The Top 10 Eastern Region teams of the D3football.com Era

[Knightstalker]

But they still were not an East region team at that point and therefore were not eligible for the poll.  It is really very simple to understand, evin we'ins state skul stewdense unnnerstan it.

[theoriginalupstate]

Superman -
Not sure of your point. Maybe you can clarify in english. I was stating that WU went to the NY regional bracket in 2000 (east) and pretty handly beat all the competition that was offered. Went to the final four and lost to a great Mount Union team.

Then under your logic John Carroll should be ranked in this top 10 then, am i correct in that?

[superman57]

i was making fun of the fact that you mixed up the bridgewaters... listen this is not just about post season but also regular season...so just chill

[union89]

Gordonmann -
Please do not feel bad for pointing out your interpertation of the facts. However, I still contend that WU did roll through the east that year and as I said thumped many of these so called powers.

Anyone who attended the WU vs. Union game should remember that WU was up 26 - 0 at the 7:46 point of the 3rd quarter before they began sitting on the clock. Did Union battle back a little. However, I question the credability of anyone who would claim a team is luck to escape with a win after they have controled the game.

Pat - You are correct about WU losing to Bridgewater Va, However, that was Jones and Coleman's senior year and was in the South regional final. I was speaking of the Bridgewater , Mass. team that Hobart beat in the 2000 playoff's 25 - 0 before widener beat them.

Gordon - Though you are correct about the format, we are all aware of the fact that the d3 playoff committee has been placing teams in geographical regions for years, and 2000 was not any different. WU was bumped out of the South bracket because of a earlier season loss to McDaniel and sent to the so called Union bracket - If we are not to consider this the East Bracket then what is it. The bracket consited of every team ranked in the Eastern Lambert Poll. If you want to be picky, and claim it was not the east that is fine. However, I stand by my opinion that the 2000 widener team is still at the top.

Wuddie,
Get your facts straight man.....The HALFTIME score of the game was 26-7, which means Widener being up 26-0 hafway through the 3rd is wrong.
Union had the ball twice in Widener territory with under 3:00 on the clock and couldn't punch it in to force overtime.....Union also rolled up about 450 yards of total offense.
So all in all, I would say Widener was fortunate to escape with a win rather than your statement which was 'Widener embarassed Union'.....facts help opinions, keep that in mind....

[Frank Rossi]

Just to back up Union89, Union had two chances to tie/take the lead in the late fourth quarter.  It would have been the comeback to which we would equate all East Region comebacks if it came to fruition.  It proved that Union that year was one of the best adjustment teams that played.  I did sideline commentary for that game for WRUC -- and I ended up taking off my top shirt in cold weather and became a cheerleader on the sideline.  It was quite an afternoon, but the Dutchmen pulled up a hair short.

[redswarm81]

This is one voter that doesn't vote for the NESCAC.  If all their sports programs refused to compete in the NCAA playoffs, it would be admirable.  Singling out football smacks of hypocrisy.

Secondly they offer no actual proof that they can compete on a National level.

I don't understand why, if it's admirable for the conference to keep ALL of its sports teams out of national playoffs, it is somehow shameful to keep only one of its sports teams out of the playoffs.  Why isn't it admirable to keep the one team out, but shameful to let the other teams participate?

NESCAC teams compete very successfully on a national level in every other sport, which I think is reasonably interpreted as evidence that they would likely do well competing nationally in football.

I've been the target of much dark energy from PPPosters whenever I've pointed out a few facts to consider about NESCAC schools and the Division III football playoffs:

• The football roster is likely the largest team in the whole school, so the impact of playoff participation is greater on football than on any other sport;
• The football playoffs start in mid-November and can extend for 5 weeks, meaning all the way through finals, thus creating an increasingly high stakes distraction through the most important time of the fall semester;
• The duration of the playoff participation is a big unknown - 1 to 5 weeks - and NESCAC schools are top academic schools, who charge their tuition paying customers a high price for what they claim is a known quantity--high quality education that is never second priority to athletics;
• NESCAC schools are blessed with the luxury of longstanding and fierce rivalries that likely provide as much motivation and "rounding" as national playoffs would, e.g. Williams v. Amherst, Colby v. Bates v. Bowdoin, Trinity v. Wesleyan; and
• NESCAC schools take their Division III "academics ahead of athletics" pledge seriously, and IMO deserve no disrespect for that, especially not from other Division III "academics before athletics" types.

[lewdogg11]

This is one voter that doesn't vote for the NESCAC.  If all their sports programs refused to compete in the NCAA playoffs, it would be admirable.  Singling out football smacks of hypocrisy.

Secondly they offer no actual proof that they can compete on a National level.

I don't understand why, if it's admirable for the conference to keep ALL of its sports teams out of national playoffs, it is somehow shameful to keep only one of its sports teams out of the playoffs.  Why isn't it admirable to keep the one team out, but shameful to let the other teams participate?

NESCAC teams compete very successfully on a national level in every other sport, which I think is reasonably interpreted as evidence that they would likely do well competing nationally in football.

I've been the target of much dark energy from PPPosters whenever I've pointed out a few facts to consider about NESCAC schools and the Division III football playoffs:

• The football roster is likely the largest team in the whole school, so the impact of playoff participation is greater on football than on any other sport;
• The football playoffs start in mid-November and can extend for 5 weeks, meaning all the way through finals, thus creating an increasingly high stakes distraction through the most important time of the fall semester;
• The duration of the playoff participation is a big unknown - 1 to 5 weeks - and NESCAC schools are top academic schools, who charge their tuition paying customers a high price for what they claim is a known quantity--high quality education that is never second priority to athletics;
• NESCAC schools are blessed with the luxury of longstanding and fierce rivalries that likely provide as much motivation and "rounding" as national playoffs would, e.g. Williams v. Amherst, Colby v. Bates v. Bowdoin, Trinity v. Wesleyan; and
• NESCAC schools take their Division III "academics ahead of athletics" pledge seriously, and IMO deserve no disrespect for that, especially not from other Division III "academics before athletics" types.

What would you rather have, an 'A' on your micro-economics final or a National Championship and an 'A-' or 'B+'.  If football hurts so much academically, how do they handle it all semester long?  Gimme a friggin break.  In the slim to zero chance that a NESCAC team MADE the national championship game, would it be remotely possible that those players on ONE team in the conference could have slightly different exam schedules than the other students?

And as an RPI grad, that's going and saying that the football players at RPI are hurt academically by their ability to play in the postseason.  Your arguments are ridiculas, and borderlined retarded.

['gro]

Can't think of a class where the final exam was more than 25%, and those were rare... usually the final is about 20% of the total grade.  80% of your grade is DURING the season and all those oh so deadly distractions of football.

Gro was more distracted in school by playing nintendo 64 than football ever did. And N64 has NO offseason, right LD?

[letsgou]

All time LL win/loss records 2004 to present

Union           22-2 (.92)
Hobart         21-3 (.88)
RPI              15-8  (.65)
UofR            12-11 (.52)

UCAA 00 to 03
Union           11-5
Hobart         12-4
RPI              10-6
Uof R           7-9


Total since 2000

Union        33-7   (.833)
Hobart      33-7   (.833)
RPI           25-14  (.64)
UofR         19-20  (.49)

All other teams have losing records in both LL and UCAA.

[lewdogg11]

Can't think of a class where the final exam was more than 25%, and those were rare... usually the final is about 20% of the total grade.  80% of your grade is DURING the season and all those oh so deadly distractions of football.

Gro was more distracted in school by playing nintendo 64 than football ever did. And N64 has NO offseason, right LD?

Truth be told, LD11 was a MUCH better student in-season due to the regimented structure of football season.  Off season spelled more drinking, more games of Bond, more chicks during the week, more Gus's hot dogs, and more sub-3.0 semesters.

[redswarm81]

If football hurts so much academically, how do they handle it all semester long?

They don't do it all semester long, that's the point.  They have an eight game season in a 15 or 16 week semester.

[redswarm81]

Can't think of a class where the final exam was more than 25%, and those were rare... usually the final is about 20% of the total grade.  80% of your grade is DURING the season and all those oh so deadly distractions of football.

You did NESCAC, 'gro bro?  I thought you were an Engitutineer.

[redswarm81]

Truth be told, LD11 was a MUCH better student in-season due to the regimented structure of football season.  Off season spelled more drinking, more games of Bond, more chicks during the week, more Gus's hot dogs, and more sub-3.0 semesters.

We've been through this, haven't we?  I understand that every single one of you DIII standouts was a better student during football season (than spring semester?  than during late November?).  I believe you, I really do.  However, that still ignores at least two immutable facts:

• Football IS a distraction from academics; and
• The DIII national playoffs extend that distraction for an unknown period of time, often through finals.

I just don't see how the NESCAC deserves criticism for using those immutable facts in a calculation to conclude that at their schools--which have the highest academic reputation among all DIII schools--the football teams ought not participate in the national playoffs.

Don't forget, fellow engineers and scientists, that the NESCAC schools are liberal arts schools, among the finest in the country.  As I understand it, liberal artists take many classes where they have to do this thing called "write papers" or some such nonsense, and many of those papers that they have to write are due during finals.  K-Mack's Williams interviewee mentioned multiple papers in his discussion of why he wasn't bothered by lack of playoff participation.

[lewdogg11]

Truth be told, LD11 was a MUCH better student in-season due to the regimented structure of football season.  Off season spelled more drinking, more games of Bond, more chicks during the week, more Gus's hot dogs, and more sub-3.0 semesters.

We've been through this, haven't we?  I understand that every single one of you DIII standouts was a better student during football season (than spring semester?  than during late November?).  I believe you, I really do.  However, that still ignores at least two immutable facts:

• Football IS a distraction from academics; and
• The DIII national playoffs extend that distraction for an unknown period of time, often through finals.

I just don't see how the NESCAC deserves criticism for using those immutable facts in a calculation to conclude that at their schools--which have the highest academic reputation among all DIII schools--the football teams ought not participate in the national playoffs.

Don't forget, fellow engineers and scientists, that the NESCAC schools are liberal arts schools, among the finest in the country.  As I understand it, liberal artists take many classes where they have to do this thing called "write papers" or some such nonsense, and many of those papers that they have to write are due during finals.  K-Mack's Williams interviewee mentioned multiple papers in his discussion of why he wasn't bothered by lack of playoff participation.

Riddle me this then...

Why might a school like Williams allow hockey season to start prior to their first game on 11/17/2007 running all the way through 2/23/2008.  Or even basketball running from 11/16/2007 until 2/28/2008.  Granted, they take off finals WEEK from games, but they still have to practice don't they?  How does that make any sense?  Last I checked, hockey and basketball were pretty demanding sports, no?

Wouldn't it be 'in their best interest' to start the seasons AFTER finals?

[superman57]

Truth be told, LD11 was a MUCH better student in-season due to the regimented structure of football season.  Off season spelled more drinking, more games of Bond, more chicks during the week, more Gus's hot dogs, and more sub-3.0 semesters.

We've been through this, haven't we?  I understand that every single one of you DIII standouts was a better student during football season (than spring semester?  than during late November?).  I believe you, I really do.  However, that still ignores at least two immutable facts:

• Football IS a distraction from academics; and
• The DIII national playoffs extend that distraction for an unknown period of time, often through finals.

I just don't see how the NESCAC deserves criticism for using those immutable facts in a calculation to conclude that at their schools--which have the highest academic reputation among all DIII schools--the football teams ought not participate in the national playoffs.

Don't forget, fellow engineers and scientists, that the NESCAC schools are liberal arts schools, among the finest in the country.  As I understand it, liberal artists take many classes where they have to do this thing called "write papers" or some such nonsense, and many of those papers that they have to write are due during finals.  K-Mack's Williams interviewee mentioned multiple papers in his discussion of why he wasn't bothered by lack of playoff participation.

Riddle me this then...

Why might a school like Williams allow hockey season to start prior to their first game on 11/17/2007 running all the way through 2/23/2008.  Or even basketball running from 11/16/2007 until 2/28/2008.  Granted, they take off finals WEEK from games, but they still have to practice don't they?  How does that make any sense?  Last I checked, hockey and basketball were pretty demanding sports, no?

Wouldn't it be 'in their best interest' to start the seasons AFTER finals?

Lew I'm gonna agree with you on this..because with Hockey and Basketball you are also playing multiple games a weekend...so if you have a friday game your gonna miss classes...plus not be home for 2 days to write those papers