PL Preseason Poll Announced

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Stole from the HC board...

1. Lehigh 60 points (11)
2. Holy Cross 46 (1)
3. Colgate 36
4. Georgetown 33 (2)
5. Lafayette 32
6. Bucknell 15
() first place votes

Offensive POY Spadola
Defensive POY ??

Big shock to see Georgetown at #4!

Lehigh had 5 (?) Pre-season first team all league guys, not sure who though. My guess is Spadola, Andrews, Barket, Chagani and Haggins.

[RichH2]

Lots of love for HC. Not much for GU. Wonder where FU would sit?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Lots of love for HC. Not much for GU. Wonder where FU would sit?

The trip to Worcester is Lehigh's most likely league loss imo.

HC's game against UNH, at Fitton, under the lights, should be pretty darn good!

[DFW HOYA]

What a crock. An 8-3 team that returns 17 starters is one vote removed from FIFTH place?

[TheValleyRaider]

Offensive Player of the Year: Ryan Spadola, Lehigh, Sr., WR
Defensive Player of the Year: Robert McCabe, Georgetown, Sr., LB

Offense Defense
Pos. Name, School Yr.
QB Gavin McCarney, Colgate Jr.
RB Zach Barket, Lehigh Sr.
RB Tyler Smith, Bucknell Sr.
FB/HB Travis Friend, Bucknell Jr.
WR Gerald Mistretta, Holy Cross Sr.
WR Mark Ross, Lafayette Jr.
WR Ryan Spadola, Lehigh Sr.
TE Jamel Haggins, Lehigh Sr.
OL Ryan Risch, Colgate Sr.
OL Mike Roland, Georgetown So.
OL Andrew Scarmado, Colgate Jr.
OL Mike Vuono, Lehigh Sr.
OL Sean Whited, Holy Cross Sr.
RS Jeremy Moore, Georgetown Sr.
PK John Macomber, Holy Cross Jr.

Defense
Pos. Name, School Yr.
DL Sajjad Chagani, Lehigh Sr.
DL Rick Lyster, Lafayette Sr.
DL Jack Maliska, Holy Cross Sr.
DL Nick Womack, Fordham Sr.
LB Mike Martin, Fordham Sr.
LB Robert McCabe, Georgetown Sr.
LB Beau Traber, Bucknell Sr.
LB Michael Tucker, Holy Cross Jr.
DB Bryan Andrews, Lehigh Sr.
DB Jeremy Moore, Georgetown Sr.
DB Tom Mannix, Holy Cross Sr.
DB Billy O’Brien, Lehigh Sr.
P Patrick Murray, Fordham Sr.

Bucknell - 3
Colgate - 3
Fordham - 3
Georgetown - 4
Holy Cross - 6
Lafayette - 2
Lehigh - 7

http://www.patriotleague.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/072512aab.html

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

What a crock. An 8-3 team that returns 17 starters is one vote removed from FIFTH place?

I agree DFW. Gtown at worst should be #3. IMO, Gtown and HC very even but I think most Lehigh fans fear the Crusaders a little more.

[DFW HOYA]

Can someone legitimately explain to me how Georgetown narrowly avoided being in 5th place in this poll when it defeated all but one team ahead of it last season? It's somewhat difficult to finish 4th with two first place votes, unless nearly everyone else voted GU 5th or 6th. Can someone explain the possible rationale behind picking Georgetown last?

Or is this a backhanded slap at not going along with scholarships?

[RichH2]

Guess people went with last season being a fluke. GU will again sirprise. Still hold that all else being fairly even ,PL is.a qb led league.

[Bogus Megapardus]

This is the coaches and sports info directors, and you can't vote for your own team, correct? So it looks as if Lehigh and Holy Cross clearly are the top guns, but Colgate/Georgetown/Lafayette are interchangeable. The width of the divide down to Bucknell is a little surprising.

So where does everyone think Fordham would fit in?

[van]

I am not sold on Gaters. I would have Hoyas ahead of Colgate, probably have Pards ahead of Colgate also. I am expecting Fordham to be improved with new coaching and would have them at #4 or #5.

[RichH2]

Gate has best returning qb but needs an OL and a much better D.I would put FU in the middle of the pack.

[van]

What a crock. An 8-3 team that returns 17 starters is one vote removed from FIFTH place?

Well I would have had them a little higher, but I think 2 of the 3 losses were against PL counters and at least one of the graduates was a pretty significant loss.

[Fordham]

I think our pre season poll ranking would/should be #5. I will go out on a limb and say that we will finish #2 even though it won't matter unless our only other loss is to Cinci.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I think our pre season poll ranking would/should be #5. I will go out on a limb and say that we will finish #2 even though it won't matter unless our only other loss is to Cinci.

If Fordham goes 9-2 they'll be in the playoffs.

It's hard to see a team going from 1 win to anymore than 6 or 7.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Fordham has Cincinnati, but overall its schedule is as soft as Lehigh's, maybe softer. Villanova is the only other OOC game of magnitude. If Fordham loses to Cincinatti and Lehigh, they'd have to beat every other PL team, plus Villanova, plus Cornell, Columbia and, of course, DII Lock Haven, in order to go 9-2.

It's not out of the question, but would that record get Fordham in on an at-large bid? Probably.

[Sader87]

Biggest ? for HC is the QB. That's a big ? I grant you but if someone emerges and is then fairly decent, there are a lot of very good complimentary pieces (RB, TE, WR) coming back on offense. Defensively we should be improved overall.

I think HC could be very good this year but they also could be .500 or so if things don't fall into place etc.

[RichH2]

Other than Gate and Pards we are all pretty much in the same spot.Not sure what Susan is going to do at qb. Bunches of lettermen but will any one of them step up.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Can someone legitimately explain to me how Georgetown narrowly avoided being in 5th place in this poll when it defeated all but one team ahead of it last season? It's somewhat difficult to finish 4th with two first place votes, unless nearly everyone else voted GU 5th or 6th. Can someone explain the possible rationale behind picking Georgetown last?

Or is this a backhanded slap at not going along with scholarships?

Here's what I will say: it was not coach Coen. He told me he voted Georgetown as his No. 1.

And I really scratch my head at that whole poll as well. The coaches I talked to were at pains to say how much "parity" there is in the league this year, but I still think the team that was picked to finish last might be the toughest team of all.

I have a big problem with anyone picking Georgetown behind Holy Cross after the Hoyas have beat them two years running.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Other than Gate and Pards we are all pretty much in the same spot.Not sure what Susan is going to do at qb. Bunches of lettermen but will any one of them step up.

You don't mean Susan. Wesley is a junior and he's in his third year of running the Bison offense.

[DFW HOYA]

Here's what I will say: it was not coach Coen. He told me he voted Georgetown as his No. 1.


Makes sense, Lehigh's two votes (coach, SID) went go to Georgetown and/or Holy Cross.

Any idea how the voting process went, was it 6-5-4-3-2-1? If Lehigh got 11 first place votes out of a possible 12 (Lehigh's two voters excepted), how does it add up to 60? Makes you wonder how low some of the other four schools voted for GU if they received two first place votes and missed fifth by one point.

[RichH2]

Yup I do. Wesley nice athlete not a good qb. Read somewhere hecould be moved to wr.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Bucknell's OL last year was horrendous. Both HC and Lehigh destroyed Wesley in their games. Bucknell had a chance to beat the Crusaders but couldn't protect Wesley.

Overall, i think BU is farther away then you think. Their losses along the Dline will be really felt.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Makes sense, Lehigh's two votes (coach, SID) went go to Georgetown and/or Holy Cross.

Any idea how the voting process went, was it 6-5-4-3-2-1? If Lehigh got 11 first place votes out of a possible 12 (Lehigh's two voters excepted), how does it add up to 60? Makes you wonder how low some of the other four schools voted for GU if they received two first place votes and missed fifth by one point.

The methodology is not spelled out, but I've determined that it has to be thus: 14 votes, you can't vote for yourself, and top and bottom votes are removed. That's why Lehigh has 60 points (11 "6" votes, 1 non-6 vote = 60 points).

Applying this to Georgetown, 6 points comes from one first-place vote, so the other 27 points have to, on average be 3 points apiece. So that means that everyone else (dropping the lowest) averaged out to a fourth-place finish. So the other voters consistently had no fewer than two teams above Georgetown.

[Go...gate]

I am not sold on Gaters. I would have Hoyas ahead of Colgate, probably have Pards ahead of Colgate also. I am expecting Fordham to be improved with new coaching and would have them at #4 or #5.

I agree with this. Colgate has some work to do.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://www.college-sports-journal.com/index.php/ncaa-division-i-sports/fcs-football/240-patriot-principals-predict-parity

Patriot League Media Day wrap-up, where the word of the day was parity.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Reading some of the published comments from players, coaches, etc. - everyone remarks the the pre-season poll is "meaningless" yet every conference does it, year after year. Why? Because it's fun to complain about it!

It sure looks to me as if this year's poll dispels with the notion that the votes as base primarily on the performance in the previous season. If that were the case you'd have to put Georgetown and Bucknell at 2-3 and put Lafayette last. And still, I see no new performance factor warranting Georgetown's comparatively low rank (nor Lafayette's high rank).

[van]

Reading some of the published comments from players, coaches, etc. - everyone remarks the the pre-season poll is "meaningless" yet every conference does it, year after year. Why? Because it's fun to complain about it!

It sure looks to me as if this year's poll dispels with the notion that the votes as base primarily on the performance in the previous season. If that were the case you'd have to put Georgetown and Bucknell at 2-3 and put Lafayette last. And still, I see no new performance factor warranting Georgetown's comparatively low rank (nor Lafayette's high rank).

Ah come on Bogie, we all know the Pards are over achievers. Expect Tavani and company to surprise many this year!

[TheValleyRaider]

http://www.college-sports-journal.com/index.php/ncaa-division-i-sports/fcs-football/240-patriot-principals-predict-parity

Patriot League Media Day wrap-up, where the word of the day was parity.


"We have to play Colgate football, win the close games, forget about last year, be smart enough to know we're not going to beat anybody by showing up. I think we are kind of under the radar. We have some kids that are hungry; we have a chance to be pretty good."

Interesting comment from Biddle. Some suggestion that the team took its opposition lightly at times last year. Reading that Morning Call article, he also talked about a lack of support for Nate Eachus, some of which seemed driven by O-Line injuries, but there's certainly a challenge to this year's players as well

[carney2]

I checked with Patsy. He/she says the poll should like this:

1. Lehigh - Should win, but not a walk over like last year.
2. Holy Cross - Not good enough to make number 2 a gimme.
3. Georgetown - Returning starters up the ying yang, but not beaucoup the talent.
4. Lafayette - Question marks all over the place; could surprise with a few positive answers.
5. Fordham - Need to prove it before people take notice, but should be improved.
6. Colgate - Zero D. Nuf said.
7. Bucknell - Overachievers in 2011 with graduation losses and poor recruiting.

[DFW HOYA]

3. Georgetown - Returning starters up the ying yang, but not beaucoup the talent.


So is 2012 the ceiling of Georgetown's talent reach, given that the top 90 PL-eligible recruits will essentially be picked off annually by the other schools with scholarships?

[carney2]

Yes. Unless there is a seismic shift in policy at Hoyaville this is it. Enjoy it while it lasts.

[carney2]

How about the most important game on your schedule? One opinion:

Bucknell - 9/22 Lafayette (H): Is it real or just so much smoke and mirrors?
Colgate - 10/13 @ Holy Cross: The poll says the 'gaters are number 3. It needs to be proven.
Fordham - 9/15 Cornell (H): Not the toughest of the Ivys. The Rams need to prove something.
Georgetown - 10/6 @ Fordham: Contender vs. not a contender.
Holy Cross - 11/3 Lehigh (H): If the 'saders are as good as some think this is where they have to step up.
Lafayette - 9/22 @ Bucknell: Lose this and the season is in the dumpster very early.
Lehigh - 9/22 @ Liberty: The only real test on a ridiculously soft schedule.

[DFW HOYA]

Yes. Unless there is a seismic shift in policy at Hoyaville this is it. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Lots of painful posts to look forward to...


How about the most important game on your schedule?

Sep. 21 vs. Princeton. One of the lasting legacies of Georgetown in the PL is how neither the school nor the league ever developed sustained interest for the Hoyas inside the conference. I think people in Washington are generally more excited about this one.

[MplsBison]

So is 2012 the ceiling of Georgetown's talent reach, given that the top 90 PL-eligible recruits will essentially be picked off annually by the other schools with scholarships?

Gtown provides 20 something scholarship equivalencies of aid to football players, according to the NCAA.

[DFW HOYA]

Gtown provides 20 something scholarship equivalencies of aid to football players, according to the NCAA.

Any link to this?

[Bogus Megapardus]

One of the lasting legacies of Georgetown in the PL is how neither the school nor the league ever developed sustained interest for the Hoyas inside the conference.

And the reason for that lack of sustained interest is . . . ?

There's no equivalent lack of interest at Princeton when it plays Lehigh, or at Penn when it plays Lafayette, or at Harvard when it plays Holy Cross. The lack of interest could be more of a Georgetown problem than it is a Patriot League problem.

Would the NEC or PFL schools fare better in the minds of the Hoya faithful?

[van]

And the reason for that lack of sustained interest is . . . ?

There's no equivalent lack of interest at Princeton when it plays Lehigh, or at Penn when it plays Lafayette, or at Harvard when it plays Holy Cross. The lack of interest could be more of a Georgetown problem than it is a Patriot League problem.

Would the NEC or PFL schools fare better in the minds of the Hoya faithful?

one word, FIOS.

[Bogus Megapardus]

one word, FIOS.

My continued ribbing about the TV fiasco aside, I'm not sure that DFW even is correct about the lack of interest/enthusiasm for the Patriot League amongst Hoya football fans. The home stadium is small and meager, but it does seem to sell out every game and the fans look like they're enjoying the contests.

There's not a lot of fan posting from Hoya football fans (certainly not compared to basketball or even lacrosse) but I haven't really read a lot of overt disdain for the Patriot League from Hoya fans who do post here and on the Hoya board. Certainly not compared to the overt hostility that comes from some Holy Cross and Fordham fans - many of whom would rather be anywhere but in the Patriot.

[TheValleyRaider]

Colgate - 10/13 @ Holy Cross: The poll says the 'gaters are number 3. It needs to be proven.

While probably our most critical game, this showdown is in Hamilton

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Bucknell - 9/22 Lafayette (H): Is it real or just so much smoke and mirrors?

To which team are you referring?

[DFW HOYA]

There's not a lot of fan posting from Hoya football fans (certainly not compared to basketball or even lacrosse) but I haven't really read a lot of overt disdain for the Patriot League from Hoya fans who do post here and on the Hoya board. Certainly not compared to the overt hostility that comes from some Holy Cross and Fordham fans - many of whom would rather be anywhere but in the Patriot.

Agreed. I don't sense any disdain, but the rivalries enjoyed between many PL schools didn't translate to Georgetown as it could have because of a) sheer distance, b) lack of ties to these schools in other sports, or c) general unfamiliarity with the schools in the region. Two-thirds of Georgetown undergrads come from outside the Northeast and only 3% are local to DC. To them, they know more about football in Los Angeles than in Lewisburg.

However, Patriot schools still have FAR more interest in DC than NEC or Pioneer schools.

[MplsBison]

Any link to this?

Nope.

Just every PL thread on here talking about scholarships (this was prior to the PL approving scholarships) always talked about how PL teams were actually providing scholarship equivalencies and were not true non-scholarship schools. They would say the higher teams like Gate and Lehigh were in the 50's all the way down to Gtown in the 20's.

Certainly, beyond anything -- you can't tell me that every player on Gtown's listed roster pays the full cost of attending. It'd be a lie, bald faced.

[MplsBison]

Agreed. I don't sense any disdain, but the rivalries enjoyed between many PL schools didn't translate to Georgetown as it could have because of a) sheer distance, b) lack of ties to these schools in other sports, or c) general unfamiliarity with the schools in the region. Two-thirds of Georgetown undergrads come from outside the Northeast and only 3% are local to DC. To them, they know more about football in Los Angeles than in Lewisburg.

However, Patriot schools still have FAR more interest in DC than NEC or Pioneer schools.

D) competitiveness, the actual criteria of having a rivalry.

[Pard4Life]

D) competitiveness, the actual criteria of having a rivalry.

That was my take as well. Holy Cross and Fordham are probably the closest schools for developing a rivalry given the Jesuit heritage, but Georgetown is usually so bad that it's not a game, even though they have beaten HC the past two years.

Also, they are not a full member, so you don't see their name on the scoreboard year round in every sport.

Lafayette almost had something going with Georgetown. They shocked us in Easton in 2003 during their one good season in the PL before 2011, and we played chess matches in 2004 and 2005, both very low scoring games. But the Verizon non-sense happened so I guess it's game on again with the Hoyas.

[Pard4Life]

If Lehigh does not win eight games, it will be a disappointment. I'd even put Lafayette down for at least six wins with this schedule. My rating on 1 to 10 difficulty level of opponents:

Monmouth - W (4)
CCSU - W (3)
Princeton - W (1)
Liberty - ? (8)
Fordham - W (2)
Columbia - W (1)
Georgetown - W (5 - don't see how MSF can provide home field advantage aside from knowing where the sun angles are)
Bucknell - W (4)
Holy Cross - ? (6)
Colgate - W (4)
Lafayette - ? (8 - simply because it's a rivalry game and we won't be THAT bad... you know what I mean)

[Pard4Life]

Meanwhile, Lafayette's schedule... I have four wins penciled in, along with two losses:

W&M - L (9)
Penn - ? (7)
Robert Morris - W (2)
Bucknell - W (4)
Princeton - W (7 - curse game)
Yale - ? (5)
Holy Cross - ? (6)
Georgetown - ? (5)
Colgate - L (4)
Fordham - W (2)
Lehigh - ? (8)

[Pard4Life]

Meanwhile, Lafayette's schedule... I have four wins penciled in, along with two losses:

W&M - L (9)
Penn - ? (7)
Robert Morris - W (2)
Bucknell - W (4)
Princeton - W (7 - curse game)
Yale - ? (5)
Holy Cross - ? (6)
Georgetown - ? (5)
Colgate - L (4)
Fordham - W (2)
Lehigh - ? (8)

[Bogus Megapardus]

That was my take as well. Holy Cross and Fordham are probably the closest schools for developing a rivalry given the Jesuit heritage, but Georgetown is usually so bad that it's not a game, even though they have beaten HC the past two years.

Also, they are not a full member, so you don't see their name on the scoreboard year round in every sport.

Lafayette almost had something going with Georgetown. They shocked us in Easton in 2003 during their one good season in the PL before 2011, and we played chess matches in 2004 and 2005, both very low scoring games. But the Verizon non-sense happened so I guess it's game on again with the Hoyas.

I've just about given up on my one man crusade to create a spitballin' Lafayette-Georgetown rivalry arising from the TV thing. I thought that some friendly barbs and a bit of over-the-top hyperbole cast in the Hoyas direction might trigger a competitive response and generate some interest in the series. I was actually looking for some Hoya faithful to come back with, "we're gonna beat you again this year because . . . "

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Princeton - W

You really think carney's going to let this slide? xlolx

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I've just about given up on my one man crusade to create a spitballin' Lafayette-Georgetown rivalry arising from the TV thing. I thought that some friendly barbs and a bit of over-the-top hyperbole cast in the Hoyas direction might trigger a competitive response and generate some interest in the series. I was actually looking for some Hoya faithful to come back with, "we're gonna beat you again this year because . . . "

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

This actually brings up a pretty good point. Lafayette and Bucknell are Georgetown's two closest geographic "rivals" in the Patriot League. Both have had fairly spirited matchups over the course of ten years, sometimes surprisingly so. The last two years, the games have had championship implications for the Hoyas. Yet the hate is not there on either side.

It hasn't helped that Bucknell has been consistently bad, and the Hoyas' wins over the last two years over Lafayette have come in two very down years for the Leopards. But to some degree it's up to the Hoya athletic department and the Georgetown fans to do something drum up support that travels to Lewisburg and Easton.

Also worthy of discussion: haven't many of the Hoya games in Easton been night games? That doesn't make it easy for fans to make the trip from DC, either.

[Pard4Life]

And the reason for that lack of sustained interest is . . . ?

There's no equivalent lack of interest at Princeton when it plays Lehigh, or at Penn when it plays Lafayette, or at Harvard when it plays Holy Cross. The lack of interest could be more of a Georgetown problem than it is a Patriot League problem.

Would the NEC or PFL schools fare better in the minds of the Hoya faithful?

I'm always surprised about the interest in the Penn game... granted it was their home opener, but 12,000 showed up at Franklin to see LC play the last two years. We had over 10,000 at Fisher in 2009, which is the largest non-Lehigh crowd since who knows when.

[Pard4Life]

This actually brings up a pretty good point. Lafayette and Bucknell are Georgetown's two closest geographic "rivals" in the Patriot League. Both have had fairly spirited matchups over the course of ten years, sometimes surprisingly so. The last two years, the games have had championship implications for the Hoyas. Yet the hate is not there on either side.

It hasn't helped that Bucknell has been consistently bad, and the Hoyas' wins over the last two years over Lafayette have come in two very down years for the Leopards. But to some degree it's up to the Hoya athletic department and the Georgetown fans to do something drum up support that travels to Lewisburg and Easton.

Also worthy of discussion: haven't many of the Hoya games in Easton been night games? That doesn't make it easy for fans to make the trip from DC, either.


LFN, it's not "easy" for Hoya fans to make the trip from DC to DC. MSF seats 3,000 and the fans are not exactly beating down the gates for tickets.

[DFW HOYA]

LFN, it's not "easy" for Hoya fans to make the trip from DC to DC. MSF seats 3,000 and the fans are not exactly beating down the gates for tickets.

Only 2,400 "seats" and parking for maybe 300. Two bad numbers when it comes to building a fan base.



It hasn't helped that Bucknell has been consistently bad, and the Hoyas' wins over the last two years over Lafayette have come in two very down years for the Leopards. But to some degree it's up to the Hoya athletic department and the Georgetown fans to do something drum up support that travels to Lewisburg and Easton. Also worthy of discussion: haven't many of the Hoya games in Easton been night games? That doesn't make it easy for fans to make the trip from DC, either.

Distance is an issue and so is transportation.

Georgetown students aren't allowed cars on campus or off, so the tradition of football road trips is foreign territory. Those that stay in DC after graduation can get around town without cars and many choose to do so. And for those families that do have them, it's hard to argue for a 7:30am start along US-15 for a ride to Lewisburg. Hamilton (370 mi.) and Worcester (404 mi.) are out of the question, and The Bronx (240 mi.) probably is too far unless you live in NYC or northern NJ. I'm a firm believer that road games improves the fan experience, but if you're a Georgetown fan and all you know about PL football is the MSF, well, that's a problem all its own!

By the way, this is not a problem restricted to football. There are fewer Georgetown alumni in PA than other PL schools and they don't travel well to Big East games. There just aren't a lot of Hoyas in "the T" to call upon in the fall.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Maybe Georgetown alums in the Philadelphia/New York City region would be more enthusiastic about Hoyas-in-the-Patriot-League football if the administration permitted them to watch the games on television. ;)

[DFW HOYA]

FiOS penetration in these markets is low. Get the Hoyas on DirecTV!

[Sader87]

This has been a problem at HC too i.e. lack of football fan support for PL games (save for Colgate).

Most HC fans of a certain age prefer the Ivy and the CAA non-conference games to the PL games.

Hopefully with the addition of scholarships (and time, most alums under 45 or so know only the PL for HC football), interest for PL games will improve.

[carney2]

You really think carney's going to let this slide? xlolx

Tigger is, as has been stated often, the poster pussy for The Curse, but they are absolutely dreadful. They are without a doubt the worst team on the Lafayette schedule and are true FCS Bottom Ten material. I do not expect it to be easy, but if Tavani doesn't win this one - or worse still, if this is yet another of his increasingly frequent no show games - I will personally head for his house to burn an "L" on his lawn and perhaps even on his living room carpet.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Most HC fans of a certain age prefer the Ivy and the CAA non-conference games to the PL games.

And PL OOC schedules permit an abundance of CAA games while the PL remains the preferred opponent for the Ivy across the board.

It's the best of both worlds, Sader87. Now I can see the reason behind your recent pro-PL conversion. ;)

[Bogus Megapardus]

Tigger is, as has been stated often, the poster pussy for The Curse, but they are absolutely dreadful. They are without a doubt the worst team on the Lafayette schedule and are true FCS Bottom Ten material. I do not expect it to be easy, but if Tavani doesn't win this one - or worse still, if this is yet another of his increasingly frequent no show games - I will personally head for his house to burn an "L" on his lawn and perhaps even on his living room carpet.

The Nausoodles at home at the peak of the schedule, carney2. What's the worst that can happen? :p

[carney2]

The Nausoodles at home at the peak of the schedule, carney2. What's the worst that can happen? :p

Another freakin' evening like the 2010 game where the Pards push the pussies around for 52 minutes and then see the football gods intervene for a "you really expected something else?" Tigger win. We're looking at 4 - count them, FOUR! - freakin' wins in 130 years. What's the worst that can happen indeed.

[MplsBison]

Only 2,400 "seats" and parking for maybe 300. Two bad numbers when it comes to building a fan base.




Distance is an issue and so is transportation.

Georgetown students aren't allowed cars on campus or off, so the tradition of football road trips is foreign territory. Those that stay in DC after graduation can get around town without cars and many choose to do so. And for those families that do have them, it's hard to argue for a 7:30am start along US-15 for a ride to Lewisburg. Hamilton (370 mi.) and Worcester (404 mi.) are out of the question, and The Bronx (240 mi.) probably is too far unless you live in NYC or northern NJ. I'm a firm believer that road games improves the fan experience, but if you're a Georgetown fan and all you know about PL football is the MSF, well, that's a problem all its own!

By the way, this is not a problem restricted to football. There are fewer Georgetown alumni in PA than other PL schools and they don't travel well to Big East games. There just aren't a lot of Hoyas in "the T" to call upon in the fall.

Believe it or not, I actually don't want to derail or make too much of a distraction in this thread, your guys' thread.

But what in the heck are you talking about -- not allowed to have cars off campus???

[ngineer]

I'm surprised at the preseason poll as to G'town as well. I would have them 2/3 with Holy Cross. Lehigh should be favored, but certainly not a heavy favorite this year. Too many question marks to start the season; but if they fill in some answers, it could be another glorious year.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Believe it or not, I actually don't want to derail or make too much of a distraction in this thread, your guys' thread.

But what in the heck are you talking about -- not allowed to have cars off campus???

It was so when I was at Lafayette. No cars permitted for any student. 100% residential campus. There were plenty of other options if you didn't like the rule.

Lemme guess, MplsBison - you have plenty of knowledgeable, authoritative things to say about that.

[Sader87]

Do many students in the PL "road-trip" to away games these days? I really have no idea. From the HC road games I've attended the last couple years (Brown, Harvard, Dartmouth and UNH) I'd say no. If that's the case, it's really too bad as those trips were some of my most memorable times of my undergrad years.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Do many students in the PL "road-trip" to away games these days? I really have no idea. From the HC road games I've attended the last couple years (Brown, Harvard, Dartmouth and UNH) I'd say no. If that's the case, it's really too bad as those trips were some of my most memorable times of my undergrad years.

Pards show up at Penn and Princeton, that's for sure. Columbia too when we play them. Lehigh of course is another matter.

[van]

Do many students in the PL "road-trip" to away games these days? I really have no idea. From the HC road games I've attended the last couple years (Brown, Harvard, Dartmouth and UNH) I'd say no. If that's the case, it's really too bad as those trips were some of my most memorable times of my undergrad years.

I have some vague memories of a road trip to Ithica once. My companion fraternity brother has even better memories.

[MplsBison]

It was so when I was at Lafayette. No cars permitted for any student. 100% residential campus. There were plenty of other options if you didn't like the rule.

Lemme guess, MplsBison - you have plenty of knowledgeable, authoritative things to say about that.

Yeah...but how do they know?? What a stupid rule. Can't enforce it. Why would they want their students, paying huge bucks, to feel like they're in prison?

[DFW HOYA]

Cars without parking permits are ticketed or booted. Only residents get permits, hence:

"Previously, [American University] students were allowed to purchase a reciprocity permit, which can be obtained with out-of-state registration and insurance, from the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles for $338 and bypass the D.C. car requirements. This new law adds zones around American University to a growing list of restricted areas in the city where students cannot park with reciprocity stickers. Student reciprocity parking permits are already banned in locations near George Washington University and Georgetown University."

http://dcstudentsspeak.org/2012/07/13/dc-council-passes-residential-parking-protection-act-of-2011/

[MplsBison]

....................

How in any way, shape or form does that confirm your broad, sweeping previous statement that Gtown students can't have cars?

You're just saying that only residents of D.C. can park close to the universities.

[RichH2]

Really guys a thread now about parking.

[crusader11]

MplsBison will go to any length to disparage the Patriot League.

[DFW HOYA]

Mpls, welcome to the bureaucracy that is the Nation's Capital.

Freom Georgetown: "Students who reside in University-owned housing are prohibited from bringing cars to campus or the surrounding neighborhood, and consistent with this policy, students who reside in University-owned housing are not eligible for daily or monthly parking on campus." 85% of students live on campus, 7-9% study abroad. The remaining 6-8% that are off campus or grad students cannot park legally unless they are legal residents of the District. As less than 3% of students are from DC proper, that's a very, very small number that qualify. Further complicating this is that Zone 2 (Georgetown) permits are only for residents of Georgetown--you could be a legal DC resident, live across town and still not be allowed to park in Georgetown! And most employees can't even park with these rules.

Ward 2 permit enforcement generated 584,005 tickets in 2011, or 1,600 tickets a day in a area where only 54% of residents even have a car, according to DC census figures. According to Washingtonian magazine, two parking beats in this area by DC traffic enforcement each generate over $1 million a year in tickets.

Long, long story short: road trips are a non-starter from urban campuses.

[MplsBison]

Mpls, welcome to the bureaucracy that is the Nation's Capital.

Freom Georgetown: "Students who reside in University-owned housing are prohibited from bringing cars to campus or the surrounding neighborhood, and consistent with this policy, students who reside in University-owned housing are not eligible for daily or monthly parking on campus." 85% of students live on campus, 7-9% study abroad. The remaining 6-8% that are off campus or grad students cannot park legally unless they are legal residents of the District. As less than 3% of students are from DC proper, that's a very, very small number that qualify. Further complicating this is that Zone 2 (Georgetown) permits are only for residents of Georgetown--you could be a legal DC resident, live across town and still not be allowed to park in Georgetown! And most employees can't even park with these rules.

Ward 2 permit enforcement generated 584,005 tickets in 2011, or 1,600 tickets a day in a area where only 54% of residents even have a car, according to DC census figures. According to Washingtonian magazine, two parking beats in this area by DC traffic enforcement each generate over $1 million a year in tickets.

Long, long story short: road trips are a non-starter from urban campuses.

Ok, you win. I'll shut up.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Ok, you win. I'll shut up.

No, really, who hacked your account? Ursus?

[van]

Ok, you win. I'll shut up.

We could only hope.

[RichH2]

I'll believe it when another PL thread starts and he doesn't

[MplsBison]

I know I said I'd shut up, but feel compelled to say one last thing.

Notice how DFW, more than **ANY** other poster on AGS, never stoops down to the typical ad homs and fallacies that AGS is known for. He always displays nearly infinite patience and posts facts with links.

That's the only way you'll ever shut me up. OK I'm done on this thread.

[carney2]

Pards show up at Penn and Princeton, that's for sure. Columbia too when we play them. Lehigh of course is another matter.

What you mean to say is that the FANS show up. Based on the last two years it is a week to week question whether the team shows up. If the phone-in games continue this year it may be time for Tavani to consider his retirement options. Whatever happened to "the great motivator?"

[Sader87]

Do Lafayette students, not fans/alums etc, actually go in significant numbers to games at Penn, at Princeton etc?

I just don't think it's in today's PL student-DNA to road-trip on weekends for a football game and all that that entails.

Maybe I'm jaded by our fan-base, which has to be one of, if not the oldest in age (mostly alums 45+) in the country.

[RichH2]

Dont really know about current students but we reveled in roadtrips, even as my kids claim ,I used a covered wagon. Pitt and Syr were my favorites ,altho we did go to zBoston some. EIWAs were always a great weekend. Do regret did not get to fb roadtrips until my senior yr .

[aceinthehole]

Ward 2 permit enforcement generated 584,005 tickets in 2011, or 1,600 tickets a day in a area where only 54% of residents even have a car, according to DC census figures. According to Washingtonian magazine, two parking beats in this area by DC traffic enforcement each generate over $1 million a year in tickets.

Don't forget Georgetown students are also ineligible from the DC Reciprocity Permit for Temporary Residents, that are available to students at GWU, Howard, and AU for $338 per year, Congressional staff, Presidential appointees, Military memebers, Diplomats, etc.

DC Government is incapable in so many areas, but parking enforcement is not one of them. If they could do anything as well as they issue tickets and collect fines, this would be a truly world-class city. Its nearly impossible to find on-street parking in some neighborhoods, and Georgetown is possibly the most difficult in the entire city.

[MplsBison]

They basically need to put a proximity sensor at every on-street location and let people pay a monthly fee to access the live info about what parking spots are open, where.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Lehigh Sports take....


http://www.lehighsports.com/sports/football/lehigh_tabbed_for_third_straight_title_spadola_ear ns_preseason_honor.aspx


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8E9nlgcWp0&feature=player_embedded

[Pard4Life]

Lehigh Sports take....


http://www.lehighsports.com/sports/football/lehigh_tabbed_for_third_straight_title_spadola_ear ns_preseason_honor.aspx


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8E9nlgcWp0&feature=player_embedded

http://betterthingsahead.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/peanuts_veil-e1274891657170.jpg

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

So after almost week not one Bucknell fan chimed in here nor on their board....

[Bogus Megapardus]

So after almost week not one Bucknell fan chimed in here nor on their board....

They're still measuring basketball recruit height and weight statistics. One thing at a time.

[Sader87]

I've never quite understood why Bucknell football has been both sub-par and so poorly followed over the years. The school is located almost smack dab in the middle of a very "football mad" state. I suppose being in the shadow of Happy Valley hasn't helped but it just seems that they should have done better over the years both on the field and in support (attendence etc) of their football program.

It's almost as if football didn't exist on the Bucknell message board.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I've never quite understood why Bucknell football has been both sub-par and so poorly followed over the years. The school is located almost smack dab in the middle of a very "football mad" state. I suppose being in the shadow of Happy Valley hasn't helped but it just seems that they should have done better over the years both on the field and in support (attendence etc) of their football program.

It's almost as if football didn't exist on the Bucknell message board.

It really doesn't make any sense but that's how it's been for as long as I remember. I've been going out there for Lehigh games since the late 80's and I can't recall a time when there were more home fans than Lehigh supporters.

What's weird is the town and area really supports high school football.

[jdb037]

I'm sure 137, BucBisonAtLarge and others have been reading this but I'm not sure what there is to say. We lost 4 of our 5 offensive line starters from a poor squad last year. We lose Eden and De La Rosa on the D-Line and Robertson in the secondary. No real home run threat at the receiver position except for maybe Walker. At QB, Wesley still needs to put on some muscle and watch his back because Lauletta played well towards the end of last year.

All of these question marks going into a season don't exactly make you confident for whats to come. We were picked 6th for a reason. Not that we want to accept it, but on paper, pretty tough to argue against it

[Bogus Megapardus]

No excuses, jdb037. Please post more often along with your fellow Bison fans. Are you guys really going to concede the PL home opener to the Pards after last season's Blizzard Bowl? I would think not. It's a CBS nationally-broadcast game. You guys had better fill all those seats between the Artful Shrubberies. Let's both go out and make it a helluva game.