Lehigh Open dates in 2011

[ngineer]

At present Lehigh has open dates the first two weekends in September, the third weekend and the third weekend in October. Most would love to see us get a game with an FBS school in one of those early games, plus I'd like to see a CAA/SoCon game if at all possible. I would expect a return game with Harvard, and would love to see UNH come to Goodman as a return for our trip to Durham this year. If anyone knows of open dates at your schools that match up, suggestions welcome!

[DJOM]

I thought you opened at Drake on September 4th

[TheBisonator]

NDSU also has openings on the first two weekends of Sept. 2011. NDSU is willing to pay a generous amount of guarantee money to play in Fargo for a non-conference game in September. We only need one more game to schedule for 2011. NDSU's athletic director is Gene Taylor at (701) 231-8985. Call him up if you want any info.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Lehigh has perhaps the most scheduling power in the PL because of their fan support and facilities. Because of that, I have to think UNH will be making a return trip to Goodman in 2011.

I would love for a Temple-Lehigh game but i don't see Temple scheduling 2 FCS teams in one year even though LU would bring a big crowd down to the Linc. I'd also look in to Army, Maryland, UVA, Syracuse and maybe Buffalo and Ohio. All of those are either easy day or overnight trips. I'd stay away from Rutgers, UCONN and Navy at this point. They could turn in to a bloodbath.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

NDSU also has openings on the first two weekends of Sept. 2011. NDSU is willing to pay a generous amount of guarantee money to play in Fargo for a non-conference game in September. We only need one more game to schedule for 2011. NDSU's athletic director is Gene Taylor at (701) 231-8985. Call him up if you want any info.

I can't see Lehigh going out to NDSU without a return trip. There's no real recruiting or alumni base out there. However, Eastern PA and NJ are home to some top flight HS talent. That is a definite selling point for Lehigh to get schools outside the NE/Mid Atlantic to come to Bethlehem.

[LakesBison]

cmon out to ndsu in 2011, we'll come there in 2012. lets get it on!

[Sader87]

Lehigh has perhaps the most scheduling power in the PL because of their fan support and facilities. Because of that, I have to think UNH will be making a return trip to Goodman in 2011.

I would love for a Temple-Lehigh game but i don't see Temple scheduling 2 FCS teams in one year even though LU would bring a big crowd down to the Linc. I'd also look in to Army, Maryland, UVA, Syracuse and maybe Buffalo and Ohio. All of those are either easy day or overnight trips. I'd stay away from Rutgers, UCONN and Navy at this point. They could turn in to a bloodbath.

Lehigh has nowhere near the facilities, cachet or fan support that a HC (w/ scholarships) has...please, you guys were playing Kutztown St and Slippery Rock when we were playing BC and Army in the 1980's.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

cmon out to ndsu in 2011, we'll come there in 2012. lets get it on!

I'd be all for Lehigh playing NDSU. I think the game would create a good amount of interest. Easily as much as Furman, Wofford or Umass etc. imo. The Hawks have a tradition of traveling. They went to Idaho in '93, St. Mary's (CA) '98, Wofford 2000, and now Drake this fall.

Lehigh has Villanova coming in for the final time this year after a great 6 year run. This year will easily be the most anticipated game between the two. The game against the champs combined with a trip to Durham to play UNH shows LU is not affraid to schedule the best of the best. This despite the fact Lehigh's stuck in their worst 3 year stretch in 20+ years.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Lehigh has nowhere near the facilities, cachet or fan support that a HC (w/ scholarships) has...please, you guys were playing Kutztown St and Slippery Rock when we were playing BC and Army in the 1980's.

Will since it's not the 1980's i care to base my reasoning on what's going on in 2010.

Lehigh has consistently outdrawn HC for the past 20 years. In fact LU has led the PL in attendance for something like 18 out of the last 20 years. Goodman Stadium is nicer than Fitton and can hold 20k+ as well.

[Sader87]

It's the classic conumdrum...HC would lead the Patriot League in attendence if it wasn't a part of the Patriot League.

[TheBisonator]

Is 2012 a 12-game season?? Then I think NDSU could afford to travel to Lehigh in '12, cause we already travel to Colorado State, so we could still find two home games. (Colorado State is all we have scheduled for OOC in '12)

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

It's the classic conumdrum...HC would lead the Patriot League in attendence if it wasn't a part of the Patriot League.

LOL, you're out of your mind. Atleast your fellow HC alums know you are too.

Since this is a schduling thread i'll get back on topic.

In the last 15 years HC has played 7 OOC games against CAA teams, 1 against Delaware 4 against Umass and 2 against Northeastern. They also played Army. They have no other games against teams from scholarship conferences. In that same time Lehigh has played OOC games against FBS Uconn, Army and Buffalo once, Delaware 4x, Villanova 5x, Wofford 2x, UNH 2x, Umass 1x and Liberty 1x. Plus UNH and 'Nova again this year.

Tell me again who has more scheduling power.

[Sader87]

Without scholarships, it is very, very difficult to play a FBS school today...Colgate lucked out to a degree w/ the Syracuse game this year.

The PL has absolutely destroyed HC football...my fellow alums who disagree (and I'm certain most fellow HC alums are more on my side of the equation) be ****ed.

Lehigh has a nice football history but it pales in comparison to the legacy and tradition of Holy Cross football.

And oh yeah, HC is the team most schools, CAA and elsewise, would most want to schedule from the PL given their druthers.

[Bogus Megapardus]

It's the classic conumdrum...HC would lead the Patriot League in attendence if it wasn't a part of the Patriot League.

But since Lafayette leads both Lehigh and Holy Cross in attendance . . . .

[Bogus Megapardus]

HC is the team most schools, CAA and elsewise, would most want to schedule from the PL given their druthers.

What is a druther, and why would "most schools" require more than one of them for rare and oft-coveted opportunity to face the Crusaders?

[darell1976]

UND has open dates on Sept. 3rd and Sept. 24th. We have 2 weeks of FBS games in between those dates so we could use a home opener then a return trip in 2012 ( the first season we are playoff eligible).

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Some intriguing FBS ones: Right now, Duke has openings:

9/3/11
9/24/11
10/22/11

And Georgia Tech:

9/3/11
9/10/11
10/22/11

Army (9/3), Rutgers (9/3, 10/22), UConn (9/3, 10/22), Temple (all open dates) and Syracuse (9/3, 10/22) also have openings at this juncture. I also checked Vanderbilt and BC, but they don't have any. Navy has an opening but they already play Delaware in 2011, so I didn't include them.

If Army is in the mix for an OOC game, Lehigh will have to act fast - but for the others, there's plenty of time since the MAC and Big East haven't issued their 2011 conference schedules yet. Once that's done, they'll want to most likely fill the schedule with FBS teams, then FCS ones.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

It seems destined that the state of North Dakota may be in Lehigh's future! xlolx

[darell1976]

Is 2012 a 12-game season?? Then I think NDSU could afford to travel to Lehigh in '12, cause we already travel to Colorado State, so we could still find two home games. (Colorado State is all we have scheduled for OOC in '12)

2013, 2014, and 2019 are the 12 game seasons.

[darell1976]

It seems destined that the state of North Dakota may be in Lehigh's future! xlolx

Its tough to schedule games when the bulk of the FCS is east of the Mississippi.xnodx

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

At present Lehigh has open dates the first two weekends in September, the third weekend and the third weekend in October. Most would love to see us get a game with an FBS school in one of those early games, plus I'd like to see a CAA/SoCon game if at all possible. I would expect a return game with Harvard, and would love to see UNH come to Goodman as a return for our trip to Durham this year. If anyone knows of open dates at your schools that match up, suggestions welcome!

AFAIK, it is a home and home series between UNH and Lehigh and we'll be coming to Goodman next year. For UNH, the Lehigh series took Dartmouth's place on the schedule when they asked for the last two contracted games to be put on hold.

[LakesBison]

wow, just like copycat offering scholarships to ndsu recruits, now darrel is copycat posting for games for them after seeing me and bisonator (the pimple on the butt is getting sickening)

[darell1976]

wow, just like copycat offering scholarships to ndsu recruits, now darrel is copycat posting for games for them after seeing me and bisonator (the pimple on the butt is getting sickening)

First off spell my name right, second I can reply to any post I want. You don't rule the boards just like NDSU doesn't rule well anything, and third by Lehigh playing UND instead of NDSU their strength of schedule would go up you know playing a team with a winning record helps that.

[TheBisonator]

First off spell my name right, second I can reply to any post I want. You don't rule the boards just like NDSU doesn't rule well anything, and third by Lehigh playing UND instead of NDSU their strength of schedule would go up you know playing a team with a winning record helps that.

How do you assume NDSU will not have a winning record in 2011??

[darell1976]

How do you assume NDSU will not have a winning record in 2011??

I looked in my crystal ball.xlolx

[UAalum72]

It was just announced that Albany's opening game with Cincinnati for 2011 has been postponed until 2013. I don't know if we've filled it yet (Bearcats will play Austin Peay)

[TheBisonator]

I looked in my crystal ball.xlolx

Your ball is all cloudy.

[ngineer]

I thought you opened at Drake on September 4th
I'm talking NEXT year.

[ngineer]

AFAIK, it is a home and home series between UNH and Lehigh and we'll be coming to Goodman next year. For UNH, the Lehigh series took Dartmouth's place on the schedule when they asked for the last two contracted games to be put on hold.


That's good news! I guess they just haven't decided which of those open dates they will use. I would suspect one of the first two weekends in September.

[ngineer]

I think the NSDU/UND possibilities are intriguing, and all things being equal it would be cool to go into a new area. However, there are some issues that usually go into a decision to make a foray into a far-flung area:

1) Alumni--typically Lehigh likes to go where they have some alumni who don't usually get to see any of their teams.

2) Recruiting--it's a chance to 'show the flag' and get some new exposure for Lehigh recruiting. We usually haven't drawn too many athletes from the upper Plains States. Our projected WR is from Nebraska, and a back up RB from Minnesota, but that's about it.

3) Existing players hometowns--tied in with recruiting, the U likes to go where they may already have a fair number of players, giving their families a chance to see them play.

4) Expenses--Always a major consideration. If costs can be covered, then that is a non-issue.

Other points raised by others concerning "nearby" rivalries are also worthy of consideration. We'll see what happens.

[Seawolf97]

Try us. I believe we will have Lafayette at home in 2011 and we have FBS Buffalo on the road of course. Then Brown will be at SBU for the final of a 4 year series- so a Lehigh game away with a return to Long Island in 2012 would work.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I'm still surprised Lehigh offered Drake a return trip. Drake historically has been at the bottom echelon of FCS football. A LU victory will count for nothing more then your average road win. A road win that's 1,000 miles away.

NDSU would offer the players a chance to play in a tough enviroment against a well respected opponent. If Lehigh isn't going to play Delaware, Richmond or a winnable FBS then a home and home with the Bison should be given serious consideration.

If nothing else, Lehigh needs to make up for their previous dome appearance. That was ugly.

[ngineer]

I'm still surprised Lehigh offered Drake a return trip. Drake historically has been at the bottom echelon of FCS football. A LU victory will count for nothing more then your average road win. A road win that's 1,000 miles away.

NDSU would offer the players a chance to play in a tough enviroment against a well respected opponent. If Lehigh isn't going to play Delaware, Richmond or a winnable FBS then a home and home with the Bison should be given serious consideration.

If nothing else, Lehigh needs to make up for their previous dome appearance. That was ugly.

At the time Lehigh had to take what they could get. This is an expensive trip. Drake has along history and provides midwestern alums a rare chance to see the Brown and White. Drake is competitive. Yes, we should be favored but a 1,500 mile trip is still tough against an opponent that is not familiar. I think it's a good game for a season opener.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

It will get Lehigh used to traveling to the midwest and winning, something they may need to do to win the national championship....:D

[DJOM]

I thought you'd make Drake a yearly rival. Enjoy the trip. DesMoines is a beautiful city.

[ngineer]

At the moment, I doubt I can take that much time away. There may be room on the charter flight for alums/fans, but that is presently unknown. Hopefully, one of the local stations is able to pick it up.

[Bogus Megapardus]

I agree completely with ngineer - Drake is an excellent first-game opponent - but how exactly will Lehigh as an institution benefit from the Drake game? Patriot League alumni (including me) typically will be inclined to book a flight to an away game provided it can be combined with a business endeavor (many PLers are independent business owners/professionals) if it will help to reinforce (or to introduce) the reputation of our favored institution with that area's residents. I think that some PL alums might well choose to forgo one, or perhaps even two, ordinary Ivy League contests in favor of geographically-diverse games against, say, Cal Poly, San Diego, Furman or Texas State. These areas seem to coincide with our emerging opportunities for reinforcement of institutional name recognition.

[RichH2]

Bogie, agree 100%, over the years I have combined the 2 and found it to be not only enjoyable but productive. Hi, i'm in town to see LU vs ____ just thought I would stop by etc etc. Face to face contact. It would be great if we could get 1 or 2 geographically diverse games every few yrs. I am semi retired now but for the younger folks it is a nice entree for some new business. I still have clients in Mass, Va and NH from these trips.

[DJOM]

Alot of business to be had in DesMoines if you are in farming or cattle. Amazingly it is also Wells Fargo's mortgage home base of operations and quite a number of major life insurance companies are headquartered there. I think anyone that makes the trip will be pleasantly surprised.

[ngineer]

Alot of business to be had in DesMoines if you are in farming or cattle. Amazingly it is also Wells Fargo's mortgage home base of operations and quite a number of major life insurance companies are headquartered there. I think anyone that makes the trip will be pleasantly surprised.

I think mine is, now that you mention it....I can drop off my third quarter premium payment!:D

[carney2]

Lehigh has nowhere near the facilities, cachet or fan support that a HC (w/ scholarships) has...please, you guys were playing Kutztown St and Slippery Rock when we were playing BC and Army in the 1980's.

87 spends his time at the home thumbing thru (very) old editions of The Purple Patcher (the Holy Cross yearbook) and looping Glory Days endlessly thru his 8-track. He's our very own homegrown DetroitFlyer and we love him. Don't stop taking your meds, 87. It's for your own good.

[DFW HOYA]

Lehigh has nowhere near the facilities, cachet or fan support that a HC (w/ scholarships) has...please, you guys were playing Kutztown St and Slippery Rock when we were playing BC and Army in the 1980's.

In the 1980's, Georgetown was playing Washington & Lee and Dickinson. Few HC alumni could have imagined that rivalry a generation ago.

[RichH2]

Geez wasn't this thread about open dates for next season? Agree that 87 needs therapy for his fixation on old perceived glory but why do we have to do it?

[carney2]

Geez wasn't this thread about open dates for next season? Agree that 87 needs therapy for his fixation on old perceived glory but why do we have to do it?

An act of humanitarianism, Rich. Think of it as reaching out to family. Demented family, but family nonetheless.

[Sader87]

An act of humanitarianism, Rich. Think of it as reaching out to family. Demented family, but family nonetheless.

Holy Cross is the "crazy, Irish step-cousins" of the PL "family." xsmiley_wix

[Bogus Megapardus]

In the 1980's, Georgetown was playing Washington & Lee and Dickinson. Few HC alumni could have imagined that rivalry a generation ago.

Georgetown is still playing W&L and Dickinson - disguised as Bucknell and Lafayette. We're just a little taller, and better-looking.

[RichH2]

OK, Carney you are correct. Family is family, But, he is wearing me out. Tis the season for compassion at least until summer camps open.