FB: Liberty League

[Tlm]

Congrats to RPI for a great win yesterday.  They outplayed Union and deserved it.

Some comments on the game/season/playoffs:

-  I don't know how RPI lost 3 games this season?  They are a much better team then 6-3.

-  The field was the worst I have ever seen and affected both teams ability to execute their offenses.  RPI did the better job of dealing with the conditions.

-  I know that a lot of Union folks were hoping that the game would have been switched to the turf field but I can sympathize with RPI's dilemma.  This was not the UofR game from last year.  They expected a lot more fans and from my memory the turf field has very limited seating.  Also, they had to make a call for TV3 to set up to bradcast the game in advance so they went with 86 Field and hoped for the best.

-  A couple of questionable coaching decisions on both sides of the field.  Union stops RPI's offense around their own 20 yd line with 2:47 left in the half and then throws th ball downfiled 3 times all incomplete passes, rather than grinding out a few first downs and managing the clock.  Union punts and RPI gets the ball on Unions 40 yard line and procedes to score a TD before half that takes the score to 17-9 rather than 10-9.  On the other side, up two scores, with Union out of timeouts and 5 minutes left, RPI passes the ball on 2nd down rather then running the clock and its intercepted.  Union comes down and scores and gives themselves a chance to pull out the game.  It reminds me of the same decision two years ago when Union did end up pulling out the game.

-  Finally, if Hobart ends up being the odd team out of the NCAA tournament (3 one loss runner up teams = Cortland St, SJF & Hobart looking for a Pool C), they will look back at RPI's season and wonder about the losses to Stl & UofR.  If RPI wins those games, and Hobart wins vs RPI as they did, Hobart ends up with the AQ on strength of schedule and a top seed.

All in all a great game although I sure would have preferred a different outcome.

[Senor RedTackle]

Congrats to RPI for a great win yesterday.  They outplayed Union and deserved it.

Some comments on the game/season/playoffs:

-  I don't know how RPI lost 3 games this season?  They are a much better team then 6-3.

-  The field was the worst I have ever seen and affected both teams ability to execute their offenses.  RPI did the better job of dealing with the conditions.

-  I know that a lot of Union folks were hoping that the game would have been switched to the turf field but I can sympathize with RPI's dilemma.  This was not the UofR game from last year.  They expected a lot more fans and from my memory the turf field has very limited seating.  Also, they had to make a call for TV3 to set up to bradcast the game in advance so they went with 86 Field and hoped for the best.

-  A couple of questionable coaching decisions on both sides of the field.  Union stops RPI's offense around their own 20 yd line with 2:47 left in the half and then throws th ball downfiled 3 times all incomplete passes, rather than grinding out a few first downs and managing the clock.  Union punts and RPI gets the ball on Unions 40 yard line and procedes to score a TD before half that takes the score to 17-9 rather than 10-9.  On the other side, up two scores, with Union out of timeouts and 5 minutes left, RPI passes the ball on 2nd down rather then running the clock and its intercepted.  Union comes down and scores and gives themselves a chance to pull out the game.  It reminds me of the same decision two years ago when Union did end up pulling out the game.

-  Finally, if Hobart ends up being the odd team out of the NCAA tournament (3 one loss runner up teams = Cortland St, SJF & Hobart looking for a Pool C), they will look back at RPI's season and wonder about the losses to Stl & UofR.  If RPI wins those games, and Hobart wins vs RPI as they did, Hobart ends up with the AQ on strength of schedule and a top seed.

All in all a great game although I sure would have preferred a different outcome.

good comments. Tlm's points on clock management were the biggest discussion topics in the tailgate lot during the postgame activities. Fortunately for RPI, they came out on top in a hard fought game but RT was very surprised at the call Union made to come out throwing deep from their own territory w/ that much time left in the half. RT was glad they did because it allowed RPI to get the ball and a score to give us the 8 point cushion instead of 1 point going into halftime...but RT never would've done that. That was a dumb move.....

As far as the field, RT didn't realize how bad it was until he was on it with everyone else after the game. It was nasty, sloppy, tore up, etc - just the way RT remembers playing on it. There were mud clumps everywhere! There was no way the turf field could've accomodated that crowd. When the new stadium is done in a couple of years, we won't have these problems!

[labart96]

TGP has no idea where these discussions of Hobart being the odd man out are coming from?!?

Sure TGP is a LL homer, but this season all the teams in our league really stepped up.  Even teams that struggled a bit (RPI, Rocho, SLU) could beat almost anybody in the east any given Saturday.  Bart's wins over Dickinson and Alfred were solid Out of Conference victories that should give them some cred with the selection committee.

Speaking of RPI - any chance they can get in an ECAC bowl?  TGP hopes they get one more game based on yesterday's win over Union.

TGP just can imagine any scenario where Bart - who is still a top ranked and 1 loss team - gets left out of the playoff picture.

[Apple Jack]

Union AJ is so sorry to hear about your loss our depths sympathies go out to you from across the river.

My head hurts

['gro]

what the hell happened yesterday? at least I woke up fully clothed this morning.

Great game by both teams, good meeting the U representation. A couple of jerkoffs made the "playoffs" comments after the game only to be confronted by Gro then in a split second it turned into a "my bad" manlove fest. My pee smells like ruck wings. 86 Field was a nasty mess, but Gro wouldn't have moved the game to harkness. Good luck next week Union. ECAC game for the engineers? Shot glass rematch??

'gro out.

[Knightstalker]

If Hobart doesn't make the NCAA's and goes to the ECAC's and RPI goes to the ECAC's you could possibly play for a frozen cat turd afterall.

[Tlm]

TGP has no idea where these discussions of Hobart being the odd man out are coming from?!?

Sure TGP is a LL homer, but this season all the teams in our league really stepped up.  Even teams that struggled a bit (RPI, Rocho, SLU) could beat almost anybody in the east any given Saturday.  Bart's wins over Dickinson and Alfred were solid Out of Conference victories that should give them some cred with the selection committee.

Speaking of RPI - any chance they can get in an ECAC bowl?  TGP hopes they get one more game based on yesterday's win over Union.

TGP just can imagine any scenario where Bart - who is still a top ranked and 1 loss team - gets left out of the playoff picture.

TGP,

AS a LL supporter I truly hope that Bart gets a bid to the NCAA's, but here is the deal.  There are 5 AQ's in the East (MAC/Wilkes, NEFC/Curry, NJAC/Rowan, E8/Springfield and LL/Union).  All indications are that one out-of-region team (Dickinson/CC?) will be put into the East.  That leaves the following 3 teams looking for 2 Pool C bids:

-  Hobart - 1 loss to Union
-  SJF - 1 loss to Springfield
-  Cortland - 1 loss to Rowan.

The 3 teams all lost to the eventual conference  champion so it comes down to which conference is stronger in the voters eyes.  I think Bart's case would have been much easier if either Cortland St had lost to Ithaca or SJF didn' hammer Alfred yesterday.

As I said, I am rooting for Bart, but there is no guarantee.

.........OH MY GOD!  I AM STARTING TO SOUND LIKE FRANK ROSSI!

[bigdvs]

congrats to RPI, you played the better defense and deserved to win. Seems like turnovers killed you in the loses earlier in the year.

Now about the playoffs, it seems odd that the Pool C (conference runner up) would be higher in the seedings then the Pool A (conference winner). That said there is still an outside chance Union gets a home game.

Wilkes
Spingfield
St. John Fisher
Union
Rowan
Hobart
Cortland
Curry

That is the way it should be but for sure the Brackets will be some messed up. Shifting the south most A (dickinson instead of Cortland) into this bracket doesnt make the east region any better travelwise or strengthwise.

[labart96]

TGP has no idea where these discussions of Hobart being the odd man out are coming from?!?

Sure TGP is a LL homer, but this season all the teams in our league really stepped up.  Even teams that struggled a bit (RPI, Rocho, SLU) could beat almost anybody in the east any given Saturday.  Bart's wins over Dickinson and Alfred were solid Out of Conference victories that should give them some cred with the selection committee.

Speaking of RPI - any chance they can get in an ECAC bowl?  TGP hopes they get one more game based on yesterday's win over Union.

TGP just can imagine any scenario where Bart - who is still a top ranked and 1 loss team - gets left out of the playoff picture.

TGP,

AS a LL supporter I truly hope that Bart gets a bid to the NCAA's, but here is the deal.  There are 5 AQ's in the East (MAC/Wilkes, NEFC/Curry, NJAC/Rowan, E8/Springfield and LL/Union).  All indications are that one out-of-region team (Dickinson/CC?) will be put into the East.  That leaves the following 3 teams looking for 2 Pool C bids:

-  Hobart - 1 loss to Union
-  SJF - 1 loss to Springfield
-  Cortland - 1 loss to Rowan.

The 3 teams all lost to the eventual conference  champion so it comes down to which conference is stronger in the voters eyes.  I think Bart's case would have been much easier if either Cortland St had lost to Ithaca or SJF didn' hammer Alfred yesterday.

As I said, I am rooting for Bart, but there is no guarantee.

.........OH MY GOD!  I AM STARTING TO SOUND LIKE FRANK ROSSI!

Check out Gordon's run down on the daily dose - if anything - Cortland seems more like the odd man out; which is unfortunate in a way.  Hopefully Dickinson can stay in the south bracket leaving room for one more in the east.

[Frank Rossi]

congrats to RPI, you played the better defense and deserved to win. Seems like turnovers killed you in the loses earlier in the year.

Now about the playoffs, it seems odd that the Pool C (conference runner up) would be higher in the seedings then the Pool A (conference winner). That said there is still an outside chance Union gets a home game.

Wilkes
Spingfield
St. John Fisher
Union
Rowan
Hobart
Cortland
Curry

That is the way it should be but for sure the Brackets will be some messed up. Shifting the south most A (dickinson instead of Cortland) into this bracket doesnt make the east region any better travelwise or strengthwise.

Odd or not, it's a loss question.  Union has 2...Hobart has 1.  And Hobart's schedule is pretty equal to Union's.  I actually am shocked that Pat think's Union is 5th.  I'd actually be surprised if Union were placed higher than 6th because it would, in my mind, represent a highly myopic view of the QoW Index.  While that would be to Union's benefit, I think we've all discussed how awkward it is to use the QoW for such meaningful situations.

[Reno Hightower]

Congrats RPI.

[Frank Rossi]

The question has been asked as to whether RPI will earn an ECAC bid after yesterday's big victory against Union.  Let's take a look at the ECAC contenders with 3 losses or less:

Cortland State   9-1   X
St. John Fisher   9-1   Y
Hobart   8-1   Y
-------------------------
Coast Guard   8-2   
Bridgewater St.   7-2   
Ithaca   7-3   
Alfred   7-3   
Rochester   7-3   
Maine Maritime   6-3
RPI   6-3   

An "X" denotes a potential NCAA Playoff team, and a "Y" denotes a likely NCAA team.  We can assume that two out of the three teams above the dotted line would earn NCAA bids in an hour.  Thus, we know instantly that three slots are filled (the "above the line" team, Coast Guard and Bridgewater St.).  That leaves five teams fighting for three slots.  My guess is that Maine Maritime is safe because of the New England bias that the ECACs tend to employ.  In terms of momentum, RPI is the only remaining team of the four to win its last game.  In fact, Alfred lost two of its final three games -- as did Ithaca.  My guess is this:  the committee will use a little patronage and give one E8 and one LL team the final two bids.  That means that Alfred, with a win against Ithaca, and Rochester, with a win over RPI, will likely get the final two bids.  This assumes a lot, including that all the teams signed up for an ECAC game in the first place.  I'll revisit this after the NCAA brackets are released.

[Rolevio]

LL Games
Rowan at Hobart
Union at St. John Fisher

Washington and Lee moves in to the East as the 8th seed vs. Wilkes

[Frank Rossi]

LL Games
Rowan at Hobart
Union at St. John Fisher

Washington and Lee moves in to the East as the 8th seed vs. Wilkes

From this, it looks like:

1) Wilkes
2) Springfield
3) SJF
4) Rowan
5) Hobart
6) Union
7) Curry
8) Washington & Lee

[Rolevio]

LL Games
Rowan at Hobart
Union at St. John Fisher

Washington and Lee moves in to the East as the 8th seed vs. Wilkes

From this, it looks like:

1) Wilkes
2) Springfield
3) SJF
4) Rowan
5) Hobart
6) Union
7) Curry
8) Washington & Lee

Switch Hobart and Rowan, Hobart is hosting by the looks of it.

Edit:  My mistake, guess Rowan is hosting.