FB: Centennial Conference

[osograd_01]

illinihscoach,

I think you completely missed the point of the discussion I was trying to start...instead of exposing how weak the CC schools are, maybe you could tell us how conferences like the NESCAC and the UAA foster a competitive spirit and high level of interest in their programs while maintaining such high admission standards and a focus on academics. 

If a conference or school makes a conscious decision to focus on these things, does the level of play necessarily have to fall, and if so, does that mean that fan interest will automatically wane?

Anyway...I'd like to see what UC can do on a nice day.  Is the conference race really as wide open as it appears heading into week 2?

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

All 11 NESCAC schools are listed between the top 100s, all eight UAA schools are listed and nine of the 11 CC schools are listed ... so tell me why the Centennial can't be considered one of the "Ivy League" conferences?

Top Libereal Arts Colleges*
1 - Williams (NESCAC)
2 - Amherst (NESCAC)
3 - Swarthmore (CC)
5 - Middlebury (NESCAC)
7 - Bowdoin (NESCAC)
9 - Haverford (CC)
10 - Wesleyan (NESCAC)
17 - Hamilton (NESCAC)
20 - Bryn Mawr (CC)
20 - Colby (NESCAC)
23 - Bates (NESCAC)
30 - Trinity (NESCAC)
39 - Connectict College (NESCAC)
41 - Dickinson (CC)
41 - Franklin & Marshall (CC)
45 - Gettysburg (CC)
69 - Ursinus (CC)
74 - Muhlenberg (CC)

Top National Universities*
9 - Chicago (UAA)
12 - Washington U. (UAA)
16 - Johns Hopkins (CC)
18 - Emory (UAA)
21 - Carnegie Mellon (UAA)
27 - Tufts (NESCAC)
31 - Brandeis (UAA)
34 - New York (UAA)
34 - Rochester (UAA)
38 - Case Western Reserve (UAA)

*Rated by the US News & World Report for 2007

[terror5005]

osograd,

It really would seem to be wide open, It was no surprise that Hopkins was picked first in the pre-season, because of who they have coming back on defense, mostly on their D-Line, but to see McDaniel picked second was an absolute shock to me. Especially since Maybank wasn't coming back, and that they graduated heavy numbers on both sides of the ball, although I think its mostly being felt on the O-Line, and in the backfield. Muhlenberg came in at number 3 even though they haven't had a semblance of an offensive threat since Bernardo graduated. I mean the defense can only win so many games for them. Franklin & Marshall I think choked a bit at the beginning of their conference schedule but they finished strong last year, and are going to be hungry this year, but new coaches are always a wild card. Dickinson I personally think is going to win the conference this year, mostly because they play a close to the vest style, and that defense is very good. Gettysburg is inconsistent at times, but their RB is the real deal, he runs hard and doesn't go down easy. And then there is Ursinus, who has a big hole at QB because of graduation, but the kid they brought in last year and saw some time here and there is a tough kid, he just needs to adjust to college football speed, and he could be something special in another year or two.

So looking at that...I don't know, there are big positives and negatives for everyone, and they are the types of things that can be sorted out during the non-conference part of schedules, so it'll be interesting to see how far some of these teams develop between week 1 and week 5. SO usually when something like that determines a conference race, its going to be more a matter of coaching than the talent that teams have, which leaves this race even more wide open.

[CBE]

Seton Hill was leading McDaniel 17-7 with 4 minutes to go in the game...

[labart96]

I'd like to tip my cap to the Devils.  They pretty much beat Hobart in every facet of the game today except on the scoreboard. 

As usual, the difference in this close contest was turnovers. 

Good luck this season - see you in Carlisle next year!

[patcummings]

Dickinson seemed solid today and the QB, Matt Torchia, really seems to have it together, throwing more attempts than historically normal for Dickinson. 

Congrats to Gburg for the big win over H-SC.

McDaniel...rough.

Congrats John Troxell for a HUGE WIN over W&L, who many thought can contend for the ODAC title.

Congrats Muhlenberg starts 2-0 with a very very very very young, inexperienced team that lost a bunch from last year. 

Ursinus 2-0 for first time in a while...go Bears. 

CC goes 6-1 today with the JHU late win over R-MC.

[mandfense]

Congrats to JHU kicker Ben Scott for tying the CC record and breaking the JHU record with a 52 yard field goal in yesterday's win vs. RMC.

9 turnovers in 2 games for the Blue Jays (including 7 fumbles).  Not good.

[CC#1fan]

Can anyone offer any insight as to why McDaniel's football team has been on the steady decline in the past few years?  I know they were on top of the conference for 5 years (taking note the shared CC championships) and all teams cant be expected to win every single year, but isnt their performance in the past couple of seasons horrid at best?  Off to an 0-2 start doesnt look promising either with a 41-0 debauchery and a 17-7 loss to a second year program that was 0-2 prior to their meeting.  Is recruiting that tough for McDaniel.  You'd figure a team that had year-in-year-out success in the past would have the allure to bring in top D3 prospects.  Like I said, I can see them not winning EVERY year, but they should at least put out a respectable record.  McDaniel is said to have good coaching, right? It just doesnt seem clear to me how their success could drop so drastically. 

[SU Backer]

Regarding McDaniel's recent "decline" as you see it I can only speak of my son's experience with recruiting there. Great facility, good coaching and a personable staff and likable kids. My son was leaning to McD but the tuition is more than double than that of Salisbury, where he is now a junior. Coach Keating did all he could with aid, but it still was significantly more $$. I do know that what they do is all very much in line with all NCAA regs and he should be commended for that. I hope the fans and alum realize that tuition is always a factor in a D3 athletes' decision on school. Hang in there, I saw some young talent at our scrimmage with them.

[Amish Allstar]

The McDaniel situation is very interesting.  When I played in the CC, McDaniel was hands down the best team.  Athletes all over the place!!  They are a very different team.  I do not know if the administration has tighten the clamps on who is accepted and who isnt but they are definetly not getting the same type of football player they had gotten in the past.

You raise a very interesting point with tuition.  How much is Salisbury? I just checked the McDaniel website and their tuition is roughly $36,000.00.  I personally did not realize it was that high! However, it looks like they have a pretty solid program for financial aid and academic scholarships  Imagine how the coaches at Hopkins, Dickinson and F&M feel now.  Their respective tuitions are well over 43K and their academic scholarship qualifing numbers are also a lot higher then that of McDaniel. 

Any McDaniel supporter have any imput?

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

[...]

Any McDaniel supporter have any imput?

Are there any McDaniel supporters?

[SU Backer]

Salisbury is about $13k with room and board included for an in state student.

[Amish Allstar]

Matt:

A few season there used to be A LOT of McDaniel fans posting on here.  They have gotten awful quiet.  Any predictions for this weekend?

[terror5005]

As a newbie poster, and an obvious McDaniel supporter, I'll throw in my two cents.

When I started going to McDaniel tuition was around $26,000 for out of state students. Its grown $10,000 in about five years. What best I can see the increases being spent on is renovation of old buildings, and putting up new buildings. A brand new academic hall was just built, the freshman dorm has been totally renovated, and the Athletic Center is getting an addition put on it.

Right now as far as I can see, its a program that is in transition, because of whats being handed down from above. They had 20 some seniors graduate last year, out of a class of 60 that came in. Now some of those kids transferred, and some just stopped playing for whatever reasons. And the same type of thing happened each year after that for three years. When I was a student there, recruits would say they loved the school, but either didn't get accepted, or couldn't afford it even with the package being offered, and as mentioned, a lot of kids were lost to a cheaper state school, Salisbury. Very few kids turned down McDaniel for an in-conference school, that I know of.

As far as this year goes, as I have posted before, they got hit hard with graduation. They lost their top 4 DL, 4 of their top 6 OL, 3 of their top 4 WR, their top 3 HB and a starting FB, an All-AMerican LB, as well as the starting OLBs, and then half of their secondary from last year. That is A LOT for any program. Especially one who wasnt getting recruits coming in because of tuition costs and academic standards. So simply this is a reloading year for the Terror. Obviously you go into the season with hopes of a Conference Championship, but realistic goals for them (assuming they don't flip a switch and dominate the conference)have to be:

-Win as many games as possible.
-Have a positive experience for the SRs, who are first time starters, and stuck it out behind the huge class in front of them for their one shot at starting this year.
-Get the young guys into games and have them learn while gaining playing experience.

Its just going to be a tough season at times, but hopefully the coaching staff can get the most out of this team especially come conference play. There's just a lot of soph. and fresh. playing to have a whole lot of confidence when looking from the outside in.

Sorry for the length...but just wanted to throw that all out there

[muchacho]

What may be occurring with McDaniel can be traced back to the whole name change of the school. Administration wanted McDaniel College instead of Western Maryland, because they were concerned with the school's image. They didn't want a school associated with a traditionally rural and poor region such as Western Maryland, and went for a name that sounds a little more snooty. Now with these apparent tuition increases, it looks like they are trying to attract a different type of student than they might have in the past. I remember seeing their roster, and it would be dominated by public school kids from Maryland and PA, many from working class areas. If Coach Keating(GREAT COACH) is still recruiting the same public schools that he did before, but the administration is trying to create a school more similar to some of the other Centennial programs, than that could be part of the problem. Raising the tuition means that you are going to have to stop recruiting some kids that you might have otherwise gone after strongly. Its a shame that a program wouldn't be interested in a kid because of his family's financial situation, but it is a reality.
Its obvious that the administration has changed the direction of the college since Keating first started having success, and McDaniel's recent slide might be a result of  having a coach and an administration that aren't on the same page.