FB: Empire 8

[AUPepBand]

Pep is quiet as a church mouse. Don't want to let the cat out of the bag. Exited to see the Saxons use a triple option gimmick offense Saterday to pull off the upset and further confirm the parity which is the Empire 8. Oops, the cat's out of the bag....and the angry birds are coming to Yunevich Stadium. Feathers be flyin'!!

On Saxon Warriors!

[sjfcards]

Pep is quiet as a church mouse. Don't want to let the cat out of the bag. Exited to see the Saxons use a triple option gimmick offense Saterday to pull off the upset and further confirm the parity which is the Empire 8. Oops, the cat's out of the bag....and the angry birds are coming to Yunevich Stadium. Feathers be flyin'!!

On Saxon Warriors!

If AU could put the triple option together in one week, that would just about take care of Fisher. Honestly, I am sick of Fisher teams that I think are really good losing games that they should win. The game against IC doesn't really bother me that much (OK, maybe a little bit), but the SU game just really bothers me. With Fisher's talent this year, and SU having a down year, the idea that they did it to Fisher again is beyond me.

We had the brief discussion about if Fisher is better as the underdog, and I think that is part of it, but come on. At some point talent should win out and take care of the rest. I have thought a lot since the IC game about what it is that leads to these head scratching losses, and all I can come up with is that maybe Fisher just is not as good as I think. Maybe they are a two loss team year in and year out?

[AUPepBand]

Pep is quiet as a church mouse. Don't want to let the cat out of the bag. Exited to see the Saxons use a triple option gimmick offense Saterday to pull off the upset and further confirm the parity which is the Empire 8. Oops, the cat's out of the bag....and the angry birds are coming to Yunevich Stadium. Feathers be flyin'!!

On Saxon Warriors!

If AU could put the triple option together in one week, that would just about take care of Fisher. Honestly, I am sick of Fisher teams that I think are really good losing games that they should win. The game against IC doesn't really bother me that much (OK, maybe a little bit), but the SU game just really bothers me. With Fisher's talent this year, and SU having a down year, the idea that they did it to Fisher again is beyond me.

We had the brief discussion about if Fisher is better as the underdog, and I think that is part of it, but come on. At some point talent should win out and take care of the rest. I have thought a lot since the IC game about what it is that leads to these head scratching losses, and all I can come up with is that maybe Fisher just is not as good as I think. Maybe they are a two loss team year in and year out?

Pep's favorite photographer was at the St. John Fisher-Ithaca football game at Growney Stadium last week (for the Empire 8 championship) and was a bit surprised at the small crowd, particularly on the Fisher side. What's up with that? Ithaca appeared to be well represented there.

The game itself...with the winner taking the NCAA AQ had a meager little summary write-up in the Sunday D&C. No interviews. No special coverage.  No big deal. No indication of what was on the line. Odd.

Has small college football in Upstate New York taken a back seat in the American culture? Are football fans home playing Madden?

[ITH radio]

I think so. It seems the local Upstate papers / radio stations really don't pay attention to D3FB anyone, at least west of Utica and Albany.

I know IC has good coverage from a student and ESPN perspective but I really don't see that with other schools in the C/WNY area codes.

[Bombers798891]

All I can come up with is that maybe Fisher just is not as good as I think. Maybe they are a two loss team year in and year out?

An honest response to your question:

The more I thought about, the more I realized, that the thing that bugs me about Fisher is that—recently—their best teams and their most successful teams aren't the same. The "best" teams find ways to miss the playoffs, and the most successful teams find a way to look unimpressive for large swaths of the season.

2010: Fisher won 8 of their 11 games by 20+ points, and never scored less than 31 points in game, with both of their losses being relatively close. They missed the playoffs.

2011: Fisher got blown out twice, and needed a last-minute touchdown to beat 5-5 Buff State and overtime to beat a 4-6 Ithaca. They made the national quarters

2013: Fisher trailed 1-9 Frostburg State at home in the 4th quarter, trailed 6-5 Cortland at home in the 4th quarter, beat 3-7 Utica by one point, also at home. They made the national quarters

2014: Fisher has 7 wins, all by double-digits, and five by 20+. Their two losses were in overtime and a game that was 12-8 in the 4th quarter. They will likely miss the playoffs.

I think programs like that are hard to get a handle on. They alternately disappoint you and surprise you. You probably overrate and underrate them simultaneously, because it's easy to imagine the following:

1. If the 2010 and 2014 teams could have avoided that one little mistake, we'd be on an insane run of success
2. In the 2011 and 2013 teams didn't get a ton of help, we'd be sitting on a 7-year streak of missing the playoffs.

Ithaca went through a similar stretch from 2003-2005. Mike's best team ever missed the playoffs, and two overrated teams made it, with one being his 2nd most successful ever. Heck, you could even argue they're going through it again now. It makes it really hard to grasp the state of the program

[Bombers798891]

Pep's favorite photographer was at the St. John Fisher-Ithaca football game at Growney Stadium last week (for the Empire 8 championship) and was a bit surprised at the small crowd, particularly on the Fisher side. What's up with that? Ithaca appeared to be well represented there.

The game itself...with the winner taking the NCAA AQ had a meager little summary write-up in the Sunday D&C. No interviews. No special coverage.  No big deal. No indication of what was on the line. Odd.

Has small college football in Upstate New York taken a back seat in the American culture? Are football fans home playing Madden?

I think you somewhat answered your own question: If the people most directly associated with the programs aren't following it in person, why would a newspaper think it would appeal to an even less-connected audience?

This also isn't just about small college football in Upstate New York. Colleges across the country are having trouble getting  turnout—especially from students. Michigan State and Alabama are two of the more prominent examples.

I don't think it has anything to do with Madden. I think a large part of it is, college students just have better things to do then sit/stand at a game for 2, 3, or 4 hours on a Saturday. I took my Dad to the Rutgers/Wisconsin game for his birthday two weeks ago, and the most shocking part wasn't that there were so few students there. The shocking part was that any came at all.

It was cold, rainy, and miserable. There were incessant TV timeouts where there was literally nothing going on except on the video board—which, of course, was directly behind the student section. And Rutgers stinks and the game was a blowout. Had it not been for a special occassion where we drove four hours and paid nearly $400 for three tickets, we wouldn't have even bothered to go.

Sure, the SJF/Ithaca game was close, and between two good teams, and the D-I/D-III experience is different, but, at the end of the day, I'm not sure students/community are going to care unless you're really, really, really good, or there's some sort of rivalry where kids can build the weekend around a party (Hello, Cortaca!).

[AUPepBand]

Pep's favorite photographer was at the St. John Fisher-Ithaca football game at Growney Stadium last week (for the Empire 8 championship) and was a bit surprised at the small crowd, particularly on the Fisher side. What's up with that? Ithaca appeared to be well represented there.

The game itself...with the winner taking the NCAA AQ had a meager little summary write-up in the Sunday D&C. No interviews. No special coverage.  No big deal. No indication of what was on the line. Odd.

Has small college football in Upstate New York taken a back seat in the American culture? Are football fans home playing Madden?

I think you somewhat answered your own question: If the people most directly associated with the programs aren't following it in person, why would a newspaper think it would appeal to an even less-connected audience?

This also isn't just about small college football in Upstate New York. Colleges across the country are having trouble getting  turnout—especially from students. Michigan State and Alabama are two of the more prominent examples.

I don't think it has anything to do with Madden. I think a large part of it is, college students just have better things to do then sit/stand at a game for 2, 3, or 4 hours on a Saturday. I took my Dad to the Rutgers/Wisconsin game for his birthday two weeks ago, and the most shocking part wasn't that there were so few students there. The shocking part was that any came at all.

It was cold, rainy, and miserable. There were incessant TV timeouts where there was literally nothing going on except on the video board—which, of course, was directly behind the student section. And Rutgers stinks and the game was a blowout. Had it not been for a special occassion where we drove four hours and paid nearly $400 for three tickets, we wouldn't have even bothered to go.

Sure, the SJF/Ithaca game was close, and between two good teams, and the D-I/D-III experience is different, but, at the end of the day, I'm not sure students/community are going to care unless you're really, really, really good, or there's some sort of rivalry where kids can build the weekend around a party (Hello, Cortaca!).

That being said, Pep expects he'll be able to get a head count of Fisher fans at Yunevich Stadium tomorrow. While the weather forecast is "partly sunny," the temperature will not likely rise above 32 degrees F.

And, while Alfred fans usually comprise at least a third of the crowd at Growney Stadium when the Saxons are in Rochester, those Fisher fans in the Rochester area seldom travel to Mayberry. Apparently it's not worth the trip to see our beautiful traffic light or wait for a table at the Collegiate.

On Saxon Warriors!

[Bombers798891]

Apparently it's not worth the trip to see our beautiful traffic light or wait for a table at the Collegiate.

On Saxon Warriors!

I know that usually tips the scales for me...

[sjfcards]

Pep's favorite photographer was at the St. John Fisher-Ithaca football game at Growney Stadium last week (for the Empire 8 championship) and was a bit surprised at the small crowd, particularly on the Fisher side. What's up with that? Ithaca appeared to be well represented there.

The game itself...with the winner taking the NCAA AQ had a meager little summary write-up in the Sunday D&C. No interviews. No special coverage.  No big deal. No indication of what was on the line. Odd.

Has small college football in Upstate New York taken a back seat in the American culture? Are football fans home playing Madden?

I think you somewhat answered your own question: If the people most directly associated with the programs aren't following it in person, why would a newspaper think it would appeal to an even less-connected audience?

This also isn't just about small college football in Upstate New York. Colleges across the country are having trouble getting  turnout—especially from students. Michigan State and Alabama are two of the more prominent examples.

I don't think it has anything to do with Madden. I think a large part of it is, college students just have better things to do then sit/stand at a game for 2, 3, or 4 hours on a Saturday. I took my Dad to the Rutgers/Wisconsin game for his birthday two weeks ago, and the most shocking part wasn't that there were so few students there. The shocking part was that any came at all.

It was cold, rainy, and miserable. There were incessant TV timeouts where there was literally nothing going on except on the video board—which, of course, was directly behind the student section. And Rutgers stinks and the game was a blowout. Had it not been for a special occassion where we drove four hours and paid nearly $400 for three tickets, we wouldn't have even bothered to go.

Sure, the SJF/Ithaca game was close, and between two good teams, and the D-I/D-III experience is different, but, at the end of the day, I'm not sure students/community are going to care unless you're really, really, really good, or there's some sort of rivalry where kids can build the weekend around a party (Hello, Cortaca!).

I would also include technology as a major issue for schools when it comes to attendance. I had the option to go to the Fisher/IC game, but it was cold and raining on and off, and have you seen the online video feed Fisher is providing these days? I have a smart TV and linked the game to the big screen and was watching it like I watch Notre Dame every SatERday. I had some friends over that went to Fisher and IC so it was just as good as being there.

It is a different format but a similar problem for DI and the NFL. The TV experience is so good now, it is hard to get people to go to a game. Why go deal with drunk fans/college kids, in the cold, with a long drive (for me anyway). It is especially a problem in the NFL with the popularity of fantasy football where people want to watch all the games at once (RedZone channel anyone).

At our level of football the TV experience isn't nearly as good, but Fisher puts a good feed up with an adequate announcer. I can watch the game and stay comfortable, and not have to give up my entire SatERday to watch the game. I don't know what the number of viewers for the online feed was, but I would be curious to know if it was higher than a normal game with how big a game it was?

[Bengalsrule]

BENGALs vs Brockport (I-90 Bowl).  Truly a rivalry in football and basketball for these 2 WNY neighbors. Here's to hoping that my BENGALS win, go to 7-3,  and get an invite to an ECAC bowl!


Go BENGALS!!

[drt]

Sorry 'Rule, not if Utica takes care of business!

[wcrosby]

Pep's favorite photographer was at the St. John Fisher-Ithaca football game at Growney Stadium last week (for the Empire 8 championship) and was a bit surprised at the small crowd, particularly on the Fisher side. What's up with that? Ithaca appeared to be well represented there.

The game itself...with the winner taking the NCAA AQ had a meager little summary write-up in the Sunday D&C. No interviews. No special coverage.  No big deal. No indication of what was on the line. Odd.

Has small college football in Upstate New York taken a back seat in the American culture? Are football fans home playing Madden?

I think you somewhat answered your own question: If the people most directly associated with the programs aren't following it in person, why would a newspaper think it would appeal to an even less-connected audience?

This also isn't just about small college football in Upstate New York. Colleges across the country are having trouble getting  turnout—especially from students. Michigan State and Alabama are two of the more prominent examples.

I don't think it has anything to do with Madden. I think a large part of it is, college students just have better things to do then sit/stand at a game for 2, 3, or 4 hours on a Saturday. I took my Dad to the Rutgers/Wisconsin game for his birthday two weeks ago, and the most shocking part wasn't that there were so few students there. The shocking part was that any came at all.

It was cold, rainy, and miserable. There were incessant TV timeouts where there was literally nothing going on except on the video board—which, of course, was directly behind the student section. And Rutgers stinks and the game was a blowout. Had it not been for a special occassion where we drove four hours and paid nearly $400 for three tickets, we wouldn't have even bothered to go.

Sure, the SJF/Ithaca game was close, and between two good teams, and the D-I/D-III experience is different, but, at the end of the day, I'm not sure students/community are going to care unless you're really, really, really good, or there's some sort of rivalry where kids can build the weekend around a party (Hello, Cortaca!).

I would also include technology as a major issue for schools when it comes to attendance. I had the option to go to the Fisher/IC game, but it was cold and raining on and off, and have you seen the online video feed Fisher is providing these days? I have a smart TV and linked the game to the big screen and was watching it like I watch Notre Dame every SatERday. I had some friends over that went to Fisher and IC so it was just as good as being there.

It is a different format but a similar problem for DI and the NFL. The TV experience is so good now, it is hard to get people to go to a game. Why go deal with drunk fans/college kids, in the cold, with a long drive (for me anyway). It is especially a problem in the NFL with the popularity of fantasy football where people want to watch all the games at once (RedZone channel anyone).

At our level of football the TV experience isn't nearly as good, but Fisher puts a good feed up with an adequate announcer. I can watch the game and stay comfortable, and not have to give up my entire SatERday to watch the game. I don't know what the number of viewers for the online feed was, but I would be curious to know if it was higher than a normal game with how big a game it was?

Interesting you mention the quality of the D3 video work these days.  I watched a Johns Hopkins game a couple of weeks ago, and they had about 5 camera views, slow motion, and replays.  Top-notch work.

My mother lives in Florida and watches my alma mater online.  And we have a number of current parents that watch many games online.  But a lot of parents still fly in for games -- there's really nothing like being there.

On the other hand, MIT (of all places) has an outsourced TV operation, and I've been told it is less than reliable, and is charged for.  In New England, I don't think it would cut down attendance much -- the distances are really not that far.

But it is amazing how good some of this video is.

[maxpower]

Knock knock? Hello?

I check out of IC football for three years (had a bit of bitterness over the Dept's dismissal of a friend), come back, and we've clinched the auto bid and look ready to put a hurt on Cortland?

Sounds like a good day to return to me.

Looks like the boards' technology is the same.... honestly I find it comforting .

I won't find it comforting if the live stream technology is the same...

Go Bombers.

Booga Booga.

[maxpower]

Exited to see the Saxons use a triple option gimmick offense Saterday [..]

On Saxon Warriors!

No, wait.... THAT is comforting.

[82 cardinals]

If Fisher wins today there might be a small glimmer of hope they might get in the playoffs but very small.