FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[JEFFFAN]

Was talking to an active poster on this site today ... has the coach of the year ever gone to a coach who did not win the NESCAC?  EVER?  Nothing against Trinity, but I would've given high consideration to the coach from Tufts.  Taking nothing away from the Trinity coach but it is a helluva lot easier to repeat than it is to take a program from the depths and build it.

[Craft_Beermeister]

Wishing all a great Thanksgiving.

[ColbyFootball]

Campus wise the Nescac schools are much nicer imo except for maybe Tufts and Colby.
[/quote]
Not sure how much of the Colby campus you've seen, but it's one of the more beautiful campuses you'll find anywhere. And, they are building student residences in the town, and a boutique hotel is being built, as well. So, within a few short years downtown Waterville should be an attractive compliment to the campus itself.

[Jonny Utah]

Campus wise the Nescac schools are much nicer imo except for maybe Tufts and Colby.

Not sure how much of the Colby campus you've seen, but it's one of the more beautiful campuses you'll find anywhere. And, they are building student residences in the town, and a boutique hotel is being built, as well. So, within a few short years downtown Waterville should be an attractive compliment to the campus itself.
[/quote]

It is nice.  I think the other Nescac campuses are better, the buildings are older, I like some of the gothic architecture that a Trinity, Williams or Wesleyan has, or the old buildings like West College at Williams, Hathorn Hall at Bates, West Hall at Middlebury or even the buildings around the main quad at Amherst. Colby is a newer campus with not a lot of history and just isn't as nice as the other campuses. Just my opinion.  Nothing to base a college decision over that is for sure.  I'm a history buff and I like architecture. 

You want to talk about Dick Whitmore or some old school Colby greats?  Or the biology or English programs?  Sure, maybe Colby is great there, I don't know.  Just offering my opinion on the campuses and what do do off campus.  Waterville and Winslow, ME?  Blah.  Nicer than Hartford, but no Williamstown or Amherst.  Again, just my two cents

[Eagle322]

Was talking to an active poster on this site today ... has the coach of the year ever gone to a coach who did not win the NESCAC?  EVER?  Nothing against Trinity, but I would've given high consideration to the coach from Tufts.  Taking nothing away from the Trinity coach but it is a helluva lot easier to repeat than it is to take a program from the depths and build it.

Mark Harriman was Co-Coach of the year with Devanney in 2012. Bobcats went 5-3 (best record since 1981) and Trinity went 8-0.

[FourMoreYears]

Thank you!

One of the things I look at is "acceptance rate". I have an older boy playing at an Ivy and I think they range from 5% - 11%, NESCACs range in the teens, Bentley is 42% and Stonehill (another D2 that has been calling) is 72%

I think he is going to commit to a NESCAC school**, but the Bentley situation has me curious (scholarship/good business school)

**I will reveal the NESCAC school after he commits and look forward to 4+ years on the board

My only advice (three kids played collegiately, two in the NESCAC), is try to have him (and you too because I know darn well from experience we parents are a part of the process hahaha) be honest answering the following question: "Would I be happy at this school if I blew my knee out the first week of practice?"  Because stuff happens: injuries, coaching changes, developing other interests etc.  Good luck and have fun, it's an exciting time in your lives!  Sounds like he has some wonderful options/opportunities ahead of him!

[Hawk196]

what about the campus at Tuft or Colby don't you like?

They are fine, but I always thought there was something special about Williams, Bowdoin, Bates, Hamilton, and Amherst colleges that I don't see at Bentley, Tufts or Colby.

It all depends on what you like and what experience you want in college.  Williams and Middlebury are nice rural campuses while Trinity and Wesleyan are suburban type campuses with Trinity being a semi-gated college.

Probably much more to do off campus at Tufts or Trinity, but if you are into outdoors stuff, Williams and Hamilton might be up your alley. 

I don't know what it is about Colby that I never liked.  Seemed like it was built in the 1960s while the other Nescac schools have some nicer/older buildings.  I should say I haven't been to Colby in a long time but there are more posters here who can give you better opinions on that stuff.

Johnny Utah by mother always used to tell me if I dont know to just not say and it is clear to me that you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

A football blog and no where to get advice regarding choices of some of the best schools in the country. I have relatives, close friends and business associates that are alumni. No bad choices and if you can afford to please let the young man choose.

Oh he will decide and I'm just looking for perspective on the league (and maybe someone knows about Bentley). Brown is an excellent school, but football.....I believe they were 3-17 the past 2 years, maybe he starts for 2-3 years and they keep losing, is that a fun college football career...No. He is coming from a very well respected and winning high school program. Academically he can't lose, but I want him to enjoy the football experience. The Maine schools are too far away and their records are tough.

Some are pushing for early decision and others are having him for visits after early decision period, so its a "bird in the hand vs 2 in the bush" scenario and we are trying to get as much info as possible. I was at the Yale game a few weeks ago and not one person/parent said Bentley over the NESCAC school. I've experience the college recruiting game in the past and I'm just looking for info from people who follow the NESCAC.

At the end of the day it is his decision, so no i'm not going to have a football blog make his decision. Just a parent looking for perspective.

Thanks all for the replies...Happy Thanksgiving!

[nescac1]

Jefffan, Coach Raymond won COY last year -- and deservedly so.  He did in my view just as good a job this year considering the size of the roster to start the year and just how many key guys suffered season-ending injuries.  Next year is really the first time that Raymond will have basically a full deck to play with, and the higher expectations that come with it.  It will be interesting to see how it goes. 

On the topic of NESCAC campuses, I think Colby is really gorgeous, myself.  I'd rank Middlebury the most beautiful, followed by Williams, Amherst, Colby, and Bowdoin.  But that's just one man's preference! 

[Trin9-0]

You beat me to it, nescac1. It looks like Harriman and Raymond are the only coaches to win the award who didn't win at least a share of the title. I was a little surprised that Civetti has never won the award, but his best seasons coincided with years that other teams had undefeated seasons.

No NESCAC coach who has led his team to an undefeated season has ever not won the award, which I think we can all agree makes sense. Although, I'm sure Nescacman has thoughts on Aaron Kelton winning the award in 2010.

I'm an Eph fan, admittedly, but Williams' program is one, at most two, years away from returning to pre-Kelton levels, when the Ephs were 1 or 2, which is reflected in this ranking.

Academically:
Williams/Amherst
Bowdoin/Midd
Tufts/Wesleyan
Colby/Bates/Hamilton
Trinity

Football:
Trinity
Williams/Amherst
Midd/Tufts/Wesleyan
Colby/Hamilton
Bates
Bowdoin

I'd say the academic differences are very narrow, much narrower than the football differences.

There's no doubt Williams and Amherst top the league in academic standing (although, as you correctly note the gap isn't as large as the differences in the quality of the football programs from top to bottom).

However, I'm not sure I'd put Williams that close to the top of the football hierarchy just yet. If you look at the average finish for each program since the league started officially listing the standings, Williams is below Middlebury and is actually closer to Wesleyan than Amherst:

Average Final Place in NESCAC Standings
Trinity: 2.05
Amherst: 2.63
Middlebury: 3.37
Williams: 3.58
Wesleyan: 4.84
Colby: 5.53
Tufts: 5.95
Bowdoin: 7.32
Bates: 7.47
Hamilton: 7.95

[The Mole]

RECORDS SINCE 1998

Trinity 137-33 (2-6 in 98 was only losing season)
Amherst 129-41 (no losing years)
Williams 113-57 (15-33 from 2011-2016)
Middlebury 109-61 (only two losing both 3-5 in 98 and 05)
Wesleyan 91-79 (6 losing years all between 2004-2011)
Tufts 76-94 (2009-2013 was 3-37 with 11, 12 and 13 winless)
Colby 72-98 (38 of the wins from 1998-2005)
Bates 46-124 (EIGHTEEN losing seasons)
Bowdoin 44-126 (8 wins since 2012)
Hamilton 32-128 (ALL 21 campaigns were losing--6 wins in last two years)

[ColbyFootball]

Christian Sparacio Colby '18 is an assistant varsity coach for Mater Dei Prep in Middletown NJ, as well as the JV Head Coach. They're headed to Metlife Stadium Saturday to play in the State Championship.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/ColbyCollegeFootball/posts/?ref=notif

[nescac1]

Trin 8-0, I am talking about the state of football programs, overall, in the NESCAC right now.  Williams has the best football facilities (or at least in the top two), one of the top coaching staffs, a tremendous football tradition, and a huge amount of returning talent that it can boast of.  Basically, one terrible hire set the program off course, but six aberrent years from 2011-2016 are not remotely reflective of the storied history, or promising future, of football at Williams.  Williams still maintains a winning record (by a wide margin) vs. every team in NESCAC save Trinity, with which it is tied.  Wiliams is still the only NESCAC program to host Gameday, and still has The Walk, one of the best college football traditions in the country.  And the Ephs' near-term future on the field looks very bright, with a solid team the past two years that was dominated by underclassmen and had a tough end to this season due to a combo of an unusually small group of upperclassmen inherited from the prior regime and an absolutely crippling series of injuries to star players. 

A coaching staff that barely recruited at all led to a five year blip of terrible records, but I don't think that anyone looking at the program right now need concern themselves with anything that happened during the Kelton years.   Pre-Kelton, I would have said Williams/Trinity were tied for number one.  Given Trinity's recent run dominance, and that Williams still has a ways to go to get back to its former heights and nothing is guaranteed, Williams has lost that distinction for sure.  But if you are asking, where is someone likely to have the best football experience -- based on likely W-L record, facilities, community support, football tradition, alumni connections, and caliber of coaching -- over the next four years, I think Williams is right there with Amherst. 

[truenorth]

[/quote]

Oh he will decide and I'm just looking for perspective on the league (and maybe someone knows about Bentley). Brown is an excellent school, but football.....I believe they were 3-17 the past 2 years, maybe he starts for 2-3 years and they keep losing, is that a fun college football career...No. He is coming from a very well respected and winning high school program. Academically he can't lose, but I want him to enjoy the football experience. The Maine schools are too far away and their records are tough.

Some are pushing for early decision and others are having him for visits after early decision period, so its a "bird in the hand vs 2 in the bush" scenario and we are trying to get as much info as possible. I was at the Yale game a few weeks ago and not one person/parent said Bentley over the NESCAC school. I've experience the college recruiting game in the past and I'm just looking for info from people who follow the NESCAC.

At the end of the day it is his decision, so no i'm not going to have a football blog make his decision. Just a parent looking for perspective.

Thanks all for the replies...Happy Thanksgiving!
[/quote]

Ultimately your son will make his college choice based on the criteria that are most important to him.  He can't go wrong with any of these schools.  That said, you are talking about a significant range of college experiences here.  The NESCAC schools are obviously small liberal arts colleges (wth the exception of Tufts) with small, intimate campus communities.  Bentley is a business curriculum-oriented school in Waltham, MA...where the student population is likely to be less diverse in their backgrounds and their life and career interests.  Brown is a large ivy in a cool small city with a very diverse student population.

Again, that old cliche we posters dig up regularly...if your student athlete breaks his leg in his freshman year, or loses interest in his sport, is the school otherwise a good fit when it comes to culture, academics, activities, etc.?  As one data point, my boys were soccer players at Brown and Bowdoin.  They both had great college experiences, but those experiences were certainly different in several ways.  Also, even though each boy's family's financial circumstances were identical, Brown offered substantial grant support in years 3 and 4, and Bowdoin offered nothing...

These are perhaps all things to consider...

[hamfan88]

Neat FBS-NESCAC connection.  Yesterday in the Iron Bowl the broadcasters said that this year's Bama team was the second in NCAA history to beat each its first 12 opponents by 20+ points.

The first team to do so? The 1888 Yale Bulldogs. To get to this feat the 1888 Yale team beat Amherst, Williams, and Wesleyan. Yale beat Wesleyan 3 times that year, including a 105-0 walloping in the penultimate game of the season.

I think Alabama's schedule this year may have been a tad tougher but still interesting nonetheless.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1888_Yale_Bulldogs_football_team

[JEFFFAN]

Thanks HAMFAN for that link    What a team Yale had even if they did beat up on our patsies from the Little Three!  It is interesting to realize that even black then D3 teams had no "right" being on the same field as D1 teams 

For what it's worth, I saw Princeton play a few times this year   One of the best Ivy teams I have seen in my lifetime