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

['gro]

reguardless of what the coaches, players, fans, etc think... as long as the NESCAC secludes itself from the rest of D3 football, they shouldn't be part of the discussion.

You can watch all the NESCAC football in the world and come up with how you'd think they'd compete against the rest of the east, but it would just be an assumption. JV games (sometimes RPI JV plays Williams JV) aren't going to help either.

I wish they would compete like normal schools. I think that a top NESCAC team could compete in a 1st round matchup... but until we get some games being played, we'll never know.

[Pat Coleman]

Your boy RedTackle felt last year's Williams was on par with the Liberty League contenders on our Game of the Week broadcast, IIRC.

But yes, lack of evidence is why they usually don't get ranked. Not every voter is convinced by a team running the table against Pool D.

[union89]

very tough call, since winning the east doesn't automatically make you the best team, but winning is everything right? Consider this 'gro taking the easy way out.

Since I've only read up through this post, I'll take the easy way out too, by sitting back and watching what everyone else comes up with. Offseason = I get to play the role of reader.

In any case, in response to the earlier question about the NESCAC, I would say that league compares favorably (as in equally) to some of the other top private school teams in the East Region that I've seen. Hobart '05 is a good example of a team I think top NESCAC teams would have gone toe-to-toe with, and that team went toe-to-toe with the best East teams of that year. I think to make the true East Region list you would have to look at a couple Wiliams teams, including this past year's, and some of those Trinity teams. Not sure if Amherst had an undefeated in the D3 era, but they're worth checking out.

With playoff Ws being key criteria here ... well, let's just say that furthers my annoyance with the whole NESCAC not participating thing.

I think considering Wilkes '06 better than Rowan '06 is a fine move, and both the '99 and Clock Year Rowan teams were pretty damn good.

Not that thrilled with RPI's '03 run compared with how some other East teams fared in their semifinal matchup, but they did lose to the national champion.

This is 100% a statement of subjectivity.  How can you make a statement like that, when the NESCAC teams NEVER play anyone else?  Shoot, I can watch how nasty and talented Boise St. was for the last several years on ESPN, against their own conference, and say how they could definately match up with the top teams in the country.  Just because they look so good against competition with similar standards, does that mean they can match up with the best teams?  You just don't know until they play, and until last year, Boise St. showed that they in fact WEREN'T good enough to be looked at in that top tier.  

No disrespect to Williams and Trinity, MAYBE they are as good, if not better than the other East teams, but HOW can you gauge it with no actual proof?  In the NFL, Arizona and San Francisco looked INCREDIBLE against each other in week 1 last year.  How did they fair against everyone else?

All I'm trying to say is that this is a pointless argument because everything is based on your opinion of how these teams look against each other.  It is impossible to rank them amongst the 'living' because they choose to seclude themselves, play a short schedule, and never venture into unchartered territories, so for that reason, they should be ignored.

The NEFC could hold the same argument if they didn't venture out.  Curry sure looked good last year at 11-0 in the Regular season, but in typical NEFC fashion, they got smoked in the playoffs by Springfield, 42-14.  Would this happen to the NESCAC???  Maybe...Maybe not.  Guess we'll never know.  But until we know, I'll take Hobart in 2005 over any of them.

My thoughts exactly....well stated by LD.

[lewdogg11]

Your boy RedTackle felt last year's Williams was on par with the Liberty League contenders on our Game of the Week broadcast, IIRC.

But yes, lack of evidence is why they usually don't get ranked. Not every voter is convinced by a team running the table against Pool D.

I am not saying they are NOT on par.  They might be.  And i'm not saying they aren't impressive to watch live, against 'Pool D'(I like that).  I'm just saying that there is no way to tell where, in the grand scheme of things, they fall, so the arguments made on both ends can't be justified.

They are kind of like their own entity of the NAIA.

[Pat Coleman]

I think that a top NESCAC team could compete in a 1st round matchup... but until we get some games being played, we'll never know.

Oddly enough, this is exactly what a poll is -- what people think.

['gro]

I think that a top NESCAC team could compete in a 1st round matchup... but until we get some games being played, we'll never know.

Oddly enough, this is exactly what a poll is -- what people think.

yeah yeah yeah but they have some kind of basis even 3 or 4 times removed that boils down to on the field play.  The old A beat B who beat C who beat A stuff.

EDIT
I guess my point is since the NESCAC wants to be separate, why give them the kudos of votes in the D3.com poll?

[lewdogg11]

I think that a top NESCAC team could compete in a 1st round matchup... but until we get some games being played, we'll never know.

Oddly enough, this is exactly what a poll is -- what people think.

yeah yeah yeah but they have some kind of basis even 3 or 4 times removed that boils down to on the field play.  The old A beat B who beat C who beat A stuff.

EDIT
I guess my point is since the NESCAC wants to be separate, why give them the kudos of votes in the D3.com poll?

They can have their own poll, and base it on their head to head records...   

[JT]

I think that a top NESCAC team could compete in a 1st round matchup... but until we get some games being played, we'll never know.

Oddly enough, this is exactly what a poll is -- what people think.

yeah yeah yeah but they have some kind of basis even 3 or 4 times removed that boils down to on the field play.  The old A beat B who beat C who beat A stuff.

EDIT
I guess my point is since the NESCAC wants to be separate, why give them the kudos of votes in the D3.com poll?

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.

[Senor RedTackle]

Your boy RedTackle felt last year's Williams was on par with the Liberty League contenders on our Game of the Week broadcast, IIRC.

But yes, lack of evidence is why they usually don't get ranked. Not every voter is convinced by a team running the table against Pool D.

RT likes the "RT reference" from the guru

[Trin9-0]

Your boy RedTackle felt last year's Williams was on par with the Liberty League contenders on our Game of the Week broadcast, IIRC.

Also, D3football.com's own Keith MacMillan seemed impressed with the overall play of the NESCAC and Trinity in particular in 2005 when agreed that the Bantams were "one of the 10-12 best teams in the country."

the article: http://www.d3football.com/atn.php?id=83

For the record, I don't think NESCAC teams belong on this list because they don't play non-conference opponents. In fact I always wondered what criteria was used when the undefeated Trinity/Williams teams showed up in the D3football.com National Top 25 poll (albeit at the very end of the year when almost every team has at least 1 loss).

Though I also think the top NESCAC teams would more than hold their own against the top teams in the East Region.

[Pat Coleman]

If all their sports programs refused to compete in the NCAA playoffs, it would be admirable.

For two decades, they did just that.

[lewdogg11]

Your boy RedTackle felt last year's Williams was on par with the Liberty League contenders on our Game of the Week broadcast, IIRC.

Also, D3football.com's own Keith MacMillan seemed impressed with the overall play of the NESCAC and Trinity in particular in 2005 when agreed that the Bantams were "one of the 10-12 best teams in the country."

the article: http://www.d3football.com/atn.php?id=83

For the record, I don't think NESCAC teams belong on this list because they don't play non-conference opponents. In fact I always wondered what criteria was used when the undefeated Trinity/Williams teams showed up in the D3football.com National Top 25 poll (albeit at the very end of the year when almost every team has at least 1 loss).

Though I also think the top NESCAC teams would more than hold their own against the top teams in the East Region.

Seems to be a common theme here...Unfortunately, we'll probably never find out.  I think the NESCAC could bring a nice spark to the East Region Tournament bracket.  It's a shame.

[JQV]

I just don't understand the point of the rule.  Was it originally based on some kind of "like minded institution" logic?  That seems like it would easily be thrown out the window given their success in other sports where they beat schools with different admissions philosophies.  So why just football?

[Pat Coleman]

Same reason the Ivy League does it.

I don't even know why the Ivy League does it, but it sure seems that if Ivy does it, then NESCAC wants to, too.

[lewdogg11]

I still don't understand the thought behind the NESCAC reasoning.  Most likely 1 school(2 at the most) would make the playoffs each year, and it extends the season a couple of weeks?  Rediculas!