FB: Liberty League

[NED3Guy]

Anyway I wonder how the team handles this loss.  I guarantee you Union players are having a better thanksgiving break than the Ithaca ones are.

More importantly is how the coaches handle it on the recruiting trail. Union coaches get to tell every kid they meet that they won their last game, upset a top 20 team, and are primed for success in 2019.

Ithaca's season narrative changed drastically by playing in, and losing a bowl game to a 4 loss Utica team. Instead of being able to talk about finishing the season by winning 7 of their last 8; finishing 8-2 with the only losses being 1 point to RPI and 6 to BPort, with a huge Cortica win to end things.  They now get to talk about the bowl game they lost to a 4 loss team. Obviously, they still get to talk about all the great things they did this year; but there's a little less shine on what was a pretty damn good season.

If they won the bowl game they'd get to talk about beating a 5 loss team (sweet!)....no point in playing those meaningless games if you're a team like Ithaca, Hobart, Union. 

[Bartman]

Anyway I wonder how the team handles this loss.  I guarantee you Union players are having a better thanksgiving break than the Ithaca ones are.

More importantly is how the coaches handle it on the recruiting trail. Union coaches get to tell every kid they meet that they won their last game, upset a top 20 team, and are primed for success in 2019.

Ithaca's season narrative changed drastically by playing in, and losing a bowl game to a 4 loss Utica team. Instead of being able to talk about finishing the season by winning 7 of their last 8; finishing 8-2 with the only losses being 1 point to RPI and 6 to BPort, with a huge Cortica win to end things.  They now get to talk about the bowl game they lost to a 4 loss team. Obviously, they still get to talk about all the great things they did this year; but there's a little less shine on what was a pretty damn good season.

If they won the bowl game they'd get to talk about beating a 5 loss team (sweet!)....no point in playing those meaningless games if you're a team like Ithaca, Hobart, Union.

This is a very good perspective. Also, Ithaca had a shutdown defense all year, then they go swiss cheese in a bowl game against an E8 opponent?

[Bartman]

Congrats to Muhlenberg HC, Nate Milne(Hobart 03) for his NCAA first round road win against Delaware Valley. GOBART coaching tree!

[Ice Bear]

Anyway I wonder how the team handles this loss.  I guarantee you Union players are having a better thanksgiving break than the Ithaca ones are.

More importantly is how the coaches handle it on the recruiting trail. Union coaches get to tell every kid they meet that they won their last game, upset a top 20 team, and are primed for success in 2019.

Ithaca's season narrative changed drastically by playing in, and losing a bowl game to a 4 loss Utica team. Instead of being able to talk about finishing the season by winning 7 of their last 8; finishing 8-2 with the only losses being 1 point to RPI and 6 to BPort, with a huge Cortica win to end things.  They now get to talk about the bowl game they lost to a 4 loss team. Obviously, they still get to talk about all the great things they did this year; but there's a little less shine on what was a pretty damn good season.

If they won the bowl game they'd get to talk about beating a 5 loss team (sweet!)....no point in playing those meaningless games if you're a team like Ithaca, Hobart, Union.

dlip agrees this is a great perspective.

[ITH radio]

Congrats to Muhlenberg HC, Nate Milne(Hobart 03) for his NCAA first round road win against Delaware Valley. GOBART coaching tree!

He has the support of his teammate Brian Bubna when we spoke to him last Thursday. Great win and season for Coach Milne and the Mules.

[MRMIKESMITH]

Anyway I wonder how the team handles this loss.  I guarantee you Union players are having a better thanksgiving break than the Ithaca ones are.

More importantly is how the coaches handle it on the recruiting trail. Union coaches get to tell every kid they meet that they won their last game, upset a top 20 team, and are primed for success in 2019.

Ithaca's season narrative changed drastically by playing in, and losing a bowl game to a 4 loss Utica team. Instead of being able to talk about finishing the season by winning 7 of their last 8; finishing 8-2 with the only losses being 1 point to RPI and 6 to BPort, with a huge Cortica win to end things.  They now get to talk about the bowl game they lost to a 4 loss team. Obviously, they still get to talk about all the great things they did this year; but there's a little less shine on what was a pretty damn good season.

If they won the bowl game they'd get to talk about beating a 5 loss team (sweet!)....no point in playing those meaningless games if you're a team like Ithaca, Hobart, Union.

dlip agrees this is a great perspective.

I would say that's a interesting perspective, but on the other hand you can tell prospective students-athletes that you qualified for the post-season while the other team didn't. Also, the extra week of practice helps as well.

[Oline89]

Anyway I wonder how the team handles this loss.  I guarantee you Union players are having a better thanksgiving break than the Ithaca ones are.

More importantly is how the coaches handle it on the recruiting trail. Union coaches get to tell every kid they meet that they won their last game, upset a top 20 team, and are primed for success in 2019.

Ithaca's season narrative changed drastically by playing in, and losing a bowl game to a 4 loss Utica team. Instead of being able to talk about finishing the season by winning 7 of their last 8; finishing 8-2 with the only losses being 1 point to RPI and 6 to BPort, with a huge Cortica win to end things.  They now get to talk about the bowl game they lost to a 4 loss team. Obviously, they still get to talk about all the great things they did this year; but there's a little less shine on what was a pretty damn good season.

If they won the bowl game they'd get to talk about beating a 5 loss team (sweet!)....no point in playing those meaningless games if you're a team like Ithaca, Hobart, Union.

dlip agrees this is a great perspective.

I would say that's a interesting perspective, but on the other hand you can tell prospective students-athletes that you qualified for the post-season while the other team didn't. Also, the extra week of practice helps as well.

I am in MANDGSU's camp on this one.  Kids want to play football, playing one more post season game is great.  If it is a true OOC team (I don't consider Ith v Utica truly OOC), then there is some excitement built in.  If the seniors have already checked out, guess what...each of these teams are 4 deep at most positions, there are plenty of kids who have been waiting in the wings to get on the field.  Is there really a difference to prospective student athletes if the team goes 7-3, 8-3 or 7-4?  I doubt it.  I said it before and I will say it again, the season is awesome and really short, the off season is miserable and really long....IMO extending the season is always a good thing

[AUPepBand]

Anyway I wonder how the team handles this loss.  I guarantee you Union players are having a better thanksgiving break than the Ithaca ones are.

More importantly is how the coaches handle it on the recruiting trail. Union coaches get to tell every kid they meet that they won their last game, upset a top 20 team, and are primed for success in 2019.

Ithaca's season narrative changed drastically by playing in, and losing a bowl game to a 4 loss Utica team. Instead of being able to talk about finishing the season by winning 7 of their last 8; finishing 8-2 with the only losses being 1 point to RPI and 6 to BPort, with a huge Cortica win to end things.  They now get to talk about the bowl game they lost to a 4 loss team. Obviously, they still get to talk about all the great things they did this year; but there's a little less shine on what was a pretty damn good season.

If they won the bowl game they'd get to talk about beating a 5 loss team (sweet!)....no point in playing those meaningless games if you're a team like Ithaca, Hobart, Union.

dlip agrees this is a great perspective.

I would say that's a interesting perspective, but on the other hand you can tell prospective students-athletes that you qualified for the post-season while the other team didn't. Also, the extra week of practice helps as well.

I am in MANDGSU's camp on this one.  Kids want to play football, playing one more post season game is great.  If it is a true OOC team (I don't consider Ith v Utica truly OOC), then there is some excitement built in.  If the seniors have already checked out, guess what...each of these teams are 4 deep at most positions, there are plenty of kids who have been waiting in the wings to get on the field.  Is there really a difference to prospective student athletes if the team goes 7-3, 8-3 or 7-4?  I doubt it.  I said it before and I will say it again, the season is awesome and really short, the off season is miserable and really long....IMO extending the season is always a good thing

Extending a season "into the post-season" has been a boon for Alfred, Pep would argue. While it ain't a Mount Union 15-game season that Pep believes gives the Purple Raiders a whole lot more time to develop players, the one or two extra games is likewise opportunities for players to grow and develop with another week or two of practice. Heck, the pep band is stronger because there's another whole week of practicing those scales!!

On Saxon Warriors!

[UfanBill]

I would say that's a interesting perspective, but on the other hand you can tell prospective students-athletes that you qualified for the post-season while the other team didn't. Also, the extra week of practice helps as well.

I am in MANDGSU's camp on this one.  Kids want to play football, playing one more post season game is great.  If it is a true OOC team (I don't consider Ith v Utica truly OOC), then there is some excitement built in.  If the seniors have already checked out, guess what...each of these teams are 4 deep at most positions, there are plenty of kids who have been waiting in the wings to get on the field.  Is there really a difference to prospective student athletes if the team goes 7-3, 8-3 or 7-4?  I doubt it.  I said it before and I will say it again, the season is awesome and really short, the off season is miserable and really long....IMO extending the season is always a good thing

I think any post season game in any sport at any level is a major plus to the players, the school, the fanbase and recruiting. There are minuses though, like academic time missed... Also maybe someone can clear this up. During my recent conversation with the Union AD he stated that if a team plays in an ECAC post season game that week of practice is subtracted from spring practice time. I assume he knows what he's talking about.(It may be specific to the school's policy) Losing a week of spring practice time would definitely be a factor when weighing the pros and cons of playing a meaningless ECAC game.

[UfanBill]

Extending a season "into the post-season" has been a boon for Alfred, Pep would argue. While it ain't a Mount Union 15-game season that Pep believes gives the Purple Raiders a whole lot more time to develop players, the one or two extra games is likewise opportunities for players to grow and develop with another week or two of practice. Heck, the pep band is stronger because there's another whole week of practicing those scales!!

On Saxon Warriors!

Thanks Pep. That extra 3,4 even 5 weeks of practice every season certainly has to help when you have the huge roster numbers of a Mt. Union or any of the other "big four" that are at the top of D3 football perpetually. Any coach worth his salt would say he can put a better team on the field given more preparation time. That could explain in large part why they stay on top.

[MRMIKESMITH]

I would say that's a interesting perspective, but on the other hand you can tell prospective students-athletes that you qualified for the post-season while the other team didn't. Also, the extra week of practice helps as well.

I am in MANDGSU's camp on this one.  Kids want to play football, playing one more post season game is great.  If it is a true OOC team (I don't consider Ith v Utica truly OOC), then there is some excitement built in.  If the seniors have already checked out, guess what...each of these teams are 4 deep at most positions, there are plenty of kids who have been waiting in the wings to get on the field.  Is there really a difference to prospective student athletes if the team goes 7-3, 8-3 or 7-4?  I doubt it.  I said it before and I will say it again, the season is awesome and really short, the off season is miserable and really long....IMO extending the season is always a good thing

I think any post season game in any sport at any level is a major plus to the players, the school, the fanbase and recruiting. There are minuses though, like academic time missed... Also maybe someone can clear this up. During my recent conversation with the Union AD he stated that if a team plays in an ECAC post season game that week of practice is subtracted from spring practice time. I assume he knows what he's talking about.(It may be specific to the school's policy) Losing a week of spring practice time would definitely be a factor when weighing the pros and cons of playing a meaningless ECAC game.

I had the chance to play in 3 ECAC's and the subsequent spring ball season was the same length. It has to be conference thing.

[Jonny Utah]

Anyway I wonder how the team handles this loss.  I guarantee you Union players are having a better thanksgiving break than the Ithaca ones are.

More importantly is how the coaches handle it on the recruiting trail. Union coaches get to tell every kid they meet that they won their last game, upset a top 20 team, and are primed for success in 2019.

Ithaca's season narrative changed drastically by playing in, and losing a bowl game to a 4 loss Utica team. Instead of being able to talk about finishing the season by winning 7 of their last 8; finishing 8-2 with the only losses being 1 point to RPI and 6 to BPort, with a huge Cortica win to end things.  They now get to talk about the bowl game they lost to a 4 loss team. Obviously, they still get to talk about all the great things they did this year; but there's a little less shine on what was a pretty damn good season.

If they won the bowl game they'd get to talk about beating a 5 loss team (sweet!)....no point in playing those meaningless games if you're a team like Ithaca, Hobart, Union.

dlip agrees this is a great perspective.

I would say that's a interesting perspective, but on the other hand you can tell prospective students-athletes that you qualified for the post-season while the other team didn't. Also, the extra week of practice helps as well.

I am in MANDGSU's camp on this one.  Kids want to play football, playing one more post season game is great.  If it is a true OOC team (I don't consider Ith v Utica truly OOC), then there is some excitement built in.  If the seniors have already checked out, guess what...each of these teams are 4 deep at most positions, there are plenty of kids who have been waiting in the wings to get on the field.  Is there really a difference to prospective student athletes if the team goes 7-3, 8-3 or 7-4?  I doubt it.  I said it before and I will say it again, the season is awesome and really short, the off season is miserable and really long....IMO extending the season is always a good thing

Extending a season "into the post-season" has been a boon for Alfred, Pep would argue. While it ain't a Mount Union 15-game season that Pep believes gives the Purple Raiders a whole lot more time to develop players, the one or two extra games is likewise opportunities for players to grow and develop with another week or two of practice. Heck, the pep band is stronger because there's another whole week of practicing those scales!!

On Saxon Warriors!

A few things on the ECAC again.

-No one looks at this as the "post season", and since so many teams turn it down, some teams can't even look at it as some sort of accomplishment.  Others though (people have pointed out Grove City) might look at the game in another way.  It all depends on where your program is.  I also thing it depends on how your coach sells it. 

-An ECAC game should have zero affect on recruiting.  Zero.  Unless a HS player gets to visit that campus that day and there just happens to be an extra game, he might like what he sees and get an extra chance to talk to a coach/player.  The Ithaca coach just tells the recruit they will be playing in front of 70K next year in Giant Stadium on ESPNU (ok you can lie a little here), while Union gets to play in their slippers game in front of 30 of their own fans against an RPI team who was getting ready for the National playoffs after losing to Ithaca for the 10th+ year in a row. (The box score indicates 1773 for this game, and it looked like there were only a few Union fans there).   But Union gains zero advantage over Ithaca or anyone because of playing or not playing an ECAC game.

-Everyone seems to be making up their own story in terms of "the kids want to play another game" or the "school should do it for the fans".  I think each team is different in how they approach the end of the season, and it is the coach who needs to motivate the kids in these games.

-Academics shouldn't be an issue.  It's 5 more days and it should be fall break for many schools anyway.  The academic angle is always overused in d3 sports anyway in my opinion.  College students literally have 12 hours a day to study, maybe 10 if you play a sport.  Never bought that angle, but I can see an overnight trip taking a little weekend studytime away, and I don't think I could ever study on a football road trip, but that's just me.

-I do like the "extra week of practice" makes your team better philosophy, and like I said above, if you approach the game the right way, it can be fun.  Run some things you hadn't run before, work on some packages you didn't get a chance to do during the season.  Put in some guys that worked hard all year and deserve a chance (and hopefully the team is with you on that one).

-Playing in place like Penn or Cornell can be fun and cool, and the experience alone can be worth it for one more game.

-No recruit is going to care how Ithaca lost to Utica in their last game. 

-

[Jonny Utah]

Also congrats to these two guys, for having the highest GPA on the NY Region All Academic team.  4.0 is top notch.

LB Tony Silvanic St. John Fisher College Jr. 4.00 Finance

OL Ryan Ehrets Union College So. 3.91 Mechanical Engineering

[Jonny Utah]

Also congrats to these two guys, for having the highest GPA on the NY Region All Academic team.  4.0 is top notch.

LB Tony Silvanic St. John Fisher College Jr. 4.00 Finance

OL Ryan Ehrets Union College So. 3.91 Mechanical Engineering

But in all seriousness, if I ran a company and wanted to hire new workers for anything, I'd get this list and start calling. 

(Since I pretty much type on d3football.com all day, I am unable to make these decisions). 

[AUPepBand]

Also congrats to these two guys, for having the highest GPA on the NY Region All Academic team.  4.0 is top notch.

LB Tony Silvanic St. John Fisher College Jr. 4.00 Finance

OL Ryan Ehrets Union College So. 3.91 Mechanical Engineering

But in all seriousness, if I ran a company and wanted to hire new workers for anything, I'd get this list and start calling. 

(Since I pretty much type on d3football.com all day, I am unable to make these decisions).

Haha! Pep can hear your boss yelling from here, "Hey Utah, get the heck off that D3 MySpace page and get to WORK!!"

+k