Quote from: Jumbosman224 on September 08, 2026, 09:31:50 PMDitto JumbosDad. Also first time poster, long time enjoyer of the boards. Love what you guys do for the boys of the 'CAC.

On the note of UMASS Medford/Somerville, hearing big things from preseason camp about the Jumbos Oline. Some really good things swirling around about local talent #67 John Carey out of Oliver Ames HS. Really excited to finally see him get his shot this year, think it will prove pivotal for the Brown and Blue.

As for Hartford State, hearing Spencer Fetter got granted an 8th year after recent NCAA rule changes, really excited to see him back in Medford one more time to get heckled. #Jan6th+3 #Roll

Good to see the OE (Original Elephants) hype machine in mid-season form...reminds us a tad of our old friend Al Davis, which, of course we love...just to level set expectations, the Jumbo's are a far cry from their 1-31 run from 2010-2013 but nonetheless they are still looking for that elusive first NESCAC title...the offense will be better in 2026 but not sure the defense will be able to keep pace with turbo-charged offenses that will be let loose on the NESCAC this year...Jumbo's and HCOF Jay do a fine job of sending WR's to D1 but we don't see many defenders playing up....we'll take the Jumbo's and under 6...   

Quote from: Bantamsdad69 on September 08, 2026, 03:01:40 PMDoes anyone have predictions on All Nescac teams?

Stay tuned for our comprehensive rankings and predictions including forecast 2026 records utilizing our exclusive NESCACMAN AI model. We are typically pretty accurate as our fellow boardsters will attest.

Quote from: Bantamsdad69 on September 05, 2026, 01:32:36 PMI don't understand the williams hype at all. I feel like every year people are saying this is the year and every year injuries seem to derail them. At this point it seems kind of expected for them to have an underwhelming season. Owen McHugh isn't the guy we think he is, and Montesano isn't going to play the role NESCAC1 is saying he had 92 in 9 games.

We feel the same way. As we have noted many times, in recent years, William's has had one of the smaller rosters in the league coming into the season. They have also been stung by injury in many of those season's, frequently impacting some of their best players. What that means is that you go into the toughest part of your schedule with an available pool of student-athletes that is often much smaller then the team you are playing. Case in point, over the last 3 years they are a combined 2-7 over the last 3 games and have lost 11 of the last 12 games to Wesleyan, who they play in week 8 (always max's out their roster). Last year in their loss to Wesleyan, they were forced to play their 4th string QB (who was serviceable, btw but apparently has now given up on football transferimg to NYU) after losing McHugh, Johansen and Renzella. We're not sure if it is conditioning, practice routine, depth, scheme, or just dumb luck, but suiting up 55-60 guys when the other team is suiting up 80 is tough to overcome. We're from Missouri on this one. 5 wins for the Ephs feels like a ceiling to us right now on September 5th. NM

Quote from: Trin9-0 on September 04, 2026, 12:23:45 PM

Quote from: Nescacman on September 03, 2026, 10:08:32 PM

Quote from: Brady12 on September 03, 2026, 11:10:55 AMWilliams record of; 3-6 5-3 5-3 last three years make me think back to this years senior class, If they can stay healthy this could be the year.  In 2023 they brought in Johansen, McHugh, Renzella at QB.  Stahelski, Gering at WR along with Carroll, Baker, and others I thought that class has a chance to be special. Getting them all on the field will be the challenge.  Back then I thought Johansen may end up at LB as he was a wrecking ball in high school. Adding in the talent at WR and TE will allow players like Gering to concentrate on defense. I will take the over on 5.2 

OK, we'll bite on the under...

I'll take that bet Nescacman! I'd be very surprised if the Ephs lose 4 games this fall.


On a separate note; I stumbled across the official NESCAC Football Tie-breaking Procedures for determining which team earns the conference's NCAA playoff bid in the event of a tie:

• Best record among tied teams, against one another (head-to-head).
• Comparison of results of conference games played against top 4 teams (including all teams at the 4th spot).
• Comparison of results of conference games played against top 8 teams (including all teams at the 8th spot).
• Comparison of results of conference games played against conference teams in rank order. Comparisons shall be made one team at a time starting with the highest ranked team.
• If the tie remains after comparing results against the highest ranked team, the results against the next team in rank order shall be used. This process is continued until a winner is determined.
• Coin flip or similar random action involving all tied teams (names being pulled out of a hat-the first team pulled will be the automatic qualifier).

Interesting that they will continue awarding "Co-Champion" and "Tri-Champion" status and only use the tie-breaker for the AQ bid process. Obviously, in the case of two teams finishing with the same record head-to-head is the determining factor.

The dreaded "random action" is the sixth and final option. However, in the event that three Championship teams are tied with a single round-robin style loss then literally pulling a name out of a hat is their solution to determine the Automatic Qualifier. GROSS!

Additionally, if I'm interpreting this correctly, then I also vehemently disagree with the most likely 3-way tie-breaking scenario for teams with 2 losses. For example; let's say Trinity, Wesleyan and Williams all finish 7-2.

Trinity's losses are to Williams and Middlebury (who finishes 6-3, 4th place)
Williams' losses are to Wesleyan and Amherst (who finishes 5-4, 5th place)
Wesleyan's losses are to Trinity and Bates (who finishes 2-7, 8th place)

In this scenario Wesleyan, who would have by far the worst loss of the three championship teams, would get the AQ playoff bid. Trinity who had the least egregious defeat, a loss to 4th place Middlebury, would be the first team eliminated. Then Williams would be eliminated due to their head-to-head loss to Wes.

Is it me or is this completely backwards? Shouldn't the team with the worst loss be eliminated first?
Am I interpreting this correctly? What are everyone else's thoughts?

I realize there's not many good ways to break a three-way tie but rewarding a team for the poorest result is baffling. For what it's worth, my preference for breaking a three-way tie among championship teams with more than 1 loss is point differential among in the games played between the Championship teams.

Brady threw out the challenge, but we'll take any action Hs7-2...you're on...loser buys the Turducken in week 9...

Quote from: Brady12 on September 03, 2026, 11:10:55 AM

Quote from: Trin9-0 on September 02, 2026, 04:37:12 PMHere's what the Hansen ratings project for NESCAC win totals this season:

Trinity 7.1
Wesleyan 6.5
Williams 5.2
Middlebury 4.9
Amherst 4.6
Colby 4.3
Tufts 3.9
Hamilton 3
Bowdoin 2.9
Bates 2.7

Seems like another example of expected parity in the league this year. With that said the model has it as a two horse race for the title as it gives Trinity a 42% chance to win the NESCAC followed by Wesleyan at 26%. No other team is in double digits. I'd put Trin and Wes much closer together. This rating doesn't seem optimistic about an at-large playoff bid either. Wes has just an 8% chance and Trinity 7%.

Other notable points: Wesleyan returns an astounding 91% of their offensive production; tops in the league and 8th in the nation. Hamilton is not far behind with 90%, good for 10th in the country. It has Colby bringing back the least total production in the league with just 56%. Tufts has only 45% of their defensive production back this year. Not a great sign for team that finished 9th in scoring defense in 2025. Of the contenders, it has Trinity with the lowest returning total production (just 61%... yikes).

Williams record of; 3-6 5-3 5-3 last three years make me think back to this years senior class, If they can stay healthy this could be the year.  In 2023 they brought in Johansen, McHugh, Renzella at QB.  Stahelski, Gering at WR along with Carroll, Baker, and others I thought that class has a chance to be special. Getting them all on the field will be the challenge.  Back then I thought Johansen may end up at LB as he was a wrecking ball in high school. Adding in the talent at WR and TE will allow players like Gering to concentrate on defense. I will take the over on 5.2   

OK, we'll bite on the under...

Quote from: SpringSt7 on September 02, 2026, 06:10:17 PMCan someone refresh my memory on where we are at in regards to out of conference scheduling? It feels weird that the NESCAC is finally postseason eligible and is still playing a 9 game regular season that starts on September 19th with no non conference opponents. Is that planned for next year or did I make that up?

That's not happening anytime soon....our understanding is the NESCAC powers that be (aka the college president's) don't want to hear the word "football" for at least 2-3 years...what that means is no out of conference games, no roster expansion, no modification of practice start dates, etc. About the only thing that could happen is the addition of a bye week in the schedule which would be considered in order to enhance player safety and health...

Quote from: Trin9-0 on September 02, 2026, 04:37:12 PMHere's what the Hansen ratings project for NESCAC win totals this season:

Trinity 7.1
Wesleyan 6.5
Williams 5.2
Middlebury 4.9
Amherst 4.6
Colby 4.3
Tufts 3.9
Hamilton 3
Bowdoin 2.9
Bates 2.7

Seems like another example of expected parity in the league this year. With that said the model has it as a two horse race for the title as it gives Trinity a 42% chance to win the NESCAC followed by Wesleyan at 26%. No other team is in double digits. I'd put Trin and Wes much closer together. This rating doesn't seem optimistic about an at-large playoff bid either. Wes has just an 8% chance and Trinity 7%.

Other notable points: Wesleyan returns an astounding 91% of their offensive production; tops in the league and 8th in the nation. Hamilton is not far behind with 90%, good for 10th in the country. It has Colby bringing back the least total production in the league with just 56%. Tufts has only 45% of their defensive production back this year. Not a great sign for team that finished 9th in scoring defense in 2025. Of the contenders, it has Trinity with the lowest returning total production (just 61%... yikes).

Some good fodder Hs7-2...feels like UBates and the Jumbo's might be a tad low...the Conts, MID, and Colby a tad high...the others feel about right to us (although the Bants and the Cards might be a bit low as well).

Question...did HCOF Jeff get you one of those "Bantam 2025 NESCAC Champion" sweatshirts?!?
 

Just when you thought is was safe to be on the D3Boards, here comes NESCACMAN...

Welcome to the official start of the 2026 NESCAC Football Season, our 13th season (not including the 2020 season), previewing, predicting, reviewing, and ranking all that is NESCAC. For those of you not familiar with our work, weekly we will rank the teams, review the previous weeks action, preview the coming weekend's games, and present our picks (with spreads and outright winners). For a taste of what we do, here was our preview of last year's NESCAC Championship game as Wesleyan hosted Hartford State on historic (and recently upgraded) Andrus Field (the oldest continuously used college field in America):

"Hartford State College at Wesleyan University: NESCAC game of the year in Middletown. Battle of Connecticut for the 2025 NESCAC Championship. Just when you thought you couldn't beat last year's drama in South Hartford, we get "Round 2". Should be a great day, great game, great atmosphere at historic Andrus Field, the longest continuously used college football field in America. Regardless of the silly NESCAC tie-breaking rules, in the eyes of the vast majority of NESCAC experts (us included), and Coaches Devanney and DiCenzo, this game will decide the 2025 NESCAC Championship. Wesleyan is coming off a huge come from behind OT win in Williamstown last week in which they won their 4th straight Little 3 championship. The week before, they beat a very good Amherst squad in front of the largest crowd in the NESCAC in 2025. Meanwhile, Hartford State has won seven games in a row after a stunning opening day loss to the upstart Colby Mules. This game pits strength against strength. Wesleyan comes into this game with the #1 total defense and #1 rushing defense, while HS leads the NESCAC in total offense. Wesleyan's top passing offense will face a Bantam pass defense that is ranked first in the NESCAC. We expect HS to show a balanced attack leaning in on their dual headed monster at RB in Tyler DiNapoli and Tate Hoffmeister. WR Nolan O'Brien has been dynamic at WR and on specials for the Bants. QB Jaxon Carroll has been efficient in a game manager role leading the Bants offense. No team has been able to run against the stout Wesleyan defense, who is #1 in the NESCAC and 14th in the country in run defense so Hartford State may have to pass a bit more than they have as of late. The Bantams are 3rd in the NESCAC in passing TDs with 15. O'Brien is a dangerous weapon for HS on both offense and returning kicks on special teams. Meanwhile, we think Wesleyan will try to air it out. They have struggled to run the ball (9th in the NESCAC in rushing) while they are first in the NESCAC in passing. Last week, they set a team record for most passing yards in a game with 458 against Williams. It will be tougher this week for Wes. The Bants secondary will try to stop QB Matt Fitzsimons, WRs Blake Newcomb, WRs Dante Kelly, Sean Cannon, Sam Wein, and company. Wes will mix it up with some well-timed runs, but we expect a ton of passing from Wes. Wesleyan won last year in Hartford to capture the 2024 NESCAC championship and will be going for the repeat in 2025. The Bantams have gotten better as the season has progressed so this will be a definite challenge for the Cards. The Bants have been getting a lot of guys involved in the offense and have been distributing the ball much more than they normally do. Wesleyan has not beaten Trinity at home since 2014 and last beat the Bantams in back-to-back games in 1997 and 1998. We expect a very close, one-score game with Wes pulling out the W in an instant NESCAC classic on historic Andrus Field.

Wesleyan 30 Hartford State 27
Point Spread: Hartford State -3"

For the record, the actual final score was, of course, Wesleyan 31 Hartford State 28...Roll Cards!

We also produce a weekly podcast focused on NESCAC Football...."Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast"

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast is the first and only podcast of its kind in NESCAC history. Hosted by Chris Grace (play-by-play announcer for Wesleyan) and Dave Bagatelle (Wesleyan Alum and former player), our weekly show features coach and player interviews, game analysis, rankings, previews, and predictions.

Our season preview including interviews with all 10 NESCAC coaches will be available prior to Week 1.
 
The podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts including YouTube, Facebook, Apple and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.
 
If you have questions, feedback, ideas or are a player or a coach and would like to appear on our show, please email us at: 9weeksnescac@gmail.com

Follow us on X (aka Twitter): @nineweeksnescac
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We also collaborate with the NESCAC Football Report. Look for NESCACMAN's weekly predictions and point spreads at nescacfootballreport.com.

Looking forward to another fun NESCAC Season.

Quote from: lumbercat on December 07, 2025, 11:38:09 AMIf Beltran comes back it may be as an all conference WR, his former role. He was thrust into the QB position after Seneca Moore decided to transfer to USC.
If Hennessy continues to mature in Spring and Pre Season that might be the scenario.

We could see that. Makes sense to us. A key to an improved Kitties squad in 2026 will start with improved play at the QB position, regardless who the starter is.  Of course, having a healthy Ryan Lynskey back won't hurt either.

Quote from: lumbercat on December 06, 2025, 12:51:13 PMAll of the options mentioned are in play but I don't believe Sergio has made a final decision yet.

If Sergio decides to graduate and leave UBates, we expect Soph Connor Hennessey to have the inside track on the starting job at QB for the Kitties. Hennessey started game #9 for the Kitties and performed well in the loss to Hamilton.

This would mean UBates would join Middlebury as the only NESCAC teams with a new signal caller in 2026.

Quote from: RamapoRUFan on December 02, 2025, 08:28:36 PMAgree with all the excitement for '26 season.  One note on Bates, I think QB Sergio Beltran has completed his four years in Lewiston.

Young Sergio was injured in Week 3 (early in the game against Wes, btw). We believe he can apply for an injury exemption for the 2025 season from the NCAA and more than likely it will be granted. We fully expect him to be back guiding the Kittie flex option in 2026. 

2026 NESCACMAN "Way Too Early" Season Preview

Some very "pre" pre-season fodder for those NESCAC Fans that can't wait for 2026.

We see the league in 2026 falling very neatly into 3 tiers and we are going to rank the Teams based on those tiers. Please remember, these tiers are based on what we know today. It factors in graduation and those returning from injury but does not factor in new first-years (FYI, very rarely do FYs have much of an impact in the NESCAC anyway...how many Dante Kelly's are there in any given year???), any transfers via the portal (not a big thing in the NESCAC), and 5th year graduate students that are sticking around (used to be a bigger deal in the NESCAC...post-COVID, not so much). If 2025 was the year of questions marks, especially at the QB position, 2026 is the year of certainty. Every team in the NESCAC, except for Middlebury, returns their projected starting QB in 2026.

Tier 1: We see these 3 teams contending for the 2026 NESCAC title and the NESCAC's first automatic bid in the D3 Championship Football Tournament.

Wesleyan Cardinals (2025 Record: 7-2), Hartford State Bantams (2025 Record: 7-2), Williams Ephs (2025 Record: 5-4)

Wesleyan has many returning stars including the NESCAC OPOTY, NESCAC ROTY and numerous All-NESCAC performers from the 2x NESCAC and 4x Little 3 Champ. IOO, they are the favorites headed into 2026 to be NESCAC's first ever NCAA play-off team. Hartford State returns a ton of starters from their 2025 (and 2024) NESCAC runner-up squad. Yes, they lose NESCAC OPOTY runner-up Nolan O'Brien but have several WRs ready to step into the #1 playmaker role. Most of their defense is back. Other than the games against Wesleyan and Colby, they played very well in 2025. Williams has as much raw talent as any team in the NESCAC. They just need to figure out a way to stay healthy. Health and depth are the Eph story lines we'll be watching in 2026.

Tier 2: Most of these teams have some pieces back. One or two of these teams could sneak into Tier 1 and contend for a NESCAC title in 2026, but some things would have to go very right for them. On the other side, one or two of these teams could also slide to Tier 3.

Middlebury (2025 Record: 5-4), Tufts Jumbo's (2025 Record: 4-5), Amherst Lord Mammoths (2025 Record: 5-4), Colby Mules (2025 Record: 6-3)

Middlebury needs to replace their starting QB, but they return one of the top RBs in the NESCAC in Connor McClellan. Tufts hopes to have their QB healthy from the start of the year. They were decent when he played. RB Christian Shapiro probably should have been an All-NESCAC selection in 2025 but will be a player to watch for the Jumbo's in 2026. Amherst loses a bunch of guys from a very good defensive unit. However, QB Marek Hill will have another year of experience under his belt. The Lord Mammoths could use some dynamic playmakers to help the QB. Despite a stellar year in 2025, we are not totally sold on Colby. They play good defense, but their offense was anemic. Not sure we see the offense being much better and the defense loses some of their guys in 2026. They'll be out to prove that 2025 wasn't a fluke.

Tier 3: This tier is comprised of teams that have a lot to prove in 2026. This tier is comprised of a team that was ravaged by injury in 2025, a team that primarily started FYs and Sophs, and a Team with one of the best QBs in the league but not much else.

University of Bates Bobcats (2025 Record: 2-7), Bowdoin Polar Bears (2025 Record: 2-7), Hamilton Continentals (2025 Record: 2-7)

We so want to rank UBates higher. They should be (much) better in 2025 with several of their wounded warriors back including their QB Sergio Beltran, C Matt Pierotti, and RB Ryan Lynskey. We're from Missouri on the Kitties. Bowdoin will be a year older and more experienced. The problem is the league will be much better in 2026. They seem to have found their future QB but need to get him some play makers to be competitive. DL Angus Leary will be one of the favorites to be DPOTY in 2026. Hamilton has one of the best returning QBs in the NESCAC in Luke Kurzum, but both lines need to improve dramatically to see a move up in the standings for the Conts. They also need to figure out a way to improve their running game to take pressure off Kurzum.

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast Season 2, Episode 10

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast is the first podcast of its kind in NESCAC history. Hosted by Chris Grace (play-by-play announcer for Wesleyan) and Dave Bagatelle (Wesleyan Alum and former player), our weekly show features coach and player interviews, game analysis, rankings, previews, and predictions.

Available Now!!! Season 2 Episode 10 (2025 season finale) featuring Wesleyan University Head Coach Dan DiCenzo and Wesleyan University Running Back Angelo LaRose.

The podcast is available wherever you find your podcasts including YouTube, Facebook, Apple and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.
 
Thank you to our sponsors Sloane and Walsh, LLP and Gameday Sports.
 
If you have questions, feedback, ideas or are a player or a coach and would like to appear on our show, please email us at: 9weeksnescac@gmail.com

Follow us on X (aka Twitter): @nineweeksnescac
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Visit Nescacfootballreport.com for NESCACMAN's picks/spreads, additional analysis and NESCAC reporting

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast Season 2, Episode 10

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast is the first podcast of its kind in NESCAC history. Hosted by Chris Grace (play-by-play announcer for Wesleyan) and Dave Bagatelle (Wesleyan Alum and former player), our weekly show features coach and player interviews, game analysis, rankings, previews, and predictions.

Coming Soon!!! Season 2 Episode 10 (2025 season finale) featuring Wesleyan University Head Coach Dan DiCenzo and Wesleyan University Running Back Angelo LaRose.

The podcast is available wherever you find your podcasts including YouTube, Facebook, Apple and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.
 
Thank you to our sponsors Sloane and Walsh, LLP and Gameday Sports.
 
If you have questions, feedback, ideas or are a player or a coach and would like to appear on our show, please email us at: 9weeksnescac@gmail.com

Follow us on X (aka Twitter): @nineweeksnescac
Follow us on Instagram: @nineweeksnescac
Facebook: Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/groups/3002038363271368)
YouTube: 9 Weeks Nescac (https://www.youtube.com/@nineweeksnescac)
Spotify Podcasts: 9 Weeks Nescac
Apple Podcasts: 9 Weeks Nescac
Visit Nescacfootballreport.com for NESCACMAN's picks/spreads, additional analysis and NESCAC reporting

Quote from: Nescacman on November 18, 2025, 04:01:12 AM

Quote from: GroundandPound on November 17, 2025, 12:54:37 PMOne could reasonably claim Cosgrove earned it, but to suggest it is a slam dunk is a tad silly. 
Wesleyan lost 30 extremely talented seniors coming into the year and I believe they obtained their first back to back NESCAC title in school history.  Either choice would not surprise me.

First off, it is no longer "Coach of the Year"...it is now "Coaching Staff of the Year"....another NESCAC nod to participation trophyism and political correctness.

As we said earlier, Wesleyan's coaching staff should win it but Colby's staff probably will win it. However, in true NESCAC fashion, we would not be surprised to see a tie and both staff's split the award this year.

Wouldn't be shocked to see the same thing happen for Defensive Player of the Year. We think Wesleyan's Dylan Connors deserves it but we could see him sharing it this year with someone TBD.

As far as OPOTY and ROTY, Wesleyan's Fitz and Kelly are shoo-in winners, IOO.

NM

Hate being right...

Kudo's to all of the award winners and the All-NESCAC selections. Great group of student-athletes.

BTW, Kemit Fisher proves that it's not all about stats. He was a beast and deserving of sharing the DPOTY Award with Dylan Connors.

NM