch. We were missing our NT who was a beast. Our Run-Defense stats fell off the games he missed, I have no doubt the Penguins were missing a key player or two. That was a fun game to watch even though we lost.

NDSU and YSU are my two teams to compete for the conference this year.


You're right about Drevlow, if he was in that game we win.....but I'll take the NC.

Our defense will probably be better this year. It should be another good game with YSU this year.

[darell1976]

I remember growing up in Northwest Iowa and watching the SD newsstations (KELO and KSFY) and USD and SDSU were mostly ignored. They got highlights in the telecast but that was about. During the winter it was all Vikings and summer was all Twins with the high schools sprinkled in.

HOWEVER, during USD/SDSU week that is pretty much ALL they talked about. Pretty entertaining to watch actually. I'm sure the new D1 status will up that as well.

I have wondered how the state felt about the rivalry kinda like when it was UND-NDSU week the whole state watched the game...do people in say Pierre or Rapid City follow the rivalry? Everyone knows the hatred between UND and NDSU is that the same with USD and SDSU because it seems pretty silent...at least on message boards.

[mmiller_34]

The NDSU game had around 15,000 didn't it? That seemed absolutely packed. 16,000 would be nuts at CAS (dump of a stadium, needs some work)

I was there for attendance record against NDSU in 2007. Attendance was 16,300ish. Lots of people standing around. Coughlin certainly needs some work, however, its alot better than it was the final year of D2. Since D2, the game day experience at Coughlin has been tremendous and I hope it will continue to be so. I hope in the next 5-7 years, Coughlin will have a whole new look, but the same feel. Just my two cents.

[344Johnson]

You're right about Drevlow, if he was in that game we win.....but I'll take the NC.

Our defense will probably be better this year. It should be another good game with YSU this year.

I am very cautious to say the defense will be better. Lost a safety. Well, two of them. Pike and eaves were both excellent. Lost Evans, Willson, Boyer. All of them had very good backups who played a lot of snaps, but you never know how it will work out! That defense was absolutely delightful to watch when Drevlow was playing. Personally, his absence showed me enough to call him the Defensive MVP last year.

I'm amped up for football now.

[JSUBison]

I am very cautious to say the defense will be better. Lost a safety. Well, two of them. Pike and eaves were both excellent. Lost Evans, Willson, Boyer. All of them had very good backups who played a lot of snaps, but you never know how it will work out! That defense was absolutely delightful to watch when Drevlow was playing. Personally, his absence showed me enough to call him the Defensive MVP last year.

I'm amped up for football now.

Losing Hazleton is a bigger loss than any of the guys you mentioned, imo.

[344Johnson]

Losing Hazleton is a bigger loss than any of the guys you mentioned, imo.

Totally forgot to mention that. Genius. Wouldn't be surprised to see him doing some big things here soon. What is a major bummer for me is that FCS is rarely the "destination" for coaches. I mean...I was born and raised bleeding green and yellow. Getting an opportunity to coach or play for NDSU would be the end game for me. You hear about coaches having a "Notre Dame" clause in contracts. Just unfortunate that FCS isn't a destination.

[clenz]

Totally forgot to mention that. Genius. Wouldn't be surprised to see him doing some big things here soon. What is a major bummer for me is that FCS is rarely the "destination" for coaches. I mean...I was born and raised bleeding green and yellow. Getting an opportunity to coach or play for NDSU would be the end game for me. You hear about coaches having a "Notre Dame" clause in contracts. Just unfortunate that FCS isn't a destination.

Coaches aren't fans.....their loyalty goes as far as their next paycheck.


****....Creighton's head basketball coach Greg McDermott (one time NDSU head coach) is a former Northern Iowa basketball player. He left NDSU to coach his alma mater Northern Iowa....He then left his alma mater to coach IN-STATE RIVAL Iowa State....He then left Iowa State to coach at UNI's biggest basketball rival Creighton and took his son (who had signed a NOI with UNI) with him. You may have heard of Doug McDermott.


****, Ben Jacobson is currently the HC of UNI. He was an All American at UND but was an assistant under McDermott at NDSU.....yep...imaging coaching for your rival.



There are some coaches who are loyal and money isn't everything - from the looks of it Ben Jacobson is one of them. However, 99.9% of coaches are not fans and if they were their allegiances went out the window the second they took that first coaching job.



This is also part of the reason 99.9% of fans would be TURRRABLE coaches, regardless what they believe

[344Johnson]

Coaches aren't fans.....their loyalty goes as far as their next paycheck.


****....Creighton's head basketball coach Greg McDermott (one time NDSU head coach) is a former Northern Iowa basketball player. He left NDSU to coach his alma mater Northern Iowa....He then left his alma mater to coach IN-STATE RIVAL Iowa State....He then left Iowa State to coach at UNI's biggest basketball rival Creighton and took his son (who had signed a NOI with UNI) with him. You may have heard of Doug McDermott.


****, Ben Jacobson is currently the HC of UNI. He was an All American at UND but was an assistant under McDermott at NDSU.....yep...imaging coaching for your rival.



There are some coaches who are loyal and money isn't everything - from the looks of it Ben Jacobson is one of them. However, 99.9% of coaches are not fans and if they were their allegiances went out the window the second they took that first coaching job.



This is also part of the reason 99.9% of fans would be TURRRABLE coaches, regardless what they believe

Absolutely breaks my heart. I wasn't good at football in high school, but around a fire after a game once we discussed what schools we'd go to and I said NDSU or bust.(i knew it was bust). My friends said that I'd totally go to UND and they couldn't understand that I would never ever in a million years play for NDSU's rival. When UND sent me letters to go to school there, me and the family had a burning ceremony. I'm too hardcore apparently.

[clenz]

Absolutely breaks my heart. I wasn't good at football in high school, but around a fire after a game once we discussed what schools we'd go to and I said NDSU or bust.(i knew it was bust). My friends said that I'd totally go to UND and they couldn't understand that I would never ever in a million years play for NDSU's rival. When UND sent me letters to go to school there, me and the family had a burning ceremony. I'm too hardcore apparently.

You're a great fan then....but you likely wouldn't be a great coach. Not saying you know know the game, x's and o's, strategy, etc... The problem would be that fans tend to see things strictly through fan colored glasses which doesn't work well coaching.


When I was recruited out of hs I got letters offers from JUCO's, D2, NAIA's, D3 (no offers of course), and walk on letters from FCS. I ruled out many of the schools right from the start because of who I was a fan of....or who was on the team (kids from rival schools I didn't want to play with). That is fine to do as a recruit, although I wish I could go back and redo my recruitment process.

I'd love to coach - I've coached baseball at the HS and JH level. I've talked to people who got in as GA's and are now coaching at the NCAA level about going to grad school as a GA and going from there. The one thing I learned very quickly is I would have to stop being a fan of any team and just be a fan of the sport.

[mmiller_34]

Hey guys, I moved the blog to a better hosting site that allows me to do much more (and much easier).

New blog location is here: http://mvfcfan.blogspot.com/

Compare it to the old and tell me what you think... I also added a twitter feed.

[344Johnson]

Hey guys, I moved the blog to a better hosting site that allows me to do much more (and much easier).

New blog location is here: http://mvfcfan.blogspot.com/

Compare it to the old and tell me what you think... I also added a twitter feed.

Honestly, I like them both. I like the twitter addition. Might like the original format a bit more but that is grasping for straws. Keep it up.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Both look good.

I like the polls. Will you continue this every week?

Illinois State is going to be a tough game for everyone in the Valley this year. Their 2 toughest road games will be UNI and Indiana State ( IMO, they beat Eastern Michigan ). Then they have SIU, YSU and NDSU at home.

It is going to be an awesome conference season this year.