FB: Empire 8

[pg04]

I think I recall a 6-4 team in one of the brackets a few years ago... Although I can't remember which team it was.  5-5 would be a stretch, I think. 

[Old IC Voice]

I think I recall a 6-4 team in one of the brackets a few years ago... Although I can't remember which team it was.  5-5 would be a stretch, I think. 

Randolph-Macon was 6-4 in 2008 when they got steamrolled by MU in the first round.

5-5 wouldn't be too much of a stretch. If SLU loses to Union and wins out, they're 5-5 with one loss in LL play. If Union loses to RPI or Merchant Marine, St. Lawrence would be in great position to make the postseason at 5-5, as they own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Hobart now and WOULD own it with RPI with a win over them in two weeks.

[pumkinattack]

SLU's going to take a conference loss or two.  They beat Hobart with Hobart having 4 turnovers and a ton of penalties.  They could sneak in in some kind of three way tiebreaker, but they'll take a loss or two in conference.   My guess is Union gets them and probably either UofR or RPI as well. 

[Bombers798891]

Upstate - Well played...
I am not a salt in the wound kind of guy- but



Screw Ithaca..............


enjoy at least a  3 loss season

Oh come on- that was only aimed at 2 of you ic faithful



82- great to see you and the fam!

I think Ithaca would be very grateful for a a three-loss season at this point. Someone who was at the game told me, on the goal-line stand Fisher had at 20-3 after Ithaca went two straight plays into the line for no gain, Zappia looked to the sideline and threw his hands up, as if to say, "You can't call plays like that against this team."  Course, then he got picked off on the next play, but from what I heard it seemed like there was some frustration at the play-calling.

As for Conti's comments, I don't mind them really. Obviously, Fisher's got better WR's, but he didn't exactly call them out. I suppose he could have gone super-cautious and just been like, "You know, they're very talented, and we're just going to do our best to play them tough and see what happens," but it's not like he loudly proclaimed superiority.

The Cardinals look like a legit threat to make a deep run in the playoffs. There's no reason they couldn't be a #1 seed in the East. And there's nothing to suggest they couldn't take Del Valley or Cortland. (Although, even against the dredge of the NJAC, three straight shutouts by Cortland is mighty impressive.)

I suppose the relative strength of the E8 over the NJAC would get Fisher the nod, but it would be interesting to see who gets picked if they both go 10-0. I think Fisher gets the nod, but both those teams look very good. Hats off to Fisher. You've got a shot to help restore the East a bit. Keep it up!

[theoriginalupstate]

I didn't think Conti's statement was trash talking at all really.  Just rubbing some salt in the wounds and since game day is over it's not going to continue until next year.

OK I'll just get this one more dig in...




TOASTED!

In all seriousness Conti is a very good DB, he made a heck of a play on his INT along the SJF sideline.

I was very impressed with Ruffrage, he seems like a very heady player.  He totally outsmarted the SJF punt coverage when he picked up that punt while SJF was pretty much walking off the field.  Very impressed with him!

There was way too much dink and dunk by Ithaca's offense, I don't know if it's by design or if the QB didn't want to go downfield or if the deep WR's were covered.  They need to switch things up on offense, I know they like their system but they don't have the horses to run that basic west coast offense especially with no running game.

I think IC handles SC at Ithaca, Alfred looked VERY tough yesterday vs Hartwick and Utica can score points and runs a system almost identical to SJF's so that game will be interesting to see.

[Old IC Voice]

If the season stopped right now, Fisher would be a legit #1. Here's the way I'd seed the east, assuming all stayed as is.

1) Fisher
2) Cortland/Montclair (whoever stays unbeaten)
3) DelVal
4) Alfred
5) Lycoming
6) Cortland/Montclair (whoever has a loss. I originally had them as a #4, but that'd mean DelVal-Lycoming in the first round, and the committee avoids conference rematches in the first round)
7) NEFC champ
8) LL champ

Although if a five-loss team wins the LL, I wouldn't be surprised if the committee sent Mount Union east out of spite to see how many points they could put up in the 1-8 matchup.

[Bombers798891]

I didn't think Conti's statement was trash talking at all really.  Just rubbing some salt in the wounds and since game day is over it's not going to continue until next year.

OK I'll just get this one more dig in...




TOASTED!

In all seriousness Conti is a very good DB, he made a heck of a play on his INT along the SJF sideline.

I was very impressed with Ruffrage, he seems like a very heady player.  He totally outsmarted the SJF punt coverage when he picked up that punt while SJF was pretty much walking off the field.  Very impressed with him!

There was way too much dink and dunk by Ithaca's offense, I don't know if it's by design or if the QB didn't want to go downfield or if the deep WR's were covered.  They need to switch things up on offense, I know they like their system but they don't have the horses to run that basic west coast offense especially with no running game.

Sorry for having to quote other people all the time, but my buddy at the game said it like this: "Zappia couldn't complete a five-step drop. The pass protection just wasn't there." That's one of those non-stat sheet items. Usually, we think of pressure as sacks, QB hurries, but it can be tough to see when the pressure is actually altering play calls.

Conti's very good. In that photo, you notice the size difference between him and the guy he's covering (Yes I know the Fisher guy jumped and he's in the foreground). That, along with the line play, just speaks to the physical difference between the two teams. When you're outweighed on the line and outheighted (?) in the secondary, there's only so much you can do

[theoriginalupstate]

If the season stopped right now, Fisher would be a legit #1. Here's the way I'd seed the east, assuming all stayed as is.

1) Fisher
2) Cortland/Montclair (whoever stays unbeaten)
3) DelVal
4) Alfred
5) Lycoming
6) Cortland/Montclair (whoever has a loss. I originally had them as a #4, but that'd mean DelVal-Lycoming in the first round, and the committee avoids conference rematches in the first round)
7) NEFC champ
8) LL champ

Although if a five-loss team wins the LL, I wouldn't be surprised if the committee sent Mount Union east out of spite to see how many points they could put up in the 1-8 matchup.

I think Lyco's loss to Rowan to start the season is going to haunt their chances of a post season bid unless they win the MAC.  I don't think they get 2 teams in unless Lyco wins the league at 9-1 and DVC get's a C bid and the 6th seed at 8-2.

I think the NJAC get's two teams in as well, hopefully their top two teams are 10-0 and 9-1!

I agree that the LL get's the 8 seed, it's just a wacky league right now.  Hell St. Lawrence is still in the running and we're 6 weeks into the season.  I don't even know what the hell to make of the NEFC so a 7 seed at best for them.

If AU/SJF only end up with 1 loss between them they'll both get in (obviously with SJF going 10-0 and AU going 9-1 ).

[theoriginalupstate]

Conti's a big CB for D-3 at 6'0", Francis is 6'3" so it's not a huge mismatch unless they gave Conti a couple inches in the program like they did their Center (who at best is 5'8 but listed at 5'10")....

Yesterday was the first game that SJF got consistent pressure with their D line, it helps having Sawyer back but there was a lot of LBers coming clean off the edge and up the middle on blitzes....

[Old IC Voice]

If the season stopped right now, Fisher would be a legit #1. Here's the way I'd seed the east, assuming all stayed as is.

1) Fisher
2) Cortland/Montclair (whoever stays unbeaten)
3) DelVal
4) Alfred
5) Lycoming
6) Cortland/Montclair (whoever has a loss. I originally had them as a #4, but that'd mean DelVal-Lycoming in the first round, and the committee avoids conference rematches in the first round)
7) NEFC champ
8) LL champ

Although if a five-loss team wins the LL, I wouldn't be surprised if the committee sent Mount Union east out of spite to see how many points they could put up in the 1-8 matchup.

I think Lyco's loss to Rowan to start the season is going to haunt their chances of a post season bid unless they win the MAC.  I don't think they get 2 teams in unless Lyco wins the league at 9-1 and DVC get's a C bid and the 6th seed at 8-2.

I think the NJAC get's two teams in as well, hopefully their top two teams are 10-0 and 9-1!

I agree that the LL get's the 8 seed, it's just a wacky league right now.  Hell St. Lawrence is still in the running and we're 6 weeks into the season.  I don't even know what the hell to make of the NEFC so a 7 seed at best for them.

If AU/SJF only end up with 1 loss between them they'll both get in (obviously with SJF going 10-0 and AU going 9-1 ).

The problem is, who would you put in over them at this point? Rowan is a distant #3 in the NJAC, and I don't think they get three teams in (although if they can step up and knock off C-State, it's possible). Utica, who's beaten a down RPI team and pretty much nobody else? Springfield, owner of zero quality wins this season?

Lycoming at least has a decent win over IC, and I'm not sure they need to beat DelVal to get in.

[theoriginalupstate]

They could very easily import a team from the south like the CC winner or a pool C team out of the CC or a Pool B team like Salisbury....

[saxontad]

Congrats to Fisher.  I hope we can give them a decent game at Alfred.  I thought we looked like ...well, not very good yesterday at Hartwick.  Too many turnovers.  And I think we have to settle on a tailback for the sake of in-game continuity.
Of course, the coaching staff has not contacted me asking for my input!!

On Saxon Warriors!!

[sjfcards]

They could very easily import a team from the south like the CC winner or a pool C team out of the CC or a Pool B team like Salisbury....

That would be my guess. I think with Fisher, Montclair, and Cortland going the way they are (I know that C-State and Montclair still have to play each other) the East has the teams at the top to keep MUC out, but at the bottom of the bracket, I think the NCAA will have to bring in an outsider to fill out the bracket. I would love to see a team from the south, or a non-MUC team out of the North play against some of the East teams in a playoff type atmosphere. Could be a great measuring stick for where the East really is as a region.

[sjfcards]

They could very easily import a team from the south like the CC winner or a pool C team out of the CC or a Pool B team like Salisbury....

That would be my guess. I think with Fisher, Montclair, and Cortland going the way they are (I know that C-State and Montclair still have to play each other) the East has the teams at the top to keep MUC out, but at the bottom of the bracket, I think the NCAA will have to bring in an outsider to fill out the bracket. I would love to see a team from the south, or a non-MUC team out of the North play against some of the East teams in a playoff type atmosphere. Could be a great measuring stick for where the East really is as a region.

I should add Del Val in the mix of teams at the top as well.

[maxpower]

There was way too much dink and dunk by Ithaca's offense, I don't know if it's by design or if the QB didn't want to go downfield or if the deep WR's were covered.  They need to switch things up on offense, I know they like their system but they don't have the horses to run that basic west coast offense especially with no running game.

Zappia has trouble going downfield, although as Bombers said maybe it's the protection. When he went deep to Jamison last week, the TV guys almost peed themselves with a bunch "You don't see THAT very often!" comments... Jamison also had to come back to the ball a little.

I guess we were fooling ourselves thinking a team that couldn't shake Hartwick had a chance against Fisher. It's good to know the East has a solid representative though.