FB: Presidents' Athletic Conference

[E.115]

Rob Cuda gets a shout out...on whatever this website is:

https://www.cover2draft.com

Currently at the bottom on the left.

[DagarmanSpartan]

Pat,

You know how in Division I-FBS, there are five conferences that are considered "Power" Conferences, i.e., the so called "P5."

Which Division III conferences would you consider to be "Power" conferences?

Is there a Division III equivalent of the P5?  If so, then which conferences would they be?

[jknezek]

If you buy Kickoff they rank all the conferences there. The P5 are a bit of a different animal with their monster tv contracts and their larger cost of living payments to players. That is a structural advantage. I'm not sure anything in D3 has that kind of built in advantage. D3 is more along the lines of some conferences simply have the stronger teams, bUT not because of some conference wide advantage, just because teams within the conference emphasize football differently, have different recruiting challenges, etc. In other words, the advantage isn't to a conference like it is with the P5, it's with schools that choose to make a (legal) advantage.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Pat,

You know how in Division I-FBS, there are five conferences that are considered "Power" Conferences, i.e., the so called "P5."

Which Division III conferences would you consider to be "Power" conferences?

Is there a Division III equivalent of the P5?  If so, then which conferences would they be?

If you buy Kickoff they rank all the conferences there. The P5 are a bit of a different animal with their monster tv contracts and their larger cost of living payments to players. That is a structural advantage. I'm not sure anything in D3 has that kind of built in advantage. D3 is more along the lines of some conferences simply have the stronger teams, bUT not because of some conference wide advantage, just because teams within the conference emphasize football differently, have different recruiting challenges, etc. In other words, the advantage isn't to a conference like it is with the P5, it's with schools that choose to make a (legal) advantage.

^Pretty much this.  The "P5" status in FBS has become a tacit acknowledgement that those schools are playing with a different deck of cards than the other schools in FBS (without actually creating an entire separate Division or breaking away from the NCAA entirely).  Some conferences in D3 stand out as tougher top-to-bottom, some are clearly less competitive, and then there's a great wide middle (including the PAC) comprised of conferences that typically have one or two playoff-caliber teams in a season, three or four more "decent" schools that are competitive but not quite there, and three or four bottom-feeders that are, in some cases, quite removed from the rest of their league.  At least 10 D3 conferences fit that description, maybe more.

[SaintsFAN]

Not going to speak for JCU but I still have UWW 24th on my ballot because what they've done is lost narrow road games to No. 19 and No. 21 and thoroughly handled a team they should have handled. UWW will have a chance to play its way back into the Top 25 this week, or possibly play its way all the way out, so I am not at all concerned about the optics.

What UWW looks like is not like the UWW of old but I am trying not to let that cloud my judgment. They don't have to look like Justin Beaver's in the backfield in order to get onto my Top 25 ballot. If that were the case, I'd have a lot of blank spots.

hmm...

I see..

[Bob.Gregg]

Thiel at W&J game POSTPONED

GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) football game between Thiel College and 15th-ranked Washington & Jefferson College, originally scheduled for this Saturday, has been tentatively rescheduled for Monday evening.

On Wednesday evening, Thiel's Department of Athletics announced it is canceling all practices and games through Sunday, October 1. This is in response to the investigation of a gastrointestinal illness found to affect select students. To ensure the well-being of its student community, Thiel officials took precautionary steps and began working with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture on the morning of Wednesday, September 27 to identify a cause of the illness and take appropriate steps to address the situation.

With test results pending, Thiel heeded the advice of the Pa. Department of Health to avoid activities that involve close physical contact, in particular athletics competitions and intramurals. Thiel's Department of Athletics will be working with league members to reschedule conference tennis, women's volleyball and soccer events scheduled for this weekend.

The football game between the Tomcats (1-3, 1-1) and the Presidents (3-0, 1-0) will be played at Cameron Stadium in Washington, Pennsylvania as originally scheduled. Kickoff is also set for 7 p.m.

A final decision on the status of the rescheduled game is to be made at 2 p.m. Sunday.

[E.115]

CWRU video highlights from last weekend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTuafKneiRw

[jam40jeff]

Not going to speak for JCU but I still have UWW 24th on my ballot because what they've done is lost narrow road games to No. 19 and No. 21 and thoroughly handled a team they should have handled. UWW will have a chance to play its way back into the Top 25 this week, or possibly play its way all the way out, so I am not at all concerned about the optics.

What UWW looks like is not like the UWW of old but I am trying not to let that cloud my judgment. They don't have to look like Justin Beaver's in the backfield in order to get onto my Top 25 ballot. If that were the case, I'd have a lot of blank spots.

I don't disagree with UWW being in the Top 25, but I wouldn't say they "thoroughly handled" WashU.  They were losing to start the 4th quarter.

[E.115]

1) Congrats to Grove City College on win / PAC win #2.  They've gone streaking. 

2) Happy to see an impressive crowd at St. Vincent.  "We sold more tickets today (2,476) than for any other game in our (recent) history," said Jeff Zidek, an athletics department spokesman...  http://triblive.com/sports/college/district/12785052-74/st-vincent-football-loses-homecoming-game-to-no-18-case-western

3) Big numbers were put up individually:

Rob Cuda, QB
Case Western Reserve
(19 of 30), 357 yards, 4 passing TDs, 1 rushing TD

John Prather, WR
Carnegie Mellon
10 catches, 122 yards, four TDs

[WashJeff68]

The PAC on.....Monday Night Football! Shame Dandy Don, Howard and The Giffer won't be in the booth at Cameron Stadium in WashPa - no offense to the WJPA team.

[WashJeff68]

Start of the 4th quarter. Que Dandy Don.

[Ralph Turner]

Start of the 4th quarter. Que Dandy Don.

Requiem in Pace

[SaintsFAN]

This PAC race is going to be interesting. 

I haven't watched enough of CWRU to make an intelligent comment on how I believe this will go. 

But, I'm sure we'll know more on Sunday after CMU/W&J. 

How much will W&J be affected by having the "game" they had on Monday night? 

[ExTartanPlayer]

This PAC race is going to be interesting. 

I haven't watched enough of CWRU to make an intelligent comment on how I believe this will go. 

But, I'm sure we'll know more on Sunday after CMU/W&J. 

How much will W&J be affected by having the "game" they had on Monday night?

Had hoped to write somewhat of a "game preview" this week but it's been a really busy one at work.

I'll be at Gesling tomorrow, and expect a great game.  CMU appears to have their best team since ol' XTP was wearing plaid, while the Presidents have shown extremely well thus far in beating a pair of traditionally powerful programs (SJF and TMC) and thoroughly dispatching the two lesser opponents (worth noting that Grove City has won two games since then, indicating that they might be nudging their way into the middle of the PAC pack). 

Both teams have quality offenses with one major playmaker at WR headlining the attack.  W&J really does most of their damage in the air (1530 passing yards and 15 touchdowns versus 599 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground), with Zubik the key guy at 603 yards and 10 TD's.  CMU's offense is a little more balanced at 988 passing yards and 14 touchdowns versus 864 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, with Prather doing the most damage at 505 yards and 8 TD's.  Each team has second and third options that can do some damage, though.  Calling Sam Benger a second option seems crazy after the year he had last season, but clearly teams have been keying on him HARD this year (both from what I've seen as well as the numbers.  While the old cliche that big-time players make big-time plays in big games certainly applies, I suspect that each team will be prepared for the "main guys" so at least one key game-turning play may come from a secondary option that we might not see coming.

A potential wild card in the game is CMU return man Willie Richter.  He broke a long punt return in last year's game at Cameron that helped put CMU in the game at halftime.  He's broken one punt return for a TD this year and had several other long (30+ yard) runbacks.

I can't speak as intelligently about W&J, if only because I have not seen them play this season, but I expect a tremendous game - besides both teams being undefeated this year, I also point to last year's 55-52 overtime game as Exhibit A that this should be a great afternoon for D3 football...

Re: the Monday-night game for W&J...man, that's hard to say.  I hope it won't affect them too much from a fatigue standpoint - it looks like most of the starters were done after the first series or two in the third quarter.  Where it might have affected them is the preparation for this week...I'm not sure exactly how W&J sets up their normal practice week, but obviously it would be tough to have to delay preparations for the next opponent until Tuesday when you can normally start them on Sunday.

Best of luck to both teams.

[MRMIKESMITH]

This PAC race is going to be interesting. 

I haven't watched enough of CWRU to make an intelligent comment on how I believe this will go. 

But, I'm sure we'll know more on Sunday after CMU/W&J. 

How much will W&J be affected by having the "game" they had on Monday night?

Had hoped to write somewhat of a "game preview" this week but it's been a really busy one at work.

I'll be at Gesling tomorrow, and expect a great game.  CMU appears to have their best team since ol' XTP was wearing plaid, while the Presidents have shown extremely well thus far in beating a pair of traditionally powerful programs (SJF and TMC) and thoroughly dispatching the two lesser opponents (worth noting that Grove City has won two games since then, indicating that they might be nudging their way into the middle of the PAC pack). 

Both teams have quality offenses with one major playmaker at WR headlining the attack.  W&J really does most of their damage in the air (1530 passing yards and 15 touchdowns versus 599 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground), with Zubik the key guy at 603 yards and 10 TD's.  CMU's offense is a little more balanced at 988 passing yards and 14 touchdowns versus 864 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, with Prather doing the most damage at 505 yards and 8 TD's.  Each team has second and third options that can do some damage, though.  Calling Sam Benger a second option seems crazy after the year he had last season, but clearly teams have been keying on him HARD this year (both from what I've seen as well as the numbers.  While the old cliche that big-time players make big-time plays in big games certainly applies, I suspect that each team will be prepared for the "main guys" so at least one key game-turning play may come from a secondary option that we might not see coming.

A potential wild card in the game is CMU return man Willie Richter.  He broke a long punt return in last year's game at Cameron that helped put CMU in the game at halftime.  He's broken one punt return for a TD this year and had several other long (30+ yard) runbacks.

I can't speak as intelligently about W&J, if only because I have not seen them play this season, but I expect a tremendous game - besides both teams being undefeated this year, I also point to last year's 55-52 overtime game as Exhibit A that this should be a great afternoon for D3 football...

Re: the Monday-night game for W&J...man, that's hard to say.  I hope it won't affect them too much from a fatigue standpoint - it looks like most of the starters were done after the first series or two in the third quarter.  Where it might have affected them is the preparation for this week...I'm not sure exactly how W&J sets up their normal practice week, but obviously it would be tough to have to delay preparations for the next opponent until Tuesday when you can normally start them on Sunday.

Best of luck to both teams.

All I know is that if W&J doesn't stop or contain the Tartans RB, its going to be a long day. Tremendous athlete.