FB: Liberty League

[Bartman]

Well, I log into the boards and see a beautiful half naked woman...maybe there is an upside to these ads...

Those ads reflect your personal preferences, so good to see you have healthy tastes Ice Bear.

[Machiavelli]

Well, I log into the boards and see a beautiful half naked woman...maybe there is an upside to these ads...

Those ads reflect your personal preferences, so good to see you have healthy tastes Ice Bear.

I came here to say this. 😂 My adds tell me 'You're up for an appliance upgrade' with some beautiful dishwashers and refrigerators. I need to swap search histories with IB.

[Jonny Utah]

Well, I log into the boards and see a beautiful half naked woman...maybe there is an upside to these ads...

Those ads reflect your personal preferences, so good to see you have healthy tastes Ice Bear.

I came here to say this. 😂 My adds tell me 'You're up for an appliance upgrade' with some beautiful dishwashers and refrigerators. I need to swap search histories with IB.

You guys are freaks.  Mine are all ads of guys working out with no shirts at the beach.  You gusy should start taking care of your bodies more as you get older. 

[IC798891]

You guys are freaks.  Mine are all ads of guys working out with no shirts at the beach.  You gusy should start taking care of your bodies more as you get older. 

If we still had the Hall of Fame, this post would be in it

[Machiavelli]

JU, you just made me spit out my coffee, and I wasn't drinking any. Anyway, I think it's time to make some predictions in this critical and LL Champ deciding week. Like everyone else, I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to roll with this one, and maybe there is some homer-ism included, and I DID pick Hobart to beat RPI earlier this season with some reverse psychology tactic, which I take full credit for turning their season around. But here goes...

Mach's un-homerish yet hopeful Predictions

Last week boosted my season record to 37-6. I'm hoping for a strong finish:

Rochester - 14
Union - 42
I kind of see this as a trap game for Union. Rochester seems to land themselves as a trap game kinda team. But it hasn't worked out great for them. Where I was once being told I should include Rochester as a contender for the LL when they were 2-0 in conference, they've now dropped 3 consecutive games, as most of us fully expected. Part of me thinks this game could cause some trouble for Union. But I keep going back to the Union/Ithaca game where they were their own worst enemy and actually had a shot at winning that game, despite what the final score looked like. So with maybe a sluggish start, which seems to be how Rochester works opponents, Union ultimately makes the final score look like it should.

Buffalo State - 10
St Lawrence - 24
Kind of a tough game to pick actually. Though I am not putting too much thought into it. St. Lawrence looks to be a little lower on the sucky-meter, so I think the Larries come through with their 3rd W.

RPI - 17
Ithaca - 13
I mentioned the Union/Ithaca game above. I thought the teams looked relatively even for most of the game, which would have me lean toward RPI. Results against common opponents is pretty close, with the exception of Hobart. But I don't think the Hobart results matter too much. Ithaca beat a tough opponent, which was the goal. Still, that factor has me lean RPI a tiny bit. RPI's games against Utica and Brockport stand out so damn much. Those have me lean Ithaca pretty strongly. But...those games were early, and there's been a lot of improvement, but there has been improvement from both teams. Neither is the same team now that started the season. Even though RPI has gone on a 267-21 tear since the Utica/Brockport games, I don't think they played particularly well the last 2 weeks. Ithaca was gone 332-57 since Johnny Hopkins. Looking at WPI's results this year, I actually have slightly more respect for that win that I normally would. Stats aside, visually, I have concerns with RPIs ability to stop a good passing attack, but they haven't seen many. Secondary struggled bad against Utica and I've seen a few others have some success through the air, but then they come up with a turnover. I think Ithaca's offensive strength is running the ball. It really feels like an even matchup. But here's where my decision comes from: Which team has the most advantageous matchup?

I think RPI is slightly better offensively and it's pretty even defensively. So I'm going with the boys in RED in a nailbiter.


Hilbert - 0
Hobart - 73
Super long-winded above, so short and sweet...Hobart in a slaughter.

And there it is. Early congrats to whomever wins the LL title this week. Obviously hoping it's the team I route for.

Other games of interest:
Cortland vs. Brockport - If Brockport wins, the LL and E8 will get totally boned in the playoffs no matter how this all goes.

Mount Union vs. Baldwin Wallace - A Mount Union loss would end their 34 year playoff streak. A win puts them right back into the mix.

[IC798891]

Last year RPI got torched by Nick Lang. Their ability to stop his this year is what will determine this game.

[IC798891]

RPI - 17
Ithaca - 13

I do not necessarily disagree with the winner, or the MOV. But I would add at least 10 to both teams' totals. Both of these defenses are incredibly stout, but on the flip side, both teams are aver 50 PPG in conference play, and 40 overall. Yeah, Hilbert and Buff State pad those totals, but still, these are two really potent offenses.

I actually think IC's offense is a bit underrated. Again acknowledging Buff State and Hilbert, the Bombers have an offense that isn't getting a ton of help from its defense/special teams. They've forced just 9 turnovers all season, don't have a return longer than 35 yards, and they're still T-10 in offensive TDs.

The flip side of that is that I think their defense is susceptible to giving up yards. Union moved the ball really well against IC (400 yards and 5.5 YPP), Hobart had three pass plays over 40 yards, and even Buff State had some lengthy drives against the Bombers in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

I think both offenses will have more success than Mach thinks. 28-24 type of game to me.

[Patrick Coleman]

Ithaca in Around the Nation today:
https://www.d3football.com/columns/around-the-nation/2026/new-fire-burns-ithaca-bombers

[Machiavelli]

RPI - 17
Ithaca - 13

I do not necessarily disagree with the winner, or the MOV. But I would add at least 10 to both teams' totals. Both of these defenses are incredibly stout, but on the flip side, both teams are aver 50 PPG in conference play, and 40 overall. Yeah, Hilbert and Buff State pad those totals, but still, these are two really potent offenses.

I actually think IC's offense is a bit underrated. Again acknowledging Buff State and Hilbert, the Bombers have an offense that isn't getting a ton of help from its defense/special teams. They've forced just 9 turnovers all season, don't have a return longer than 35 yards, and they're still T-10 in offensive TDs.

The flip side of that is that I think their defense is susceptible to giving up yards. Union moved the ball really well against IC (400 yards and 5.5 YPP), Hobart had three pass plays over 40 yards, and even Buff State had some lengthy drives against the Bombers in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

I think both offenses will have more success than Mach thinks. 28-24 type of game to me.

It's looking like it's going to be a complete sogfest. The great equalizer.

[Bartman]

LL Picks for November 7:

RPI.      24.        Ithaca.        28.  I think Michael Reed will have career game that will            overshadow an outstanding performance by Kayden White. Unfortunately for the Sliderulers, Ithaca will have the last possession and go 70 yards for the game winning score on a Michael Reed run. This game can go either way, but home field favors the Bombers.

Hilbert      0.      Hobart.      72.  Senior Day at the Boz as they honor the 15 Seniors with a stats stuffing game. It will likely be the last home game depending on potential Bowl game.

Rochester    14.        Union.      28.  The Yellowjackets put their best game together against a quality opponent.

Buffalo State 21.      SLU         35.  The Larries find their passing game         

I've been working out more but instead of adds on work out gyms, I'm getting adds for back pain and male enhancement pills. I want Ice Bear's feed.

[Jonny Utah]

So just looking at the Region 2 team page.  St. Lawrence is the only team in upstate NY that has a grass field.  There arent many left in the country for all of D3, only about 12 others from my count.  6 of them in region 6

[IC798891]

Makes sense. I know a lot of people love the nostalgia of grass, but seriously, watch this video and look at this field. It was still unplayable three weeks later, forcing the Bombers to move their ECAC game to Cornell.

And I'm not in any way criticizing the grounds crew. Those guys bust their ***. But there comes a point when it simply can become impossible, given the weather. And frankly, given the budget crunches most colleges face, multi-use fields are not a luxury, but a necessity.

I've also heard, anecdotally from coaches, that some high school players don't like playing on grass if they've played on turf their whole careers.

Though I still miss watching every triple option team ever come into Butterfield and grind to a halt on the grass, the move to turf made sense