FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[PolarCat]

I'm happy for the team, the coaches and the other student athletes who will use Whittier.  Also happy that the football alums were able to give the Rose Administration a little "attitude adjustment".  But I will miss the CBB Mud Bowl games.  The 2014 Bates game was epic: by halftime, the only clean uniforms belonged to the kickers.  Nothing defined my own personal (utterly unremarkable) playing experience more than a face full of grassy mud.

[amh63]

polbear73.....seeing is believing!  Thanks for the connection.
Guess that leaves the oldest continuous playing in field in the nation at Wesleyan to be the only grass field in the conference.
Do not know how to respond to PolarCat's playing days remark .

[Eagle322]

Do not forget about Tufts! They just put down new sod earlier this summer, so the grass is there for at least another season.

[amh63]

Eagle322...my bad !  .....as the newest generation say.  Interesting approach Tufts has taken as the school has been upgrading its athletic related facilities, etc.  Anyone have a " backstory" to the natural turf preference?

[ColbyFootball]

It appears Trinity is losing 6-7 defensive starters. I. Know they recruit well and have a deep roster. But it seems like quite a bit to lose. Any thoughts on this?

[amh63]

Colbyfootball.....will provide some personal thoughts wrt Trinity football. Aware that the Mules meet the Bantams early in the season.
Trinity vs Amherst has always been a battle of rivals that know each other well!  Too well, imo.  There have been in recent years three pair of brothers that have played against each other.  The Amherst players were all starters of note and I believe the Trinity brothers were all starters. 
In any case, home field advantage  can often tip the scale in determining the winner of the game.  I admit that I do not know what carries Trinity to victory for I see them as a two- headed rival with a strong offense as well as a solid defense.  Trinity's offense seems to return many key players...your info of the defensive side losses bore well for Amherst meeting with Trinity at Pratt Field.
Amherst fortunes, imo, is carried by its defense in general.  However, Amherst 4-4 season last year was due to, again in my opinion, the lost of a starting QB..Foy...and a sputtering offense due to a young offensive line.  Good luck!

[OldCardinal]

It appears Trinity is losing 6-7 defensive starters. I. Know they recruit well and have a deep roster. But it seems like quite a bit to lose. Any thoughts on this?

Trinity has lost 14 games in total over the last 15 years.  I think they have something like 6 undefeated seasons during that period.  The only way you have that kind of success year after year is by having lots of strong players in the program, waiting for their chance to play.  That's how they absorb inevitable injuries and replace great players without skipping a beat. They will be very good again, you can be sure of that. Still I think there will be a real battle for the top of the league with Wesleyan, Tufts, Amherst and possibly Middlebury all strong again (along with Trinity).  Can't wait for it all to start and looking forward to a full 9 game schedule!

[Trin9-0]

It appears Trinity is losing 6-7 defensive starters. I. Know they recruit well and have a deep roster. But it seems like quite a bit to lose. Any thoughts on this?

Trinity's losses on the defensive side of the ball are substantial as they graduate 4 All-NESCAC defenders including defensive POY, Spencer Donahue but as amh63 and OldCardinal point out they always seem to reload and I'm confident they'll once again have one of the top defensive squads in the league.

There is plenty of reason for optimism in Hartford as their losses on defense are more than offset by what they return on offense. I had posted this several months back but it bears repeating that 10 starters return for the Bantams in 2017 (6 of which were either first or second team all-NESCAC). All five O-linemen return, two receivers, the tight end and the entire backfield which includes two front-runners for offensive POY in Max Chipouras and Sonny Puzzo.

Considering Trinity had the 5th highest scoring offense in league history last year this unit should be downright scary this season.

[amh63]

Trin8-0....thanks for the input!  You did put the scare in me .  See that one of the Spears  is still playing for the Bantams. 
Want to give a thanks to Trinity's newest President for her push ..as the Chairperson of the " Nescac sports matters".. to get the 9 game football season. It will be an interesting season indeed. 
An open question for this board....will it take an undefeated season to win the CAC title this season?  Will there be a multi-team tie for the title?...is the follow up topic.

[ColbyFootball]

Trinity8-0....thanks for the input!  You did put the scare in me .  See that one of the Spears brothers is still playing for the Bantams. 
Want to give a thanks to Trinity's newest President for her push as the Chairperson of the Nescac " sports matters" to get the 9 game football season. It will be an interesting season indeed. 
An open question for this board....will it take an undefeated season to win the CAC title this season?  Will there be a multi-team tie for the title?...is the follow up topic.

Less likely to need an undefeated  season to win the title. And if they begin switching the sequence of games in the schedule, while retaining the timing if rivalries, it will bring further balance. Trinity plays a soft initial schedule every year. While they usually have talented teams, that's unquestionably an advantage.

[PolarCat]

I'm right there with Colby Football on this one.  Consider the first 3 weeks of the season:

• Hamilton faces Amherst, Wesleyan and Trinity
• Bowdoin faces Midd, Amherst and Tufts.
• Colby faces Williams, Midd and Wesleyan

All three teams are handicapped by a schedule that pretty much guarantees a 1-2 start at best.  At the other end of the spectrum:

• Trinity has Bates, Williams and Hamilton
• Midd has Bowdoin, Colby and Amherst
• Wes has Tufts, Hamilton and Colby

Those three teams benefit from a schedule that pretty much guarantees them a 3-0 or 2-1 start.  Why not start the season with a more level playing field?  Instead of letting the top dogs tune up on the little dogs?

[nescac1]

Through much of NESCAC history, Williams-Trinity was, in more years than not, the de facto NESCAC title game.  And maybe still would be but for one horrendous hiring decision.  Give it a few more years and no one will be calling Trinity's early schedule soft again.

[Pat Coleman]

What are the games that would give Hamilton, Bowdoin or Colby a fighting chance? Only playing each other?

[PolarCat]

What are the games that would give Hamilton, Bowdoin or Colby a fighting chance? Only playing each other?

We are all excited about the 9 game season.  But it would be nice if every team faced one or more little dogs at the start of the season, and not just the top dogs.

Not asking for preferential treatment, just parity.  Imagine the uproar if the Patriots got to open their season with Cleveland,  Jacksonville, The Eagles and the Bears each and every year?

[ColbyFootball]

At the very least a soft opening schedule gives you momentum, and confidence.