East Region Playoff Discussion

[mel]

Hobart has not had great football for 25 years.  No way..
The first time I thought they were really good was in 1998.  
For the past 10 years they are as good as anyone week in and week out in the East.  Mike Craig has done an outstanding job... just outstanding.

I am all over the place.. I know but I am having a great time typing D3 football with others who love it.
I wish you guys lived on my block.. I would make you hot cocco and trade baseball cards.

[Btown999]

"Mel its called financial aid and Ithaca has more MA kids on the roster now than they did in 1991.  And financial aid has not dried up since the early 1990s.  Show me proof of that? Thats not an issue.  And Curry costs as much as IC does.  Even the MA state colleges are some of the most expensive in the country.  Go to any MA highschools guidence office and you will not see kids with Ithaca and Fitchburg St as similar schools.  It doesnt happen."

Mel,

Jonny, this is right on the money.  In fact it's a pretty well know phenomena that parents view a college's ability to provide quality education in direct proportion to the cost of tuition.  It's exactly opposite to normal market forces where the less expensive  a service is the more competitive it is.  So, in many respects the cost of tuition may not adversely affect a person's decision to select that college.  At least up until now... with the economy who knows anymore.

As for respect for the NEFC let's hope Curry thakes care of that this week.  I know that won't be there motivation, but it's a by-product I think every coach in the NEFC is aware of especially if they hope to continue to get attention for a pool c bid.

[cstate19]

Anyone want to talk actual football?  Do I think that Curry will be tough?  Yes I do.  Am I worried about Curry throwing the ball?  a little bit.  But I have asked again and noone has answed, how will Curry stop our running game? 

[pumkinattack]

Hobart's aid is sporadic at best.  It's kind of all over the place and they aren't, as a rule, the most generous school on the block.  In fact, since president Mark Gearan got there (in 1998), the money has gone where its really supposed to smart kids where Hobart is closer to a safety school.  Not athletes (some lax kids are the exception, particularly from a couple of feeder boarding schools such as Salisbury).

[Btown999]

Anyone want to talk actual football?  Do I think that Curry will be tough?  Yes I do.  Am I worried about Curry throwing the ball?  a little bit.  But I have asked again and noone has answed, how will Curry stop our running game? 

They play a 4-4 defensive and will make Cortland try to force them from that base defense with your passing attack.  Miles' 14/9 (TD/Int ratio) is not going to do it pre-game so Cortland will need to stay balanced.  

Better question is how do you plan to stop their run game?  They average about 240 yards per game - that's 19th nationally.  They are also ranked fifth in total offensive nationally.  Oh, wait I know the answer they play in a weak league.  How did one guy put it the "Little Sisters of the Poor" league.  What will you do other than worry for a week.............

Just playing with you my friend.  Let them play the game.  Let the coaches figure out how to game plan.  Let's analyze it after.

(stats are courtesy of College Sports Report)

[Findtheball]

          Curry will kill Cortland by 21 pts

[Jonny Utah]

Hobart has not had great football for 25 years.  No way..
The first time I thought they were really good was in 1998.  
For the past 10 years they are as good as anyone week in and week out in the East.  Mike Craig has done an outstanding job... just outstanding.

I am all over the place.. I know but I am having a great time typing D3 football with others who love it.
I wish you guys lived on my block.. I would make you hot cocco and trade baseball cards.

Mel Hobart was great in 1993 and other years around then.  They have been solid for a long time and have a good history there.  And they gave me the best financial package when I applied there.  They have historically been one of the best in the country for aid, but I dont know about their recent history.

[Pat Coleman]

PC.. that is the best you have "they need to schedule someone"  so you know.  It is fact... you now know.  Curry is good and will be good.

Curry is good with Van De Giesen at quarterback. We'll see what that gets you in 2009.

[Btown999]

PC.. that is the best you have "they need to schedule someone"  so you know.  It is fact... you now know.  Curry is good and will be good.

Curry is good with Van De Giesen at quarterback. We'll see what that gets you in 2009.

Pat....

Sound a bit bitter.  We'll see.  There are two others in the pipe line.  Matt Cassell like players... ring a bell?

[Pat Coleman]

PC needs to re-evaluate the NEFC competition.  I assume the NCAA did.

Big assumption considering they merely took teams with good records.

How do we evaluate your competition, exactly? Who do you play outside of your 16-team island that gives us any basis for evaluation? When your champion loses to Mount Ida, what are we supposed to be able to learn from that?

That's the thing we struggle with each and every week when trying to gauge NEFC schools. If you're playing only against each other, well, you do yourself no favors. No way to evaluate you until you are forced by the NCAA to actually play someone.

Sorry for the reality check, Btown. There's a long list of programs in Division III that were good when they had that one guy, whether a quarterback or a running back or a stud linebacker, and never got back together after that kid graduated. We'll find out in the next couple years whether Curry is the next Wesley or the next Brockport State.

[mel]

PC.. I feel you route against Curry and the NEFC.  
You should be an innocent observer but it may be otherwise.

[Btown999]

PC needs to re-evaluate the NEFC competition.  I assume the NCAA did.

Big assumption considering they merely took teams with good records.

How do we evaluate your competition, exactly? Who do you play outside of your 16-team island that gives us any basis for evaluation? When your champion loses to Mount Ida, what are we supposed to be able to learn from that?

That's the thing we struggle with each and every week when trying to gauge NEFC schools. If you're playing only against each other, well, you do yourself no favors. No way to evaluate you until you are forced by the NCAA to actually play someone.

Sorry for the reality check, Btown. There's a long list of programs in Division III that were good when they had that one guy, whether a quarterback or a running back or a stud linebacker, and never got back together after that kid graduated. We'll find out in the next couple years whether Curry is the next Wesley or the next Brockport State.

Pat,

No one asked you to re-evaluate Curry per se.  What was asked is that you re-evaluate the NEFC competition level.  If you rather not, then don't.  I don't have the bully pulpit like you do to pontificate from.  BTW, Van De Guisen doesn't span the entire 5 NEFC championships.  He was an unknown freshman also at one point.  He developed.  My point is you don't know Curry and you don't know about other back-up QB development.  So don't rush to judgement on "one stud" theory.

Furthermore, I would think the Administrator of the D3 football.com would have long ago realized that fottball cannot be played by one player.  Perhaps you got confused and thought you were on the basketball site.

You're right aboout one thing.  We'll see.  I just hope you actually take a look and not assume you know based upon your "history".

Sorry for being a jerk.... you started it.

[labart96]

Hobart has not had great football for 25 years.  No way..
The first time I thought they were really good was in 1998.  
For the past 10 years they are as good as anyone week in and week out in the East.  Mike Craig has done an outstanding job... just outstanding.

I am all over the place.. I know but I am having a great time typing D3 football with others who love it.
I wish you guys lived on my block.. I would make you hot cocco and trade baseball cards.

Mel Hobart was great in 1993 and other years around then.  They have been solid for a long time and have a good history there.  And they gave me the best financial package when I applied there.  They have historically been one of the best in the country for aid, but I dont know about their recent history.

You beat me to it.  Hobart's 93 team defeated the #2 team in the country and was on track for a NCAA berth but got derailed by RT and his Engineers.

[Pat Coleman]

Yes, clearly I got confused and forgot everything I learned in 14 years of watching Division III football closely.

Not sure, honestly, how you expect me to re-evaluate the NEFC but not Curry. Seems impossible to do. I stand by my opinion that Curry should go out and schedule someone a little tougher than Worcester State next season for its 10th game.

Van De Geisen does indeed span the entire "Curry winning a playoff game" history, though. That's what raises Curry above the level of the average NEFC champion. That's what they have to show they can continue without him.

I understand it's hard to look at things objectively when you are so close to the program, but this is what reality is like from the outside.

[Ralph Turner]

PC.. I feel you route against Curry and the NEFC.  
You should be an innocent observer but it may be otherwise.

Following the banter on the regional "Playoff Discussion" board...

"you root against"  I assume.

(Blasted "homonyms" that mess up the way something sounds when you are typing it in your head.   

Attention please!  At the request of the all-powerful Guru Pat Coleman,  Curry has been "re-routed" to Alliance Ohio where it will play Mount Union.      )

The problem is the lack of intra-regional games.

As the conference get bigger, there are fewer games between conference members.  The NJAC went to 10 this season.  The Pres AC is up to 9, and they have a challenge series with the 9-member MAC. In the South, the SCAC is going to 9.  The ASC should be back at 10 in about two years.  The 10-member NCAC plays 7 conference foes, but has a challenge series with the UAA.  It is a problem across the entire division.

I am wondering what the E8 does to keep its AQ when Norwich leaves.