FB: Liberty League

[Regulator]

  1:00 pm RPI   at Hobart       

An elimination game this early in the season?  A loss to one of these teams, both filling tough slots this season, could have a domino effect that leads to a second and/or third league loss sooner rather than later.  The winner starts out with a huge boost, counting down the number of league games they need to win -- likely only five more for a guarantee for the LL AQ.  This game this year proves more important than most other years.

Reg agrees with this post so much it brings knots to his stomach thinking about the year he played for RPI when we lost our first game against plymoth state.  That set the table for the wackest season I have ever played football. (and I don't even know what "wackest" means)

[Frank Rossi]

I'm going to put together a capsule of can't-miss LL games for each week of the season soon, but there's one week that absolutely leaps off the calendar -- the first league play weekend on 9/22.  Every game is crucial:

  1:00 pm RPI   at Hobart       

An elimination game this early in the season?  A loss to one of these teams, both filling tough slots this season, could have a domino effect that leads to a second and/or third league loss sooner rather than later.  The winner starts out with a huge boost, counting down the number of league games they need to win -- likely only five more for a guarantee for the LL AQ.  This game this year proves more important than most other years.

  1:00 pm Susquehanna   at St. Lawrence       

Oh, Susquehanna.  Don't we cry for thee?  You come from Pennsylvania to play the Larries.  (Yes, hum it to "Oh, Susannah!").  This is a huge test for the new kid on the block -- not so much because of their opponent (although SLU will definitely be a force to be reckoned with this season), but the travel related to this game for the S-Q (my new shorthand for Susquehanna) is horrendous (352 miles -- 6 1/4 hours by legal driving means).  For S-Q, it's a statement game.  For SLU, they play favorite for the first time in a long time in a league game.  This game has a lot of early implications, no doubt.

  1:00 pm Union   at Rochester       

By this point, we'll know if Union is for real this season, as their pre-league-season schedule is pretty lofty (Springfield and Muhlenberg).  Rochester very likely comes into this game as a touchdown favorite even before a snap in the 2007 season has been taken.  Again, it's another reversal of normal anticipation, and like RPI/Hobart above, we could have a domino effect for the loser, while the winner is that much closer to being in the playoffs.  Don't underestimate this game -- the result will make the difference of me spending $100 at the Waterloo Outlets or $1,000 (based on depression). 

  5:00 pm Merchant Marine   at Worcester Polytech     

Elimination game?  Most likely.  WPI last year had so many near misses, that it needs a good jump start to 2007 -- remember the Union game at WPI's Homecoming?  "Zaloom is gonna go for two and the win!"  Doug Davis intercepts the conversion and Union sneaks away victorious.  Likewise, USMMA is trying to look like a contender for the first time since joining the LL a couple years back.  It's tough to call games must-win games this early, but for these two teams, after disappointing 2006 seasons, I really would apply that label here.


So, yes I seem to have a flair for the dramatic even in Week 1 games, but one month from today will answer a lot of questions related to the teams we all follow -- and it's more because of the suitable matchups the league calendar presents us this year.

- Frank

hey frank are you still planning on coming down for the muhlenberg game in allentown/bethlehem? only about 30 mins from pbr

Since I'm broadcasting the game, I better be there.  :-)

- Frank

[Regulator]

Dood,
Didn't you retire?  Did you just need the LLPP to get down on their knees in order to realize how much we need you?

[PBR...]

pbr figured you were still broadcasting the game but pbr didnt know if you were pulling a pat summerall and only doing home games....

[PBR...]

too funny.....(yet how true...)

"Bud Light Salutes the Blue and Gold

Announcer: Today we salute you, Mr. Delusional, Irrational Notre Dame
football Fan....

Announcer: Season after season, year after year, you try to justify
your absurdly high pre-season ranking.
Backup singer: Why aren't we number one??

Announcer: You scramble to make futile attempts at damage control when
the Irish lose to yet another grossly inferior opponent.
Backup singer: Charlie's headset was broken!

Announcer: Inevitably, you'll bring up the past, and boast of
championships won 20 years before you were born.
Backup singer: We wore leather helmets!!

Announcer: You will point out that you have more heisman winners than
any other program, as though that is relevant to the current season.
Backup singer: Been playing since the 1880ssssss!

Announcer: Go on, ignore that home loss to Boston College in the
regular season for the 6th consecutive time in a row...
Backup singer: BC has better Christians!!

Announcer: And continue to believe that you'll actually win a bowl game
some time this century.
Backup singer: We're O for the 2000's!!!

Announcer: So crack open an ice cold Bud Light, oh Emperor of Excuses,
and take comfort knowing that when you don't finish in the top 25, you'll
be back to number three when the pre-season polls come out next year.
Backup singer: Mr. Delusional, Irrational and Hopelessly Pathetic Irish
Fannnnnnn!"

[JT]

too funny.....(yet how true...)

"Bud Light Salutes the Blue and Gold

Announcer: Today we salute you, Mr. Delusional, Irrational Notre Dame
football Fan....

Announcer: Season after season, year after year, you try to justify
your absurdly high pre-season ranking.
Backup singer: Why aren't we number one??

Announcer: You scramble to make futile attempts at damage control when
the Irish lose to yet another grossly inferior opponent.
Backup singer: Charlie's headset was broken!

Announcer: Inevitably, you'll bring up the past, and boast of
championships won 20 years before you were born.
Backup singer: We wore leather helmets!!

Announcer: You will point out that you have more heisman winners than
any other program, as though that is relevant to the current season.
Backup singer: Been playing since the 1880ssssss!

Announcer: Go on, ignore that home loss to Boston College in the
regular season for the 6th consecutive time in a row...
Backup singer: BC has better Christians!!

Announcer: And continue to believe that you'll actually win a bowl game
some time this century.
Backup singer: We're O for the 2000's!!!

Announcer: So crack open an ice cold Bud Light, oh Emperor of Excuses,
and take comfort knowing that when you don't finish in the top 25, you'll
be back to number three when the pre-season polls come out next year.
Backup singer: Mr. Delusional, Irrational and Hopelessly Pathetic Irish
Fannnnnnn!"

LMAO I gotta send this to my Dad.  "Toughest schedule in the country...."  "West Virginia, Louisville and Rutgers play nobody!!!"  How can they be ranked ahead of ND?

Dad's home office is decorated like.... Well it looks like the god damned leprechaun threw up. ND rug, blue, gold and green paint, ND Stadium pic, TD Jesus, Rockne, ND lamp shades

BC has better Christians... too funny.

[Knightstalker]

KS loves ND but that was funny.

[Rolevio]

59 Year old playing D3 this year

[Reno Hightower]

Kind of hard to say that RPI has the most "talent" coming back, don't you think? They lost their best players off a team that finished 5th in the LL.

Union and Hobart lost most of their talent also, but at least they won the LL Title.....

I must be drunk.

I just voted for Rochester to win the LL in the poll.

Agreed on the drunk part.....UR is the fad pick. Scott Green can't step out on the field and actually play.  RPI has the most talent, on paper, right now at the start of camp.

Respectfully posed question here:  Have you seen a LL game any time recently? What do you think of the quality?

[Rolevio]

BC has better Christians... too funny.

Rolevio loved that line too.

[Knightstalker]

59 Year old playing D3 this year

There has been some D-III ripping going on in the comments for that article.

['gro]

59 Year old playing D3 this year

not so nice reader comments about D3 football. they know nothing!!

Re: ND foosball.
Long time ND hater... they will be terrible this year. Partly because they are terrible, but their schedule looks pretty tough.

Georgia Tech
at Penn State
at Michigan
Michigan State
at Purdue
at UCLA
Boston College
USC

it will take a miracle to win 3 of those... then it gets easy

Navy
Air Force
Duke
at Stanford

[labart96]

pbr - k+ on the ND song.

as a USC (grad school) alum, tgp loves bashing (and beating) the irish

[Regulator]

59 Year old playing D3 this year

not so nice reader comments about D3 football. they know nothing!!

Re: ND foosball.
Long time ND hater... they will be terrible this year. Partly because they are terrible, but their schedule looks pretty tough.

it will take a miracle to win 3 of those... then it gets easy

MR says "take it back Gro, take it back"

[PBR...]

pbr - k+ on the ND song.

as a USC (grad school) alum, tgp loves bashing (and beating) the irish

pbr can tell you psu is waiting to return the favor of uncle buck errr...uncle chuck running it up on psu last year and they will be in psu's house this year the second week of the season....pbr will most likely be there to watch the beating in person and their 25 yr. old freshmen qb jimmy clausen