Patriot League Pick 'em - Week 4

[Leopard Loyalist]

It's Wednesday and this hasn't started yet. Is it because everyone is demoralized? Or is it that Lehigh has a bye week? xchinscratchx

Maine at COLGATE (Stadium/PLN) Noon
HOLY CROSS at Yale (ESPN+) 1 p.m.
LAFAYETTE at Albany (Flo) 3:30 p.m.
FORDHAM at Stony Brook (Flo) 6 p.m.

Note that the Lafayette/Albany game does not start at 7 pm as the PL website has it.

[Go Green]

Looks like another tough week for the PL.

I mean, bully for the PL for scheduling tough games, but...

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Looks like another tough week for the PL.

I mean, bully for the PL for scheduling tough games, but...

Got to win! If you take on the challenges you better man up and perform. Scheduling tough is easy, measuring up is where the league has failed in epic fashion....

[bonarae]

Maine - 'gate suddenly past its prime
Yale
Albany
Stony Brook

[RichH2]

xcoffeexxthumbsupx Rose colored glasses this week. PL sweep. Lehigh will edge Bye in OT.

[Bill]

Rich,
Wow.

I choose grim reaper...picking against the league across the board, including Bye with a late FG to beat Lehigh.

[Go Green]

including Bye with a late FG to beat Lehigh.

Now that I think about it, I think Georgetown will beat BYE.

:)

[Lehigh Football Nation]

It's Wednesday and this hasn't started yet. Is it because everyone is demoralized? Or is it that Lehigh has a bye week? xchinscratchx

Maine at COLGATE (Stadium/PLN) Noon
HOLY CROSS at Yale (ESPN+) 1 p.m.
LAFAYETTE at Albany (Flo) 3:30 p.m.
FORDHAM at Stony Brook (Flo) 6 p.m.

Note that the Lafayette/Albany game does not start at 7 pm as the PL website has it.

So wait, three games behind a paid firewall to see the PL get slaughtered? No, thank you.

I'll simply watch the free stream of the game where the PL team gets slaughtered.

[crusader11]

The $4.99/month for ESPN+ is well worth it if you are a CBB and CFB fan, particularly of the smaller conferences.

[TheValleyRaider]

Are we quitting? Are we saying it's over? Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

5-1 last week, 14-6 overall

Maine at Colgate Colgate It gets tougher...or after Maine's loss to Towson, does it really? Just kidding, it's definitely tougher. First home game in a while, certainly asking a lot of the team. Injuries haven't helped, but there is room to improve the actual play. I wouldn't characterize Maine as an explosive offense, so hoping that some long drives can manage the clock and move the game along without too much damage. Do the Raiders have the defense for such a struggle?

Holy Cross at Yale Yale So very close to believing in the Crusaders. UNH is a good win, and they've had plenty of time to prepare for the Bulldogs who haven't played yet. Games in hand will help them keep this competitive, but for now I'll take an Ivy contender over a Patriot contender, especially at home.

Lafayette at Albany Albany Did the Leopards turn a corner? A less than 90-degree one, perhaps, but could it be considered progress? Leopards and Great Danes have a common opponent, both teams losing by 3 at Monmouth. I'm not going to pretend to know what that means, other than being an interesting coincidence. If I'm leaning toward believing in Holy Cross, I am not anywhere near that close for Lafayette.

Fordham at Stony Brook Stony Brook Speaking of teams I don't know what to think about, what about the Seawolves? I guess they're middle-of-the-pack CAA, but have made the playoffs two years running. Both have big wins over Bryant (as does Albany, if we're looking for connections), though I don't think I've seen anything yet to make me think Fordham can play at (what appears to be) Stony Brook's level. What if Fordham were going to Albany instead...?

[aceinthehole]

The odds makers aren't very optimistic about the PL chances this week:

Colgate (+11.5) vs. Maine
Holy Cross (+12.5) at Yale
Lafayette (+15.5) at Albany
Fordham (+17) at Stony Brook

[van]

Maine, Gate underachieving so far
Yale, first game for Eli so I give Cross a chance in this one
Albany, if Danes D knows how to contain the FR QB they win
Stony Brook, Rams should score some but their D will get pounded and worn down

[Go Green]

The odds makers aren't very optimistic about the PL chances this week:



Can you blame them?

[SUPharmacist]

Maine
Yale
Albany
Stony Brook

[Fordham]

Maine
HC
Albany
Stony Brook

[carney2]

Talk about your lions vs. Christians choices:

Maine continues to batter the dead Colgate carcass.

Yale's first game, and the Cross appears to be the best we have. I guess there's a chance but …

Albany steps up this week to beat up on the hollow shell of a once proud program. On the plus side, the Pards now appear to be a one man gang, which is a lot better than we've seen over the past ten years.

I know little to nothing about Stony Brook. Fordham, on the other hand, is just another crap Patriot League team.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

The odds makers aren't very optimistic about the PL chances this week:

Colgate (+11.5) vs. Maine
Holy Cross (+12.5) at Yale
Lafayette (+15.5) at Albany
Fordham (+17) at Stony Brook

Again, not a betting man, but Fordham +17 at SBU... Will SBU score 17 points?

[jayhawkdaddy]

Maine
Yale
Albany
Stony Brook

[Gangtackle11]

Maine
Yale
Albany
Stony Brook

[Gangtackle11]

Again, not a betting man, but Fordham +17 at SBU... Will SBU score 17 points?

Against Fordham? Yes, by half or 1st quarter even. xpeacex

[BucBisonAtLarge]

Maine
Yale
Albany
Stony Brook

Revised for coherence

[Sader87]

Maine
Yale
Holy Cross
Stony Brook

HC and Yale?

[van]

HC and Yale?
probably thinking of basketball season

[KPSUL]

I think the PL will pull off one upset out of these four OOC games. Anyone's guess is as good as mine.

[Ivytalk]

All of the favorites.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Yale 34 Holy Cross 17 - The Eli are legitimately loaded. The Crusaders offense still seems to be a work in progress.
Albany 41 Lafayette 27 - Pards should keep it respectable.
Maine 45 Colgate 14 - Assuming Brenenam is out this will be ugly. The crash and burn of 'Gate this year is reaching epic proportions.
Stony Brook 30 Fordham 20 - The Rams hang around but the Seawolves physicality will take its toll in the second half.

[Lehigh'98]

Yale 34 Holy Cross 17 - The Eli are legitimately loaded. The Crusaders offense still seems to be a work in progress.
Albany 41 Lafayette 27 - Pards should keep it respectable.
Maine 45 Colgate 14 - Assuming Brenenam is out this will be ugly. The crash and burn of 'Gate this year is reaching epic proportions.
Stony Brook 30 Fordham 20 - The Rams hang around but the Seawolves physicality will take its toll in the second half.

Agree with these.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

My picks this week:

https://www.college-sports-journal.com/college-sports-journal-patriot-league-previews-week-of-9-21-2019/

Lafayette and Fordham have an outside shot at upsets, but I don't really see it. Lafayette's QB would have to play out of his mind (could happen) or Stony Brooks' offense could struggle yet again (also could happen). Just don't think it will happen.

[ngineer]

Have had trouble getting onto this site the past two weeks. What's up? Secret handshake changed? Finally able to reset my pw, so we'll see...

One would think this would be Colgate's time to regroup, but I don't have a good feeling for the Raiders in this one. Maine 31-21.

Yale may have first game yips, but still enough talent to win, Eli's coming, 33-20

Leotards may have found a QB who looks talented, but haven't see enough to see a win in this one. Great Danes 35-21

Rams struggling, SBU trying to get into the top 20. The "Brook" babbles, 38-17

[Bill]

Have had trouble getting onto this site the past two weeks. What's up? Secret handshake changed? Finally able to reset my pw, so we'll see...

One would think this would be Colgate's time to regroup, but I don't have a good feeling for the Raiders in this one. Maine 31-21.

Yale may have first game yips, but still enough talent to win, Eli's coming, 33-20

Leotards may have found a QB who looks talented, but haven't see enough to see a win in this one. Great Danes 35-21

Rams struggling, SBU trying to get into the top 20. The "Brook" babbles, 38-17

It's not you. This site has been painfully slow for me too - on multiple wifi networks, both on a laptop and desktop. Tried multiple browsers and operating systems too. And it's only this site...

[Leopard Loyalist]

15-5 on the season, and a good chance for a sweep this week.

Maine at COLGATE
HOLY CROSS at Yale
LAFAYETTE at Albany
FORDHAM at Stony Brook

[RichH2]

15-5 on the season, and a good chance for a sweep this week.

Maine at COLGATE
HOLY CROSS at Yale
LAFAYETTE at Albany
FORDHAM at Stony Brook

Yet another L week for the PL seems to be the consensus.

Thanks for starting up the Pick'em this week.

[TheValleyRaider]

Colgate gets into Maine territory, stalls for a 41-yd FG attempt. Puzzi's kick is no good, wide right (didn't look like by much)

0-0
8:55 1st

[TheValleyRaider]

Maine drives down the field and punches it in from a yard out. OL opened some big holes for the running game

7-0 Maine
2:00 1st

[TheValleyRaider]

Maine 7
Colgate 0
End 1st

Swiftly moving quarter, which is probably the way we want the game to go (minus the "getting shutout" part). Having some trouble with high snaps, but if they can settle that down might be able to sustain and finish a drive.

[van]

Gate's OL amd DL being abused so far, does not help that Breneman is out and 2nd string QB is also hobbled

[TheValleyRaider]

Some big plays gets Maine downfield and into the end zone. Defense hanging on a bit as the offense has struggled since a decent opening drive

14-0 Maine
5:29 2nd

[TheValleyRaider]

Tipped ball turns into a Colgate interception! Two plays later, Froschauer finds a wide-open Diaco for the TOUCHDOWN!

14-7 Maine
1:13 2nd

[TheValleyRaider]

Black Bears got it right back, two plays, two catches, and a touchdown

21-7 Maine
0:49 2nd

[TheValleyRaider]

Maine 21
Colgate 7
Halftime

Not a terrible showing, but the score is reflective of the game so far. Bears dominating on both lines, which has given them sustained drives and limited Colgate's offense. A few bad snaps and missed plays have hurt as well. Looked to be in good shape getting a score before the half, but giving up the big plays really hurt. Not dead yet, but need to get a stop coming out of halftime.

Maine gets the ball to start the 3rd

[Sader87]

Yale 6-0 after 1. HC fumbled inside the 5 going in at the end of the quarter.

[TheValleyRaider]

Maine takes the kickoff to the house, opens this one up

28-7 Maine
14:46 3rd

[TheValleyRaider]

3rd-stringer Noah Rothman starting the 2nd half at QB for Colgate

[Sader87]

Yale 6-3

[TheValleyRaider]

The offense finally pulls it together, Rothman goes deep for a big gain, then Matthews off the edge for a TOUCHDOWN!!

28-14 Maine
5:05 3rd

[crusader11]

Yale 6-3

If HC can find a semblance of an offense, no reason they can’t run the table in the PL. This defensive front seven is very good.

I think the offensive coordinator, whose last job was the RB coach at Tufts, is in over his head.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

HC and Colgate battling. Good to see!

[TheValleyRaider]

And just like that, Maine returns the kick again. 2nd today, 3rd given up this season

35-14 Maine
4:52 3rd

[Sader87]

Yale 6-3 H

[TheValleyRaider]

Maine 35
Colgate 14
End 3rd

[TheValleyRaider]

Maine got in a drive, but the defense forced a 40-yd FG attempt that was wide left. Raider ball

35-14 Maine
10:51 4th

[TheValleyRaider]

Offense starting to move a little bit more, Draught takes a sweep to the house from midfield!

35-21 Maine
8:59 4th

[bulldog10jw]

Yale 6-3 H

Looking a lot like last years game

[TheValleyRaider]

Maine got some first downs, ate some clock, but was forced to punt. Raider ball at their 25

35-21 Maine
4:59 4th

[TheValleyRaider]

Raiders facing 4th and 3 inside the Maine 10. Huge play upcoming, timeout taken. Only 1 left

35-21 Maine
2:47 4th

[TheValleyRaider]

Maine brought pressure, snap was high, and there's the sack

35-21 Maine
2:42 4th

[TheValleyRaider]

Bears run out the clock

Maine 35
Colgate 21
Final

[TheValleyRaider]

Hate to say it after a loss, but the best performance of the season. The two kick returns were the backbreakers. Defense played well in the 2nd half to give the team a chance. Offense made some plays, but clearly diminished. Credit to the Maine defensive line, too, which caused trouble all day long.

Injuries continued to pile up, Twyman went out in the first half, Diaco and Wheeler both missed plays. They've still got some fight, and will not give up the title without a fight. No rest for the weary, though, a trip to Dartmouth next.

Good team from Maine, good luck to the Bears in the CAA

[Sader87]

Yale 23-10 F

HC is still a work in progress, particularly on offense. That being said, aside from Syracuse next week, there isn't a game they can't win the rest of the way. Not saying they'll win all those games mind you, just that they should be in every game.

[RichH2]

PL vs an Ivy and 3 CAA teams. 0-4. Outscored 139-48.
Dismal.

[DFW HOYA]

PL teams are a combined 2-20 vs. teams not named Marist or Catholic.

The word from Center Valley:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdbpmeUODME

[Sader87]

The league is an absolute dumpstah fire now....HC is actually improving somewhat, but the PL in toto has some serious soul-searching ahead of them.

[Go Green]

PL teams are a combined 2-20 vs. teams not named Marist or Catholic.



It's going to get worse next weekend with several games against the Ivy.

[Southsider]

It's going to get worse next weekend with several games against the Ivy.

How many did Merrimack put up yesterday? Could LU possible go 0-4???

[DFW HOYA]

How many did Merrimack put up yesterday? Could LU possible go 0-4???

Merrimack 76, Mayville State 7. Mayville State is an NAIA school in North Dakota. (Yes, Merrimack paid a team in North Dakota to travel to North Andover and lose by 69.)

But here's the crazy stat: Mayville was coming off a 67-0 win over Trinity Bible College, a non-NAIA school.

https://msucomets.com/sports/football/stats/2019/trinity-bible-college/boxscore/2902

[van]

Merrimack 76, Mayville State 7. Mayville State is an NAIA school in North Dakota. (Yes, Merrimack paid a team in North Dakota to travel to North Andover and lose by 69.)

But here's the crazy stat: Mayville was coming off a 67-0 win over Trinity Bible College, a non-NAIA school.

https://msucomets.com/sports/football/stats/2019/trinity-bible-college/boxscore/2902

take a look at the roster of these two juggernauts, they must have quotas for the # of guys 5'9 and under, Trinity shows only 4 OL on the entire roster and 3 of them are FR

[ngineer]

Hopefully, Lehigh gets some wounded back in the trenches. Hard to get a read on Merrimack with their weird schedule. I think we should win, but seems they have enough to bite if not taken seriously. Some seriously big dudes.

[RichH2]

Hopefully, Lehigh gets some wounded back in the trenches. Hard to get a read on Merrimack with their weird schedule. I think we should win, but seems they have enough to bite if not taken seriously. Some seriously big dudes.

Pretty standard for NEC rosters. Most every roster has a bevy of 300lb LM. Merrimack not a total cupcake but should be a W.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Pretty standard for NEC rosters. Most every roster has a bevy of 300lb LM. Merrimack not a total cupcake but should be a W.

Based on basically every metric out there this is cupcake vs cupcake. xlolx

It's sad that the PL's best hope to avoid another winless week appears to be Lehigh.

[Fordham]

ooof

[RichH2]

Based on basically every metric out there this is cupcake vs cupcake. xlolx

It's sad that the PL's best hope to avoid another winless week appears to be Lehigh.

Aargh!! But I guess you're right owl. We are right now a cupcake. xconfusedx

[Lehigh Football Nation]

https://media1.giphy.com/media/FVp0inxoOlyhy/giphy.gif?cid=790b761102df7a8f592911c1c9ed33bdd383 42477c3e5ae1&rid=giphy.gif

[aceinthehole]

Pretty standard for NEC rosters. Most every roster has a bevy of 300lb LM. Merrimack not a total cupcake but should be a W.

Agreed. Merrimack was a middle of the road NE-10 team. Last made the D-II playoffs in 2006 and advanced to the Second Round. Hard to judge based on schedule, but CCSU can assure you they are not a pushover - they have some good athletes, but nowhere near enough depth.

They will be a handful for the bottom half of the NEC, like RMU and Bryant. Not sure how to judge Lehigh yet, but this will be very much like Saint Francis if they can’t push their will on the opponent . Merrimack is very likely a team that can compete and win at Lehigh this season.

Will be interesting to see how LIU fares this season, as they were definitely the stronger D-II team heading into a FCS schedule.

[ngineer]

Based on basically every metric out there this is cupcake vs cupcake. xlolx

It's sad that the PL's best hope to avoid another winless week appears to be Lehigh.

But WE have sprinkles!!xsmiley_wix

[DFW HOYA]

Are there any tangible reasons why 2019 has been so uniformly poor for the PL?

Of course, this is the third consecutive year of diminishing returns, even if it is more noticeable in 2019. Any expectation that 2020 will be different?

[Sader87]

Are there any tangible reasons why 2019 has been so uniformly poor for the PL?

Of course, this is the third consecutive year of diminishing returns, even if it is more noticeable in 2019. Any expectation that 2020 will be different?

Good question....in general I think the PL is suffering from many programs in a state of flux i.e. new (er) coaches and/young and inexperienced teams as well as many playing very daunting schedules so far.

Team by team, top of my head.

Colgate: lost a lot to graduation, injuries and a brutal schedule
Lehigh: new coach, tough schedule
Lafayette: newer coach, seems like some administrative issues as well
Fordham: newer coach, tough schedule
Bucknell: new coach, tough schedule, historical indifference for football it seems
GTown: so far hardest team to get a read on given their schedule, in general admin indifference
HC: newer coach, brutal schedule, new QB

[RichH2]

But WE have sprinkles!!xsmiley_wix
But, of course.xnodx xthumbsupx

[RichH2]

Good question....in general I think the PL is suffering from many programs in a state of flux i.e. new (er) coaches and/young and inexperienced teams as well as many playing very daunting schedules so far.

Team by team, top of my head.

Colgate: lost a lot to graduation, injuries and a brutal schedule
Lehigh: new coach, tough schedule
Lafayette: newer coach, seems like some administrative issues as well
Fordham: newer coach, tough schedule
Bucknell: new coach, tough schedule, historical indifference for football it seems
GTown: so far hardest team to get a read on given their schedule, in general admin indifference
HC: newer coach, brutal schedule, new QB

On point. Rebuilding is amping the pain. The underlying issues make the process even more difficult I think.I wonder whether we will all be playing cupcakes once the PL schedule starts.

Just a note on NEC teams we face. All the rosters are large with a lot of very big bodies. One thing really stands out for me. The very large number of redshirts. A distinct advantage. Overall talent level may be somewhat lower but reshirts do sort of balance things out.

[DFW HOYA]

GTown: so far hardest team to get a read on given their schedule, in general admin indifference


That's a tired excuse. If anything, it's admin consistency, since Georgetown has followed the same road it said it would when voting no for scholarships in 2013.

As for the other items:

1. The facility is actually being built, albeit slowly. It looks about 15 percent complete. Year 16 of construction should merit a Monmouth-sized stadium by next fall.
2. Sgarlata has a full cadre of FT assistants. That wasn't always the case.
3. The team will have its own locker rooms next fall.

The scheduling is a problem, but not as a result of indifference. Holy Cross can pick up BC because Addazio returned the call. He's not returning calls from Georgetown.

[van]

That's a tired excuse. If anything, it's admin consistency, since Georgetown has followed the same road it said it would when voting no for scholarships in 2013.

As for the other items:

1. The facility is actually being built, albeit slowly. It looks about 15 percent complete. Year 16 of construction should merit a Monmouth-sized stadium by next fall.
2. Sgarlata has a full cadre of FT assistants. That wasn't always the case.
3. The team will have its own locker rooms next fall.

The scheduling is a problem, but not as a result of indifference. Holy Cross can pick up BC because Addazio returned the call. He's not returning calls from Georgetown.

not sure why G Town does not leverage their bb team to get FB games, seems like that would be an enticement for opponents

[The Boogie Down]

Agreed. Merrimack was a middle of the road NE-10 team. Last made the D-II playoffs in 2006 and advanced to the Second Round. Hard to judge based on schedule, but CCSU can assure you they are not a pushover - they have some good athletes, but nowhere near enough depth.

They will be a handful for the bottom half of the NEC, like RMU and Bryant. Not sure how to judge Lehigh yet, but this will be very much like Saint Francis if they can’t push their will on the opponent . Merrimack is very likely a team that can compete and win at Lehigh this season.

Will be interesting to see how LIU fares this season, as they were definitely the stronger D-II team heading into a FCS schedule.

As someone who (for self-serving reasons) always roots for the teams on our OOC, just wanna give CCSU props on the EMU game. Yeah I know, nightmare ending. Nothing short of horrific. But you guys stood toe-to-toe for 59 minutes and 42 seconds so while the ending mighta been a fluke, everything prior was not. Good luck the rest of the way. Oh and thanks to all the Patsies around us, who knows, we might get a CCSU-FORDHAM rematch come playoffs season!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

On point. Rebuilding is amping the pain. The underlying issues make the process even more difficult I think.I wonder whether we will all be playing cupcakes once the PL schedule starts.

Just a note on NEC teams we face. All the rosters are large with a lot of very big bodies. One thing really stands out for me. The very large number of redshirts. A distinct advantage. Overall talent level may be somewhat lower but reshirts do sort of balance things out.

How did Fordham become nationally relevant the second they hired Moorhead? What was different in the Bronx 7-8 years ago that's changed? I still maintain the coaching in the league is subpar. Chesney might be the only guy really capable of taking chicken bleep and turning it into chicken soup. The rest just don't seem capable of getting their teams to truly overachieve.

-Cecchini is good OC but I just can't see him really accomplishing much if anything in Lewisburg. Maybe a have a couple of winning seasons like Susan that ultimately don't amount to much?
- Hunt is ok but certainly not "next level". His teams are simply way too inconsistent and offensively challenged year to year to truly build anything significant. The '16 and '19 collapses are alarming. He took over the offense this season and it's been horrible since the opening quarter against 'Nova. The OC who left for Elon knew what he was doing.
- Gilmore I just don't see it. Was a losing coach at Holy Cross and has done very little to start the year to impress me. I think he's going run through assistants at Lehigh and middling seasons before he fades away in 4-5 years.
- Conlin really hasn't gained much traction in year two. Fordham has some nice pieces but the sum of the whole just can't put anything together.
- Garrett I think by now it's clear he's in way over his head. Lafayette might be a bad job but there's not even a hint of overachieving in College Hill.
-Sgarlata He might be the second best coach in the league behind Chesney. Be interesting to see the Hoya's ceiling when the facilities are finally improved.

I totally agree that PL imposed restrictions are the biggest problem. I just have very little confidence the current crop of coaches are capable of being able to maximize every little bit of potential these programs have. Moorhead took over a 1-10 team and produced 4 straight winning seasons, 3 straight 9+ win seasons, 2 FBS wins and 3 straight playoff appearances. I wouldn't put a $1 on any of the current coaches pulling that off.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Moorhead took over a 1-10 team and produced 4 straight winning seasons, 3 straight 9+ win seasons and 3 straight playoff appearances...

... whispers, with a transfer QB he brought with him from UConn and luckboxing into a once-in-a-generation RB talent

Then he left and...

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

... whispers, with a transfer QB he brought with him from UConn and luckboxing into a once-in-a-generation RB talent

Then he left and...

The QB he brought in from Marshall was pretty good too. I think he would have been even better had Moorhead stayed. Edmonds was excellent no question but Fordham has a history of strong skill players since Clawson. Could you imagine a modern day Moorhead offense with the triplets Eakin, Wastson and Dudley? Masaella had a legit pro at QB in Skelton and won nothing with him. Skelton and the Rams ceiling is way way higher with Moorhead.

[Fordham]

The QB he brought in from Marshall was pretty good too. I think he would have been even better had Moorhead stayed. Edmonds was excellent no question but Fordham has a history of strong skill players since Clawson. Could you imagine a modern day Moorhead offense with the triplets Eakin, Wastson and Dudley? Masaella had a legit pro at QB in Skelton and won nothing with him. Skelton and the Rams ceiling is way way higher with Moorhead.
you're 100% right. Look at what Hofstra transfer Carlton Koonce did in Moorhead's first year. Anderson steps in for Nebrich and his first game as starter is the upset of Army. Moorhead's system is amazing and his coaching and motivation is different level as well.

I can't argue with your take overall. Fwiw, I do like Conlin alot and think we're headed in the right direction but whatever turnaround we're having is not a Moorhead level turnaround

[Doc QB]

How did Fordham become nationally relevant the second they hired Moorhead? What was different in the Bronx 7-8 years ago that's changed? I still maintain the coaching in the league is subpar. Chesney might be the only guy really capable of taking chicken bleep and turning it into chicken soup. The rest just don't seem capable of getting their teams to truly overachieve.

I just have very little confidence the current crop of coaches are capable of being able to maximize every little bit of potential these programs have. Moorhead took over a 1-10 team and produced 4 straight winning seasons, 3 straight 9+ win seasons, 2 FBS wins and 3 straight playoff appearances. I wouldn't put a $1 on any of the current coaches pulling that off.

I think it is coaching, period. From a Lehigh perspective, you can completely correlate their stronger periods with ASSISTANT coaches who were on their way up, in two separate time spans. I've talked about it with my old teammates, and they all agree. We had numerous talented assistants from mid-late 90's then later 2010's who went on to higher level OCs or HCs in FCS, FBS, NFL and there are NONE of those on our current staff or the last few years. I could find the text chain and name names, its actually fairly impressive. I'm not sure I see those guys at the other programs either, judging by their bios on the websites. If the PL is not paying solid assistant salaries, and you get too many young guys, chances of any of those being rising stars or even keeping them a few years becomes rare. And the records of the teams show it. It takes more than a Head Coach, the outlier was when Moorhead did it, but he had a difference maker transfer QB and an all time program RB. The Ivies pay better, and take Columbia as a case study in a rebirth (Bagnoli, some experienced assistants when he first arrived, and salaries to match). I looked at JMU's staff a few years back, and they had position coaches who were coordinators elsewhere, likely because they paid them. Talent on the field needs to be first identified by talented coaches who recruit them, develop them, and game plan for them.

[DFW HOYA]

I think it is coaching, period. From a Lehigh perspective, you can completely correlate their stronger periods with ASSISTANT coaches who were on their way up, in two separate time spans. I've talked about it with my old teammates, and they all agree. We had numerous talented assistants from mid-late 90's then later 2010's who went on to higher level OCs or HCs in FCS, FBS, NFL and there are NONE of those on our current staff or the last few years. I could find the text chain and name names, its actually fairly impressive. I'm not sure I see those guys at the other programs either, judging by their bios on the websites. If the PL is not paying solid assistant salaries, and you get too many young guys, chances of any of those being rising stars or even keeping them a few years becomes rare. And the records of the teams show it. It takes more than a Head Coach, the outlier was when Moorhead did it, but he had a difference maker transfer QB and an all time program RB. The Ivies pay better, and take Columbia as a case study in a rebirth (Bagnoli, some experienced assistants when he first arrived, and salaries to match). I looked at JMU's staff a few years back, and they had position coaches who were coordinators elsewhere, likely because they paid them. Talent on the field needs to be first identified by talented coaches who recruit them, develop them, and game plan for them.

Coaching and recruiting. Georgetown has always had good assistants but if you can't get them to commit, all the coaching isn't going to help.

At a distance, it appears that GU's approach is not to compete vs. PL teams in recruiting because they will lose on the scholarship issue. Not easy to to tell parents that paying for Georgetown always beats a $0 bill at Colgate or Lehigh.

[RichH2]

I think it is coaching, period. From a Lehigh perspective, you can completely correlate their stronger periods with ASSISTANT coaches who were on their way up, in two separate time spans. I've talked about it with my old teammates, and they all agree. We had numerous talented assistants from mid-late 90's then later 2010's who went on to higher level OCs or HCs in FCS, FBS, NFL and there are NONE of those on our current staff or the last few years. I could find the text chain and name names, its actually fairly impressive. I'm not sure I see those guys at the other programs either, judging by their bios on the websites. If the PL is not paying solid assistant salaries, and you get too many young guys, chances of any of those being rising stars or even keeping them a few years becomes rare. And the records of the teams show it. It takes more than a Head Coach, the outlier was when Moorhead did it, but he had a difference maker transfer QB and an all time program RB. The Ivies pay better, and take Columbia as a case study in a rebirth (Bagnoli, some experienced assistants when he first arrived, and salaries to match). I looked at JMU's staff a few years back, and they had position coaches who were coordinators elsewhere, likely because they paid them. Talent on the field needs to be first identified by talented coaches who recruit them, develop them, and game plan for them.

True enough. LU coaching tree is impressive. While I agree as to the true value of experienced coaches, they are not be all and end all of success. Young coaches on the rise serve the same purpose and we have had a lot of those as assts. Higgins leaps to mind at the top of the list. Lembo next up.
Regardless. At base, good coaches and recruiting with a supportive administration are the necessary triad for a successful program. Current staff seems to be a good mix of young and experienced assistants. They have certainly shown well in recruiting. Jury is still out on coaching. Progress and Ws will give us that answer in time.

[aceinthehole]

As someone who (for self-serving reasons) always roots for the teams on our OOC, just wanna give CCSU props on the EMU game. Yeah I know, nightmare ending. Nothing short of horrific. But you guys stood toe-to-toe for 59 minutes and 42 seconds so while the ending mighta been a fluke, everything prior was not. Good luck the rest of the way. Oh and thanks to all the Patsies around us, who knows, we might get a CCSU-FORDHAM rematch come playoffs season!

Thanks. Gut wrenching loss, but shows this Central team is talented and has a chance to do something special in the NEC (and hopefully in the playoffs). I will really get for excited about CCSU if we win our next 2 at Sacred Heart and Columbia.

Fordham has a lot of the pieces in place and is much improved from last year. Might not have have enough to win the PL this year, but the league is wide open. Wish the Rams the best; this is a nice series and I’m glad to see it continues for a few more games.

Fordham and Holy Cross make the most sense as our regular PL opponents due to the short bus tripe between New Britain and the Bronx/Worcester.

[Sader87]

HC and CCSU were scheduled to play in the coming years but I think with NEC expansion it was dropped. They have rescheduled a home&home in 2027 and 2028....if we all live that long :)

[The Boogie Down]

HC and CCSU were scheduled to play in the coming years but I think with NEC expansion it was dropped. They have rescheduled a home&home in 2027 and 2028....if we all live that long :)

I'd like to think we'll be okay by then. PL Football? Seriously, how many additional crappy years can it last before programs decide to go their own separate ways?

[Sader87]

HC, unlike Fordham and Georgetown, is pretty tied up to the PL. TPTB like the affiliation. I don't foresee us evah leaving.

What will be interesting is what sort of tweaks the league makes (if any) if the league in general continues to floundah at the FCS-level.