FB: Empire 8

[SJFF82]

I said before camp even started that AU was my team to beat in the E8...

I think Secky separates them from the rest of the pack in the E8...

They still have to win at Ithaca, something they've never done in their history, IIRC. I'm not saying it won't happen, but good Alfred teams have lost to pretty good Bombers teams in the past. In both 2005 and 2007, Alfred came into Ithaca with a 7-1 record and walked out with double-digit losses (28-14 in '05, 42-25 in '07).

Enlighten me on how that has an effect on this years game again?

The same way that every red sox season was effected for 86 years until 2004

last i checked...Bill Buckner had a little sumthin sumthin to say about that streak....oops 

[SJFF82]

I mean, who has Hartwick played this season? Since when does beating Norwich, Becker, Salve Regina and Morrisville State count as an impressive slate of opponents? None of those teams are any good, so why should Hartwick's 4-0 record mean anything? 

Hartwick's record means ****! Hence the reason they get no ERP consideration from most and absolutely no love on a national level. They had christ as a QB for four years and still lost to Brockport ST last year in the ECAC's when Boltus was a senior. Wick's record is meaningless in regards to the region until they beat anyone of remote substance. Now if they go ahead and beat SJF again then they will definitely deserve a look (not saying SJF is all that good either). Now here is a team dlip wished would toughen up their schedule and make a move to take the program to the next level. They almost always have decent QB's and some skill players but that means nothing when your D gives up over 60 points on multiple occasions during a season. dlip has always liked Wick but just feels with that schedule and their past, they should never even be looked at until they completely force one to look at them.

I think thats pretty much how it goes?  Most people complain about a weak schedule and Hartwick wont get any credit until they beat Ithaca or Fisher (recent years Fisher) or both... and even when they do that most people on here act like its a fluke instead of giving them credit... its no secret

gotta side with Wick on this one...but only for regular season's sake.  No question that they dont bring it against anyone in post season.

[SJFF82]

Here is +k for me just for your effort.

I think rivalries are hard to understand if you haven't participated in one as a fan or player.  From the outside, you can convince yourself that a manufactured rivalry is the same but it isn't.

yeah you actually have to beat Fisher once in a while for it to be a rivalry right?

[dlippiel]

The next three weeks will tell us a lot about this team. dlip is very interested to see how Ithaca deals with them. If they beat Ithaca and they are competitive or possibly beat Alfred then we will know exactly how good Wick is. Yet having to come back against Salve to get the W makes dlip very weary, as well as their past struggles against  teams that were supposed to be inferior competition. dlip is not trying to be a dick here at all but isn't surprised an SJF fan is giving credit to Wick. dlip guesses if he was an SJF fan he would need to respect Wick as well because of the recent past (07, 08).

[maxpower]

Here is +k for me just for your effort.

I think rivalries are hard to understand if you haven't participated in one as a fan or player.  From the outside, you can convince yourself that a manufactured rivalry is the same but it isn't.

yeah you actually have to beat Fisher once in a while for it to be a rivalry right?

Nah, we just have to care about beating Fisher.

[fisheralum91]

et tu 82?

[SJFF82]

The next three weeks will tell us a lot about this team. dlip is very interested to see how Ithaca deals with them. If they beat Ithaca and they are competitive or possibly beat Alfred then we will know exactly how good Wick is. Yet having to come back against Salve to get the W makes dlip very weary, as well as their past struggles against  teams that were supposed to be inferior competition. dlip is not trying to be a dick here at all but isn't surprised an SJF fan is giving credit to Wick. dlip guesses if he was an SJF fan he would need to respect Wick as well because of the recent past.

agree with the last statement, but I have always 'defended' the wick bashing, even before they were bashing us on the field almost evry year

[Bombers798891]

Look, there's only five conference games for each team. It's going to be extremely hard for ANYONE to win the conference over a team they lost to because that team would then need to lose at least 2 of their remaining 4 games in conference. With so few conference games, there's just not as many opportunities for teams to get tripped up.

Honestly, that's been the case in the E6 over the past few years.  Who was Norwich beating that was contending for the crown?  That was an automatic win for the contenders and limited the permutations for tie-breakers and one loss teams winning the league outright.

Other than Fisher in 2004, you're right, no-one. This is why the H2H is so important in the E8. The only time I remember a contending team dropping a game in a H2H and winning the conference anyway was last season's SJF/IC game. It's one of the best things about this conference...every game is a must-win between contenders.

[maxpower]

I realize I'm way behind on this, but what's the deal with Fisher only having 9 games this year?

[WICB Sports]

Countdown to Kickoff starts at 2:00 this week when the Bombers visit Hartwick. The game kicks off at 2:30 with our live call-in show immediately following the game. 91.7FM or WICB.org.

[theoriginalupstate]

I realize I'm way behind on this, but what's the deal with Fisher only having 9 games this year?

Couldn't find anyone to fill in for Norwich...

They even went looking to higher divisions to fill it but it just didn't work out...

[maxpower]

I realize I'm way behind on this, but what's the deal with Fisher only having 9 games this year?

Couldn't find anyone to fill in for Norwich...

They even went looking to higher divisions to fill it but it just didn't work out...

Yeah, plus I can see how scheduling Mount AND a higher division team would be scary when it comes to selection sunday... What if Fisher loses the conference by a tiebreaker, with a 2-2 or 1-3 OOC record, but two of those are monkey stomps to Mount and someone else? This board would probably explode.....

[dewcrew88]

New column is up!

http://www.d3football.com/columns/around-the-region/east/2009/Parity+has+already+hit+some+contenders

[Bombers798891]

I mean, who has Hartwick played this season? Since when does beating Norwich, Becker, Salve Regina and Morrisville State count as an impressive slate of opponents? None of those teams are any good, so why should Hartwick's 4-0 record mean anything? 

Hartwick's record means ****! Hence the reason they get no ERP consideration from most and absolutely no love on a national level. They had christ as a QB for four years and still lost to Brockport ST last year in the ECAC's when Boltus was a senior. Wick's record is meaningless in regards to the region until they beat anyone of remote substance. Now if they go ahead and beat SJF again then they will definitely deserve a look (not saying SJF is all that good either). Now here is a team dlip wished would toughen up their schedule and make a move to take the program to the next level. They almost always have decent QB's and some skill players but that means nothing when your D gives up over 60 points on multiple occasions during a season. dlip has always liked Wick but just feels with that schedule and their past, they should never even be looked at until they completely force one to look at them.

I think thats pretty much how it goes?  Most people complain about a weak schedule and Hartwick wont get any credit until they beat Ithaca or Fisher (recent years Fisher) or both... and even when they do that most people on here act like its a fluke instead of giving them credit... its no secret

I can't speak for Wick/Fisher, but as far as Wick/IC goes...

2004- IC goes up 23-0 in the opening 20 minutes and cruises to a 47-8 win
2005- IC goes up 38-7 after 25 minutes and still leads by 31 heading into the 4th
2006- IC up 21-0 at the half and 34-7 heading into the 4th
2008- IC gets up 27-7 in the first quarter, Hartwick rallies, still manages to trail by 27 heading into the 4th quarter

They beat Ithaca one time, by two points...they're 1-7 against IC since they restarted the program, and 2007 was the only time in the last five years Ithaca hadn't jumped all over them from the get go. If you want to cling to one win and cry about not getting respect from IC, that's fine, but winning more than once every decade or so might help with that problem. So would entering the 4th quarter down by fewer than 25 points.

Am I saying Ithaca's unbeatable against Hartwick? No. I'm simply pointing out that the Wick's recent games against IC haven't exactly shown the Hawks in their best light. I don't think 2007 was a fluke, but it does stand out in the crowd a bit from recent years, no?

I would have the same reaction to an IC fan complaining about a lack of respect from Fisher. IC's gone 1-4 against them in the last five years, so in my mind, Fisher's earned the right to be the favorite in that game. Respect isn't something you get once and then you have a lifetime pass. If the Wick starts beating Ithaca more consistently, they'll get that respect

[theoriginalupstate]

New column is up!

http://www.d3football.com/columns/around-the-region/east/2009/Parity+has+already+hit+some+contenders

Good stuff Dew!

Nice to see the predictions back up there!