FB: Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference

[ECoastFootball]

I don't think WNEC should have dropped that far. I know Curry is not good, but I can betcha if they played 10 times, WNEC would win 90% of those games by double digits. However, it is what it is now and Curry was the better team that day.

It's not just because of that loss, it's overall. I kind of had to have them higher when they kept winning, but now they have a very real chance at being 6-3 going into the final game. IMHO, the only team they would beat (if they played today) ranked higher than them is Husson. The team ranked right below them they did beat, and they did beat Springfield, but I don't know that they would beat Springfield now. We will see how they fair against Endicott. Maybe they beat the Gulls and fly right back up to number 3 or 4 or so in my thoughts.

[D3MAFAN]

I don't think WNEC should have dropped that far. I know Curry is not good, but I can betcha if they played 10 times, WNEC would win 90% of those games by double digits. However, it is what it is now and Curry was the better team that day.

It's not just because of that loss, it's overall. I kind of had to have them higher when they kept winning, but now they have a very real chance at being 6-3 going into the final game. IMHO, the only team they would beat (if they played today) ranked higher than them is Husson. The team ranked right below them they did beat, and they did beat Springfield, but I don't know that they would beat Springfield now. We will see how they fair against Endicott. Maybe they beat the Gulls and fly right back up to number 3 or 4 or so in my thoughts.

For example if WNEC would have won that game, would you have still put them below Springfield, even with the H2H result?

[ECoastFootball]

I don't think WNEC should have dropped that far. I know Curry is not good, but I can betcha if they played 10 times, WNEC would win 90% of those games by double digits. However, it is what it is now and Curry was the better team that day.

It's not just because of that loss, it's overall. I kind of had to have them higher when they kept winning, but now they have a very real chance at being 6-3 going into the final game. IMHO, the only team they would beat (if they played today) ranked higher than them is Husson. The team ranked right below them they did beat, and they did beat Springfield, but I don't know that they would beat Springfield now. We will see how they fair against Endicott. Maybe they beat the Gulls and fly right back up to number 3 or 4 or so in my thoughts.

For example if WNEC would have won that game, would you have still put them below Springfield, even with the H2H result?

Yes. Here's my thing though, Wnec should win that game 100% of the time if they are good. Curry wasn't just not good, they were 0-7. I have to drop you way down for losing to an 0-7 team.

[Boxer7806]

I don't think WNEC should have dropped that far. I know Curry is not good, but I can betcha if they played 10 times, WNEC would win 90% of those games by double digits. However, it is what it is now and Curry was the better team that day.

It's not just because of that loss, it's overall. I kind of had to have them higher when they kept winning, but now they have a very real chance at being 6-3 going into the final game. IMHO, the only team they would beat (if they played today) ranked higher than them is Husson. The team ranked right below them they did beat, and they did beat Springfield, but I don't know that they would beat Springfield now. We will see how they fair against Endicott. Maybe they beat the Gulls and fly right back up to number 3 or 4 or so in my thoughts.

For example if WNEC would have won that game, would you have still put them below Springfield, even with the H2H result?

Yes. Here's my thing though, Wnec should win that game 100% of the time if they are good. Curry wasn't just not good, they were 0-7. I have to drop you way down for losing to an 0-7 team.
[/quote

I agree with all of it ECoast... all of it. Except Husson being 5 for all the same reasons you said Norwich shouldn't be ranked. I think Husson should be below WNEC at 10. But other than that, I like your thinking.

[ECoastFootball]

Week 10 Projections for the MASCAC
(Went 3-1 this past week, which brings my MASCAC record in-conference to 23-5 on the year. 34-11 or 0.756 for the year counting OOC games.)

All games this week are Saturday, November 8th

MASS MARITIME (2-6, 1-5) - 45
@  Plymouth State (1-6, 0-6) - 31
I think Plymouth State will definitely put up some points and I expect Hennessy to get over 100 yards in this one. I just don't think that Plymouth defense is going to slow down Maritime at all. I wouldn't be surprised if Rosano and Bennett each had a big day. Maritime has played everyone (except Framingham) tough this year, so this should be a nice, comfortable, 14 pt W for them.

Bridgewater State (4-4, 3-3) - 14
@ 1. FRAMINGHAM STATE (7-1, 5-1) - 40
This game may be close at the half, but I would be shocked if Framingham didn't pull away by the end of the third. They have the talent in the secondary to contain Green and the front seven to give that Bear OL a lot of trouble. Offensively, I strongly doubt the Bear defense holds Silva and Co. in check very long. With the Pool for B/C bids looking crowded, Framingham is going to put another big statement number up this week.

6. Worcester State (6-2, 4-2) – 21
@ 9. WESTFIELD STATE (5-3, 4-2) – 27
Game of the week in the MASCAC as each team tries to keep on pace to finish #2 in the league. At this point each squad has complete control of its own destiny to finish second behind Framingham. Similar to last week, I think the Westfield D will hold their opponent in check for most of the contest. Worcester is 2nd in YPG in conference play, but so was Fitchburg when they got to Westfield. Once that lead is there, the Owls just milk the clock with their back, and Merc's a good one.

FITCHBURG STATE (5-3, 3-3) – 28
@ UMass Dartmouth (3-6, 2-5) - 21
This game will be a battle, every game (outside of Framingham) that UMD has been involved in has been. I think Dellechiaie will be the difference in this one. The Corsairs do not have the defensive backfield to latch on to the Falcon's WRs when Dellechiaie starts running around back there, and I can see him making some big plays if pressure doesn't get to him. Fitchburg is giving up 23 points a game, and that's right about what the Corsairs should be able to get.

[ExTartanPlayer]

I don't think WNEC should have dropped that far. I know Curry is not good, but I can betcha if they played 10 times, WNEC would win 90% of those games by double digits. However, it is what it is now and Curry was the better team that day.

It's not just because of that loss, it's overall. I kind of had to have them higher when they kept winning, but now they have a very real chance at being 6-3 going into the final game. IMHO, the only team they would beat (if they played today) ranked higher than them is Husson. The team ranked right below them they did beat, and they did beat Springfield, but I don't know that they would beat Springfield now. We will see how they fair against Endicott. Maybe they beat the Gulls and fly right back up to number 3 or 4 or so in my thoughts.

For example if WNEC would have won that game, would you have still put them below Springfield, even with the H2H result?

Yes. Here's my thing though, Wnec should win that game 100% of the time if they are good. Curry wasn't just not good, they were 0-7. I have to drop you way down for losing to an 0-7 team.

Curry wasn't even "0-7 with a strong of close losses" - they were "0-7 without playing a game closer than 14 points and coming off a 49-6 loss to Salve Regina."

WNE deserves to be docked as harshly in the rankings as they were. I can appreciate the desire to respect h2h results like WNE beating Springfield but that only holds up if there's no other data contrary to the h2h result.

[Boxer7806]

What a wild weekend of football. These next set of regional rankings are going to be interesting. I was at the Bridgewater vs Framingham game this weekend and they just flipped a switch the second half. Bridgewater's D played awesome the first half and stopped them twice within the 1 yard line during the first half. Framingham's def. is the real deal, they are fast and really get after it. I think if you pass against them enough, you can hit them on some big chunk plays, but they get after the QB decent enough. Silva spreads the ball around and the WR's are talented but the Green kid at running back is good. BSU would stop him for a no gain and then he chips away getting 5-8 yards and then picks up a big chunks of 10 plus out of no where. He also put the game away with a 60 yard run. The reason I have more faith in Framingham come playoff time than MIT is the defense. MIT doesn't have a great one and I think Framingham does. After all that, Worcester matches up well with Framingham and I think has a chance at the upset alot like Bridgewater did but for the opposite reasons. I thought Bridgewater could slow down Framingham for and make it a low scoing game. They did it for a half. Worcester has the horses to outscore Framingham, and if they want to win they will have to do just that. Worcester gets after the QB pretty well and have 3 guys with 5 plus sacks on the dline. If those guys can get pressure Silva into some bad throws they have a good chance. I just don't think WOO state can stop their run game though and it will be interesting if Framingham pounds it with their 2 backs and force Worcester to capitalize on every possession. I think that game is at Fram. and might go see that one as well.

[wcrosby]

What a wild weekend of football. These next set of regional rankings are going to be interesting. I was at the Bridgewater vs Framingham game this weekend and they just flipped a switch the second half. Bridgewater's D played awesome the first half and stopped them twice within the 1 yard line during the first half. Framingham's def. is the real deal, they are fast and really get after it. I think if you pass against them enough, you can hit them on some big chunk plays, but they get after the QB decent enough. Silva spreads the ball around and the WR's are talented but the Green kid at running back is good. BSU would stop him for a no gain and then he chips away getting 5-8 yards and then picks up a big chunks of 10 plus out of no where. He also put the game away with a 60 yard run. The reason I have more faith in Framingham come playoff time than MIT is the defense. MIT doesn't have a great one and I think Framingham does. After all that, Worcester matches up well with Framingham and I think has a chance at the upset alot like Bridgewater did but for the opposite reasons. I thought Bridgewater could slow down Framingham for and make it a low scoing game. They did it for a half. Worcester has the horses to outscore Framingham, and if they want to win they will have to do just that. Worcester gets after the QB pretty well and have 3 guys with 5 plus sacks on the dline. If those guys can get pressure Silva into some bad throws they have a good chance. I just don't think WOO state can stop their run game though and it will be interesting if Framingham pounds it with their 2 backs and force Worcester to capitalize on every possession. I think that game is at Fram. and might go see that one as well.

What makes you say that MIT doesn't have a good defense?  Have you seen them at all this year?  Last week Maine Maritime played way over their head for the first half, and MIT made two passing mistakes.  But int the second half, they shut down MMA after 1 more TD, and held firm.  MMA's offense is designed to be ball control, and they held the ball for 2/3 of the game -- even so, MIT beat them by 18.

[ECoastFootball]

What a wild weekend of football. These next set of regional rankings are going to be interesting. I was at the Bridgewater vs Framingham game this weekend and they just flipped a switch the second half. Bridgewater's D played awesome the first half and stopped them twice within the 1 yard line during the first half. Framingham's def. is the real deal, they are fast and really get after it. I think if you pass against them enough, you can hit them on some big chunk plays, but they get after the QB decent enough. Silva spreads the ball around and the WR's are talented but the Green kid at running back is good. BSU would stop him for a no gain and then he chips away getting 5-8 yards and then picks up a big chunks of 10 plus out of no where. He also put the game away with a 60 yard run. The reason I have more faith in Framingham come playoff time than MIT is the defense. MIT doesn't have a great one and I think Framingham does. After all that, Worcester matches up well with Framingham and I think has a chance at the upset alot like Bridgewater did but for the opposite reasons. I thought Bridgewater could slow down Framingham for and make it a low scoing game. They did it for a half. Worcester has the horses to outscore Framingham, and if they want to win they will have to do just that. Worcester gets after the QB pretty well and have 3 guys with 5 plus sacks on the dline. If those guys can get pressure Silva into some bad throws they have a good chance. I just don't think WOO state can stop their run game though and it will be interesting if Framingham pounds it with their 2 backs and force Worcester to capitalize on every possession. I think that game is at Fram. and might go see that one as well.

What makes you say that MIT doesn't have a good defense?  Have you seen them at all this year?  Last week Maine Maritime played way over their head for the first half, and MIT made two passing mistakes.  But int the second half, they shut down MMA after 1 more TD, and held firm.  MMA's offense is designed to be ball control, and they held the ball for 2/3 of the game -- even so, MIT beat them by 18.

He never, stated that MIT didn't have a good defense. He used the word great. Great is very different from good. MIT may have a good defense, but Framingham has a great one (at least by New England football standards). Also, I wouldn't hang my hat on holding Maine Maritime to anything, they are 3-5 and not a very good team. Maine averaged 28.5 PPG going into their MIT game (and if you take out games against Nichols and Anna Maria, two of the worst teams in the country, Maine was averaging 18 PPG) and they scored an extra 10 (or 20) on MIT.

Also, if you look at each team against their conference, MIT gives up 27.7 a contest and Framingham gives up 12.6.

[ECoastFootball]

MASCAC POWER RANKINGS FOLLOWING WEEK 10
Framingham uses a fourth quarter surge to turn a scare into a romp, Worcester keeps pace with West Conn, UMD finally gets a close one, and Plymouth loses again. Lots of action this past week.

1.   (LW 1) Framingham State Rams (8-1, 7-0)
Bridgewater put up a fight, the first one the Rams have seen in awhile. The Rams trailed 10-0 and 10-6 early in the fourth, before using a 27-0 4th quarter (33 unanswered points overall) to erase any doubt. Two goal line stands inside the 1 yardline had fans remembering BSC defenses of old, before the Rams used the extra 30 minutes to out talent the Bears.

2.   (LW 2) Western Connecticut State Colonials (6-3, 5-2)
West Conn used a bye week to prep for their 7pm Friday Night showdown at Westfield State. The Owls will be ready, as the Colonials drilled them 37-0 last year in Coach Marino's final game.

3.    (LW 4) Worcester State Lancers (7-2, 5-2)
The Lancers just keep on winning. They've been dismantled by Fitchburg and beaten up by Bridgewater, but they've put up a bunch of points every other week. I don't think they have the Jimmies to beat Framingham, but the game should be entertaining with some points being put up. Even with a loss they could finish second in the MASCAC with a Westfield win over West Conn.

4.  (LW 3) Westfield State Owls (5-4, 4-3)
Westfield led for only 5 total minutes, as Worcester controlled the scoreboard throughout. Mercadante had a big day, and the turnover battle was even, but the Owls were forced into a game they didn't want to play. 3 interceptions is something the high powered Lancer O could overcome, but Westfield is not built for that. Tough one this week, as West Conn comes to town.

5.   (LW 5) Fitchburg State Falcons (5-4, 3-4)
The Falcons drop their 3rd strait. A game that could have gone either way was lost at the end in dramatic fashion. If they want to blame anyone, however, the Falcons should blame themselves. By turning the ball over in the first half, they entered the locker room down 2 and allowed the Corsairs to believe at home on Senior Day.

6.   (LW 6) Bridgewater State Bears (4-5, 3-4)
BSU played a great 3 quarters, heading into the fourth up 4 on the big favorites. I don't know that the Bears did anything wrong in this one, as much as the Rams just turned it on at the end. The real story here is the Bears can finish their trip back from the dead this upcoming Saturday. They host Maritime in the Chowder Bowl, and a win gives them a 5-5 record and allows them to avoid their first losing season in a long time.

7.    (LW  8) UMass Dartmouth Corsairs (4-6, 3-5)
It's about time the Corsairs won one of these slugfests. I had said in my prediction this one would be close, and this time UMD pulled it out. They controlled the game for 3 quarters and then sleepwalked through the first 10 minutes of the 4th. They woke up at the right time, and finished with one more win than last year.

8.    (LW 7) Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers (3-6, 2-5)
MMA goes from 100 to 0 as they go from having to play Framingham to controlling Plymouth for four quarters. Pierce rushed for 150 and paced the Bucs throughout the day. They'll need a similar day out of him this Saturday if they want a shot at the Bears.

9.    (LW 9) Plymouth State Panthers (1-8, 0-7)
Another L for the Panthers. Plymouth hosts a Fitchburg team coming off 3 straight L's, and while it will be an uphill battle, it would be nice to see this group grab a conference win.

Thoughts?

[jmcozenlaw]

Last Updated - November 12, 2014

Regional Rankings

EAST         
1 Delaware Valley 9-0 9-0     
2 Hobart 9-0 9-0     
3 Widener 9-0 9-0     
4 Framingham State 8-1 8-1     
5 Ithaca 7-2 7-2     
6 St. John Fisher 6-2 7-2     
7 MIT 8-0 8-0     
8 St. Lawrence 7-2 7-2     
9 Rowan 6-3 6-3     
10 Husson 6-1 7-1

[Boxer7806]

Last Updated - November 12, 2014

Regional Rankings

EAST         
1 Delaware Valley 9-0 9-0     
2 Hobart 9-0 9-0     
3 Widener 9-0 9-0     
4 Framingham State 8-1 8-1     
5 Ithaca 7-2 7-2     
6 St. John Fisher 6-2 7-2     
7 MIT 8-0 8-0     
8 St. Lawrence 7-2 7-2     
9 Rowan 6-3 6-3     
10 Husson 6-1 7-1

If Framingham wins and Widener loses to Del Val, that probably means they hop up to #3 in the East. Centre, their main competition for Pool B is #7 in the North right now, despite being undefeated. I just can't fathom an undefeated team being left out of the tournament. Whats even crazier is if Framingham wins out and they do make the playoffs they have a good shot of HOSTING a first round game. My guess is its either Husson or Norwich depending on how things shake out. Very interesting set of rankings.

[ECoastFootball]

Week 11 Projections for the MASCAC
(Went 2-2 this past week, which brings my MASCAC record in-conference to 25-7 on the year. 36-13 or 0.735 for the year counting OOC games.)

Friday November 14th
WEST CONN (6-3, 4-2) - 28
@ Westfield State (5-4, 4-3) – 21
This should be a really good one, and I think Westfield will match up well with the run first mentality that the Colonials have adopted this year. I also think that Westfield will be able to run the ball consistently on WCSU. That being said, I think West Conn has more playmakers and is coming off of a bye, so I give them a nod in a close one.

Saturday November 15th
FITCHBURG STATE (5-4, 3-4) – 44
@ Plymouth State (1-7, 0-7) – 10
I would love to see the Panthers get a conference win, but if they can't beat Maritime, this one will be much tougher. I look for a pretty simple recipe here: Dellechiaie has a big day, and the Falcon D smothers the Plymouth O.

Mass Maritime (3-6, 2-5) – 26
@ BRIDGEWATER STATE (4-5, 3-4) - 37
Bridgewater gets to .500 and Green has one last hurrah. I think that Bridgewater beats Maritime (just as they do almost every year) and Green goes OFF. I'm talking 200 yards and 3 or more TD's against this secondary.


Worcester State (7-2, 5-2) – 28
@ FRAMINGHAM STATE (8-1, 6-1) – 41
Game of the Week. I actually think that if this same Worcester team came in here at 5-4 having lost a couple of those close ones, they would have a much better shot. As it stands, I think Framingham will be chomping at the bit for this one. Hosting a 7-2 team that puts up a bunch of points, the Rams will be amped up. I can see Viencek having like 4 TD's and 4 INTS's in this one, and getting smacked around a bunch by the FSU front seven. I also do not see how any DB on Woo State matches up with any Ram, Fram should be able to score at will.

Thoughts?

[Boxer7806]

Week 11 Projections for the MASCAC
(Went 2-2 this past week, which brings my MASCAC record in-conference to 25-7 on the year. 36-13 or 0.735 for the year counting OOC games.)

Friday November 14th
WEST CONN (6-3, 4-2) - 28
@ Westfield State (5-4, 4-3) – 21
This should be a really good one, and I think Westfield will match up well with the run first mentality that the Colonials have adopted this year. I also think that Westfield will be able to run the ball consistently on WCSU. That being said, I think West Conn has more playmakers and is coming off of a bye, so I give them a nod in a close one.

Saturday November 15th
FITCHBURG STATE (5-4, 3-4) – 44
@ Plymouth State (1-7, 0-7) – 10
I would love to see the Panthers get a conference win, but if they can't beat Maritime, this one will be much tougher. I look for a pretty simple recipe here: Dellechiaie has a big day, and the Falcon D smothers the Plymouth O.

Mass Maritime (3-6, 2-5) – 26
@ BRIDGEWATER STATE (4-5, 3-4) - 37
Bridgewater gets to .500 and Green has one last hurrah. I think that Bridgewater beats Maritime (just as they do almost every year) and Green goes OFF. I'm talking 200 yards and 3 or more TD's against this secondary.


Worcester State (7-2, 5-2) – 28
@ FRAMINGHAM STATE (8-1, 6-1) – 41
Game of the Week. I actually think that if this same Worcester team came in here at 5-4 having lost a couple of those close ones, they would have a much better shot. As it stands, I think Framingham will be chomping at the bit for this one. Hosting a 7-2 team that puts up a bunch of points, the Rams will be amped up. I can see Viencek having like 4 TD's and 4 INTS's in this one, and getting smacked around a bunch by the FSU front seven. I also do not see how any DB on Woo State matches up with any Ram, Fram should be able to score at will.

Thoughts?

Went back to Framingham's site and looked up the last time Worcester was decent heading into this game and it was  2 years ago when Worcester had a 6-3 record. Framingham won 63-21 and outgained them 620 to 160 or something crazy like that. 2 of the Worcester's TD's game on kick returns by the Asam kid, who I think holds a record in that, and the offense didn't score until almost the end of the 4th quarter and Vincek was the QB. Worcester also had a pretty good offense that year as well. Now I don't think this is going to happen again, because the year before that smacking, Worcester did beat Framingham to finish 8-3.

I agree with the predicted score because I do think if you throw enough, and Worcester sure does chuck it up, then you will score on Framingham. If Jones can get going for Worcester, he leads the MASCAC in rushing per game, then this can become a shoot out and Worcester has a shot. But if he is shut down, and Worcester becomes one dimensional and are in third and longs for most of the game then this could get ugly like it did 2 years ago. Framingham's D is on quite the run though. Since the beginning of the 4th quarter of the West Conn game, which is 21 quarters of football, they have only given up 31 points.

By the way, Green is going to light up Maritime's secondary but I also think Blaise Branch is going to rush for at least a 150 as well. Maritime can't stop the run either, and Bridgewater's D will shut down Bennett and Co. for another Cranberry Bowl title. After the way things were going, 5-5 will be alright. The last time Bridgewater finished near .500, the next year they made the playoffs.

[wcrosby]

Framingham State up 10-7 at the half.  Would have been 7-3 Worcester State except they had a blatant roughing the passer with 28 seconds in the half.  What was the Defensive player thinking?