FB: Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference

[Boxer7806]

I watched the framingham game too. Just too many weapons for westfield to deal with specifically the wide out jones. And the green kid stepped in and played well at running back. He is their third different back to go over 100 for them. But the real story is westfields qb was bad... fram took mercandante out of the game and their qb just struggled mightily. The only score for westfield happened after 3 or 4 personal foul penalties on the same drive in the 4th quarter. But westfield states d is good... they fly to the ball and tackle well but fram is a good team and have limited their turnovers. Watched a little of fitch and worcester and worcester just cant stop anybody. Fitch moved the ball well and had guys running open andnhad some big holes. Bumpus and vincek both played but neither that great but when they needed a stop in the 4th fitchburgh just marched down and scored easily. Worcester looks like a pretender.

[Cbarmy]

Anyone know what is going on with the QB situation at Westconn?
This kid Mike Nicol starting to make a name for himself. Still think they need
Will Arndt back if they are going to make another run at another ECAC bid.
But the future looks bright at QB with Nicol proving to be a dual threat  to run and throw
Back to back 100 plus yards rushing.

Big game versus Fitchburg this week, curious to see how Fitchburg shows up after the drumming
They took from Westconn a year ago during the Octavia's Mckoy show. Should be game of the week

[Boxer7806]

Anyone know what is going on with the QB situation at Westconn?
This kid Mike Nicol starting to make a name for himself. Still think they need
Will Arndt back if they are going to make another run at another ECAC bid.
But the future looks bright at QB with Nicol proving to be a dual threat  to run and throw
Back to back 100 plus yards rushing.

Big game versus Fitchburg this week, curious to see how Fitchburg shows up after the drumming
They took from Westconn a year ago during the Octavia's Mckoy show. Should be game of the week

I agree, I'm looking forward to that game the most this week. From the looks of it, its Nicol's show for now because it seems Arndt is out. It will be interesting to see how he does going forward now that teams have a couple weeks of film on him. Teams with true duel threat qb's have been very sucessful in the past in this league with McCarthy from Bridgewater being the best example as of late. IT seems Fitchburg is very good against the run this year, leading the league only giving up 100 yards a game, but this will be their toughest test since Framingham for Fitchburg, and that game Framingham seemed to run the ball pretty well. I'm excited to see how this one shakes out.

[ECoastFootball]

MASCAC POWER RANKINGS FOLLOWING WEEK 6

1.   (LW 1) Framingham State Rams (5-1, 4-0)
Another dominating win by the Rams who are clearly better than the rest of the MASCAC. To show the true disparity I should probably rank the next best team as #3, that would give a better picture of the gap in talent. They plugged in their 3rd hundred yard rusher of the year as sophomore Jalen Green hit the century mark. Westfield State is a solid team, they probably should have beaten WNEC, but Fram just handled them. With MMA, BSU and Woo State left, this team should sleepwalk to 9-1. They deserve an NCAA bid if they avoid an upset, they are every bit as good as the last 2 years NCAA teams.

2.   (LW 2) Western Connecticut State Colonials (4-2, 3-1)
Surprisingly tough battle with Maritime. I thought they would pound the Bucs, but WCSU needed 14 late 4th quarter points to flip a 19-16 deficit into a 30-19 victory. If they play like that Saturday, they'll lose. Here is another point that needs to be made: With the way they ran their offense this past week, we may soon find out how good WCSU's 3rd string QB is. It seems Arndt is out, and while 150 yards rushing is great, 21 rushing attempts is a lot for a QB. That works against a defense that hasn't hit anyone in 2 years, but it won't work against Fitch.

3.   (LW 4) Fitchburg State Falcons (5-1, 3-1)
Another nice win for the Falcons as they continued to show their growth as a program. When Worcester battled back late to close the gap Fitchburg stepped on their throats with 14 4th quarter points to ice the game. Dellechiaie is playing like a senior and that defense is really flying around. They have West Conn this week and they must be heading into this one blood thirsty after the @sskicking they took last year.

4.   (LW 3) Westfield State Owls (3-2, 2-1)
Ouch. Whatever Westfield was expecting to get out of their game with Framingham, a whipping wasn't it. The Owls were held under 200 yards of offense and they only rushed for 77 yards. They needed to be in the 150-200 yards rushing area for this one to be close. Westfield heads to Buzzards Bay this weekend, where they should get back on track. The Owls need to put this one behind them, with Fitch and WCSU still in front of them, 8-2 gets you an ECAC Bowl invite.

5.    (LW  7) UMass Dartmouth Corsairs (3-3, 2-2)
Talk about 2 different teams in 2 different weeks. The Corsairs dominated the Bears on Defense and Special Teams. The Offense looked dangerous at times and Aborishade took over the game. There was even a Trent Barneys sighting! (though Burnham took most of the snaps) UMD is sitting at 3-3 with losses only to Framingham, Springfield and a heartbreaker to Westfield. This team could definitely play the spoiler to Fitchburg and West Conn's ECAC bids.

6.   (LW 5) Bridgewater State Bears (2-4, 1-3)
That one hurts. Bridgewater hasn't had a losing record in 12 years, but they were just dominated the last two weeks by West Conn and UMass Dartmouth by a combined score of 71-20. The Bears should pound Plymouth this week to get to 3-4 and they should finish with a win over Maritime. The big game if they want to get to .500 will be Westfield in two weeks, 'cause they sure as heck ain't sniffing Framingham.

7.   (LW 6) Worcester State Lancers (3-2, 1-2)
Despite the final score, this weekend's game was actually winnable. They were down 27-24 late, before giving up 14 points in the last 5 minutes. This is about what I expected out of Worcester, they can beat all the bad teams, but have trouble with teams of equal or greater talent. Their D just can't seem to get a stop when they need to. Also, 66 yards rushing just isn't going to cut it. UMD comes in on Saturday boasting a 3-0 road record. If the Lancers want to get to 4-2, they better be able to run it against the Corsairs. If they try to fling it all around Brummitt may have another couple of pics to add to his 3 from Friday.

8.    (LW 8) Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers (1-4, 0-4)
Valiant effort from the Bucs. I thought they were going to get slaughtered and they almost pulled off the upset of the year in New England. Westfield comes to town this week as the Bucs continue to look for their first MASCAC W of the year. They'll need to slow Mercadante if they want to have a shot.

9.    (LW 9) Plymouth State Panthers (1-4, 0-3)
Bye week must have been restless for Plymouth. While 1-4 may be what they've known as of late, it is not what Castonia is used to. They may see a glimmer of hope as they get ready to head down to battle a wounded Bear team.

[Boxer7806]

MASCAC POWER RANKINGS FOLLOWING WEEK 6

1.   (LW 1) Framingham State Rams (5-1, 4-0)
Another dominating win by the Rams who are clearly better than the rest of the MASCAC. To show the true disparity I should probably rank the next best team as #3, that would give a better picture of the gap in talent. They plugged in their 3rd hundred yard rusher of the year as sophomore Jalen Green hit the century mark. Westfield State is a solid team, they probably should have beaten WNEC, but Fram just handled them. With MMA, BSU and Woo State left, this team should sleepwalk to 9-1. They deserve an NCAA bid if they avoid an upset, they are every bit as good as the last 2 years NCAA teams.

2.   (LW 2) Western Connecticut State Colonials (4-2, 3-1)
Surprisingly tough battle with Maritime. I thought they would pound the Bucs, but WCSU needed 14 late 4th quarter points to flip a 19-16 deficit into a 30-19 victory. If they play like that Saturday, they'll lose. Here is another point that needs to be made: With the way they ran their offense this past week, we may soon find out how good WCSU's 3rd string QB is. It seems Arndt is out, and while 150 yards rushing is great, 21 rushing attempts is a lot for a QB. That works against a defense that hasn't hit anyone in 2 years, but it won't work against Fitch.

3.   (LW 4) Fitchburg State Falcons (5-1, 3-1)
Another nice win for the Falcons as they continued to show their growth as a program. When Worcester battled back late to close the gap Fitchburg stepped on their throats with 14 4th quarter points to ice the game. Dellechiaie is playing like a senior and that defense is really flying around. They have West Conn this week and they must be heading into this one blood thirsty after the @sskicking they took last year.

4.   (LW 3) Westfield State Owls (3-2, 2-1)
Ouch. Whatever Westfield was expecting to get out of their game with Framingham, a whipping wasn't it. The Owls were held under 200 yards of offense and they only rushed for 77 yards. They needed to be in the 150-200 yards rushing area for this one to be close. Westfield heads to Buzzards Bay this weekend, where they should get back on track. The Owls need to put this one behind them, with Fitch and WCSU still in front of them, 8-2 gets you an ECAC Bowl invite.

5.    (LW  7) UMass Dartmouth Corsairs (3-3, 2-2)
Talk about 2 different teams in 2 different weeks. The Corsairs dominated the Bears on Defense and Special Teams. The Offense looked dangerous at times and Aborishade took over the game. There was even a Trent Barneys sighting! (though Burnham took most of the snaps) UMD is sitting at 3-3 with losses only to Framingham, Springfield and a heartbreaker to Westfield. This team could definitely play the spoiler to Fitchburg and West Conn's ECAC bids.

6.   (LW 5) Bridgewater State Bears (2-4, 1-3)
That one hurts. Bridgewater hasn't had a losing record in 12 years, but they were just dominated the last two weeks by West Conn and UMass Dartmouth by a combined score of 71-20. The Bears should pound Plymouth this week to get to 3-4 and they should finish with a win over Maritime. The big game if they want to get to .500 will be Westfield in two weeks, 'cause they sure as heck ain't sniffing Framingham.

7.   (LW 6) Worcester State Lancers (3-2, 1-2)
Despite the final score, this weekend's game was actually winnable. They were down 27-24 late, before giving up 14 points in the last 5 minutes. This is about what I expected out of Worcester, they can beat all the bad teams, but have trouble with teams of equal or greater talent. Their D just can't seem to get a stop when they need to. Also, 66 yards rushing just isn't going to cut it. UMD comes in on Saturday boasting a 3-0 road record. If the Lancers want to get to 4-2, they better be able to run it against the Corsairs. If they try to fling it all around Brummitt may have another couple of pics to add to his 3 from Friday.

8.    (LW 8) Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers (1-4, 0-4)
Valiant effort from the Bucs. I thought they were going to get slaughtered and they almost pulled off the upset of the year in New England. Westfield comes to town this week as the Bucs continue to look for their first MASCAC W of the year. They'll need to slow Mercadante if they want to have a shot.

9.    (LW 9) Plymouth State Panthers (1-4, 0-3)
Bye week must have been restless for Plymouth. While 1-4 may be what they've known as of late, it is not what Castonia is used to. They may see a glimmer of hope as they get ready to head down to battle a wounded Bear team.

I think Fitchburg has this game against West Conn. Without their QB I just got a weird feeling that they are prime to be upset by a team that does not have as much talent as they do. Now, obviously I'm stating the obvious here because Mass Maritime almost got them last weekend, but something has to give in this game. Either Fitchburg lives up to their lofty run D statistic and stuffs West Conn to a victory orrrrrrrrr West Conn just runs all over them. For some reason I just don't think their will be middle ground, mostly because Framingham ran for close to 8 yards a carry on them, which @ this point is their best game to date rushing the ball. Either Fitchburg fixes their problems with the zone (I'm pretty sure both teams run a bunch of zone concepts) or West Conn goes wild. I'm leaning towards Fitchburg figuring it out for a win. If Fitch loses this one, I don't think they get by Westfield either, who has the defense and rushing attack to trip them up.

[ECoastFootball]

Week 5 (10/13/14) of the New England SID Poll is out and is as follows:http://www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/football/link-resources/poll.html ... I have taken out the NESCAC teams but you can see them in the link.

Rank (Rank w.NESCAC Teams Included) Team
1  (2) WNEC
2  (3) Framingham
3  (6) MIT
4  (7) Fitchburg State
5  (8) Endicott College
6  (9) Springfield College
7 (10) West Conn

A lot of shake up in my rankings as we see more and more of these teams.
My New England Poll (minus the NESCAC*)
Rank  (LW) Team - Conference - (Record, Reasoning)
1(1)    Framingham State - MASCAC - (5-1, dismantled a solid MASCAC opponent for the 2nd week in a row.)
2(2)    WNEC - NEFC - (5-0, squeeked out a win versus a talented but underperforming SRU team. Should beat up Union if they want to show they are the NEFC frontrunner.)
3(4)    Endicott - NEFC - (4-2, struggled with Nichols but inching up on WNEC as my NEFC favorite. Will learn a lot about them as they play MIT on 11/1 and WNEC on 11/5.)
4(3)    Springfield - LL - (3-2, I only penalize you so much for losses to Hobart.)
5(8)    Fitchburg State - MASCAC -  (5-1, Another convincing win. Huge game for this program on Saturday.)
6(6)    MIT - NEFC - (5-0, this team is rolling. They play Nichols this week before back to back games with WNEC and Salve. They win all three they'll by #2 in this poll and more importantly, NEFC champs.)
7(5)    West Conn - MASCAC - (4-2, Struggled against a bad Maritime team. Big one this week w.Fitch)
8(7)    Westfield State - MASCAC - (3-2, tough loss to a good opponent. Defense played well at times, but offense did absolutely nothing.)
9(9)  Husson - ECFC - (3-1, throttled SUNY Maritime 40-0)
10(NR)  UMass Dartmouth - MASCAC - (3-3, Great all around W for UMD. They have outscored BWater 70-17 over their last 6 quarters.)

Close: Castleton - ECFC (4-1), but it's very hard for me to rank a team Plymouth took to overtime.

Dropped Out: 10. Bridgewater St (lost to UMass Dartmouth)

thoughts?

[ECoastFootball]

Week 7 Projections for the MASCAC
(Went 4-0 for the third straight week last week, although some scores were off again. Puts me at 16-1 for the last 4 weeks and 27-6 for the year or 0.818)

Saturday October 18th
8. WESTFIELD STATE (3-2, 2-1) – 27
@ Mass Maritime (1-4, 0-3) – 21
The Owls get back on track after being handled by FRAM last week. Westfield's style does not lend itself to blowouts, but I think they control this game. They beat a much better MMA team 37-27 last year. They never trailed in that one, and if not for a 70 yard Bennett TD with 12 minutes to go in the 4th, they never would have been tied either. Last year the Owls held the Bucs to 350 yards, this year they may hold them under 300.

7. WESTERN CONNECTICUT STATE (4-2, 3-1) – 28
@ 5. Fitchburg State (5-1, 3-1) – 27
Game of the Week in non-NESCAC New England. I know what you guys are saying, "Why would you rank Fitch ahead of WCSU if you weren't going to pick 'em?" I think Fitchburg has done more to earn a higher ranking at this point, but I think WCSU is the better team. I mean, who on here is taking #18 East Carolina over #21 Texas A&M? Boxer7806 made a good point about Arndt being out, this will be a big moment for Nicol. I think, however, that Mack will make it easier for him. Fitch has really only played one team that ran the ball; they gave up 226 yard and 6.6 yards a carry to Framingham.  The Colonels aren't the Rams, but I can see 175-200 yards rushing and 5 yards a carry for the visitors. One thing's for sure, there will be no 70 point sleepwalk for West Conn this time. I would not be shocked if the Falcons snuck this one out on the heels of last year's score being run up, but I can't get myself to pull the trigger. I just think WCSU is better.

Plymouth State (1-4, 0-3) – 14
@ BRIDGEWATER STATE (2-4, 1-3) – 30
No better recipe for stopping a slide than a home game against Plymouth. Look for the Bears to dominate for four quarters, both running the ball and getting Higgins going throwing the rock. If I were the Bears, I might even sit Green out for this one if I thought that would get him to 100% for their make or break game at Westfield next week. For the Panthers, I would say they can keep it close if they can force the Bears to run it, but I don't think they have the secondary to take away any of the Bears WR's.

10. UMASS DARTMOUTH (3-3, 2-2) – 30
@ Worcester State (4-2, 1-2) – 24
I'll say it again, Worcester can get a big win this week if they can run the ball. I know they want to throw it, I know they can throw it, but they need to be able to give their D a rest at some point. In their two losses the Lancers have rushed for 66 yards and 33 yards. They can move the ball through the air, but when you fling it every play, you throw picks. For the Corsairs, I'm excited to see more of Barneys after he got one series @ Bridgewater (his first action since getting hurt vs. Springfield). Look for UMD to be balanced offensively and score enough points to allow their staunch D to lead them to 4-3.

[ECoastFootball]

MASCAC POWER RANKINGS FOLLOWING WEEK 7

1.   (LW 1) Framingham State Rams (5-1, 4-0)
Perfect time for the bye week for the Rams as they rest up for their stretch run. Plymouth State's up next. I could say something about overlooking the Panthers or the long bus ride up,  but coming off a bye and with MMA next anyways, we'll be looking at a smackdown in NH.

2.   (LW 2) Western Connecticut State Colonials (5-2, 4-1)
Huge win for the Colonials. They seem to have reinvented themselves behind Nicol. The young QB looks to have a bright future and is a solid decision maker and athlete for WCSU. He was extremely efficient, going 10-14. The real story of the day was the WCSU defense and the performance of Tory Mack. Wes Conn hosts Worcester State next week in a game that should be exciting, and much more high scoring than their past game.

3.   (LW 3) Fitchburg State Falcons (5-2, 3-2)
Definitely a tough loss for the Falcons. I thought momentum had turned for them following Louissannt fumble recovery. The Falcons even marched right down the field and tied it at 14 with an 8 point drive. I thought WCSU was done after that. Dellechiaie managed the game well, but the Colonials limited his explosive receiving corps' big plays, and that was the difference. Fitch now gets a week off. Great time for a bye, as they have 2 weeks to prepare to host a very solid Westfield team.

4.   (LW 4) Westfield State Owls (4-2, 3-1)
Much more fun for the Owls to play the Bucs than the Rams. This game was not as close as the score, and Mercadante went over 200 yards in a workmanlike performance. WSU hosts Bridgewater this week in a game that always leaves both teams bruised. I expect another huge day out of Merc and a big win for the Owls as they try to keep pace with Fitch and WCSU in their chase for an ECAC game.

5.   (LW 7) Worcester State Lancers (4-2, 2-2)
This was Worcester's first really good win of the season IMHO. I've said mulitiple times, when they can run it they can beat the good teams. Hippert will get the press, but Jones rushing for 100 yards is a big deal. The Lancers fought back in a seesaw affair that could have gone either way. I think they lucked out against some broken coverages, but it takes a tough team to continuously score after giving up big plays. I still think there is a solid break between the 4th and 5th spot in this league, but we'll find out as they have West Conn next and Westfield in a few weeks. Everything still lies in front of the Lancers, as they officially join the 4 team group (WCSU, Fitchburg, Westfield, Worcester) in the Hunt for and ECAC bid.

6.    (LW  5) UMass Dartmouth Corsairs (3-4, 2-3)
Disappointing game for UMD. I don't know what's wrong with Derek Tarpey, but Corsairs better hope it's nothing serious. The heart and soul of their defense didn't play a snap, and you could tell he was missing. No way they give up 50 to WooState with him out there. Preston Cooper's absence is also troubling, as the Corsairs had no running game to speak of. Despite this, the Corsairs exploded for 43 points. Burnham did look very good and Aborishade is a beast. Barneys was disappointing overall, but he did quarterback 1 touchdown drive very nicely. The Corsairs should get back to .500 this week, as they face the worst defense they've seen all year.

7.   (LW 6) Bridgewater State Bears (3-4, 2-3)
If only you could play Plymouth every week. More important than any stat was the return of the Bear offense, aka Matthew Green. The game was nowhere near as close as the score, and I feel like Bridgewater was in control every time I checked in. It will be interesting to see how they fair at Westfield. To this point I think they have beaten the teams they are more talented than and struggled against those they were equal to. Season defining game up next for the Bears. They have Westfield, Framingham and MMA left, so a win over the Owls is a must if they want to get to 5-5.


8.    (LW 8) Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers (1-5, 0-5)
No-show performance from the Bucs. They fought their @sses off against West Conn, but they got spanked by Westfield. As expected, Bennett and Rosano played well, but there was no running game or defense to speak of. Maritime travels to UMD this week in a game they need to get. If Tarpey is out and Maritime can run it, they could make it interesting. But with with UMD coming off a tough loss, and the Corsairs losing at Maritime last year, the Bucs may get thumped.

9.    (LW 9) Plymouth State Panthers (1-5, 0-4)
Plymouth hosts Framingham next. Ouch.

[D3MAFAN]

Didn't get to watch any games this weekend, but was able to check in on the live stats here and there. I am upset that I missed a good game between West Conn and Fitchburg, from the nice breakdown by ECoast, it appeared that it was a tale of two halves, a key fumble that changes momentum, but West Conn survives in OT. I think if both teams continue to win out, they both can host a ECAC game. In other MASCAC games, Westfield continues it race to possibly try to take a bid away from either West Conn and Fitchburg, I think they will be able to handle Bridgewater State this upcoming weekend, which will setup a good matchup between them and Fitchburg. Thanks for the Power Rankings ECoast. 

[ECoastFootball]

Didn't get to watch any games this weekend, but was able to check in on the live stats here and there. I am upset that I missed a good game between West Conn and Fitchburg, from the nice breakdown by ECoast, it appeared that it was a tale of two halves, a key fumble that changes momentum, but West Conn survives in OT. I think if both teams continue to win out, they both can host a ECAC game. In other MASCAC games, Westfield continues it race to possibly try to take a bid away from either West Conn and Fitchburg, I think they will be able to handle Bridgewater State this upcoming weekend, which will setup a good matchup between them and Fitchburg. Thanks for the Power Rankings ECoast.

Do you think an 8-2 MASCAC team will host an ECAC game? I think they may travel. Good point about 2 teams having a shot. Will be interesting to see what happens if Fitch, West Conn and Westfield all split and end up 7-3.

[ECoastFootball]

Week 6 (10/20/14) of the New England SID Poll is out and is as follows: http://www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/football/link-resources/poll.html ... I have taken out the NESCAC teams but you can see them in the link.

Rank (Rank w.NESCAC Teams Included) Team
1  (1) WNEU
2  (3) Framingham
3  (5) MIT
4  (7) West Conn
5  (8) Springfield College
6  (9) Endicott College
7 (10) Fitchburg
8 (11) Husson

My New England Poll (minus the NESCAC*)
Rank  (LW) Team - Conference - (Record, Reasoning)
1(1)    Framingham State - MASCAC - (5-1, Bye)
2(2)    WNEU - NEFC - (6-0, Convincing win over a reeling Union club)
3(3)    Endicott - NEFC - (4-2, Bye)
4(4)    Springfield - LL - (4-2, Only losses are to the #2 team in this poll and the #1 team in the East)
5(7)    West Conn - MASCAC - (5-2, Big road win at Fitch)
6(6)    MIT - NEFC - (6-0, Very excited to see them host WNE this week)
7(5)    Fitchburg State - MASCAC -  (5-2, Tough loss to WCSU in a game that could have gone either way)
8(8)    Westfield State - MASCAC - (4-2 Dominated Mass Maritime this week)
9(9)  Husson - ECFC - (4-1, Snuck by Gallaudet. Maybe my bias is showing, but I think this is a 6-4/5-5 team in the MASCAC or NEFC)
10(NR)  Worcester St - MASCAC - (4-2, Big win over UMD)

Close: No one else

Dropped Out: 10. UMass Dartmouth (Lost to Worcester)

thoughts?

[ECoastFootball]

Games to Watch this week in New England

Saturday 1 pm
#4 Springfield College (5-2) @ #10(EAST) St. Lawrence (5-1)

Saturday 5 pm
#1 Western New England (6-0) @ #6 MIT (6-0)
#10 Worcester State (4-2) @ #5 Western Connecticut (5-2)

[Boxer7806]

Week 5 (10/13/14) of the New England SID Poll is out and is as follows:http://www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/football/link-resources/poll.html ... I have taken out the NESCAC teams but you can see them in the link.

Rank (Rank w.NESCAC Teams Included) Team
1  (2) WNEC
2  (3) Framingham
3  (6) MIT
4  (7) Fitchburg State
5  (8) Endicott College
6  (9) Springfield College
7 (10) West Conn

A lot of shake up in my rankings as we see more and more of these teams.
My New England Poll (minus the NESCAC*)
Rank  (LW) Team - Conference - (Record, Reasoning)
1(1)    Framingham State - MASCAC - (5-1, dismantled a solid MASCAC opponent for the 2nd week in a row.)
2(2)    WNEC - NEFC - (5-0, squeeked out a win versus a talented but underperforming SRU team. Should beat up Union if they want to show they are the NEFC frontrunner.)
3(4)    Endicott - NEFC - (4-2, struggled with Nichols but inching up on WNEC as my NEFC favorite. Will learn a lot about them as they play MIT on 11/1 and WNEC on 11/5.)
4(3)    Springfield - LL - (3-2, I only penalize you so much for losses to Hobart.)
5(8)    Fitchburg State - MASCAC -  (5-1, Another convincing win. Huge game for this program on Saturday.)
6(6)    MIT - NEFC - (5-0, this team is rolling. They play Nichols this week before back to back games with WNEC and Salve. They win all three they'll by #2 in this poll and more importantly, NEFC champs.)
7(5)    West Conn - MASCAC - (4-2, Struggled against a bad Maritime team. Big one this week w.Fitch)
8(7)    Westfield State - MASCAC - (3-2, tough loss to a good opponent. Defense played well at times, but offense did absolutely nothing.)
9(9)  Husson - ECFC - (3-1, throttled SUNY Maritime 40-0)
10(NR)  UMass Dartmouth - MASCAC - (3-3, Great all around W for UMD. They have outscored BWater 70-17 over their last 6 quarters.)

Close: Castleton - ECFC (4-1), but it's very hard for me to rank a team Plymouth took to overtime.

Dropped Out: 10. Bridgewater St (lost to UMass Dartmouth)

thoughts?

The WNEC vs MIT game is huge this week. I think in the MASCAC you really don't have one go to game this week. To be honest I think the best game that was left on the schedule was played last week between Fitch and West Conn, which was a great game to watch. Fitchburgh let that game slip through their fingers... I'm with you ECoast, I thought after the fumble recovery Fitch had the game. It was interesting to hear the Fitch commenters questions Haverty in the OT about being in shotgun formation and going for it with a run up the middle as opposed to the QB sneak from under center. I thought Haverty made the right call because it gives you more than one option on that play with a read of the backside end or backer. Heck, West Conn sealed the game on a 3-12 when the QB kept it on a zone read pull and Nicol got a huge first down to set up Mack's TD run instead of trying a FG (which is never a gimme at this level). 

In terms of ECAC teams, I think there is an obvious drop off after Fitchburg and West Conn. I see these being the only two teams to get a nod. In fact, this loss by Fitchburg hurts Framingham's chances of getting into the NCAAs because now everyone on Frams schedule has at least 2 losses. If Fitch won out, their is a high change they sneak into the RR as a 9-10 seed and give Framingham a huge win to their credit. For Fram to get in, they will need Endicott to win out as they are the best chance for them to get a RR win to their credit. I don't think West Conn St will make the cut in the Regional Rankings because of the parity in the E8 and Liberty League.

[ECoastFootball]

The WNEC vs MIT game is huge this week. I think in the MASCAC you really don't have one go to game this week. To be honest I think the best game that was left on the schedule was played last week between Fitch and West Conn, which was a great game to watch. Fitchburgh let that game slip through their fingers... I'm with you ECoast, I thought after the fumble recovery Fitch had the game. It was interesting to hear the Fitch commenters questions Haverty in the OT about being in shotgun formation and going for it with a run up the middle as opposed to the QB sneak from under center. I thought Haverty made the right call because it gives you more than one option on that play with a read of the backside end or backer. Heck, West Conn sealed the game on a 3-12 when the QB kept it on a zone read pull and Nicol got a huge first down to set up Mack's TD run instead of trying a FG (which is never a gimme at this level). 

In terms of ECAC teams, I think there is an obvious drop off after Fitchburg and West Conn. I see these being the only two teams to get a nod. In fact, this loss by Fitchburg hurts Framingham's chances of getting into the NCAAs because now everyone on Frams schedule has at least 2 losses. If Fitch won out, their is a high change they sneak into the RR as a 9-10 seed and give Framingham a huge win to their credit. For Fram to get in, they will need Endicott to win out as they are the best chance for them to get a RR win to their credit. I don't think West Conn St will make the cut in the Regional Rankings because of the parity in the E8 and Liberty League.

I agree with most of your post, although I think Westfield could steal one from Fitch or WCSU. There have been years where Westfield beats a team clearly better than them, and they have a very good defense. I hope that Fitch or WCSU don't take anymore losses, and Endicott wins out. That would give Framingham 3 wins over 8-2 teams. I would hate to see a 9-1 Framingham get left out. As you can see by my rankings, I definitely think they are the best team in New England.

[Boxer7806]

The WNEC vs MIT game is huge this week. I think in the MASCAC you really don't have one go to game this week. To be honest I think the best game that was left on the schedule was played last week between Fitch and West Conn, which was a great game to watch. Fitchburgh let that game slip through their fingers... I'm with you ECoast, I thought after the fumble recovery Fitch had the game. It was interesting to hear the Fitch commenters questions Haverty in the OT about being in shotgun formation and going for it with a run up the middle as opposed to the QB sneak from under center. I thought Haverty made the right call because it gives you more than one option on that play with a read of the backside end or backer. Heck, West Conn sealed the game on a 3-12 when the QB kept it on a zone read pull and Nicol got a huge first down to set up Mack's TD run instead of trying a FG (which is never a gimme at this level). 

In terms of ECAC teams, I think there is an obvious drop off after Fitchburg and West Conn. I see these being the only two teams to get a nod. In fact, this loss by Fitchburg hurts Framingham's chances of getting into the NCAAs because now everyone on Frams schedule has at least 2 losses. If Fitch won out, their is a high change they sneak into the RR as a 9-10 seed and give Framingham a huge win to their credit. For Fram to get in, they will need Endicott to win out as they are the best chance for them to get a RR win to their credit. I don't think West Conn St will make the cut in the Regional Rankings because of the parity in the E8 and Liberty League.

I agree with most of your post, although I think Westfield could steal one from Fitch or WCSU. There have been years where Westfield beats a team clearly better than them, and they have a very good defense. I hope that Fitch or WCSU don't take anymore losses, and Endicott wins out. That would give Framingham 3 wins over 8-2 teams. I would hate to see a 9-1 Framingham get left out. As you can see by my rankings, I definitely think they are the best team in New England.

I'm with ya on Westfield's D, they are good, but Fitch and West Conn have the guys to stop Mercandante up front. If you make Westfield throw the ball, its just ugly and not their strength. If any of those teams would  slip up against Westfield, I would say it is Fitch because Westfield can shut down their passing attack and Mercandante could wear them down in the 4th quarter and start to make a difference if its a 4th quarter game. Very similar to what Mack did to them this past weekend. I think Mack is a better back than Mercandante and Fitch did a pretty good job against him so I favor Fitchburg over Westfield in the matchup for that reason.