FB: Liberty League

[dlippiel]

Is there the potential that we could have a new member for 09? I can see how a team makes this move for financial reasons but I really could care less about their departure. I wish them good luck and yes they will continue to get "vibrated" in the Centennial as they did in the LL. Thought they definitely improved last year though and give them props for that. I guess I always expected more from a PA team. I would love to see a solid program enter the conference and improve our depth and football standing in regards to the rest of the nation. SJF maybe? You would have two sets of close rivals in the conference, RPI/U and U of R/SJF. I'd welcome that addition. Don't look now but here comes RPI on the ice. I think they may be on to something after last nights W over gate. We shall see.

[dlippiel]

Well, Liberty Leaguers, it was nice knowin' ya... http://www.centennial.org/susquehanna.html

yes, and now the LL better hope WPI sticks or we're in trouble...don't forget, we need 8 teams for an AQ. The travel to the Grove was a biyatch and RT never thought they were a good fit anyway because of those tough logistics..RT is sure that whoever pays SLU and WPI's travel bills will welcome the news.

Susquenna has become the Ronnie James Dio of D3 football w/ their conference moves (ie, RJD did short stints as front man for Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and Elf)



Would be nice to pull in a TCNJ (from the NJAC) or a Hartwick ....they have enough of an academic profile to match the rest of LL and would be manageable travel.

Or, yet again, we revisit the concept of a NYS super-conference for FB (E8 sand LL, sans Springfield, KP, Susq and WPI)) with 2 AQs. Would look like this

"Dirty Apple Private Snotty School Conf"

West                                         East
Rochester                                RPI
SJF                                          Union
Hobart                                    SLU
Alfred                                       Hartwick
Ithaca                                       Utica
                                             

Dio the Dynamic! I think Tony Iommi kicked his ass before he left the band.

['gro]

Sasquatch isn't joining the CC until 2010.  Gives the LL time if they want to find another school. AQ is still ok at 7. WPI won't leave, but MMA could.

[Frank Rossi]

I wouldn't be so confident about WPI sticking around, although I think we were at a Mexican standoff with SUS and WPI as to who was going to leave first.  The travel for those teams was downright awful -- reminded me of the four-time-zone WAC idea back in the late 1990s that led to the creation of the Mountain West eventually.  The loss of SUS makes it more likely that the LL holds onto WPI.

As for King's Point, the question is whether the NAC would be a good fit -- or the NEFC should the NAC suck away any of the NEFC teams.  While the NAC will have eight members, they do not have enough full-time members (two out of the needed four according to Pat) to merit an AQ.  Yet, there is a chance that the NEFC and NAC could both get AQs within the next five years.  This would be ugly -- the dilution of playoff teams occuring would be painful as Pool C would lose yet another slot.  My belief is that, for the time being, MMA stays put but will continue to eye opportunities elsewhere.  It's a decent geographic fit still for MMA -- none of the LL, NAC or NEFC really is a perfect locational meld for MMA, making a move less than urgent.

My surprise is that the E8 doesn't have a 7th member lined up yet.  With Brockport and Cortland both in decent geographic positions for the league, you'd think that they would be the top candidates.  Yet, nobody is biting. 

One thing that is for sure -- and I've said it before when I had reported on some of the rumors concerning SUS a while back -- the Norwich move to the NAC has made the East Region very unstable in terms of teams remaining in their conferences.  This is far from the last change we'll see over the next four years, guaranteed.

[labart96]

TGP was under the impression that the E8 had made a conscious decision to (kind of like the LL) be a "private-school" only conference?  Hence, no SUNY's......

[labart96]

yes, and now the LL better hope WPI sticks or we're in trouble...don't forget, we need 8 teams for an AQ. The travel to the Grove was a biyatch and RT never thought they were a good fit anyway because of those tough logistics..RT is sure that whoever pays SLU and WPI's travel bills will welcome the news.

Susquenna has become the Ronnie James Dio of D3 football w/ their conference moves (ie, RJD did short stints as front man for Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and Elf)



Would be nice to pull in a TCNJ (from the NJAC) or a Hartwick ....they have enough of an academic profile to match the rest of LL and would be manageable travel.

Or, yet again, we revisit the concept of a NYS super-conference for FB (E8 sand LL, sans Springfield, KP, Susq and WPI)) with 2 AQs. Would look like this

"Dirty Apple Private Snotty School Conf"

West                                         East
Rochester                                RPI
SJF                                          Union
Hobart                                    SLU
Alfred                                       Hartwick
Ithaca                                       Utica

RJD rules.  TGP likes the idea of the DAPSSC.

[JT]

MJ's Thriller as a 64-Voice Acapella.  The French accented Michael and Vincent Price is a little off-putting, but the video is still pretty cool.  A little AFC/NFC pregame entertainment for the LLPP:

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1885588

[Jonny Utah]

TGP was under the impression that the E8 had made a conscious decision to (kind of like the LL) be a "private-school" only conference?  Hence, no SUNY's......

No the E8 put out an invitation to public schools to join the conference.

I wonder if d3 leagues will start to sign contracts with schools and impose penalties if schools leave the conference early.

['gro]

I think the RPI/WPI rivalry should help keep them in the conference. I don't want to see them pull a Coast Guard.

That being said, when the FFC folded and the E8 and LL were created the east region was pulled west (and south for the SUNY schools).  Now it is starting to pull back east and teams like Springfield and WPI have some decisions to make.  Also, I agree with Frank there's the possibility that the NAC raids a few NEFC teams or gets some more independants to sign up full time and they could have an AQ in a few years.

[Jonny Utah]

I think the RPI/WPI rivalry should help keep them in the conference. I don't want to see them pull a Coast Guard.

That being said, when the FFC folded and the E8 and LL were created the east region was pulled west (and south for the SUNY schools).  Now it is starting to pull back east and teams like Springfield and WPI have some decisions to make.  Also, I agree with Frank there's the possibility that the NAC raids a few NEFC teams or gets some more independants to sign up full time and they could have an AQ in a few years.

Yea I could see a few potential problems here.

-You don't want a team like Springfield thinking they can't compete with Ithaca or SJF anymore and leave the conference just to get an easy AQ in the NAC or other new NE league.

-Although the more teams might just mean Mt. Union stays in the north.

[Ralph Turner]

Another LL school should add football.  Vassar, Skidmore, Clarkson... who's it gonna be?

Just curious.  Why doesn't Hamilton just declare for one conference or another?

[labart96]

Another LL school should add football.  Vassar, Skidmore, Clarkson... who's it gonna be?

Just curious.  Why doesn't Hamilton just declare for one conference or another?

TGP's best guess is that it's based on cost.  The Conts are the furthest western team in the NESCAC and they love that affliation for admissions/marketing reasons.  Still, to fill out a schedule for sports (basketball, etc) that play more than 1 game a week, tying into other Central/Western NY schools makes a lot of financial sense. 

Hamilton is in the LL for:
Men's Basketball
Women's Basketball
Field Hockey
Men's Lacrosse
Women's Lacrosse
Men's Soccer
Women's Soccer
Men's Track & Field
Women's Track & Field

NESCAC in Football and Hockey (prob in a couple other sports like squash and crew as well). 

They probably will remain in the NESCAC for football based on tradition and the fact that their program is simply not very good (and that's being extremely generous since they have only 13 wins in last 10 seasons).  Based on their record of late, the Conts would be luckly to go .500 in the NEFC. 

[Ralph Turner]

+1! Thanks!  That ups the "karma" to 400! 

[lewdogg11]

Karma sniper strikes hard over the weekend!!!  Anyone else getting hit or is it a personal vendetta against me? 

God I wish there was a way to know who the coward was.

Happy MLK Day!

...Gro, you woulda wished you showed up on Friday......

[Senor RedTackle]

In case anyone from LLPP, Inc plans on being in Las Vegas for the Superbowl...

http://govegas.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=govegas&cdn=travel&tm=132&gps=102_1335_1276_594&f=10&su=p284.9.336.ip_p531.50.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.vegasredrooster.com/superbowl/