FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[PolarCat]

To which I offer two quotes from the last Democratic President I really liked:

"The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask "why not?"

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future."

[quicksilver]

But but but you're not willing to consider the small change of an earlier start to the NESCAC season!! Seriously, I don't think that that should be as problematic in cost terms as it seems to be since many of the NESCACs do not truly close for the summer and the freshmen arrive earlier and earlier every year. . Somewhere I read that a 9-game regular season schedule is a precondition for participation in the NCAA's D3 football play-offs so that needs to be put in place first.

[polbear73]

As a rule, colleges do not scrimmage against other schools, certainly not against seasonal opponents and definitely not against traditional long time rivals.  Every head or assistant NESCAC football coach with whom I've spoken over the years would gladly forgo the scrimmage for a 9th regular season game. 

If this were to be a serious proposal, it would be far more palatable to the powers-that-be to replace the scrimmage with that 9th game, NOT extending the season a full week at the end.  Depending on NCAA rules, I am not sure how much earlier the players would have to report, but I'm sure coaches would love to have the players for a few days before orientation. 

[frank uible]

The NESCAC powers-that-be fear (know?) that football qua football threatens the small lac academy in ways and to extents (see D One !) that other sports and extracurriculars at their institutions do not. Until the emotion is wrung out of this attitude (fat chance), proposals and other arguments to the contrary, no matter how reasonable, will not have a hearing much less a possibility of success.

[polbear73]

Certainly can't disagree, Frank.  The operative word being emotional. 

[amh63]

PolarCat....you scared me for awhile!  The quotes are JFK, I believe.  You are too young, I guess, to have seen him.  Remember him when he dedicated the Frost Library at Amherst.  Came back to hear him in the Cage.  His doctor that worked on his back problems would come to Amherst to look at the athletes and others...like me.  Told me that my right leg was shorter than my left...same as JFK...leading to a curvature of the spine.  Told me to tone it down while pretending to be a " jock"...my words.  I digress...again.
Good points all on a longer season.  The "movement" needs to progress at each school.  Logic should overcome emotions on a emotional subject....go CAC,

[PolarCat]

amh63, I really wish I was too young to remember JFK.  Unfortunately, I vividly remember being in school the day he was assassinated, and the nuns crying as they sent us home early.  (He had special meaning for them / us as the first Irish Catholic president).  I wouldn't experience that bottom-falling-out shock again till 9/11.

I actually though it was JFK who said "There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"  I hadn't realized till I Googled it last night that JFK had expressed those sentiments first, and differently, before RFK put his own spin on them.

Another post of mine that has almost nothing to do with football.  Except to recognize that JFK was one of our Presidents who played college football.

[Bombers798891]

I'm thinking it might be good to do a school-by-school primer for new parents: everything from the GPS address of the stadium, to where the tailgating areas are located, how quickly the visitor's tailgate area fills up, the school's stance on alcohol at tailgates, suggestions for hotels, restaurants, etc. in the area, and where that school's live streams can be found.

Just came across this in my readings, and would add in, that something on the handicap accessibility of stadiums would be hugely helpful. How's the parking? Are the visitor stands accessible if you're in a wheelchair? I'm not a NESCAC guy, but it's something that would be appreciated just in general

[PolarCat]

Great points!  Thanks!

I'm at that age where my prostate also wants to know where the bathrooms are.    There are probably other important things we're missing, too.

[UfanBill]

Interesting discussion on scrimmages and a ninth game.  All other D III football programs except the NESCAC in large part opened their seasons last weekend Friday/Saturday 9/4,5.  Their scrimmages were the weekend before 8/28,29!  The NESCAC is THREE weeks behind! NESCAC scrimmages are 9/19 when other schools are playing their third game!  Many of you already know this...Union College was a charter member of the NESCAC football conference when it was formed in 1971.  Union had traditional rivalries with Hamilton and Williams which dated to the very early years of college football. They also regularly scheduled MIddlebury, Trinity, Colby and Bates.  Fortunately for Union football fans Union administration saw that the NESCAC restrictions were in a word, ludicrous! Union withdrew from the NESCAC in 1977.  It proved to be a wise move.  Union played in the DIII national championship Stagg Bowl game in 1983 and 1989.  There have been a total of 27 post season football games in Union's history since 1983.  Union, as do most DIII teams plays TEN regular season games.  To my knowledge there has never been a question about too many football games, too many practices or playing into the post season.  The kids adjust. they are great student athletes. It is an honor and a privilege to Union football if they make the post season.  I thank the Union "powers to be" that Union isn't in the NESCAC.  I would say to all NESCAC players (and their parents and fans), you knew the NESCAC restrictions when you decided to attend and play football at a NESCAC school.  The "powers to be" are not likely to ever change their position.  Maybe you should have gone to Union or RPI or Hobart or Rochester if you wanted to play nine or ten games with a post season.         

[polbear73]

That is not entirely true about the reasons for Union leaving the NESCAC and conveniently omits the saga of Ned Harkness and hockey recruiting.  To suggest that the separation wasn't at least mutual is coloring the facts. 

[PolarCat]

While it's an interesting post, I think you over-estimate the ability of a HS student and his parents to fully and thoughtfully evaluate a college program.  I know in my kid's case, he fell in love with 3 or 4 schools, and when his HS coach told him that his #1 choice wanted him, there was no researching the ability to play post-season, the spiffiness of the uniforms, nor the attractiveness of the cheerleaders.  It was "Yahoo, I'm a Bobcat!  Where do I sign?"

I think this is probably the norm.  Witness the number of kids we've discussed recently, who transferred because the DI or DII school they committed to turned out not to be the best fit.

Union's a great school, and I admit I do love me some chicken riggies.  But I think all of us here would rather "improve" the NESCAC football experience, rather than abandon it.

[Bombers798891]

While it's an interesting post, I think you over-estimate the ability of a HS student and his parents to fully and thoughtfully evaluate a college program.  I know in my kid's case, he fell in love with 3 or 4 schools, and when his HS coach told him that his #1 choice wanted him, there was no researching the ability to play post-season

Look, if parents and players don't look into whether a team can be in the playoffs, that's their decision. Maybe they don't care, or maybe they just assume they'll be able to play, because that's the obvious answer.

But if you make that assumption or neglect to do the research, and then you show up and don't like the reality, well, I say that's a you problem and not a NESCAC problem. If you're that concerned about only playing eight games and not playing in the postseason, why wouldn't you have done this research? It's 2015, the concept of the NESCAC playing 8 games is not a state secret, and it's not like you have to look real hard to find out a team's postseason history (or lack thereof).

[AUPepBand]

While it's an interesting post, I think you over-estimate the ability of a HS student and his parents to fully and thoughtfully evaluate a college program.  I know in my kid's case, he fell in love with 3 or 4 schools, and when his HS coach told him that his #1 choice wanted him, there was no researching the ability to play post-season

Look, if parents and players don't look into whether a team can be in the playoffs, that's their decision. Maybe they don't care, or maybe they just assume they'll be able to play, because that's the obvious answer.

But if you make that assumption or neglect to do the research, and then you show up and don't like the reality, well, I say that's a you problem and not a NESCAC problem. If you're that concerned about only playing eight games and not playing in the postseason, why wouldn't you have done this research? It's 2015, the concept of the NESCAC playing 8 games is not a state secret, and it's not like you have to look real hard to find out a team's postseason history (or lack thereof).

...and this isn't the 60s when the only mention of Division III college football aside from local coverage was a long list of Saturday's scores in the Sunday morning paper. Information is readily available today for anyone who wants to know. Case in point, what Alfred professor artificially inseminated a bee? On your mark, get set go......first to answer gets +K

[NewtoNescac]

I would love a 9th game, and/or playoffs, but my son chose a NESCAC school mainly because of the high academics. Then the quality of the football, rivalries etc. was considered. Not having a 9th game, or playoffs, was never going to be a deal breaker for him. I can't wait to get this party started on September 26th.