CN Schedule

[cneagle99]

Looks like CN has added Reinhardt on August 29 to replace Virginia-Lynchburg.

Should be a tough test for the first game.

[Eagle74]

Sorry, not impressed with adding a NAIA game when there's legit competitive D2 teams which could have filled that slot. It's pretty much a throw away game which adds nothing to the overall SOS.

[BearFan1]

Is that another stupid put down of NAIA or is it actually based on something, like a recent record?

[Eagle74]

1. No different than playing a Division 3 program, then bragging about it when you win. It adds zero to the S.O.S. just another cupcake pretty guaranteed win. Not the direction I was hoping the Coach would go. Hopefully it's just a temporary thing.

[Mule]

Add to this that Reinhardt is a good football program and won’t be a cupcake game for CN. Wouldn’t be wise to put this down as a W yet for CN. Better come to play.

[FormerCrusader#84]

Reinhardt has made the NAIA playoffs every year since 2016, including playing in the national championship game in 2017 as well as a couple trips to the quarterfinals and/or semifinals.* So, to say that Reinhardt has been or will be a cupcake simply because they're NAIA is absurd. Plenty of NAIA schools make for tough competition even if success at that level does not always translate to continued success at the D2 level for schools that make the move.

Also, CN has a new head coach and a new offensive system (not sure about the defensive side of the ball) so to say they have guaranteed wins is extremely short-sighted. Any team can win a one-off game. Also, for what it is worth, Reinhardt has released their schedule and CN isn't on it (I did not see a 2024 schedule posted on CN's sports website).



*2016 is as far back as I chose to look.

[BEARS]

FWIW Massey has CN as -9 against Reinhardt.

[KamolaCat]

Ask CWU about Playing an NAIA "cupcake", and then ask about them making the D2 quarter finals.

[Eagle74]

Either way, it's basically a no win situation for CN. A. You beat a NAIA team, it counts as much with your SOS as a scrimmage against a college club team. B. You lose to a NAIA team and you deal with potential humiliation of loosing to a lower division school.

My hope is that there's no major injuries occuring during this game.

[cneagle99]

Sometimes you have to play who you can get. I'm not disagreeing with your point that an NAIA game doesn't help come playoff time, (I wouldn't necessarily call the NAIA a "lower division" though), and while I would like to say that CN is a playoff team, realistically we have a first-year coach and a new offense and it will take time and we probably aren't looking at the playoffs this year.

That being said, a lot goes into getting a schedule put together and its not as easy as team A and team B have open dates on the same weekend. BOTH teams have to agree to play and the financial incentives have to be there. For this game, it is my understanding that VUL backed out of the contract (which used to happen to CN all the time when we were a playoff team) and we were left looking for an opponent that 1) had availability to play, 2) was willing to come to CN and 3) agreed to the financial terms. This was not an easy task so late in the process. I think the staff did the best they could with the hand that they were given.

IMO it is better to play a game (especially at home) than not play one at all. Additionally, it might not be a bad thing to have the first game with the new coaching staff and new offense not count towards the playoffs. Allows the team to get some of the kinks out.

Around the time I was at CN we had games against non-D2 teams all the time and still had home playoff games every year. It was so hard finding D2 games that we were flying across the country to play games only to have the opponent back out of coming to CN (I'm looking at you Dixie State). So, its not that big of a deal. Is it ideal? No. Sometimes necessary? Yes.

[Eagle74]

Sometimes you have to play who you can get. I'm not disagreeing with your point that an NAIA game doesn't help come playoff time, (I wouldn't necessarily call the NAIA a "lower division" though), and while I would like to say that CN is a playoff team, realistically we have a first-year coach and a new offense and it will take time and we probably aren't looking at the playoffs this year.

That being said, a lot goes into getting a schedule put together and its not as easy as team A and team B have open dates on the same weekend. BOTH teams have to agree to play and the financial incentives have to be there. For this game, it is my understanding that VUL backed out of the contract (which used to happen to CN all the time when we were a playoff team) and we were left looking for an opponent that 1) had availability to play, 2) was willing to come to CN and 3) agreed to the financial terms. This was not an easy task so late in the process. I think the staff did the best they could with the hand that they were given.

IMO it is better to play a game (especially at home) than not play one at all. Additionally, it might not be a bad thing to have the first game with the new coaching staff and new offense not count towards the playoffs. Allows the team to get some of the kinks out.

Around the time I was at CN we had games against non-D2 teams all the time and still had home playoff games every year. It was so hard finding D2 games that we were flying across the country to play games only to have the opponent back out of coming to CN (I'm looking at you Dixie State). So, its not that big of a deal. Is it ideal? No. Sometimes necessary? Yes.

Very good points, to the degree that you've actually managed to change my mind. With the re-evaluation of the situation. I'm now good with having the NAIA game. Go Eagles!!!

[KamolaCat]

I know I am jumping on your board but here is something pleasant to chew on. Last year Simon Fraser shut down thier program in April. Check out a map of D2 football schools and you get an idea what the (traveling) Cats were up against. A Game against NAIA Montana Tech was scheduled, they promptly came to Ellensburg and kicked our butt. We then won seven games in a row and went into the playoffs. So, yeah Go Eagles! Get the kinks out early.