FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

Albrycht?

[Trin9-0]

Cruiser: You're absolutely right. It's interesting to speculate what would happen, but that's all it is... speculation. Hopefully someday the NESCAC will losen up on their views regarding inter-conference and post-season play for football. In the mean time lets focus on this weeks games, all of which could be very close:


Trinity                27
Williams              10
They saying in Hartford is that "Wesleyan is for the alumni, Williams is for the players" This has never been more true than in this game where the Bantams have to opportunity to break Williams' 23 game win streak record. The Ephs play tough, but too many weapons on offense and a stilfiling D give Trinity one of the biggest wins in school history.

Colby                  24
Middlebury            7
If Colby wants a shot at 8-0 they need to be able to win on the road. This week may be their toughest opponent away from home.

Amherst              17
Bowdoin              14
A tough Polar Bear squad goes on the road and gives the Jeffs all they can handle. But the bottom line is, Amherst is still Amherst and Bowdoin is still Bowdoin.

Bates                  14
Tufts                  10
Bates takes the 1st step towards climbing out of the NESCAC basement in a mild upset win over the visiting Jumbos who looked average against a poor Wesleyan team.

Hamilton              32
Wesleyan             27
A high scoring shoot-out the past few times these teams hooked up. This time Holstag finally gets a win over the visiting Cardinals.

[bantom1]

A new win streak record will be set this Saturday. It's a good thing when Williams' atheletic programs are measured they do not include Football as there is no comparison between Trinity's and Williams football programs. Trinity's is on a continual rise and Williams looses to Colby. 
We will give Williams a slight edge in academics but as far as well rounded student athletes, the Bantoms lead the NESCAC. This Saturday we not only win but the real betting is on will we be scored upon. In a few weeks is will be Amherst's turn and with this win 8-0 is a
lock.

[formerbant10]

Bant.....make sure u spell Bantam right the next time you praise our academic ability.  But you're right about the win streak.

[pbfan]

Trin8-0,

Regarding your predictions for this week end...  if Bowdoin is able to hold Amherst to 17 points, Bowdoin takes the win.

[saul]

i'm laughing my b**** off about all the "excitement" surrounding the nescac win streak.  guys, it's nescac football. since we sometimes talk against a national D3 backdrop, let's cite mt. union's 55 game win streak ( ended '03) as something that's truly impressive. with all this talk about trinity being a national power, i can understand why it makes non-nescac folks snicker. trinity's streak, like williams previous streak, came against lame nescac competition, not top national programs but beyond that, trinity has taken the low route to the top: take kids, in general, nobody else in nescac wants or s/would take. where's the level playing field there? what's there to celebrate in that? let's understand this: trinity fans are celebrating beating a bunch of football lightweights ( who don't even care that they're lightweights ) by, in essence, cheating in the admissions office. sounds like trinity's the rafael palmeiro of the nescac. it's a little bit like a grown man armed w/ sap gloves and a shive, going to an elementary school playground to pummel a bunch 10 yr olds so he can feel better about himself. he knows he's a loser in life, but damn he's going to win this bout, even if he has to pull out the shive.  i'm laughing like the big o.... you can't be serious! trin fans: do you guys cheat old ladies out at thursday bingo??!!
     
   

i like nescac football because my friends play on the team --and they are quite possibly some of the funniest people on this earth-- but whenever they get a little too full of themselves, i remind them that they're playing d3 football, and nescac d3football at that. it's like believing in wwf or santa claus; it's sometimes entertaining, it's just not real.
as for the guy who drove to maine (?) for a scrimmage, seek help....now!

[formerbant10]

Saul, way to really put it into perspective.  Why don't you give the kids (All NESCAC players) for devoting their time and effort to the game.  I'm sure that this streak means a lot to all the players and the Alumni and if Amherst was about to break Williams' streak I can't even imagine the amount of trash talking there would be the week leading up to.  Are you really gonna bring up the lower admission standards again....believe it or not all Trinity athletes are "meatheads" and if you're gonna bring that up, then why don't we talk about what Mt. Union's admission policies were when they had their streak.  Don't get me wrong, I know Mt. Union's 55 wins is a helluva lot more impressive than the Bants' streak right now, but give the players some credit....half of them have never lost a game in college, which is amazing no matter who they're playing against.  And they all know that they play NESCAC football and are proud of doing that....oh yeah, almost forgot...Bingo is on Wednesday nights at the JCC.

[Trin9-0]

Saul: A few issues with you comments. First of all there is a lot of genuine excitment about possibility of breaking this streak for several reasons. The fact that NESCAC schools are ineligible to participate in the NCAA playoffs limits the goals that a team can set out to achieve. The highest of those goals is to have an undefeated season.  To do that in consecutive years is extremely difficult to do, by evidence of the mere handful of times it has been accomplished in the 120+ years NESCAC teams have been playing football. Also you can only beat teams you play. Obviously Mt. Union's streak is far more impressive not only in the length of the streak but also that they did is against the nations top teams. However, to knock Trinity's accomplishmet by likening it to a man assaulting children with weapons is first very sick, and also ridiculous.

My second issue is that Trinity has not cheated in any way, shape or form any NCAA or NESCAC recruiting or addmissions rule. The fact is, Trinity is a slightly less selective school than the rest of the NESCAC. Therefore, student athletes are accepted to Trinity, when they may not get accepted to other schools. It's a similar to the reason why the Univeristy of Miami accepts kids who couldn't get into Stanford (though obviously not to that extreme). And to say that Trinity is "beating lightweights who don't even care that they are lightweights" is disrespectful to the current and former coaches and players of those schools who put in a tremendous amount of time and effort into their respective programs.

And as for the person who drove to the scrimmage in Maine, he very well may have been going to watch his son or loved one play... so cut him some slack.  

It is certainly true that NESCAC football and DIII football may not be that important to you or the general population, but for those who have been a part of it there is a genuine love for it.

There is no need to waste your time writing post that do nothing but insult people and the hard work they do. I firmly believe that everyone is intitled to their own opinion, but if all you're going to do is degrade players and coaches and their accomplishments please keep it to yourself.

[dirtybirds8-0]

Hey Cheif (Saul), your last post was absolutely un-called for...I am curious if you ever played football? or if you played anything at all? (Besides ultimate frisbee)  To say that NESCAC football is pathetic...well I guess a long and history rich tradition of competiton and hard work is pathetic?  The funny thing about your post is that you have no idea what it is like to play in Trinity's system.  We have earned the respect of atheletes that could play on some of the top 1-AA and 1-A programs, as several of them have transfered to compete with our (pathetic) league.  The only thing pathetic is your last post, and the fact that you really have no idea what your talking about.  Please do not respond to this post if you want a reply....I will ignore any of your posts from this time forward.

[cruiser]

the fact is, NESCAC or not, only 5% of all high school football players play at any level in college. to disparage athletes who are playing football in the NESCAC, or any other league for that matter, is uncalled for. if saul had a clue as to what he was talking about, maybe it would be easier to take him seriously. despite the different allegiances held by posters on this board, at least we are all united by the fact we all care about NESCAC football. if there is one thing we can agree upon it is that we love the game and we appreciate the time and effort put in by these athletes. everyone who thinks otherwise need not apply

[formerbant10]

Pat, quick question....seeing as though the NESCAC follows the Ivies pretty much to the letter with football and basketball, do you think if the Ivy League were to go to the playoffs, the NESCAC would follow? 
Cruiser.....couldn't be more right with your first statement, playing any college sport is a privilege that most will never know a thing about, they can simply watch from the stands and comment on it.  Let 'em do it though, it gives the guys on the field a little fire under their a$$ to prove people wrong.

[Pat Coleman]

I expect that would probably be the case, formerbant10, but that would be a hunch -- not based on any particular speficic conversations with NESCAC presidents.

[frank uible]

If NESCAC were playing follow the leader with the Ivies, then wouldn't NESCAC already have gone to 9 or 10 games per team and to non-conference play?

[speedy]

Pat, quick question....seeing as though the NESCAC follows the Ivies pretty much to the letter with football and basketball, do you think if the Ivy League were to go to the playoffs, the NESCAC would follow? 
Cruiser.....couldn't be more right with your first statement, playing any college sport is a privilege that most will never know a thing about, they can simply watch from the stands and comment on it.  Let 'em do it though, it gives the guys on the field a little fire under their a$$ to prove people wrong.

There's no way the NESCAC will sanction participation in the NCAA play-offs for football. The D3 champion ends up playing 5 additional games and plays until Dec 20 or thereabouts. That would be a very long football season -- as many as 13 games -- and would run through exams for many schools to say nothing of overlapping with basketball and hockey season.

[Pat Coleman]

That's a big assumption -- that football will make it to the title game.

Does it bother them when teams make the playoffs in other sports?