FB: Empire 8

[AUPepBand]

I won't challenge you characterizing me as a fair-weather fan given my absence.  But, to be clear, it was Cortaca that brought me back.  I just happened to discover the AQ while looking for Cortaca info.

Also, can a person be a 'fair-weather' fan of a team that plays games in New York in the fall?  This Florida Boy doesn't remember the weather ever being 'fair.'

Whatever it is, the Kaz00 family will be escaping it next week and heading to Viper country.  Walking the beach in search of shark teeth and a trip to Legoland sound far better than WNY in November!

Seems to Pep that this makes Kaz a fan of fair weather!

[sjfcards]

Remember me?

Two years to the day since my last post.  And, to be honest, I haven't really been able to follow the Bombers at all in that time except to know they had some bad years.  In fact, I just came back to see if this was, in fact, Cortaca week only to learn that we ("we" seems wrong given my extended absence, but make room on the bandwagon) won the E8 and beat Fisher.

So, I hope all E8PPers are well.  And Go Bombers.

Feels like old times on here! Welcome back to the party Jose.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Since I may have tripped the "unpopular opinion" alarm with my earlier devil's-advocate posts re: the E8, let's bring it back to a more fun conversation: between Alfred and St. John Fisher, which has the better (still faint) chance of getting a Pool C as the winner of the Courage Bowl?  I don't think the chances are very good for either but if I had to pick one I would probably take SJF.  Both teams have a loss to Ithaca, but SJF's is a closer loss, and SJF's second loss to Salisbury is not as bad as Alfred's second loss to RPI.  SJF has the only RR win to date between the two (W & J), although it's not entirely impossible to imagine Brockport State winning the NJAC (if they win and Rowan loses this week) and maybe sneaking into the final regional ranking which would give Alfred one as well (just to be clear, I'm not sure how much attention y'all pay to the General Board threads but Pat has clarified that only wins over teams in the final RR's count as RR results, not the "once ranked always ranked" criteria previously used).

If Framingham wins this week, y'all had also better root for Endicott to beat Salve Regina, which might have the domino effect of getting Framingham a RR win and thus nudging them into Pool B.  If they don't get a Pool B, they will almost surely wind up atop the East's Pool C board, and that is probably a death knell for the at-large chances of anyone else from the East.

[sjfcards]

Since I may have tripped the "unpopular opinion" alarm with my earlier devil's-advocate posts re: the E8, let's bring it back to a more fun conversation: between Alfred and St. John Fisher, which has the better (still faint) chance of getting a Pool C as the winner of the Courage Bowl?  I don't think the chances are very good for either but if I had to pick one I would probably take SJF.  Both teams have a loss to Ithaca, but SJF's is a closer loss, and SJF's second loss to Salisbury is not as bad as Alfred's second loss to RPI.  SJF has the only RR win to date between the two (W & J), although it's not entirely impossible to imagine Brockport State winning the NJAC (if they win and Rowan loses this week) and maybe sneaking into the final regional ranking which would give Alfred one as well (just to be clear, I'm not sure how much attention y'all pay to the General Board threads but Pat has clarified that only wins over teams in the final RR's count as RR results, not the "once ranked always ranked" criteria previously used).

If Framingham wins this week, y'all had also better root for Endicott to beat Salve Regina, which might have the domino effect of getting Framingham a RR win and thus nudging them into Pool B.  If they don't get a Pool B, they will almost surely wind up atop the East's Pool C board, and that is probably a death knell for the at-large chances of anyone else from the East.

I agree both teams will need some help, but I would give the nod to (homer pick) Fisher based on OOC schedule and results.

[Bombers798891]

It probably won't happen, because Frostburg is likely to do little against Salisbury, but there's a chance Ithaca could finish last in the conference in points scored despite winning it all, a reversal of 2007, where the Wick won it all despite being last in points allowed.

So, which winner was more improbable?

[Upstate]

It probably won't happen, because Frostburg is likely to do little against Salisbury, but there's a chance Ithaca could finish last in the conference in points scored despite winning it all, a reversal of 2007, where the Wick won it all despite being last in points allowed.

So, which winner was more improbable?

I'd say it's almost equal but I'm going to go with Wick's was more improbable...

Both of those squads, the IC Offense and Hartwick Defense, put a ton of pressure on the teams opposite unit to keep them in and more often than not win games...

It's just really hard to be that consistent on offense week in and week out, just so many things can go wrong for that unit with blocking, dropped passes, off target passes that for them to be excellent all year to overcome the defenses inability to stop people...

[AUPepBand]

Hello? Is this mic on?

[Mr. Ypsi]

Hello? Is this mic on?

Loud and clear - so use it!  I'm getting tired of the only east region talk being NESCAC intramurals.

[AUPepBand]

So Pep was checking out the Cardinal Courier and came across an article indicating that St. John Fisher College is planning to start a pep band. This is good news! Pep has always preferred a live student pep band at a small college football game rather than canned music electronically blasted into a stadium. Kudos!

On Saxon Warriors!

[sjfcards]

So Pep was checking out the Cardinal Courier and came across an article indicating that St. John Fisher College is planning to start a pep band. This is good news! Pep has always preferred a live student pep band at a small college football game rather than canned music electronically blasted into a stadium. Kudos!

On Saxon Warriors!

I saw the same article, and I could not agree more. I think pep bands add a huge amount to the college sports experience. I guess the plan is just football for now, but I really hope they expand that to basketball at least.

[mattvsmith]

Hello? Is this mic on?

Loud and clear - so use it!  I'm getting tired of the only east region talk being NESCAC intramurals.

+K

Now there's something we can agree upon! I thought I was the only one tired of seeing NESCAC being the only board with updates.

[AUPepBand]

So sjfcards....will you be at the Courage Bowl?

On Saxon Warriors!

[AUKaz00]

Reading all the General Board prognostications, the consensus seems to be that the top 6 teams in the East RR would be in via Pool A and B meaning that in all likelihood the winner of the Courage Bowl gets the honor of being passed over 5 times during Pool C selection.  Is it too much to dream that the conventional wisdom might be off and after getting "discussed" and passed on 4 times that the selection committee relents during that 5th selection and gives a nod to the East?  I'd say it's more likely to happen with Fisher as the 8-2 - since they rewarded a similar selection by winning 2 games - than it would be for Alfred (we take our Rodney Dangerfield persona seriously in Mayberry).

Glad I wasn't completely out in left field with this line of thinking.

Keith:

The Alfred-St. John Fisher winner is the two-loss team I like most for inclusion. Instead of discussing all the at-large candidates at one time, the advisory committees will do their final sets of regional rankings and pass them on to the national committee. They will then subtract all the automatic bid teams, and discuss one at-large team from each region. In effect, only four teams are "on the table" at any given time.

Let's say the Pool C four are JCU, PLU, Alfred and Thomas More. JCU goes in and IWU gets to the board in the North. Then PLU goes in and Platteville comes to the board. IWU is the third team in. The board is now Wabash, UW-P, Alfred and Thomas More, and UW-P goes in. Then for your final spot, you compare Wabash, Alfred, Thomas More and either Illinois College from the west, or the highest remaining two-loss MIAC team. That could be an interesting discussion. Alfred, on the board the entire time, has had its credentials well discussed by this point. A high SoS, wins over regionally ranked opponents, well, it could be enough to sneak past the one-loss teams with SoS numbers near or below .500 and without a win over a RRO.

[ExTartanPlayer]

AUKaz00, you are correct in at least raising that line of thinking.  I have previously posted and stand by the fact that this shouldn't matter; if, say, Wabash comes to the board at the very end as the third team discussed from the North after JCU/Mount and Illinois Wesleyan get in sometime in the first four selections, I believe that they should still get in over Alfred even though Alfred has been on the board from the beginning.  However, as Keith has confirmed, your line of thinking that this sort of "conversation fatigue" may result in Alfred or SJF getting in since they'll be on the board from the beginning.

[AUKaz00]

Good stuff on the Cortaca board the year!  You can tell that the rivalry is as heated as ever.