Quote from: CarollFan on September 30, 2026, 12:47:48 PM

Quote from: nescac1 on September 29, 2026, 11:07:33 AMNPI is very hard to measure for NESCAC teams without a single non-league game historically.  I can't even imagine how, this year, it's remotely accurate (in terms of comparing Nescac teams to other leagues).  Starting next year, when there at least has been some post-season data, I imagine it will give a much better sense of relative strength. 

Heatbreaking post from Lynskey.  Really feel for him and Owen J.  When they were 100 percent both were so physically dominant. 

You may get a better sense of how Nescac teams compare based on playoffs but the NPI calculation doesn't use playoff data or historical data. It's strictly based on who you won and lost against in the current season and how they are doing in the current season.
The main components of NPI are:
1) Did you win or lose? 40 points for win, 0 points for a lose.
2) SOS = 60% of opponents NPI
3) Quality win bonus. If opponents NPI > 54 then QWB = (Opponents NPI - 54) * .25
4) Did you win at home or away? You sum up the 3 components above and for home wins you reduce the sum by 10% and for road wins you increase the sum by 10%.

For your final NPI calculation you sum up all your losses and at least your best 5 wins and divide by adjusted wins and losses. Could use more wins but I don't want to get into the weeds.😃

I think the NESCAC team going into playoffs will do well. I think they should get by the east teams only real challenger would be Endicott and I am not sure they are as powerful as the top NESCAC team. The wall they will hit is when they play teams with larger roster limits and can hand pick players fro there playoff rosters. I think at some point down the road. The NESCAc is going to lift the roster limits or at the least enable teams to carry a certain number but only dress a certain number.

I watched Wesleyan over the weekend and clearly Trinity and Wesleyan are 1 & 2 in the league. I think a more concerning measure is that really there are 4 teams year after year Trinity , Wesleyan , Williams & Middlebury. At least from championship perspective.

I can't count Tufts as there success was in large part to the Berluti years.

The rest of the league has at best maybe a winning season here or there but for the most part mediocrity at best. Since the advent of playoffs this will become more apparent in subsequent years. A recruit would look at the top 4 schools and consider them before the rest of the league if they want to have a chance at a title or playoffs. I actually love the idea of the playoffs but think this is going to hurt the NESCAC lower level teams. The only answer is recruiting and admissions have to get on same page which we all know is an up hill battle.

Quote from: Trin9-0 on September 17, 2026, 10:26:28 AMAbsolutely LOVE this from DiCenzo: https://x.com/CoachDiCenzo/status/2100366744040702010

As excited as we all are for the NESCAC season to get underway it's heartbreaking to think of all the kids who just got told by their coaches that they can no longer be a part of their teams. No jersey. No practice. No locker room. No camaraderie. Your career as a football player is over. Why? Because of some arbitrary number. It's archaic. It's unfair. It goes against everything the NESCAC and the member schools purport to embrace.

Similarly to the NCAA playoff ban this whole situation reeks of a Title IX lawsuit and I believe very soon the wrong player of the wrong parent is going to get cut and we'll be chattering on this board about a the NESCAC going to court.

This was well done by Coach DiCenzo

Trinity football Suffering Pre season setbacks

As we enter week one Trinity which once was considered the favorite to win the NESCAC has had a rash of injuries. They lost arguably there best Corner Back from last year in Tyler Roberts who transferred from Hartford State. He was there lock down corner and definitely has weaken the Bantams Secondary.They lost DL Juliann Pollard as he was dismissed from the team for disciplinary reasons. There has also been rumors that Senior DL Piccard & Ventura are also battling injuries.

Also Trinity has lost Senior NT Matt Hickey who has decided to retire do to the injury battle. In addition there promising OLB Senior John Toyias has a knee which may sideline him for awhile. So the stacked defense its showing depth problems.

On Offense key players are battling the injury bug with Hamstring injuries. Several WR including Senior Pat Mccafrey , Nolan Obrien to name a few are battling injuries. Several OL are battling injuries and there top freshman prospect at RB is already out for the season. The season has not even started yet so will really test Coach Devanney ability to ride this tide until players mend. So what was once a talent laden team is showing cracks in the armor.

Quote from: Trin9-0 on May 26, 2026, 03:36:27 PM

Quote from: Patrick Coleman on May 25, 2026, 09:10:12 PMSignificantly more than one senior returning, as Jeff Devanney said in our podcast interview with him last week:
https://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/2026/05/18/atn-podcast-408-nescac-countdown-bomber-boss-mascot-madness/

Thanks Pat! Great interview; especially the roster limit conversation. It sounds like there will be 6 (SIX!) returning grad students for the Bants which includes the aforementioned Nolan O'Brien who will be a POY candidate.

Brady, the Bants do indeed look poised to make another run. They'll need to figure out Wesleyan and always seem to struggle in Vermont, but getting the Cards and what looks to be a strong Eph team in The Coop should help.

On offense Trinity returns Jaxon Carroll at QB, four starting O-Linemen and their top TE, Jamieson Hodlin. Carrol will have his top two WRs back in O'Brien and Darison Hooper. In addition, Devanney sounded very excited about reincorporating WR Pat McCaffrey back into the mix after he missed all of last season with a back injury. They do lose Tyler DiNapoli in the backfield, but (somewhat surprisingly) both Jack Tosone and Tate Hoffmeister averaged more rushing yards per game than DiNapoli last season.

On defense, the Bantams bring back all three starting defensive linemen, including Matt Hickey who was 2nd Team All NESCAC last year. Linebackers Lincoln Moore, an All-NESCAC 1st Teamer, and 2nd Teamer, Ethan Krauss, return. In the secondary, Shane Mosia who was 2nd team All-NESCAC and named a co-Captain this year, and Tyler Roberts are back.

A lot of it will come down to Carroll who was 2nd in the NESCAC last year in passing efficiency and and TD passes but with the pieces around him he should be expected to do more in '26. I'm hopeful this is the year Trinity can put it all together for 9 weeks and earn the league's first ever postseason bid.

I think this year's Bantams team is truly stacked.

Defensively

The front Seven are All star caliber. Luke Ventura , Matt Hickey & Joe Toyias bolster the DL. All three could have been easily been first team All stars last year. This is big strong front three who can stop the run and get after the QB. They only had one game together last year and shut down Colby before injuries kicked in. If these three stay healthy all year this could be one of the best defenses we have seen in many years.These three are the reasons the LB group played so well last year. In addition to these three DL you have capable back ups in Wes Selmani , Emre Sensoy , Seamus Miller as well as a Uconn transfer who the staff is high on for DE.

Linebacker wise they loose one LB from a great crew last year. Returning are Lincoln Moore , Ethan Krauss and Aaron Poawui and this was one of the strongest units last year. At the outside position you have John Toyias who showed glimpses last year in games and specifically Williams and is poised to have a breakout year at OLB. He played well before injuries limited playing time.

The secondary is strong with Bryce Ferrell , Tyler Roberts , Shane Moscia and Jacob Tobias returning depth may be an issue if injuries kick in but this should be a solid unit.

This defense will be hard to score on and the veteran leadership from 5 th years Joe Toyias , Matt Hickey , Aaron Poawui will make this a veteran crew to go along with the Senior group already anchoring this line up. The key will be injuries If Hickey and both Toyias brothers stay healthy this should have a direct impact on the LB making plays. Shane Moscia is a veteran Senior Captain who will anchor the secondary. I feel that with there run stop ability of front seven along with the pass rush this defense is going to be fun to watch.

The only real question mark will be special teams. While Trinity always had great special teams they loose there special teams coach to sabbatical. They will bring back Lincoln Moore and John Toyias for snapping duties and the explosive Nolan O'Brien and Josh Woodford returning kicks and Punts. However Trinity is relying on a Sophomore kicker Max Wallace to handle the Punting and Kicking duties. While he has a very strong leg could not fight the freshman jitters and had less than a stellar performance making field goals and extra points. He is now handling the punting and kickoff duties so look for teams until he has proven himself to try to exploit this inexperience.

Overall this defense with some young players getting some experience look tough to score on. However with a new DC coordinator potentially we will see if that has an effect.

I will post offense later

In terms of the transfer portal are the players that have entered going to finish school. I would think if they would want an opportunity to play on another level they would have to leave at the end of Winter break to get to these schools to participate in Spring ball to have any chance at playing which would mean missing graduation. Only alternative would be if they take a red shirt year at a higher level school. I think the D2 and D1 levels put a great deal of emphasis on spring ball.

I heard today not sure if anyone else has that the NESCAC is going to from 12 Spring practices to 20 number has not been exactly determined and allowing helmet and shoulder pads NO full contact or scrimmages.

In addition with the season starting a week later will the NESCAC adjust reporting dates or allow for an extra week of preseason. Does every NESCAC school adhere to the same reporting date or is it up to discretion of the each College ?

Quote from: NESCACFball24/7 on November 19, 2025, 09:55:11 AMThis could be the first time in a few years we haven't seen an exodus of talent from the league to the transfer portal right after the season looking to move up to the D1 level. Will be interesting to see if this remains true

Only one I know of so far is O'Brien WR from Trinity. I guess he figures on trying the portal although with one year eligibility and an injury prone career do not know how many takers there will be on a one year stint.He does not have the same pedigree as Tomlinson & Lutz of the past or size as well as eligibility. I did hear about rumblings out of Wesleyan that the Freshman WR Kelly could be moving on word is it that Uconn & Stonehill are possible landing targets. At this stage all conjecture.

I am curious when these kids enter the portal do they leave after Christmas break for Spring ball at these programs ?

In the case of O'Brien for Trinity or any senior would that mean forgo graduation if not would that not put them further behind pack not getting a Spring football season in or do they just red shirt for another year.

I do remember the C for Bates Pierotti last year entered the transfer portal but then played this year for Bates before getting hurt.So not sure on the rules for this.

I still believe despite the hiccups Amherst had and you take away those losses to Bates & Colby they would have been 7-2 and played the top tier teams extremely well. If they do not loose players to graduation they are going to be tough next year. I would put them into Coaching staff of the. year discussion. No one predicted they would end up 5-4 and play this well.

Other then Colby beating Trinity which Trinity gave them they did not beat any top level teams other then first game. At least Amherst beat Williams while Colby was pounded.

Quote from: lumbercat on November 12, 2025, 03:31:44 PMCharlie-

On the coaching front Mills is the best coach in the conference hands down in my opinion.
However Dice at Wes did a pretty darn good job this year and capped it off with a monumental win against Trinity in a huge game.

You point out that Devanney has come up short in "big" games but you're going to win all of those games with the whole conference gunning for you. Still a lot of rings on Bantam fingers.

Conversely, Dice has a pattern of surprising losses in "small" games. Losses to Bowdoin and Bates in recent years.

Interesting contrast between 2 fine coaches.

I think we will see more of this pattern of parity in the conference for the foreseeable future though I believe a bitter loss like this for Trinity will probably bring something in the way of  remedial measures.  They may look to elevate their arsenal even further. This would be bad news for programs in the conference striving to reach that Championship level.

Well Trinity will be without O'Brien next year at WR he is supposedly entering the transfer portal. While I think this is a loss for Trinity and that he was a good player I think Trinity excelled this year by having multiple WR & TE players involved in offense. I think they had a more balanced attack this year. While O'brien was instrumental to the team his production significantly tapered off the last four games of the year. Unfortunately O'brien had an overall injury plagued career. Not sure what interest there will be with only one year eligibility. I have to say I dont think this was best move for him he is not as dynamic as Tomlinson or Lutz was and I think both had two years eligibility when they entered versus one year. I think Trinity will be able to move on but should make for great conversation this off season.

I agree on turfing the area. he venue is great to watch games and is great atmosphere.

I would have to say while giving out awards as much as I would love to give Coaching accolades to Wesleyan my choice would be Amherst.

Let's face facts nobody predicted they would play as tough as they did , compete and be a couple losses away from being considered into championship talks. I will grant you that they loss to Bates and Colby. However they played Trinity & Wesleyan tough and beat Williams. I know tough to give out awards for a team that went 5-4 at least most improved team by far in the NESCAC.

One interesting tidbit here. Has anyone else looked back at Trinity. I will even go as far as the Fetter era. If you look at schedule every game that has championship or first place implications on the line they have lost.

2023 Lost To Middlbury last seconds to get C0 Champs
2024 Lost To Wesleyan final Game for Championship
2025 Lost to Wesleyan C0-Champs

All of these were not Stella performances by Trinity on the field and in Coaching. I am just saying that it appears the Coaching staff will have to look at themselves , personal and game plan and figure out why they freeze up and not play up to their standards in big games. I am just saying looks to be a pattern. Do not get me wrong Trinity has incredible winning percentage played some tough teams and have won many titles it just so happens they are on this streak of loosing in big games.

Quote from: Nescacman on November 12, 2025, 12:57:12 AM

Quote from: Charlie on November 11, 2025, 01:58:04 PM

Quote from: lumbercat on November 10, 2025, 11:04:55 AMHaven't seen the Battle of the Birds tape yet but very impressed with the Wes ground game and the performance of Angelo LaRose. Wes seemed to be a ground attack "by committee" during the year but LaRose really stepped it up in huge game. Can't remember many times over the years when anyone ran the ball like that against Trinity. Very surprising.
Another thing that jumped out to me was the fact that Wes was able to contain O'Brien who I consider the most explosive, dangerous player in the league. If he was at full strength the Cards did a great job containing him.
Looks like the Dante Kelly was the best receiver on the field on Saturday. He is destined to be in O'Briens class in terms of explosiveness if he is not at that level now. He's going to be a huge headache for opponents for the next 3 years.

Obrien was hurt most of the year and throughout his career in the NESCAC. Dante is the best WR I have seen in the NESCAC despite his size. I even think he would be faster on a real turf field instead of that Mud pit Wesleyan plays on.

I am surprised why the NESCAC has not come down on Wesleyan if they continue on playing football there they have to fix that field more like a used polo grounds then a football field. A great venue to watch a game but the field needs a great deal of work.

Wesleyan did a great job against Trinity nice game plan they had and Trinity despite making the adjustments at halftime seemed to be in a fog all game. The game resembled a lot of the Trinity Colby game bizarre play calling on offense. On defense Trinity tried stunting a great deal which was not working out due to the field conditions and Trinity had a great deal of Blown assignments missed tackles very uncharacteristic of them. I am taking nothing away from Wesleyan I tip my hat to them great performance and coaching and they deserved to win.

Hey Chuck, Andrus Field is the oldest/longest continuously used college football field in the country. It's not going anywhere and Wesleyan will NEVER permanently play anywhere else. With that being said, plans are in place to totally redo the playing surface prior to the 2026 season. Stay tuned on that. It is (by far) the best home venue and game day experience in the NESCAC hands down. It's why Wesleyan leads the NESCAC in home attendance every year.

NM

Again I was merely saying the field itself is terrible. I am taking nothing against the fan base , viewing of game etc. I just think NESCAC or the NCAA need to make the playing surface up to football standards so players safety is not jeopardized. I think the tailgate is great and the games are exciting just need to fix the field and while they are at it the locker room situation heard teams are having to get ready in a bunker from the 70's.

While we await the awards debate in the NESCAC. What are the early predictions for next year. I do not know what players are potentially returning , who are coming back for Grad years any intial thoughts ?

I would have to say at first glance and I know not much of a reach Trinity , Wesleyan & Williams with Amherst making a strong push. I think Middlebury may be taking a step back for a year or two.

Quote from: lumbercat on November 10, 2025, 11:04:55 AMHaven't seen the Battle of the Birds tape yet but very impressed with the Wes ground game and the performance of Angelo LaRose. Wes seemed to be a ground attack "by committee" during the year but LaRose really stepped it up in huge game. Can't remember many times over the years when anyone ran the ball like that against Trinity. Very surprising.
Another thing that jumped out to me was the fact that Wes was able to contain O'Brien who I consider the most explosive, dangerous player in the league. If he was at full strength the Cards did a great job containing him.
Looks like the Dante Kelly was the best receiver on the field on Saturday. He is destined to be in O'Briens class in terms of explosiveness if he is not at that level now. He's going to be a huge headache for opponents for the next 3 years.

Obrien was hurt most of the year and throughout his career in the NESCAC. Dante is the best WR I have seen in the NESCAC despite his size. I even think he would be faster on a real turf field instead of that Mud pit Wesleyan plays on.

I am surprised why the NESCAC has not come down on Wesleyan if they continue on playing football there they have to fix that field more like a used polo grounds then a football field. A great venue to watch a game but the field needs a great deal of work.

Wesleyan did a great job against Trinity nice game plan they had and Trinity despite making the adjustments at halftime seemed to be in a fog all game. The game resembled a lot of the Trinity Colby game bizarre play calling on offense. On defense Trinity tried stunting a great deal which was not working out due to the field conditions and Trinity had a great deal of Blown assignments missed tackles very uncharacteristic of them. I am taking nothing away from Wesleyan I tip my hat to them great performance and coaching and they deserved to win.

Quote from: Trin9-0 on November 05, 2025, 12:06:39 PM

Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 05, 2025, 10:55:42 AM

Quote from: Trin9-0 on November 05, 2025, 09:48:14 AMPat, what are your way too early thoughts on the likelihood of a NESCAC team earning an at large bid in 2026 and beyond?

I think I talked about it here last offseason -- basically any NESCAC team that finished with one loss or fewer should get a bid, whether it's the AQ or an at-large. With no non-conference games, and just nine games, I'm not as sure about a 7-2 NESCAC team -- doesn't look super likely.

For those wondering, historically it has been very common for the NESCAC to have multiple teams finish with 1 loss or fewer. In fact, over the past 25 seasons (including this year since it cannot happen) there's only been 8 years where the NESCAC didn't have multiple teams with 1 loss or fewer.

It's worth noting that for most of those years (17 seasons) we only had an 8 game schedule, thus one fewer opportunity to lose a game. However, even since 2017 there has been multiple teams with 1 or fewer losses in all but four seasons:

2023 - Middlebury (8-1), Trinity (8-1)
2021 - Williams (9-0), Trinity (8-1)
2019 - Middlebury (9-0), Wesleyan (8-1)
2018 - Trinity (8-1), Amherst (8-1)
2016 - Trinity (8-0), Tufts (7-1)
2015 - Amherst (8-0), Trinity (7-1)
2014 - Amherst (8-0), Wesleyan (7-1)
2013 - Amherst (7-1), Middlebury (7-1), Wesleyan (7-1)
2012 - Trinity (8-0), Middlebury (7-1)
2011 - Amherst (8-0), Trinity (7-1)
2010 - Williams (8-0), Trinity (7-1)
2006 - Williams (8-0), Trinity (7-1)
2005 - Trinity (8-0), Colby (7-1)
2002 - Trinity (7-1), Williams (7-1)
2001 - Williams (8-0), Amherst (7-1)
2000 - Amherst (7-1), Colby (7-1), Middlebury (7-1)

I find it Comical that all through these years it seems to be the same teams year after year.Trinity , Williams , Middlebury  , Wesleyan and Colby only 2. Now we can speculate as to the reasons and blame admissions , COVID etc. I would think though that NESCAC schools should be saying what are we doing wrong that we consistently have loosing programs. I find it even more concerning that there are 10 NESCAC schools and only four have controlled the the number one seat.

The last time I viewed acceptance rates were around these numbers

Middlebury 13 %
Wesleyan   14-19 %
Williams   9 %
Trinity   31 %

so while these schools do have low acceptance rates they still are able to field highly competitive programs while the other schools having low acceptance rates cant seem to put a winning seasons or a championship in all this time.I would think at some point theses non contender would get sick of this and make a change.