FB: Empire 8

[XREDDRAGON77]

Wasn't sold that the Dragons would get through Brockport after the past 2 weeks of play!  Nice to see that we are playing better on the defensive side of the ball. First half, the offense looked amazing, second half not so much!  As a fan, I feel that this is the best overall product we have had in a few years! 

Brockport was no slouch. I liked them offensively.  Powerful and aggressive!  Good for us Dragon guys that the D showed up!   Defensively they got a little steam in the 2nd half. Stopped us on a 4th and goal from the 2, and stopped us on a short field due to a pick. Good game, just a bit better for us!

[Bombers798891]

The Bombers have serious issues. The offense, I could have seen coming, but seeing the defense struggle like this is kind of stunning. Tough to see the season go south so quickly, but plenty to play for still with Fisher and Cortland on the schedule still.

Also, congratulations to Josh Oliver, whose 16 catches last week set an Ithaca single-game record

[AUPepBand]

The Bombers have serious issues. The offense, I could have seen coming, but seeing the defense struggle like this is kind of stunning. Tough to see the season go south so quickly, but plenty to play for still with Fisher and Cortland on the schedule still.

Also, congratulations to Josh Oliver, whose 16 catches last week set an Ithaca single-game record

Pep is wondering what has happened to the Bombers? Saw that the offense wasn't going anywhere at Morrisville and they switched QBs. Shafer was 10-for-22 for 90 yards and was sacked twice. Wondering if he was hurt or was pulled? IC punted the ball 8 times? Morrisville defense held the Bombers to -1 yards rushing (includes a couple sacks). Just another anomaly.

Now Pep is hoping the Mustangs can repeat the performance next week when they host Cortland, the Bombers can pull it back together in time for Cortaca...and the Saxons win out. Haha. No small task with Brockport State, Utica and a vastly improved Fisher squad ahead.

On Saxon Warriors!

[Bengalsrule]

The Bombers have serious issues. The offense, I could have seen coming, but seeing the defense struggle like this is kind of stunning. Tough to see the season go south so quickly, but plenty to play for still with Fisher and Cortland on the schedule still.

Also, congratulations to Josh Oliver, whose 16 catches last week set an Ithaca single-game record

Pep is wondering what has happened to the Bombers? Saw that the offense wasn't going anywhere at Morrisville and they switched QBs. Shafer was 10-for-22 for 90 yards and was sacked twice. Wondering if he was hurt or was pulled? IC punted the ball 8 times? Morrisville defense held the Bombers to -1 yards rushing (includes a couple sacks). Just another anomaly.

Now Pep is hoping the Mustangs can repeat the performance next week when they host Cortland, the Bombers can pull it back together in time for Cortaca...and the Saxons win out. Haha. No small task with Brockport State, Utica and a vastly improved Fisher squad ahead.

On Saxon Warriors!

Hey if Pep doesn't believe in his boys, then who will??

[sjfcards]

The Bombers have serious issues. The offense, I could have seen coming, but seeing the defense struggle like this is kind of stunning. Tough to see the season go south so quickly, but plenty to play for still with Fisher and Cortland on the schedule still.

Also, congratulations to Josh Oliver, whose 16 catches last week set an Ithaca single-game record

Pep is wondering what has happened to the Bombers? Saw that the offense wasn't going anywhere at Morrisville and they switched QBs. Shafer was 10-for-22 for 90 yards and was sacked twice. Wondering if he was hurt or was pulled? IC punted the ball 8 times? Morrisville defense held the Bombers to -1 yards rushing (includes a couple sacks). Just another anomaly.

Now Pep is hoping the Mustangs can repeat the performance next week when they host Cortland, the Bombers can pull it back together in time for Cortaca...and the Saxons win out. Haha. No small task with Brockport State, Utica and a vastly improved Fisher squad ahead.

On Saxon Warriors!

Would anyone really be surprised if that all happened? Week to week is just a coin toss in this league. At first look I thought AU could win out, and then looked at the schedule and thought, wow...they could lose all 3. I feel like that is the case for almost every team in the league this year.

What are the chances the eventual AQ has 3 losses?

[Bombers798891]

What are the chances the eventual AQ has 3 losses?

Doubtful. I think Cortland's in really good shape to go 9-1. I don't know what to make of Morrisville, but Ithaca's a total mess right now, playing poorly and now looking at a potential QB issue

[Bombers798891]

This season, however, is exactly why I think the E8 is overrated.

The fact is that, right now, seven of the 9 teams are essentially indistinguishable from one another. It's just a mess.

[sjfcards]

This season, however, is exactly why I think the E8 is overrated.

The fact is that, right now, seven of the 9 teams are essentially indistinguishable from one another. It's just a mess.

Fair enough. It is a fine line between parity and average. With teams like Fisher and IC being down this year compared to years past I think it is maybe leaning more toward average this year.

[Bengalsrule]

The beautiful thing about all of this is that on 11/14 it will all work it itself out. I still agree with the D3 football folks who say that this IS the 3rd best conference in D3. Whether my team Buff State is doing good or bad, I still believe in the E8 as a whole and many others on the outside (from what I read in the "general section") do too! I definitely don't want to rag on the E8 when my boys are down..nor do I want to when they are up. Heck last week 4 - E8 teams were still in consideration for a pool C bid, in "Wally Wabash's B/C eliminator table". My BENGALS weren't 1 of them but it still looked good to see that outsiders think that much of our league (only 1 conference -MIAC) had 5 still in the running. Whats that old saying??? When the going gets tough...then the tough get going? (Or maybe they just quit and rag on the "tough ones"! I'm hoping the best for all of the E8. Heck I'd like to see 3 teams, from our conference, make it to the dance. I don't know if it has ever happened before but if not...then why not now?? Once you get in than anything can happen! Remember Buff State beating defending Champ UW Whitewater 9/15/12 in Whitewater's home opener?


The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

GO E8!!

&

GO BENGALS!!

[AUPepBand]

The Bombers have serious issues. The offense, I could have seen coming, but seeing the defense struggle like this is kind of stunning. Tough to see the season go south so quickly, but plenty to play for still with Fisher and Cortland on the schedule still.

Also, congratulations to Josh Oliver, whose 16 catches last week set an Ithaca single-game record

Pep is wondering what has happened to the Bombers? Saw that the offense wasn't going anywhere at Morrisville and they switched QBs. Shafer was 10-for-22 for 90 yards and was sacked twice. Wondering if he was hurt or was pulled? IC punted the ball 8 times? Morrisville defense held the Bombers to -1 yards rushing (includes a couple sacks). Just another anomaly.

Now Pep is hoping the Mustangs can repeat the performance next week when they host Cortland, the Bombers can pull it back together in time for Cortaca...and the Saxons win out. Haha. No small task with Brockport State, Utica and a vastly improved Fisher squad ahead.

On Saxon Warriors!

Would anyone really be surprised if that all happened? Week to week is just a coin toss in this league. At first look I thought AU could win out, and then looked at the schedule and thought, wow...they could lose all 3. I feel like that is the case for almost every team in the league this year.

What are the chances the eventual AQ has 3 losses?

After the first two possessions Saturday, with Hartwick up 7-0 and the ball sitting on AU's 3-yard-line, Pep turned to KaZ00 and said, "This isn't looking real good." Kaz replied that "Yeah, before the season began, I suspected it could be a 4-6 season." "Well, we got our 4 wins already, so that's the way it could end up."

Next play, AU forced a fumble, recovered and by halftime was up 35-10 and the band had played through the fight song five times. So now we're guaranteed to finish at least 5-5. 

[boobyhasgameyo]

This season, however, is exactly why I think the E8 is overrated.

The fact is that, right now, seven of the 9 teams are essentially indistinguishable from one another. It's just a mess.

The E8 will become overrated to me when their OOC record is crap.  Not going to penalize teams for losing to each other in conference if they've demonstrated the propensity to win when taking on those outside of it. 

Will agree that the E8 is down this year compared to the recent past.  Especially so in Fisher's case.  But if the E8 is overrated, then which conferences are the ones who are by definition underrated in comparison and what is the case for their conference to be above ours? 

Asking that sincerely and not combatively. 

[AUPepBand]

Pep's not sure the conference is overrated or the demolition derby is just taking its toll.

Heck, Pep looks at the schedule and wishes AU were getting a shot at Ithaca this weekend and, likewise, Pep wishes the Saxons had played Fisher in the first week or two. It's so interesting to see how the teams rise and fall from week to week. Buffalo State is a different team now than when AU played them. Utica was sky high and sitting pretty after wins over Ithaca and Brockport, then Fisher and Buffalo State banged them up.

One must hand it to Cortland State right now for somehow finding a way to win all the nailbiters. Perhaps its payback for 2014 when they found a way to lose those games.

Any given Saterday, any team can rise or fall. It's the Empire 8. Pep thinks of Buffalo State's huge upset win of UW-Whitewater; in the Bengals' debut in the E8 a week later, Chuck Beckwith ran through and over the Bengals to lead AU to a 40-17 win at Coyer Field.

'Tis certainly more interesting than having one power that pummels everyone else week after week after week....until they've won 100 consecutive regular season games. Boring!

[Bengalsrule]

Plus k bobbyhasgame and AUpep!!!!

[Bombers798891]

The E8 will become overrated to me when their OOC record is crap.  Not going to penalize teams for losing to each other in conference if they've demonstrated the propensity to win when taking on those outside of it. 

Will agree that the E8 is down this year compared to the recent past.  Especially so in Fisher's case.  But if the E8 is overrated, then which conferences are the ones who are by definition underrated in comparison and what is the case for their conference to be above ours? 

Asking that sincerely and not combatively.

I view conference strength as not something that's evenly distributed—to me, I think an elite conference is strong because of its best teams, not its worst. So when your best team (Cortland) needs overtime to beat your worst team (Hartwick) at home that's a knock on the conference, not a positive. You might view it completely the other way around, which is fine. Takes different strokes, as they say.

It's also important to remember, I don't think the E8 is bad or even mediocre. Just not elite. 2007? That was elite. Heck, even 2013, Fisher goes to the elite 8, Ithaca goes to the 2nd round and makes a respectable effort against Wesley. Dial me up for elite. But 1 team in the top 25, by the skin of its teeth? Nope, not my definition of elite.

When I look at the E8 right now, here's what I see:

A conference that did not win a playoff game last season, is a one-bid conference this year and who I think will to go one and done. A conference whose best team is currently ranked #20 because they hit a Hail Mary to beat the 6th-place team in the OAC by two at home.

So to answer your question, the CCIW has teams at #8, #15, and #19 in the current D3 poll. That would make them clearly stronger, IMO. I'd probably listen on the MAC and NJAC too—though I'd need to do a bit more research, but my initial reaction is to put them ahead too, based on their better teams being better.

So the E8 would be maybe 6th IMO. Still very good, but not where they are now.

[Jonny Utah]

The E8 will become overrated to me when their OOC record is crap.  Not going to penalize teams for losing to each other in conference if they've demonstrated the propensity to win when taking on those outside of it. 

Will agree that the E8 is down this year compared to the recent past.  Especially so in Fisher's case.  But if the E8 is overrated, then which conferences are the ones who are by definition underrated in comparison and what is the case for their conference to be above ours? 

Asking that sincerely and not combatively.

I view conference strength as not something that's evenly distributed—to me, I think an elite conference is strong because of its best teams, not its worst. So when your best team (Cortland) needs overtime to beat your worst team (Hartwick) at home that's a knock on the conference, not a positive. You might view it completely the other way around, which is fine. Takes different strokes, as they say.

It's also important to remember, I don't think the E8 is bad or even mediocre. Just not elite. 2007? That was elite. Heck, even 2013, Fisher goes to the elite 8, Ithaca goes to the 2nd round and makes a respectable effort against Wesley. Dial me up for elite. But 1 team in the top 25, by the skin of its teeth? Nope, not my definition of elite.

When I look at the E8 right now, here's what I see:

A conference that did not win a playoff game last season, is a one-bid conference this year and who I think will to go one and done. A conference whose best team is currently ranked #20 because they hit a Hail Mary to beat the 6th-place team in the OAC by two at home.

So to answer your question, the CCIW has teams at #8, #15, and #19 in the current D3 poll. That would make them clearly stronger, IMO. I'd probably listen on the MAC and NJAC too—though I'd need to do a bit more research, but my initial reaction is to put them ahead too, based on their better teams being better.

So the E8 would be maybe 6th IMO. Still very good, but not where they are now.

Yea I agree that without the top teams, you wouldn't call the E8 an "elite" conference.  I'd compare it to the years where the PAC-10 doesn't have a top 5 or 10 team, but ends up doing well in the bowl games and except for one team (usually Washington and/or Oregon State), the entire conference can beat each other.  The SEC is elite because they always have a #1 or #2 team, and sometimes has 2 or 3 teams in the top 5 or 6.  That is elite, regardless of how the rest of the conference does in the bowl games or against non conference teams.

That being said, Alabama may struggle with the SEC bottom team this year, but still win a national championship.  That doesn't happen in d3, but is similar to what happens in the E8, with Cortland struggling with Hartwick.