FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[formerbant10]

Interesting picks this week, I like the following:

Bowdoin 13....Hamilton 7

Bates 14....Wesleyan 13  Thriller of a game

Amherst 21....Colby 17  Colby wakes up, but not enough

Trinity 21....Tufts 17  Jumbos pass attack seems pretty good

Middlebury 10....Williams 7 Just don't want the Ephs 8-0

[Col. Partridge]

NESCAC Scores (as of 4:15):

Hamilton         12      Bowdoin   0       
Amherst         38      Colby      3      
Wesleyan        17      Bates       14 (OT)

[Col. Partridge]

Trinity    17          Tufts       0

Can't find the Williams-Midd score anywhere...

[Col. Partridge]

I didn't look everywhere:

Williams 50  Middlebury 9

The Captain goes 4-1.  I think this week seperated the wheat from the chaffe, so to speak.  I think Williams has to be favored to run the table.   

[mrmike88]

The Amherst-Colby game was tied 3-3 for most of the first half, and then it opened up considerably for the Jeff passing game.  They scored a touchdown in under a minute at the end of the first half, and then came out firing in the second half.  Colby had done a good job getting pressure to Kehoe and knocking some passes down in the first half, but the rush (and the coverage) wasn't there as the game progressed.  The secondary was routinely burned for deep passes in the 2nd.

It should be noted that Colby's best secondary player, Bracco, left the game midway through the first half.

[pleasedontflex]

From the games I've listened to this year, it seems that Wes is still pass-happy.  And they do not seem to have as talented QB/receivers as they did when that offense worked in years past.

My only explanation for this is that the running game is even less effective.  In any event, the defense does not get to rest much.

Actually it has been an overwhelming problem in the offensive line recruitment....Wes hasn't been able to bring in the powerful and larger OLine guys needed to play an iso and outside zone running attack but that's not due to a lack of effort to get those guys....Trin/amh/williams have been taken the majority of those guys over the years.  Once wes gets a few guys up front that compliment the rest of the league year in and year out then you will see a change in the style of offense.

[bant551]

Thats true actually, I remember them being really undersized on both lines.

[dirtybirds30-0]

Williams will get their 8-0 season this year.  The seniors on that team certainly deserve it if they get there.

[frank uible]

Do you think that the remaining teams on Williams' schedule are prepared to roll over and forfeit?

[Col. Partridge]

Maybe I'm slow, and I realize this question would be better posed to the folks that run nescacnation.com...but I don't understand their weekly predictions.  First they give the "lines":

The Lines
Bowdoin -7.5
Amherst -10.5
Wesleyan -3.5
Williams -10.5
Tufts -3

So far, so good.  I understand the team named is the favorite, with the number representing the spread.  I don't think there is a market for NESCAC lines in Vegas, so I assume the webmaster is choosing the favorite and establishing the spread.


Then, there are the "picks" with "outright winner" in parenth.

The Picks - (Outright Winner)
Hamilton (Bowdoin)
Colby (Amherst)
Wesleyan (Wesleyan)
Middlebury (Williams)
Trinity (Trinity)

I assume the picks are against the spread, but what is "outright winner"?   You just established the favorite above.  For instance, in the example above you are saying Tufts is a three point favorite, but take Trinity with the points.  Also, Trinity will win the game outright?

Please help this degenerate gambler...

[met_fan]

The first pick is the choice against the spread and the outright pick is the actual winner of the game.

[Col. Partridge]

met_fan:  That's what I figured, but why not just make favorite in the lines be the outright pick, since you (or whoever runs the site) is the one establishing the spread in the first place?  In any event, it is a great website and I look forward to more content in the future.

Frank:  Of course no one will roll over, but I do think that in the first half of the season, Williams has established itself as the team to beat.   

[dirtybirds30-0]

Not saying anyone os going to roll over.  When you strat winning games by large margins the confidence usually carries you through the season...also, other teams are looking at these guys and saying "How do you stop them?".  The only team that will NOT cower away from Williams for the rest of the year is Amherst...sounds harsh, but watch the scores in the coming weeks...could be ugly for their oponents.

[frank uible]

The history of football is strewn with the bodies of heavy favorites which lost to teams "not qualified to be on the field with the favorites".

[dirtybirds30-0]

I more than anyone would like to see Williams lose...but we can watch and see what happens until the Amherst game...