FB: Presidents' Athletic Conference

[jam40jeff]

Thanks, ADL.  I missed all but the last few minutes of the first half.  I don't like complaining about the refs (I don't know if I ever have on my 15 or so years on this board), but combined with some questionable calls I saw in the second half, it sure does sound like we got homered a bit.

The roughing the QB on W&J's last drive was a terrible call.  However, the worst call of the entire game had to be the block in the back called on Coyne that turned about a 30 yard gain into an 8 yard gain.  An earlier interference call was even called into question by the announcers.  Whether or not any of these calls individually affected the outcome of the game, collectively they made it feel like we were playing against more than 11 W&J players at a time.

[WashJeff68]

A few weeks ago I made some posts reviewing the financial positions of PAC schools. Well here is an article from Forbes that reports some great news for three small liberal arts colleges.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2023/10/16/three-private-colleges-each-receive-record-breaking-50-million-gifts-for-student-scholarships/?sh=613f96ba52cd

One is my alma mater (you can guess which one) and another is my wife's   - Hood College. As the article says these are game changing events for all three colleges and will help them navigate the rough waters ahead.

[WashJeff68]

By the way, watched the W&J game. They dominated, should have no problem with Waynesburg, and be on their way to a Bowl Game. Nice reward for the seniors.

[jam40jeff]

Speaking of W&J dominating, CWRU also dominated Allegheny.  After watching CWRU play W&J and then Allegheny two weeks in a row, I have to ask; how in the world did W&J get out gained by Allegheny (and held scoreless in the second half)?  I expected Allegheny to put up more resistance against CWRU, but they got trounced.

[WashJeff68]

My sons and I traveled from Cleveland, Knoxville, and Cincinnati to go to a fraternity reunion and watch the game. I have no explanation, but as they left the field after the game to go to the locker room they were psyched and talking about how they were back. Well, apparently they still have some work to do to get to the top tier of the PAC. No other PAC football team has won a national title, so they do have a history...

[GCC Alumnus]

By the way, watched the W&J game. They dominated, should have no problem with Waynesburg, and be on their way to a Bowl Game. Nice reward for the seniors.

Your QB is good. I spoke to him after the Grove City game and he also seems like a good guy.

[WashJeff68]

GCC Alum, I've seen him in some interviews and agree . He was also a CSC Academic All District last year.

[jam40jeff]

My sons and I traveled from Cleveland, Knoxville, and Cincinnati to go to a fraternity reunion and watch the game. I have no explanation, but as they left the field after the game to go to the locker room they were psyched and talking about how they were back. Well, apparently they still have some work to do to get to the top tier of the PAC. No other PAC football team has won a national title, so they do have a history...

Now I'm truly baffled as to what team W&J is.  Getting shut out in the second half by Waynesburg and only winning by 5?  Was this the same team I saw playing CWRU 2 weeks ago?

[ExTartanPlayer]

My sons and I traveled from Cleveland, Knoxville, and Cincinnati to go to a fraternity reunion and watch the game. I have no explanation, but as they left the field after the game to go to the locker room they were psyched and talking about how they were back. Well, apparently they still have some work to do to get to the top tier of the PAC. No other PAC football team has won a national title, so they do have a history...

Now I'm truly baffled as to what team W&J is.  Getting shut out in the second half by Waynesburg and only winning by 5?  Was this the same team I saw playing CWRU 2 weeks ago?

W&J had quite a range of outcomes this season. Scraping by Waynesburg and Allegheny but also beating CWRU, going to the end with Grove City and blowing out Westminster. Even within game vs CMU they were a different team in the two halves though I credit much of that to CMU bringing a wrinkle in the offensive game plan they were not ready for.

Some teams are just a little inconsistent. And (though it shouldn't be like this) some teams at the end of a season that had playoff hopes at the start don't bring their best in week 11 if those playoff hopes are already extinguished. Maybe you'd say that shouldn't happen in a rivalry game, but none of the guys on W&J were around the last time Waynesburg was any meaningful sort of rival.  Reading the recap, W&J got up big and actually had a chance to be up even bigger (if I'm reading the game recap right they had two separate instances of fumbles on the 1 yard line resulting in touchbacks?!) and the offense just didn't keep the big plays coming that had scored in the first half, while Waynesburg finall did start to get it going.

[Bob.Gregg]

W&J lost two touchdowns, fumbling the ball into the endzone.
Since losing to Grove City (and the shot at the PAC title), lack of crispness had been a struggle.
Too many Unsportsmanlike penalties (like yesterday, like CMU), too many dropped passes, too many missed tackles.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Grove City has an "interesting" draw.

Part of me is salty on behalf of the conference that they did not get a first round home game; I think they deserve one.  We have previously discussed the things that may have prevented that (closed PAC schedule locking us all into .500 SoS numbers and preventing the chance to get RR wins out of conference; I also think that Region 2 only ranking seven teams is a screwjob, since CMU would have an argument to be ranked in at least three other regions; the fact that there are three OAC teams ranked and three MAC teams ranked but not a second from the PAC despite having a 9-1 runnerup feels pretty starkly ridiculous to me).  So I don't love that unbeaten Grove City is on the road while quite a few 9-1 teams within driving distance are hosting.  There's no real argument for them to host Susquehanna, who has a big SoS and two wins over other playoff teams, but I do wonder about some of the 9-1's hosting while Grove City gets sent to 10-0 Susquehanna.  Anyways...

That said, their quadrant...isn't horrible?  Susquehanna is a tough first round draw but not unbeatable, and both Endicott/Cortland also feel like they're at least in the same approximate strata as Grove City.  Everyone is tough in the playoffs, but I think a quarterfinal berth is not entirely out of the question.  A first round loss, also, is certainly possible; Susquehanna is unbeaten, battle tested with wins over two other playoff teams, and has some postseason experience on their roster.  Most would probably make them the favorite, and even I am torn in my rooting allegiance with a kid from my HS alma mater leading the charge at RB for Susquehanna.  But for the sake of the PAC, I am rooting for Grove City to win a couple so we can keep moving the PAC up in national estimation...

[ADL70]

CMU hosts ECAC Bowl https://athletics.cmu.edu/sports/fball/index

As does W&J https://gopresidents.com/sports/football/schedule

[WRMUalum13]

Grove City has an "interesting" draw.

Part of me is salty on behalf of the conference that they did not get a first round home game; I think they deserve one.  We have previously discussed the things that may have prevented that (closed PAC schedule locking us all into .500 SoS numbers and preventing the chance to get RR wins out of conference; I also think that Region 2 only ranking seven teams is a screwjob, since CMU would have an argument to be ranked in at least three other regions; the fact that there are three OAC teams ranked and three MAC teams ranked but not a second from the PAC despite having a 9-1 runnerup feels pretty starkly ridiculous to me).  So I don't love that unbeaten Grove City is on the road while quite a few 9-1 teams within driving distance are hosting.  There's no real argument for them to host Susquehanna, who has a big SoS and two wins over other playoff teams, but I do wonder about some of the 9-1's hosting while Grove City gets sent to 10-0 Susquehanna.  Anyways...

That said, their quadrant...isn't horrible?  Susquehanna is a tough first round draw but not unbeatable, and both Endicott/Cortland also feel like they're at least in the same approximate strata as Grove City.  Everyone is tough in the playoffs, but I think a quarterfinal berth is not entirely out of the question.  A first round loss, also, is certainly possible; Susquehanna is unbeaten, battle tested with wins over two other playoff teams, and has some postseason experience on their roster.  Most would probably make them the favorite, and even I am torn in my rooting allegiance with a kid from my HS alma mater leading the charge at RB for Susquehanna.  But for the sake of the PAC, I am rooting for Grove City to win a couple so we can keep moving the PAC up in national estimation...

Well it certainly wasn't just GCC that should feel disrespect, it looks like even the 2x defending national champs are the #2 seed in their quadrant

[ExTartanPlayer]

Grove City has an "interesting" draw.

Part of me is salty on behalf of the conference that they did not get a first round home game; I think they deserve one.  We have previously discussed the things that may have prevented that (closed PAC schedule locking us all into .500 SoS numbers and preventing the chance to get RR wins out of conference; I also think that Region 2 only ranking seven teams is a screwjob, since CMU would have an argument to be ranked in at least three other regions; the fact that there are three OAC teams ranked and three MAC teams ranked but not a second from the PAC despite having a 9-1 runnerup feels pretty starkly ridiculous to me).  So I don't love that unbeaten Grove City is on the road while quite a few 9-1 teams within driving distance are hosting.  There's no real argument for them to host Susquehanna, who has a big SoS and two wins over other playoff teams, but I do wonder about some of the 9-1's hosting while Grove City gets sent to 10-0 Susquehanna.  Anyways...

That said, their quadrant...isn't horrible?  Susquehanna is a tough first round draw but not unbeatable, and both Endicott/Cortland also feel like they're at least in the same approximate strata as Grove City.  Everyone is tough in the playoffs, but I think a quarterfinal berth is not entirely out of the question.  A first round loss, also, is certainly possible; Susquehanna is unbeaten, battle tested with wins over two other playoff teams, and has some postseason experience on their roster.  Most would probably make them the favorite, and even I am torn in my rooting allegiance with a kid from my HS alma mater leading the charge at RB for Susquehanna.  But for the sake of the PAC, I am rooting for Grove City to win a couple so we can keep moving the PAC up in national estimation...

Well it certainly wasn't just GCC that should feel disrespect, it looks like even the 2x defending national champs are the #2 seed in their quadrant

By no means am I suggesting North Central did not also get a screwjob, but this being the PAC board and not the CCIW board nor a national board, I chose to comment on Grove City's draw.

[mikefln]

Obviously, the PAC did not get any respect as their 10-0 champ was sent on the road. They have a tough task ahead of them is Susquehanna, but I would not call them underdogs either. I see this as a close game and whoever wins it, will have earned the victory.  Obviously I am pulling for GCC.  Good Luck.