I 100% agree -

Bants Fan -

Please.  Your whining is not very attractive - I will make the case that every player accepted at Amherst would be accepted at every other NESCAC - if they were wanted for football. Probably true for Bowdoin, Tufts and Williams as well.

amh63

I understand the changes I recommend won't happen - but at least a rotating schedule would help  - Not sure it is fair for Trinity to end season with 3 tough games or for Middlebury to play the 2 best teams in the first 3 weeks -

Further, a league can't be great if there are only haves and have not's - and that is what NESCAC football is -

Exactly!  Kids choose Trinity because of winning football games and because it is a good school!  This goes back to my original point of a non-competitive league -  the better players, who value football will choose the schools who win - and will further perpetuate the results of the league moving forward.

To further make my point - and to get away from the Trinity situation - I have no doubt that Middlebury takes kids who can't get into Bowdoin -  so it is clear there is a discrepancy throughout the league - and to quantify the impact - if the discrepancy means 5 better players each year - that is 15-20 better athletes on a squad of 75 -  Difference maker?  Absolutely.

With regard to Amherst ( and pre-Kelton Williams) they have a built in advantage due to being a great landing spot for IVY hopefuls - While I am sure they move the admissions needle for high impact players - it is difficult to argue with the academic standings of these schools.

Polar Cat-

I think you are makin'  my point -  I would always and have always advised my boys to pick the best school they can get into and to let their athletic talents get them into a school they otherwise would not have gotten into - But, in all fairness my guys , while good players and strong contributors were not "program changers" -  I think we use the term student athlete - but let's face it, some kids are athlete- students and generally, they are not choosing Bowdoin over Amherst, Williams, and maybe not even Trinity.   Even though Bowdoin is the equal to or superior to most NESCAC schools.     Thanks for the words on the scheduling - I understand the CBB (Based on historical performance,  perhaps the only thing the Maine schools play for?) and the Little 3 - but I am sure something better could be done -

and to Bants fan - Stop personalizing everything on this site regarding Trinity - It is a great school with a lot of great kids - but seriously, the recruiting is different there as is the emphasis on winning football games - if it wasn't different - how would you explain an 83% winning % over the last 15 years?  Is the coaching so much better there - No - games are won and lost on the field by players - and Trinity gets great players - some academically strong enough to go to any school and others that would not be accepted at other NESCAC schools.   This was made clear to us when going through the recruiting process at both Trinity and Wesleyan.

amh63-

I hope change would come ( was hoping for change in 2008 - got the wrong kind)  But I don't think so -  When there are so many choices now for top end D1 recruits - It is not surprising that the top tier end up in the SEC or in warm weather climes -

However, when it comes to D3 programs - where academics rates equally with football ( in the mind of an 18 year old) - the NESCAC is without peer - ( The true D3 football studs who value football over academics- do not choose the NESCAC - or the NESCAC does not choose them)  So in this scenario, where there are only 10 choices - who wins the recruiting wars?  ( Williams and Amherst for the true student athletes) ( Middlebury for the next tier - combo of athletics and academics)  This is not a knock on any other school academically - just reality if you looking for a marriage of great athletics and academics.  I think many great athletes choose  Trinity because of admissibility issues or want a city, or value football over academics -  Wesleyan may fit in this category as well - Certainly now with Whale in charge.

So , while I commend your optimism regarding future changes in the NESCAC - I would go long on the prospect of the next 15 years looking a lot like the last 15.

Ok - I know the Trinity crowd has a problem discussing some real off field issues relating to admissions and such - So lets talk about real football issues:

1.  Officiating - It is not fair to the guys who play every week to have the officiating we see on the field - Where is the NESCAC Administration?  This is a very important issue that should not be sloughed off because this is D3 - these guys work hard and play hard and deserve better.

2.  Speaking of NESCAC Administration - is it too much to rework the schedule annually?   Frankly it is unfair for some teams to play the strength early in the year, while others have a cake walk early that allows them to work out the early season kinks.  Also, in regard to scheduling - is it too hard for someone to figure out how to rotate the 8 game schedule so that instead of a 2 on / 2 off schedule - each team would only miss one school once every 8 or 9 years?   I can only conclude the administration of the league as it relates to football doesn't want to do any heavy lifting to improve the conference -  Frankly, the answer would be a 9 game season - but since that does not seem to be in the cards, let's figure out a better scheduling process.

3.  While we are talking about football, isn't it time to admit this football conference is broken as it relates to competition?  A quick cumulative review of the past 15 seasons shows 6 teams below .500 -  Further, it shows that Hamilton has a 16% winning percentage with no winning seasons - In fact their high mark is 3 wins.  Tufts has 3 winning seasons (33% WP) and Bates (28%) and Bowdoin(29%) have 1 winning season in the last 15.   How about splitting the conference into  two 5 team divisions - with the non-division games being non-conference early in the season, which would allow teams to "work out the kinks" before playing a conference schedule -     It is clear to me these teams will not be competitive as most top line recruits are choosing not to go to these schools based on the history of losing - So let's try and figure out a way for more teams to have success on the football field?

There is no question about the differing admission standards - Why does everyone dance around it?  To paraphrase the conversation with Whalen when he was recruiting my kid - "I had certain demands to come here and one of them was having admissions work with me to get the players we need  - President is on board with this as he knows it will have a positive impact on giving"  -  Perhaps he saw a change in admissions policies at Williams?  Their record since he left may reflect this -

Know of at least 2 cases  where players have been dismissed for academic dishonesty and legal issues and are back playing - Not right - Unless you are the QB for Florida State -

While it is clear the admissions standards vary within the league, so too do the ongoing academic standards and codes of conduct required to keep kids eligible - The folks from Hartford certainly understand this as one only needs to investigate players who leave for a year and then are able to come back be eligible and play - SEC worthy scandal? Probably not - but the NESCAC should have higher standards -