FB: Empire 8

[Bombers798891]

Rough one for AU. Averaging 30+ pts a game and held to single digits.

Didn't catch all of the game but the Saxons only holding the ball for 22 minutes reflects a stingy defensive effort and a very efficient, well controlled offensive performance by a new Bombers QB. Kudos to IC for a well rounded victory.

Ithaca had a 14-play, 82-yard drive that took 6:57, a nine-play, 83-yard drive that took 5:50, and a 12-play, 73-yard drive that took 7:00. Very clinical.

[Bombers798891]

I'm with Cards in that it's tough to get a read on the E8. But I'm going to give it a shot:

1. Fisher: 5-0 speaks for itself, and as Cards mentioned, the OOC wins got a big boost this weekend

2. Salisbury: I was legitimately down on them earlier, but two thorough beatings in a row have me sold again. A clear number two.

T-3. Ithaca, Utica: Here's my dilemma with these two. I think Ithaca's had a better year-to-date, but Utica's played a tougher schedule and might be favored if they play tomorrow. I guess I'm still looking at that 37-0 Salisbury game and shaking my head for the Pioneers. I think there's a big gap between the first two and these two.

5. Hartwick- The win over Ithaca pushes them up past Alfred in my book, though they got the Bombers at home. Much improved defensively, but still lacking in offensive weapons to compete against better defenses.

6. Alfred: I'm down on the Saxons. Maybe it's recency bias, but they were lucky to win the Brockport game, and they were really unimpressive against IC. Too much inconsistency at QB position

7. Buff State: They've been absolutely abandoned by their defense. Opponents are scoring 90% of the time they get in the red zone. Offense has looked shaky against two of the E8's better defenses.

8. Frostburg: Just a defensive trainwreck, but have been leading or tied in the 4th quarter of three of their four losses. but the Cortland win is better than the Case Western win, so the Bengals get the nod. What's the over/under for points in this game? 95?

[Upstate]

Yeah it certainly is a topsy turvy season in the E8 so far.

BSC throws up 80+ points in their first two games and then has **** the bed and gone 0-4

UC played a good game vs Hobart and then gets taken to the woodshed by SU the following week.

Frostburg has 4th quarter leads vs. SJF & UC but ends up losing both despite good offensive performances in both games.

Ithaca can't get out of their own way on offense vs HC but then manhandles AU on both sides of the ball.

AU loses to RPI then puts up 3 really good showings only to crap the bed vs IC. SU drops two heartbeakers to open the year then goes 3-0 and allows an average of a little over 5 points a game over those 3 games.

Fisher cant stop Frostburg but then the next week shuts down a Hartwick offense (starting D allowed 7 points and 98 yards of offense) that averaged 37.5 points a game and sacks their QB 11 times.

I don't think anyone has a clue on what's going to happen from here on out.

[drt]

I'm pretty sure that #3-8 will just continue to beat each other up for the next 5 Saterdays while we all
scratch our heads and say, "Wait, what just happened?"
I think if any of 3-8 distinguishes themselves, it will define the better coaching staff of the 6 teams.
Oh, and the AQ will be decided next week.

[sjfcards]

Oh, and the AQ will be decided next week.

That line of thinking is what scares me. I can see this going one of two ways: Fisher beats SU and loses one of those head scratcher games down the stretch. Or, Fisher loses next week and every game down the stretch becomes a must win. I have seen too many good Fisher teams lose a game that I didn't see coming to feel like much is decided after next week.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Oh, and the AQ will be decided next week.

That line of thinking is what scares me. I can see this going one of two ways: Fisher beats SU and loses one of those head scratcher games down the stretch. Or, Fisher loses next week and every game down the stretch becomes a must win. I have seen too many good Fisher teams lose a game that I didn't see coming to feel like much is decided after next week.

I know what you mean (and this is the way I'd want my team to approach things) but they'd have to lose TWO of those head-scratcher games down the stretch, since they'd have H2H, right? Unless Ithaca or Wick ran the table and created a three way tie?

[fisheralum91]

cards---ssshhhhhhhhh.
one thing I hate is a jinx!

[drt]

Ok, I like the idea that the two top dogs settle their h2h with four
weeks to go and have to "sweat out" the remainder of their schedule.
Oh, and by the way, Wick and Ithaca aren't the only teams with just one
E8 loss...

[middlerelief]

I'm a homer for SJF and The E8 in general, big couple of games on tap. Hard not to be somewhat anxious, as good as some of us think the E8 is, Salisbury has had its way thus far since joining the conference, 15-1 in league play.  YTD Salisbury 68, the E8 opponents 6.  Going to be tough one. 

[Upstate]

SJF's D played the option pretty well last year; they held them to 125 yards rushing, they only allowed one 3rd down conversion and won the time of possession battle. However SJF's mistakes on offense killed them. Fenti got his feet wet and ended up drowning with a lost fumble inside his own 10 and a pick 6.

Hopefully he learned from that because Salisbury seems to be just as good defensively as ever. He can't turn it over this week!

[Bombers798891]

Oh, and the AQ will be decided next week.

That line of thinking is what scares me. I can see this going one of two ways: Fisher beats SU and loses one of those head scratcher games down the stretch. Or, Fisher loses next week and every game down the stretch becomes a must win. I have seen too many good Fisher teams lose a game that I didn't see coming to feel like much is decided after next week.

I know what you mean (and this is the way I'd want my team to approach things) but they'd have to lose TWO of those head-scratcher games down the stretch, since they'd have H2H, right? Unless Ithaca or Wick ran the table and created a three way tie?

Ithaca or Utica running the table would give both Fisher and Salisbury a loss though, so that's not a three way tie.

[AlfredSaxon8]

Rough one for AU. Averaging 30+ pts a game and held to single digits.

Didn't catch all of the game but the Saxons only holding the ball for 22 minutes reflects a stingy defensive effort and a very efficient, well controlled offensive performance by a new Bombers QB. Kudos to IC for a well rounded victory.

Ithaca had a 14-play, 82-yard drive that took 6:57, a nine-play, 83-yard drive that took 5:50, and a 12-play, 73-yard drive that took 7:00. Very clinical.

Very few offenses can compete with that. And even fewer defenses can be on the field that long before breaking down.

[AlfredSaxon8]

AU has been inconsistent but I will say they always come to play against Fisher... So if Fisher loses this weekend and drops another one down the road by chance to AU, they could very easily be on the outside looking in for the non AQ spots (just like 05). Which means every game, like previously said, would be a must win for the Cards if they lose this weekend. If they beat SU, they could still very easily drop one game late in the year, take a dive in the top 25 but still win the AQ for the Empire 8.

BUT as much as Fisher fans might hate to see it happen, conference-wise, Fisher losing to SU might not be a bad thing ONLY if they win out the rest of season. If Fisher loses this weekend but wins out, its likely SU will take the AQ and Fisher will get a non AQ spot putting two teams from the E8 in the playoffs. If Fisher wins, there is a good chance they will be the only team representing the E8 in the playoffs if SU finishes second in the conference.

Granted, its way too early to tell how it will all play out.

Man, I love college football.

[sjfcards]

AU has been inconsistent but I will say they always come to play against Fisher... So if Fisher loses this weekend and drops another one down the road by chance to AU, they could very easily be on the outside looking in for the non AQ spots (just like 05). Which means every game, like previously said, would be a must win for the Cards if they lose this weekend. If they beat SU, they could still very easily drop one game late in the year, take a dive in the top 25 but still win the AQ for the Empire 8.

BUT as much as Fisher fans might hate to see it happen, conference-wise, Fisher losing to SU might not be a bad thing ONLY if they win out the rest of season. If Fisher loses this weekend but wins out, its likely SU will take the AQ and Fisher will get a non AQ spot putting two teams from the E8 in the playoffs. If Fisher wins, there is a good chance they will be the only team representing the E8 in the playoffs if SU finishes second in the conference.

Granted, its way too early to tell how it will all play out.

Man, I love college football.

I can appreciate what is best for the conference, but wouldn't it be better for the East region as a whole if Fisher were to win out and go undefeated. That would give the east two undefeated teams (assuming Hobart wins all their games). Fisher going undefeated in a respected conference and an undefeated team that made a nice run in the playoffs last year would be a good argument for keeping outside teams out of our bracket.

[D3MAFAN]

AU has been inconsistent but I will say they always come to play against Fisher... So if Fisher loses this weekend and drops another one down the road by chance to AU, they could very easily be on the outside looking in for the non AQ spots (just like 05). Which means every game, like previously said, would be a must win for the Cards if they lose this weekend. If they beat SU, they could still very easily drop one game late in the year, take a dive in the top 25 but still win the AQ for the Empire 8.

BUT as much as Fisher fans might hate to see it happen, conference-wise, Fisher losing to SU might not be a bad thing ONLY if they win out the rest of season. If Fisher loses this weekend but wins out, its likely SU will take the AQ and Fisher will get a non AQ spot putting two teams from the E8 in the playoffs. If Fisher wins, there is a good chance they will be the only team representing the E8 in the playoffs if SU finishes second in the conference.

Granted, its way too early to tell how it will all play out.

Man, I love college football.

I can appreciate what is best for the conference, but wouldn't it be better for the East region as a whole if Fisher were to win out and go undefeated. That would give the east two undefeated teams (assuming Hobart wins all their games). Fisher going undefeated in a respected conference and an undefeated team that made a nice run in the playoffs last year would be a good argument for keeping outside teams out of our bracket.

I doubt it, I think the East is already doomed and will have 'you know who' in the East bracket. It may just be to many teams from both the West and the North for them to allow only Two East teams represent the most eastern bracket. I would think for that to happen, the East Region would have had to have at least 4 teams undefeated from the E8, MAC, NJAC, and LL.