Quote from: nescac1 on March 25, 2025, 02:11:57 PMD1 football and basketball teams are now essentially comprised of mercenaries for hire on one year contracts with the highest bidder, playing in conferences with no geographical or historical significance.  There is really no lasting connection between player, coach, school and fans, and historic rivalries are largely dying. 

I don't make any value judgment, as players benefit as well they should, but this is just how it works in 2025.  And it actually makes D3 sports an entirely different (and in my view superior!) experience and the only thing that remotely resembles what college athletics signified when most of us were growing up. 

I don't think it's fair to call the players "mercenaries for hire" when they are simply trying to optimize their value when so many of them have a small earning window for playing athletics. $50k or $100k is life changing money for many. It's especially hypocritical when you see coaches bailing on their school for the next opportunity after they've had players commit or before the season even ends (see Will Wade at McNeese, or the number of CFB coaches who leave before their bowl games). Now players at least have the same freedom of movement. Also, D1 basketball has long had the "one and done" players. I think NIL helps to keep more players in college for longer now that they can earn some real money above the table, as they should have all along! Earning money and being able to transfer doesn't mean that today's athletes care any less about the game, their teammates, or the experience as prior generations. They now get to share in the financial rewards that the schools, administrators, and coaches used to hoard for themselves.

I agree the mega conferences and "realignment" have taken away from some of the regionality that's long made college sports so fun to watch, but there are still plenty of great, historic rivalries that persist. Did you see Ohio State's little temper tantrum after they lost to Michigan (again) in November? I guess the players on the "most expensive roster in college football history" didn't care...

Quote from: Nescacman on December 18, 2024, 10:01:37 AM

Quote from: Garnet on December 18, 2024, 09:03:41 AMThe Ivy League has agreed to participate in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs, starting with the 2025 season. The league had long ended its season at the end of the regular season. Marks a distinct shift for Ivy League football, which can now play for national title.

The genesis of the idea for the Ivy League to play in FCS playoffs came via a proposal from Ivy League student athletes. The proposal from the league's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) was approved Tuesday by a vote of the Ivy League Council of Presidents. - Pete Thamel ESPN

will NESCAC do the same?

Our belief, as previously stated, is that the NESCAC will commence their participation in the D3 Play-offs in 2026. Finally...

Very exciting news! Feels like this is going to move forward sooner rather than later.

Do we also think there will be an appetite to add a 10th non-conference game as well? Don't think it's a requirement to get a team into the playoff as an AQ or at-large but have always though it would be great for the teams and conference. I believe most other D3 teams play a 10-game schedule.

Quote from: JerseyNescacFball on November 25, 2024, 06:00:35 PMNo disrespect to the honorees, but it's hard to understand how the New England writers put together their All-New England list and selected six players without including talents like Harmon, Price, Young, and Zebrowski. It's frustrating to see such deserving players overlooked.

I had a similar thought looking at the list before I remembered it includes D2 and they only do one team... no 1st team and 2nd team.

Quote from: 203Nescac on November 15, 2024, 01:16:23 PM

Quote from: muleshoe on November 15, 2024, 09:34:04 AM

Quote from: lumbercat on November 14, 2024, 09:33:58 PMBowdoin guesses on most Defensive plays. They may think they have the downside covered but they don't. The numbers don't work. Roll the dice. It works in some games and they look like the '85 Chicago Bears but it all plays out in the long run.
3-6.

That approach produces great D stats but they they get burned on the other side...those bad plays don't show up in individual defensive stats.

Following the Bates game with 350 yards rushing allowed on plays where Bears  stunted. gamed and blitzed with less than cover zero I think Coach Cosgrove took a look at the film and said we got these guys which he did. No contest in Brunswick on Saturday.

Agree with you again lumber! Cos and OC Clements had a really good sense of when Bowdoin was going to gamble in bad situations and were able to take advantage of it with enough chunk plays to keep the ball moving. Best example of this was in the 1st quarter, Colby had 3rd and goal from the 10, motioned Smart out to empty, exposing Bowdoin's Cover 0. Drake walked up the middle for a TD on a QB power where the pulling guard had nobody to block because Bowdoin's 5 DL all ran up the field without discipline.

On the DPOY conversation - I think it's clearly between Carbeau, Price and Young. The coaches all watch the film and prep for each of these guys, and I think the decision will come down to who was the toughest to game plan against and contain on gameday. My biased opinion is that Julian Young leads in these categories. He played mostly MLB, but moved around on D and was a top run stopper, pass rusher, and could cover on the backend when asked to do so. Knowing how highly the Colby coaches talk about him too, I would imagine they made a big push at the league meetings for him to be DPOY.

Lumber, it seems like you did not watch the Colby v. Bowdoin game. This game was not won by Coach Cosgrove exploiting the defense with his gameplan. Colby's run game was almost completely shut down all game. In reality, Bowdoin's defense only allowed Colby to score on one long, full field drive, which according to Muleshoe's expert analysis happened because " Bowdoin's 5 DL all ran up the field without discipline". Great touchdown by Drake, but the TD was not due to a lack of discipline.  Again, this was the only full field drive of the game.

Due to an unfortunate 7 turnovers by the offense (credit to Colby's defense, kids played their hearts out),
Here is how Colby's drives went:
Start at own 37= 9 plays, TD
Start at BOW 22= 3 and out, FG
Start at BOW 21= 6 plays, TD
Start at own 21= 6 plays, PUNT
Start at own 25= 4 plays, PUNT
Start at BOW 21= 3 plays, FG
Start at BOW 47= 9 plays, Stopped at the 1
The entire second half resulted in Colby punts, with the sole exception being a 5 play TD drive starting from Bowdoin's own 40.

Bowdoin's "undisciplined" defense allowed one touchdown all game when Colby started from their own side of the field.

I hate to put myself in a defensive position, but as a Bowdoin football alum it bothered me seeing Lumbercat (Bates fan?) and Muleshoe teeing off on these kids who have worked their tails off all year (I also don't understand how Bowdoin's defense became the topic of discussion, I just wanted to express my case for Koy Price for DPOY). Last thing I will say is if you're gonna make blanket statements, at least do your research first.

Here's to hoping Bowdoin brings that CBB back home next year!

Didn't mean for it to come across as "teeing off" on your Polar Bears, and I'd never question their work ethic or dedication. They played tough for all 60 minutes last weekend, when it would have been easy to check out after the half. I was much more critical of the Mules on this message board last year after the opposite result.

FWIW - I reviewed the TD in question, and my vantage point from the first row of the bleachers was clearly distorted... Bowdoin was in fact in Cover 0, but had a double-team on Nye outside, leaving no 2nd level defenders in the middle. Bowdoin only brought 3 as one DE dropped. More of a questionable defensive call, leaving the whole middle of the field wide open in that situation.

Ok - that's too much analysis for one play, was just among my favorite of the night!

Quote from: Nescacman on November 15, 2024, 09:59:51 AM

Quote from: muleshoe on November 15, 2024, 09:34:04 AM

Quote from: lumbercat on November 14, 2024, 09:33:58 PMBowdoin guesses on most Defensive plays. They may think they have the downside covered but they don't. The numbers don't work. Roll the dice. It works in some games and they look like the '85 Chicago Bears but it all plays out in the long run.
3-6.

That approach produces great D stats but they they get burned on the other side...those bad plays don't show up in individual defensive stats.

Following the Bates game with 350 yards rushing allowed on plays where Bears  stunted. gamed and blitzed with less than cover zero I think Coach Cosgrove took a look at the film and said we got these guys which he did. No contest in Brunswick on Saturday.

Agree with you again lumber! Cos and OC Clements had a really good sense of when Bowdoin was going to gamble in bad situations and were able to take advantage of it with enough chunk plays to keep the ball moving. Best example of this was in the 1st quarter, Colby had 3rd and goal from the 10, motioned Smart out to empty, exposing Bowdoin's Cover 0. Drake walked up the middle for a TD on a QB power where the pulling guard had nobody to block because Bowdoin's 5 DL all ran up the field without discipline.

On the DPOY conversation - I think it's clearly between Carbeau, Price and Young. The coaches all watch the film and prep for each of these guys, and I think the decision will come down to who was the toughest to game plan against and contain on gameday. My biased opinion is that Julian Young leads in these categories. He played mostly MLB, but moved around on D and was a top run stopper, pass rusher, and could cover on the backend when asked to do so. Knowing how highly the Colby coaches talk about him too, I would imagine they made a big push at the league meetings for him to be DPOY.

We love Julian as a player and a person (and he is clearly a NESCAC 1st Teamer...again), but there is no way the 4-5 Colby Mules get two of the top 3 league-wide awards if Nye wins ROTY. Not going to happen. Now 8-1 Wesleyan, that's another story...

NM

100% agree that they will not get both both DPOY and ROY... frankly at 4-5 I would be surprised if they got either, but I have to push for my Mules!

Quote from: lumbercat on November 14, 2024, 09:33:58 PMBowdoin guesses on most Defensive plays. They may think they have the downside covered but they don't. The numbers don't work. Roll the dice. It works in some games and they look like the '85 Chicago Bears but it all plays out in the long run.
3-6.

That approach produces great D stats but they they get burned on the other side...those bad plays don't show up in individual defensive stats.

Following the Bates game with 350 yards rushing allowed on plays where Bears  stunted. gamed and blitzed with less than cover zero I think Coach Cosgrove took a look at the film and said we got these guys which he did. No contest in Brunswick on Saturday.

Agree with you again lumber! Cos and OC Clements had a really good sense of when Bowdoin was going to gamble in bad situations and were able to take advantage of it with enough chunk plays to keep the ball moving. Best example of this was in the 1st quarter, Colby had 3rd and goal from the 10, motioned Smart out to empty, exposing Bowdoin's Cover 0. Drake walked up the middle for a TD on a QB power where the pulling guard had nobody to block because Bowdoin's 5 DL all ran up the field without discipline.

On the DPOY conversation - I think it's clearly between Carbeau, Price and Young. The coaches all watch the film and prep for each of these guys, and I think the decision will come down to who was the toughest to game plan against and contain on gameday. My biased opinion is that Julian Young leads in these categories. He played mostly MLB, but moved around on D and was a top run stopper, pass rusher, and could cover on the backend when asked to do so. Knowing how highly the Colby coaches talk about him too, I would imagine they made a big push at the league meetings for him to be DPOY.

Quote from: lumbercat on November 10, 2024, 10:50:58 PM

Quote from: muleshoe on November 10, 2024, 08:18:30 PMFirst - congrats to the Cardinals on winning their first championship! Well deserved for a gritty team that had a unique knack for winning tough games all season.

It's been about 24 hours since the Mules hoisted the CBB trophy again, and what a glorious night it was in Brunswick!
The Mules defense controlled the game for 60 minutes, overpowering Bowdoin's O-line and QBs in all night, landing 7 sacks and forcing 7 turnovers. Bowdoin crossed midfield just twice in the last 40 minutes of the game and never got inside the 35 yd line. Julian Young capped off his prolific career with 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF and 1 Int - I can't remember a better Colby defender. Would be head scratching if he's not named DPOY.

On offense, Drake continued to show his progress in his first full season at the helm. I think he'll be one of the top QBs in the league next year. He threw the ball great all night, taking advantage of Colby's clear size advantage on the outside. He also escaped a handful of pressures to extend plays and get positive yards. Seniors Jack Sawyer and Duke Ferrara both caught TDs in their final game. The O-Line was also stout in pass protection against all of the games and blitzes that Bowdoin ran. No small feat against a defense that was averaging over 4 sacks/game.

Just a great performance from Colby in all 3 phases, playing disciplined, physical football.

Congrats to the Colby seniors for a great finish to their career with 2 CBBs. I believe they have reset the culture in the program and laid a strong foundation for continued growth. Feels like we're a play or two away from contending.

Go Mules!

Enjoyed the game but it was over too early. Thought the Mules were the better team going in but what a dominating win. The P Bears love to guess on defense with their undersized D. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. Cosgrove stuck to his guns and Hammer wasn't sure what to do except continue to gamble, cross his fingers and hope it might work. It's a philosophy that will get you to 5-4 with good personnel and 4-5 or less with a challenged roster.

Totally agree on Cos sticking to his guns and continuing to run the ball despite limited success. The Mules were able to do just enough on the ground to make Bowdoin respect it, which opened up the passing attack. I do think Colby could have made some minor adjustments to make the occupy the backside C gap defender to open up more on the ground inside the tackles (more read option or split zone with TE/H blocking backside). Price or #0 flying down the line with no regard stopped most of the runs that went for no gain.

With losing so many seniors off their D going into next year - can Bowdoin continue to run such a blindly aggressive scheme?

First - congrats to the Cardinals on winning their first championship! Well deserved for a gritty team that had a unique knack for winning tough games all season.

It's been about 24 hours since the Mules hoisted the CBB trophy again, and what a glorious night it was in Brunswick!
The Mules defense controlled the game for 60 minutes, overpowering Bowdoin's O-line and QBs in all night, landing 7 sacks and forcing 7 turnovers. Bowdoin crossed midfield just twice in the last 40 minutes of the game and never got inside the 35 yd line. Julian Young capped off his prolific career with 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF and 1 Int - I can't remember a better Colby defender. Would be head scratching if he's not named DPOY.

On offense, Drake continued to show his progress in his first full season at the helm. I think he'll be one of the top QBs in the league next year. He threw the ball great all night, taking advantage of Colby's clear size advantage on the outside. He also escaped a handful of pressures to extend plays and get positive yards. Seniors Jack Sawyer and Duke Ferrara both caught TDs in their final game. The O-Line was also stout in pass protection against all of the games and blitzes that Bowdoin ran. No small feat against a defense that was averaging over 4 sacks/game.

Just a great performance from Colby in all 3 phases, playing disciplined, physical football.

Congrats to the Colby seniors for a great finish to their career with 2 CBBs. I believe they have reset the culture in the program and laid a strong foundation for continued growth. Feels like we're a play or two away from contending.

Go Mules!

Computer picks for Week 9:

Bates 21.4, Hamilton 19.1
Bowdoin 22.4, Colby 20.3
Trinity (Conn.) 31.7, Wesleyan 12.4
Tufts 24.7, Middlebury 22.5
Williams 31.9, Amherst 10.7

3/5 games predicted within a FG, which speaks to how competitive the league has been this year.

I don't want to believe that the de-facto Championship game will be a blowout, but it's hard to believe otherwise given the recent history between the teams and that Wes has barely hung on to win in a few of their games.

Will be up in Brunswick for the CBB title. I like the Mules rushing attack to control the game, and they'll have to be the more physical team on both sides of the ball to win it. This has not been the case the past two years, sadly.

Quote from: Nescacman on November 01, 2024, 06:11:54 AMEpisode 8 available now!

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast

Episode 8 features Colby Head Football Coach Jack Cosgrove, Bates Head Football Coach Matt Coyne, and Bates RB/NESCAC Rushing leader Ryan Lynskey. Should be another great watch/listen. Our weekly show features coach and player interviews, game analysis, rankings, weekly game previews, and predictions. We encourage you to check it out.

The podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.

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Great job on the podcast as usual, Nescacman! Enjoyed the listen.

You brought up a few offseason topics at the end, notably mascots (we can discuss what a Mule is later!) and the playoffs. Looks like the Ivy League might be moving towards a vote to approve competing in the FCS playoffs.
This article came across my timeline this morning from Harvard (https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/11/1/ivy-league-considers-football-postseason/).

If the Ivy league approves football competing in the post-season, what's the over/under until the NESCAC approves? 25 minutes?

I've always been an advocate for 1 non-conference game + postseason (playoffs and/or bowl games).

Quote from: Nescacman on November 01, 2024, 06:11:15 AM

Quote from: westcoastnescac on October 31, 2024, 10:32:17 PM

Quote from: lumbercat on October 31, 2024, 10:25:30 PM

Quote from: westcoastnescac on October 31, 2024, 06:09:37 PMBates Oline is going to have SERIOUS problems w Koy Price. Happened last year and think it happens again

Every Oline and offense is challenged against a player like Price-- he's the best in the league. Let's see how Bates schemes against the Bowdoin D. It's gonna be a good one in Lewiston.

Amen Lumber

UBates offensive line has played at a high level all year. They are second in the NESCAC in rushing and have allowed the fewest sacks (with the understanding that they have by far the fewest pass attempts). The Bowdoin defense leads the league in sacks and TFL led by Koy Price (9 sacks and 12.5 TFL) and Aiden Reidy (6.5 sacks and 10.5 TFL). Last year against the Kitties, Koy had 8 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks and forced a fumble. The bottom line is this will be a great match-up between a very good offensive line and a very good front 7. Should be fun to watch.

Agreed that it will be a great matchup to watch. But I feel like the whole point of running the triple option is to slow down defensive players when you're at an athletic disadvantage, especially high-end pass rushers. Not saying Price won't have a big game, but if Bates' option attack keeps rolling it will make Bowdoin's DL slow down a half step, which could be enough for Bates to avoid negative plays, keep ahead of the chains, and potentially break off a few explosive runs.

It's clear Bowdoin's strength is in the DL and Bates' in the OL, so it will be exciting to watch that matchup under the lights tomorrow night. 

Quote from: Charlie on October 28, 2024, 09:08:35 PMI am real happy for Bates College and even though they only have 2 wins to show for it this team has played hard all year. I think Coach Coyne has them going in good direction. They lost to Trinity which I beleive many thought they would but played hard despite the score. They should have beaten Amherst , Colby and Williams. I think they have a great deal of postivity moving forward. I think this and some more good recruiting classes and they can make a hard push for the middle to upper eichelon of the League

Happy for Bates as well, but I'm going to stand up for Colby here. Colby outgained Bates by nearly 160 yards in that game, punting only twice all night. To say Bates *should* have won that game is certainly a stretch... It was a highly competitive rivalry game that nearly went to OT, but Colby was the better, more consistent team that night.

With that said - Bates has a great opportunity to win 4 games, which would be their best record in 10 years. Kudos to Coach Coyne and the players for righting the ship after last season.

Similarly, I'm hopeful Colby can continue its recent momentum and finish off its first winning season since 2005. Hopefully the collapses down the stretch the past two seasons focus this group to finish the season strong.

Computer picks and National Ratings out for Week 8:

Bowdoin 24.6, Bates 20.1
Middlebury 33.6, Hamilton 7.7
Trinity (Conn.) 38.0, Amherst 2.9
Tufts 26.9, Colby 15.4
Wesleyan 25.2, Williams 17.5

Team          Nat'l Rank
Trinity (Conn.)    28
Wesleyan    74
Tufts            80
Middlebury    87
Williams    96
Colby          146
Bowdoin          153
Amherst          173
Bates          183
Hamilton      190

Donated my $11 to Hamilton to rewatch the Colby-Hamilton game.

Good road win for the Mules today in Clinton. Kudos for Hamilton for playing tough and capitalizing 3x in a row off of turnovers/great field position from the Mules.

Continentals played bend-don't-break defense most of the game, allowing the Mules to get into the redzone frequently, but held tough through 3 quarters, only allowing 3 field goals. Inexplicably they rushed 7 on 1st down with 1:15 left, allowing the Mules to throw a HB seam to Smart, sealing the W.

The Mules D was tough all day, only allowing scores on short field. Offense needs to finish drives if they want a chance next week against the Jumbos.

Should be a great bus ride back to Waterville. They probably still have 2 hours to go! lol.

Go Mules!

Anyone know if there's a way to rewatch the Colby-Hamilton game that's not behind a paywall?

Barely pulling in Honcho levels of cash and would prefer to support the Mules with that $$ if I can.