FB: Empire 8

[Cardinal Pride]

A year ago December, Pep parted with the traditional AU Pep Bandwagon, that gray 1992 Dodge Grand Caravan that Pep had purchased just prior to 9/11/01. Parting was difficult as the bandwagon had so many great stories connected to it. Pep always liked the little extra bells and whistles that come with an "LE," although, thru the years, most of those bells and whistles no longer rang....or blew(?). When Pep made the second-hand purchase, the 1992 had 137,000 miles on it. It was retired in December 2010 with 319,764 miles.

Now it seems that KaZ00 is parting with his 1999 Grand Caravan Sport and, when Pep broke a tie rod on his present 2000 Dodge Caravan, Kaz was kind enough to loan Pep his 1999, which he had been planning to sell. Pep took it for the weekend to "test drive it" and, lo, and behold, discovered it had all the same bells and whistles as the old Pep Bandwagon....but they work! And, further, the odometer on Kaz's van read........(drum roll).......137,000+ miles.

Now mind you, AU will be "on the road" for six games in 2012, with, to date, only three at home. So it looks like the white 1999 Grand Caravan Sport Pep Bandwagon will be logging some miles hauling the band all over the Northeast this fall to Canton, Troy, Oneonta, Buffalo, Utica and, who knows, maybe even Salisbury, MD!

On Saxon Warriors!

Great post, an enjoyable read.

[softballrz]

You all need to read todays NEFC press release.

NEFC announces league restructuring for 2013 season

Starting in 2013, Endicott will be one of eight teams competing in the newly restructured NEFC.Rob Palardy, Sports Information Director
2/9/2012 10:00:00 AM
FITCHBURG, Mass. - New England Football Conference (NEFC) Commissioner Sue Lauder has announced a restructuring of the Conference that will take place prior to the 2013 season. The NEFC, founded in 1965 by Bridgewater State College, Curry College, and Maine Maritime Academy, will function as an eight team league and will retain the NEFC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.  The realigned NEFC will consist of Curry College, Endicott College, Maine Maritime Academy, MIT, Nichols College, Salve Regina University, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and Western New England University.

Institutions that are currently members of the multi-sport Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Westfield State University, and Worcester State University) will compete in a newly formed MASCAC football league.  Plymouth State University and UMass Dartmouth, two schools that have a playing relationship with the MASCAC through an affiliation agreement between the MASCAC and the Little East Conference, will also join the new league.

"It's been an honor to have been a member of the NEFC and to work with the quality student athletes, coaches and administrators at all of the NEFC institutions," said Lauder who is also the Director of Athletics at Fitchburg.  "I wish the conference continued success and look forward to maintaining relationships with NEFC members."

The NEFC, with 16 members divided into two divisions, is the largest Division III football conference in the nation.  The Conference's championship game between the winners of the two divisions is also unique among Division III football.

Dating back to 2003, the first season of varsity competition for Endicott, eight of the nine conference champions have been from one of the remaining institutions in the newly restructured NEFC.  Historically, Endicott holds a 31-16 record against Curry, Maine Maritime, MIT, Nichols, Salve Regina and Western New England and a 10-1 mark over the past two seasons.  The Gulls have never faced Coast Guard in their nine-year history.

The Blue and Green earned their first ever NEFC title in 2010 which led to an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.  Behind strong leadership and immense skill from their senior class, the Gulls followed up their record-breaking 2010 campaign with an even more impressive season in 2011.  All-time records across offense, defense and special teams resulted in a program-best 11 wins and an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) North Atlantic Bowl victory over Mount Ida, 31-22.

[AUKaz00]

NEFC announces league restructuring for 2013 season

Starting in 2013, Endicott will be one of eight teams competing in the newly restructured NEFC.Rob Palardy, Sports Information Director

Just what we need, another easy-out from the East to draw the ire of the rest of D3.  At least there might be more OOC games to schedule out of this.  Will the MASCAC go through the two year probationary period or get a Pool A bid in 2013?

[AUPepBand]

To quote the d3football.com front page story (that features a photo from the ECAC bowl game pitting Bridgewater State versus Alfred):

"The (Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference ) schools, along with Western Connecticut from the New Jersey Athletic Conference, will form a nine-team league for 2013 and should be eligible for an automatic bid in 2015, following NCAA rules and precedent."

Pep understands that the split (and subsequent extra Pool A bid in 2015) will rob the tournament of a Pool C bid for likely a stronger entry such as an E8 runner-up. But did we honestly think the growing NEFC's two divisions would forever split a Pool A bid between them?

On Saxon Warriors!

[Upstate]

Yeah this was just inevitable...

Only positive in this is that any team that gets lined up vs these two teams has an 81% chance of moving on to the 2nd round...

[ExTartanPlayer]

Yeah this was just inevitable...

Only positive in this is that any team that gets lined up vs these two teams has an 81% chance of moving on to the 2nd round...

As much as I've defended the NEFC teams on these boards...this is still disappointing.  What are the odds that Western Connecticut pulls a Norwich (going from "bottom-dweller in strong conference" to "undisputed top dog of newly formed weak conference") and takes the first MASCAC autobid?  50-50 or better?

[fisheralum91]

Upstate- Dont you think that this change will "steal" a bid for a MUCH MORE DESERVING team that played in a stronger conference?
Like----any other conference?

[lewdogg11]

The MASCAC champ should be required to play the ECFC champ for the bid. 

[fisheralum91]

Well played LD

[Bombers798891]

Upstate- Dont you think that this change will "steal" a bid for a MUCH MORE DESERVING team that played in a stronger conference?
Like----any other conference?

Meh, teams in conferences do this all the time. Every single team in the E8 would be a three-TD favorite over Norwich.

[fisheralum91]

My point exactly!

[Pat Coleman]

Yeah this was just inevitable...

Only positive in this is that any team that gets lined up vs these two teams has an 81% chance of moving on to the 2nd round...

As much as I've defended the NEFC teams on these boards...this is still disappointing.  What are the odds that Western Connecticut pulls a Norwich (going from "bottom-dweller in strong conference" to "undisputed top dog of newly formed weak conference") and takes the first MASCAC autobid?  50-50 or better?

Western Connecticut wouldn't have been able to this past season. They were awful. Lost to the ECFC's second-place team, 48-0.

[pg04]

Yeah this was just inevitable...

Only positive in this is that any team that gets lined up vs these two teams has an 81% chance of moving on to the 2nd round...

As much as I've defended the NEFC teams on these boards...this is still disappointing.  What are the odds that Western Connecticut pulls a Norwich (going from "bottom-dweller in strong conference" to "undisputed top dog of newly formed weak conference") and takes the first MASCAC autobid?  50-50 or better?

Western Connecticut was so horrible in the NJAC.  They even lost to SUNY-Maritime 48-0.  I suggest that they will actually start to get wins.  However, they'll be at best middle of the road (But they may actually win for once!) .  If they do end up winning the new conference, that will pretty much be the nail in the coffin about how bad this is.  I don't blame W. Conn for wanting to leave the NJAC though, they were getting beaten up by the bad NJAC teams! Here were their results last year:

vs. SUNY-Maritime     L, 48-0   BX RC
at Buffalo State     L, 82-17   BX RC
vs. Kean     L, 44-33   BX RC
at Rowan     L, 51-14   BX
at Morrisville State     L, 35-21   BX
vs. Cortland State     L, 56-10   BX
vs. Brockport State     L, 56-14   BX RC
at Montclair State     L, 38-7   BX RC
at TCNJ     L, 47-10   BX
vs. William Paterson     L, 45-19

They got outscored on the season 502 - 145!!!  That's -357 differential!   

[pg04]

...And Pat stole my thunder a little  .  Anyway, I provide in-depth data for you 

West Conn also went 0-10 in 2010, where they lost to ECFC Champ SUNY-Maritime 41-28 (Closer, at least -- tied going into the 4th). 

[Pat Coleman]

...And Pat stole my thunder a little  .  Anyway, I provide in-depth data for you 

You did! Good detail.