Patriot League Pick 'em - Week 5

[carney2]

Why are the Ivys loving Friday night games? The second week with a Patriot League matchup.

Week 5, September 28 & 29, 2012:

Friday, September 28, 2012:

HOLY CROSS @ Harvard

Saturday, September 29, 2012:

COLGATE @ Yale
FORDHAM @ LEHIGH
Brown @ GEORGETOWN
Cornell @ BUCKNELL
LAFAYETTE @ Robert Morris

The Patriot League is 13-9 Year-to-Date vs. OOC:

2-2 in Week 4

vs. Big South 1-1
vs. CAA 1-3
vs. D-2 1-0
vs. Ivy 4-3
vs. MVC 0-1
vs. NEC 4-1
vs. PFL 2-0


STANDINGS:
(Patriot League W-L is listed first, followed by overall W-L)
(These are not the “official” standings because Fordham is included.)

Lafayette 1-0, 3-0
Lehigh 0-0, 4-0
Fordham* 0-0, 3-1
Georgetown 0-0, 3-1
Colgate 0-0, 1-3
Holy Cross 0-0, 0-3
Bucknell 0-1, 1-2

*Ineligible for League championship and auto-bid.

[ngineer]

Went 5-1 last week after thinking the Bison D would shut down the pards, though not far off in that thought, put too much faith in BU's offense to score.

This week;
Holy Cross is reeling and a trip to Cambridge is not what the doctor ordered. Crimson, 31-17
Yale looks like a lock for the Raiders after the Eli's woeful showing this week. 'gate, 35-19.
Lehigh yet to play a full four quarters and one would think by now Cecchini will have solved the 'Bermuda Triangle" of the 3rd quarter where Lehigh's offense seems to disappear each week. Lamb will be on the tailgate menu this week and the Mountain Hawks take Fordham by the horns, 34-16.
Brown seems improved, but Hoyas defense is stout. Going with the thick beer, 23-14.
Cornell seems to be on the rebound. Will the Bison after two tough losses? Not enough, imo, as the Big Red wins the battle of the "nells", 24-17.
Laughyette keeps its winning way afloat by smoking Morris, 27-19.

[Pard4Life]

Few things are as gauranteed as death, taxes, and Lehigh beating Fordham. (Princeton beating Lafayette is the other variation.)

[PJ McJorma]

Fordham Head Coach led Fordham to overtime victory with 35-yd td pass in 95. Rams will do unthinkable and repeat this Saturday at Boodman Stadium; expecting large crowd.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Fordham Head Coach led Fordham to overtime victory with 35-yd td pass in 95. Rams will do unthinkable and repeat this Saturday at Boodman Stadium; expecting large crowd.

The win you're referring to happened in 1997. Fordham is 2-22 all-time against Lehigh. Both Rams wins were in the Bronx, '97 and '07.

[ngineer]

The win you're referring to happened in 1997. Fordham is 2-22 all-time against Lehigh. Both Rams wins were in the Bronx, '97 and '07.

I remember that debacle. That loss fell on Higgins' shoulders when he failed to use Abdullah on fourth and one. I can't remember if he ran someone else or threw, but when you had a runner like Rabih, an All-American, and one of the best the Patriot League has seen, it was a crime to not go with your strength.

[Bogus Megapardus]

At minimum, Fordham will win a game it should, and win a game it shouldn't, in the PL this season. Will it be the Engineers? One never knows. But I can assure you that no one is looking past the much-improved Rams this year.

[Sader87]

Is it basketball season yet?????

[Fordham]

Our O is good this year but we have taken a hit by having the UCONN transfer Nebrich out with a season ending injury. He added a dynamic as a running QB that made things difficult to defend and time consuming to prepare for.

Our D has actually played better than expected yet we have still let up a TON of yards and our pass D in particular has been weak.

Combine those 2 and we should not just be underdogs but heavy ones in Engineerland this Saturday. I think we're clearly moving in the right direction but tough to ask Coach M to take us from a 1- 10 squad to knocking off Lehigh AT Lehigh is too tall an order imo.

[Pard4Life]

Is it basketball season yet?????

Who are you fooling Sader? You'd be posting the same question if you were 3-0. The Bison fans are thinking the same thing.

[Lehigh'98]

I remember that debacle. That loss fell on Higgins' shoulders when he failed to use Abdullah on fourth and one. I can't remember if he ran someone else or threw, but when you had a runner like Rabih, an All-American, and one of the best the Patriot League has seen, it was a crime to not go with your strength.


I think they may have handed it to Ron Jean on that play.

[PAllen]

HOLY CROSS @ Harvard

COLGATE @ Yale
FORDHAM @ LEHIGH
Brown @ GEORGETOWN
Cornell @ BUCKNELL
LAFAYETTE @ Robert Morris

[RichH2]

Cantabs over Cross Does HC get its Qb back?

Gate rolls Yale Raider O way too much for defenseless Elis.

LU over FU may be a trap game for " 3quarters only" Lehigh.

The Nells Matthews way too much for Bison.

LC over RMU Pard D will dominate and Shoop will score.

[carney2]

HOLY CROSS @ Harvard – No confidence in the ‘saders at this point. Where’s that guy who predicted 9-2 and playoffs?

COLGATE @ Yale – Toughest game of the week to pick. Did the Raiders make a statement last week at Stony Brook? Did Cornell show that the bulldog has no bite? A hesitant yes on both counts.

FORDHAM @ LEHIGH – This should be a big test for the Squawks. But it won’t. The Rams just roll over when they see brown.

Brown @ GEORGETOWN – Not seeing anything special from either team. Playing a hunch.

Cornell @ BUCKNELL – Big Red is finally a Big Deal.

LAFAYETTE @ Robert Morris – Should be a cupcake, but the Pards will choke before swallowing.

[RichH2]

Bassets

H-HC 38-14
G-Y 28-24
LU-FU 35-14
B-GU 28-21
C-BU 24-21
LC-R 28-17

[jimbo65]

Gate over Yale in a big way. Had the misfortune to watch Cornell destroy Yale.

Rams over Lehigh my pick as long as there is no $ on the table

Gtown wins another.

Cornell over Bison

LC whacks RM

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I remember that debacle. That loss fell on Higgins' shoulders when he failed to use Abdullah on fourth and one. I can't remember if he ran someone else or threw, but when you had a runner like Rabih, an All-American, and one of the best the Patriot League has seen, it was a crime to not go with your strength.

I was there in '97. I thought Abdullah was hurt a part of that season, but I could be mistaken. In any case, our defense would have had a rough time putting out a campfire with a firehose that year.

[Lehigh'98]

I was there in '97. I thought Abdullah was hurt a part of that season, but I could be mistaken. In any case, our defense would have had a rough time putting out a campfire with a firehose that year.

'96 was his knee injury. Baker got 1000 yds that yr.

[Go...gate]

Colgate has always had trouble with Yale through the long history of the series.

[TheValleyRaider]

3-3 last week. Need more belief in Georgetown, less in Holy Cross. 16-8 on the season

Friday, September 28, 2012
Holy Cross at Harvard Harvard The Friday night Ivy series does seem a bit odd. Oh well, it's not our problem this year. Speaking of problems, Holy Cross. Wow. Would I love to see the Crusaders right the ship, at least for this weekend, and take down the Ivy favorites? Of course. Do I really think they can? Yeah, I'm gonna need to see a lot more to be convinced. Good luck

Saturday, September 29, 2012
Colgate at Yale Colgate While I was pleased to see the 'Gate go toe-to-toe with a very good team on the road, it's still a loss, and the Raiders are still 1-3. Hopefully they can carry some momentum forward to the Yale Bowl. Nothing easy about a trip to New Haven. Of course, this is the same Eli team that got waxed by Cornell, and I will not stand for the Raiders appearing inferior to Ivy A&M. We'll deal with Red in 2013

Fordham at Lehigh Lehigh Still not 100% sold on the Rams being back, but there they are, at 3-1 so far. Lehigh has also not looked great so far, but admittedly that's from a much higher plane. Now, should the Rams knock off Lehigh, okay now we've got something interesting there. But even without history, that seems like a tall task to accomplish

Brown at Georgetown Georgetown Still a believer in the Hoyas (Princeton pick aside), and not quite sure how to feel about Brown. Their HC win looks less impressive as the Crusaders struggle, but that doesn't really tell us anything about Bruno. Meanwhile, the Hoyas get the job done, though I admit their lose to an apparently shaky Yale side has me wondering. Oh well, League pride

Cornell at Bucknell Cornell Bucknell has struggled in recent years against Big Red. Now, those Bucknell teams were nothing to get too excited about, but really, neither were Cornell's. I want to pick the Bison, and I do hate picking Cornell, but at this point I'm going to side with what looks like the higher-rated Ivy League team. Still too early to totally ignore preseason prognostications for everyone, I suppose

Lafayette at Robert Morris Lafayette Leopards took care of business in Lewisburg, now face an NEC team they should probably beat. While I may be expecting Lafayette to falter eventually, at some point they should be able to win a game in which they are clearly favored. Well, they did that Saturday, but this time in non-conference play

[bulldog10jw]

3-3 last week. Need more belief in Georgetown, less in Holy Cross. 16-8 on the season

Friday, September 28, 2012
Holy Cross at Harvard Harvard The Friday night Ivy series does seem a bit odd. Oh well, it's not our problem this year. Speaking of problems, Holy Cross. Wow. Would I love to see the Crusaders right the ship, at least for this weekend, and take down the Ivy favorites? Of course. Do I really think they can? Yeah, I'm gonna need to see a lot more to be convinced. Good luck

Saturday, September 29, 2012
Colgate at Yale Colgate While I was pleased to see the 'Gate go toe-to-toe with a very good team on the road, it's still a loss, and the Raiders are still 1-3. Hopefully they can carry some momentum forward to the Yale Bowl. Nothing easy about a trip to New Haven. Of course, this is the same Eli team that got waxed by Cornell, and I will not stand for the Raiders appearing inferior to Ivy A&M. We'll deal with Red in 2013

Fordham at Lehigh Lehigh Still not 100% sold on the Rams being back, but there they are, at 3-1 so far. Lehigh has also not looked great so far, but admittedly that's from a much higher plane. Now, should the Rams knock off Lehigh, okay now we've got something interesting there. But even without history, that seems like a tall task to accomplish

Brown at Georgetown Georgetown Still a believer in the Hoyas (Princeton pick aside), and not quite sure how to feel about Brown. Their HC win looks less impressive as the Crusaders struggle, but that doesn't really tell us anything about Bruno. Meanwhile, the Hoyas get the job done, though I admit their close win over an apparently shaky Yale side has me wondering. Oh well, League pride

Cornell at Bucknell Cornell Bucknell has struggled in recent years against Big Red. Now, those Bucknell teams were nothing to get too excited about, but really, neither were Cornell's. I want to pick the Bison, and I do hate picking Cornell, but at this point I'm going to side with what looks like the higher-rated Ivy League team. Still too early to totally ignore preseason prognostications for everyone, I suppose

Lafayette at Robert Morris Lafayette Leopards took care of business in Lewisburg, now face an NEC team they should probably beat. While I may be expecting Lafayette to falter eventually, at some point they should be able to win a game in which they are clearly favored. Well, they did that Saturday, but this time in non-conference play

Georgetown lost to Yale....but Yale was lucky. :D

[Lehigh'98]

HOLY CROSS @ Harvard

COLGATE @ Yale
FORDHAM @ LEHIGH
Brown @ GEORGETOWN
Cornell @ BUCKNELL
LAFAYETTE @ Robert Morris

[TheValleyRaider]

Georgetown lost to Yale....but Yale was lucky. :D

Serves me right for doing it on an empty stomach xoopsx

Fixed in the original

[Pard4Life]

Last week: rambling discussion on attendance
This week: rambling reminiscing discussion on some random play from 15 years ago and what should have been done

[Pard4Life]

If Cornell is pass-happy, they should dispense Bucknell pretty straight-forward.

I saw a bit of Brown on NBCS, and went toe-to-toe with Harvard. May give Hoyas some fits. They surely have not seen a team that can score like Brown thus far.

[Pard4Life]

I think the Lehigh people can just set themselves on cruise control, come back for the Colgate game, and then reappear again for Lafayette week... seriously...

[Bogus Megapardus]

I'm trying to figure out Robert Morris before making any prediction. I've never seen them play. I know that they've won the NEC in the past and have had some success against strong teams in the past. Head coach Joe Walton knows a thing or three about football. Clearly he can win games when he has the talent on the roster. He'll have done his homework on Lafayette for the Colonials' gala homecoming game.

My guess is (and it's just a guess) is that Walton is an old school, pound the rock first kind of guy. If I'm correct in that hunch, it could make the Lafayette - Robert Morris game a real battle of Frankosaurs. It won't be high scoring; I think that the Pard secondary will have enough to shut down RMU's ability to score in bunches. And we've seen that the Frankosaurus goes into hibernation/prevent mode once it gets a three point lead. I suspect that Tavani will try and try again to make the Pards run the ball all game long, as long as he thinks he can get away with it. Tavani will never try to pad a lead or run up the score on anyone (except Lehigh, of course).

[RichH2]

I love your Lehigh prediction and really wish it were true. No team in PL is that bad.

[Pard4Life]

I love your Lehigh prediction and really wish it were true. No team in PL is that bad.

Holy Cross is headed in that direction though.

[RichH2]

True enuf. Is their Qb out for the year? If so a tough yr for Purple.

[Engineer86]

I think the Lehigh people can just set themselves on cruise control, come back for the Colgate game, and then reappear again for Lafayette week... seriously...

This from the fan of the team that plays Robert Morris and Princetone the next two weeks and right now the record of their first five opponents is 1-13.

[Franks Tanks]

This from the fan of the team that plays Robert Morris and Princetone the next two weeks and right now the record of their first five opponents is 1-13.

CCSU, Princeton and Liberty are winless as well.

By the way Robert Morris is 0-3. I think Liberty, Penn and William & Mary will finish the season with decent records but it is ugly right now.

[Engineer86]

CCSU, Princeton and Liberty are winless as well.

By the way Robert Morris is 0-3. I think Liberty, Penn and William & Mary will finish the season with decent records but it is ugly right now.

Ok, so Lehigh and Lafayette have similar schedules. My point exactly.

I would also add Monmouth to your list.

[Franks Tanks]

Ok, so Lehigh and Lafayette have similar schedules. My point exactly.

I would also add Monmouth to your list.

We have Princeton, Yale, Penn, Will & Mary and RMU.

You guys of course have CCSU, Monmouth, Columbia,Liberty and Princeton.

Princeton of course a wash, and CCSU and Robert Morris very similar. It can be argued that William & Mary and Liberty are about the same. Penn and Yale better than Columbia. Monmouth soild but hard to compare to Ivies.

Overall Leopards slightly harder schedule IMO, but not by a whole lot.

[Pard4Life]

This from the fan of the team that plays Robert Morris and Princetone the next two weeks and right now the record of their first five opponents is 1-13.

We are losing to Princeton, so we can't go on cruise control. Plus, the Frankosaurus offense is a liability.

[Pard4Life]

Robert Morris is a real person, and yet, their mascot looks like a cross between the Red Raider and the Quaker, and nothing like the real Robert Morris:

http://0.tqn.com/d/basketball/1/0/6/4/-/-/85539882_8.jpg

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/patriots/pictures/robert-morris.jpg

Then there is this Robert Morris (from Delbarton no less): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Tappan_Morris

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Dude, that Colonial is bad-***.

[Pard4Life]

Dude, that Colonial is bad-***.

Your mascot is a hunchback... who struts around like Mr. Cock-sure.. and who always line-drives the field goal contest kick on the ground... how can you judge?

[Ivytalk]

xnodx
HOLY CROSS @ Harvard – No confidence in the ‘saders at this point. Where’s that guy who predicted 9-2 and playoffs?

COLGATE @ Yale – Toughest game of the week to pick. Did the Raiders make a statement last week at Stony Brook? Did Cornell show that the bulldog has no bite? A hesitant yes on both counts.



FORDHAM @ LEHIGH – This should be a big test for the Squawks. But it won’t. The Rams just roll over when they see brown.

Brown @ GEORGETOWN – Not seeing anything special from either team. Playing a hunch.

Cornell @ BUCKNELL – Big Red is finally a Big Deal.

LAFAYETTE @ Robert Morris – Should be a cupcake, but the Pards will choke before swallowing.

Agree with Karnak Carney here!

[Sader87]

Holy Cross is headed in that direction though.

Are we headed in that direction? Perhaps, though I still contend we could defeat any PL team on (shameless plug) "any given Saturday."

HC probably beats Dartmouth last weekend with its 1st or 2nd string QB....their other 2 losses are to UNH (admittedly beaten easily 38-17) and to Brown 24-21, blowing a 21-10 4th Q lead.

Lots of excuses, rationalizations et. al. granted....but I wouldn't put us in the "weak sister" category of the league just yet.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Your mascot is a hunchback... who struts around like Mr. Cock-sure..

Four straight wins over your rival has a way of doing that.

[Ivytalk]

Holy Cross could be a "trap game" for Harvard, if the Crimson are caught looking ahead to the BIG Cornell game the following week. OTOH, Harvard has never lost at home under the lights, and there should be a large crowd, so I'll pick Harvard by 10.

[van]

Harvard, Crossers have not shown much to date
Yale, going with home team here
LEHIGH, really concerned about a let down against a talented Rams team
GEORGETOWN, home cooking for the Hoyas
Cornell, no contest here
LAFAYETTE, another cupcake bites the dust

[carney2]

Holy Cross could be a "trap game" for Harvard, if the Crimson are caught looking ahead to the BIG Cornell game the following week. OTOH, Harvard has never lost at home under the lights, and there should be a large crowd, so I'll pick Harvard by 10.

Define "large crowd."

[crusader11]

Attendance in 2010 when HC played at Harvard on Friday night was 21,704.

Attendance at "The Game" last year was just north of 16,000.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Only one PL/Ivy game up on the sportsbook so far this week, but it's a big one:

Harvard (-19) vs Holy Cross

[thebin]

Was there horrendus weather at The Game last year? That's astonishing to see it well below 25K.

[crusader11]

Was there horrendus weather at The Game last year? That's astonishing to see it well below 25K.

According to the box score: Temperature: 50, Wind: SW 10-20, Weather: Sunny

[thebin]

Just to be sure- we're talking about the Harvard Yale game, correct? Am I right that generally speaking that game has been about 25K in cambridge and 30-40K in new haven over the last decade or so? That is quite a collapse absent horrendus weather.

I had noticed some time ago that the Yale-Princeton game (traditionally the second biggest ticket in the ivy calendar) numbers had collapsed from even the 80s to late 90s- but it had seemed The Game was immune. Maybe not anymore. Princeton built that gorgeous new stadium WAY too big.

[crusader11]

just to be sure- we're talking about the Harvard Yale game, correct? Am I right that generally speaking that game has been about 25K in cambridge and 30-40 in new haven? That is quite a collapse absent horrendus weather.

Sorry, should be clearer. I thought--around these parts at least--"The Game" refers to L vs. L.

The other game last year (Harvard - Yale) drew 55,137.

[thebin]

In 2007 there were 57K people at the Yale Bowl for the Game. Something is amiss with last year's number.

[thebin]

lol. I grew up with a Harvard football player for a dad.....so that's The Game in my house. Nevermind.

[bulldog10jw]

Just to be sure- we're talking about the Harvard Yale game, correct? Am I right that generally speaking that game has been about 25K in cambridge and 30-40K in new haven over the last decade or so? That is quite a collapse absent horrendus weather.

I had noticed some time ago that the Yale-Princeton game (traditionally the second biggest ticket in the ivy calendar) numbers had collapsed from even the 80s to late 90s- but it had seemed The Game was immune. Maybe not anymore. Princeton built that gorgeous new stadium WAY too big.

In 2006, when Yale and Princeton shared the Ivy League title they drew 43,000 at the Bowl. So if both teams were good at the same time, admittedly a big if, Yale-Princeton can still draw a good crowd.

Oh, and the weather has to be perfect.

[carney2]

Only one PL/Ivy game up on the sportsbook so far this week, but it's a big one:

Harvard (-19) at Holy Cross

Switch the Home and Away and you're good to go here.

Oh yeah, we're off on another attendance tantrum. Sigh...

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Harvard 31 Holy Cross 20 - The Crimson get revenge for their only loss last year.

Cornell 30 Bucknell 17 - The Bison hang around for most of the game but simply aren't good enough to take down the Big Red.

Lafayette 28 RMU 17 - The 'Pards are too strong.

Colgate 38 Yale 28 - I'm starting to come around on the Raiders. They remind me of Lehigh two years ago.

Brown 20 Georgetown 13 - The Bears have just a little more offense.

Lehigh 32 Fordham 16 - The Hawks put together a 4 quarter performance. The Rams will have trouble moving the ball.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Switch the Home and Away and you're good to go here.



Fixed. Thanks.

[Pard4Life]

Robert Morris is absolutely terrible:

14 sacks against... 4 by NDSU, 5 each by Albany and Dayton
Surrendered 250 rushing yards to NDSU and just over 170 to Albany and Dayton
Surrendered 249, 208, 75 passing yards (249 was to NDSU)
8 TOs total, 2 against Albany and 3 against NDSU and Dayton
Only went over 60 plays against Dayton
22, 87, 77 rushing yards in three games, all on 30 or more attempts
66, 121, 176 passing in their games
7, 9, 10 penalties in three games

This is a bad football. If we do not beat them soundly, you really have to question our outlook.

[Pard4Life]

Last week: 4-2... Season, 19-5

It's early but this week is straightforward:

Harvard 42, Holy Cross 10... ugly.

SUNY-Ithaca 24, Bucknell 17... Big Red passes, and from what I saw, BU stopping the pass is their vulnerable spot.

Colgate 34, Yale 21... closest game to a 'mystery game' this week. Yale gave up close scores to start last week, but then Cornell put together a few long, sustained drives.

Brown 21, Georgetown 18... Fairly even, but Brown has offensive talent.

Lehigh 30, Fordham 14... should be closer, but Hawks have Rams' number.

Lafayette 28, Robert Morris 0... too many people are giving RMU credit. We will see the Leopards run 'em up and shut 'em down.

[Pards Rule]

Robert Morris is a real person, and yet, their mascot looks like a cross between the Red Raider and the Quaker, and nothing like the real Robert Morris:

http://0.tqn.com/d/basketball/1/0/6/4/-/-/85539882_8.jpg

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/patriots/pictures/robert-morris.jpg

Then there is this Robert Morris (from Delbarton no less): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Tappan_Morris

Actually I always wondered what happened to the dude who adorned the WILLIAM PENN gas stations - does anybody remember them? Are there any left even?...The last one I recall was on Rt 9 somewhere around New Gretna, NJ. It changed flags and became something else a while back.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Actually I always wondered what happened to the dude who adorned the WILLIAM PENN gas stations - does anybody remember them? Are there any left even?...The last one I recall was on Rt 9 somewhere around New Gretna, NJ. It changed flags and became something else a while back.


http://imageshack.us/a/img62/3743/wmpenngas.jpg

[Pard4Life]

http://imageshack.us/a/img62/3743/wmpenngas.jpg

I doubt William Penn was that good looking.

[Ivytalk]

I doubt William Penn was that good looking.

And I guarantee you that nobody on the Penn campus today looks like that. They may have one actual Quaker somewhere.

[RichH2]

Cute fella. Does he qualify for the gender studies program?

[Fordhamanhattan]

Hot off the Presses! Fordham hires Colgate AD as new AD.

[RichH2]

I hope it works out but he was not particularly successful at Gate. Different circumstance ,different results , hope so.

[carney2]

Hot off the Presses! Fordham hires Colgate AD as new AD.

Can this be better classified as a "going to" or a "fleeing from?"

[eiu1999]

Friday, September 28, 2012:

HOLY CROSS @ Harvard

Saturday, September 29, 2012:

COLGATE @ Yale
FORDHAM @ LEHIGH
Brown @ GEORGETOWN
Cornell @ BUCKNELL
LAFAYETTE @ Robert Morris

[carney2]

It occurs to me that we should have a Patriot league Game of the Week as part of this thread. If you had no emotional interest in any of these teams, which game would you pay to see? Which game looks like the best of the weekend? This week it appears to be a tossup between

COLGATE @ Yale

and

Brown @ GEORGETOWN.

Whaddya think?

[crusader11]

It occurs to me that we should have a Patriot league Game of the Week as part of this thread. If you had no emotional interest in any of these teams, which game would you pay to see? Which game looks like the best of the weekend? This week it appears to be a tossup between


Fordham @ Lehigh

[Fordhamanhattan]

Five of six last week. Did not get the Hoya.
The Cambridge eleven routs the Crusaders (aren't Muslim students sensitive to that name?) 32-17
with Joe Moorhead showing them the way to do it, the Maroon shocks the Patriot league upending the erstwhile Engineers 35-24
The Hoya raps the only Ivy league school without ROTC 45-0
The erstwhile Indians bombard the Lewisberg stalwarts 56-23
The Leopards show their good spots 35-12
The apple knockers upend the Eli 34-0

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Is LSN going to be bringing a broadcast team outside of Pittsburgh?

[Fordham]

It occurs to me that we should have a Patriot league Game of the Week as part of this thread. If you had no emotional interest in any of these teams, which game would you pay to see? Which game looks like the best of the weekend? This week it appears to be a tossup between

COLGATE @ Yale

and

Brown @ GEORGETOWN.

Whaddya think?

????

Seriously?

[RichH2]

I hope that was with tomgue firmly inserted in cheek.

[Fordham]

fwiw, I'm very interested to see how the Big Red v. Bison score. Cornell's O is very, very good as evidenced by their blasting of Yale. Will be interested to see how Bucknell hangs.

[ColgateTD]

Harvard
Lehigh
G'town
Cornell
Lafayette
Colgate

17-7 on season

[bulldog10jw]

I was surprised, looking at the series history and remembering all the times I saw Yale and Colgate play each other, that they haven't faced off since 2004.

[Bogus Megapardus]

And I guarantee you that nobody on the Penn campus today looks like that. They may have one actual Quaker somewhere.

I know for a fact that Penn has at least one Quaker. My "First Lady" is a Quaker, and her nephew, also a Quaker, is a current Penn student. For more than that I cannot attest.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Hot off the Presses! Fordham hires Colgate AD as new AD.


Whaaaatttttt? You mean that Fordham hired Dave Roach? Is this a joke or are you serious?

[Bogus Megapardus]

Is LSN going to be bringing a broadcast team outside of Pittsburgh?


We're trying to find out the answer to that. We know that the Lafayette/Robert Morris game WILL NOT be broadcast on live television. The game WILL be live on LSN All-Access (and CBS All-Access), which will be free (no subscription) for this game. The question is whether the regular broadcast crew (Gary Laubach, Mike Joseph, John Leone) will be calling the game, and whether the LSN camera and production crew will be there.

If they do it the way they did at NDSU last year - working off NDSU's feed while doing our own announcing - it won't come out very well. Hopefully the LSN team will be there.

[Go...gate]

I was surprised, looking at the series history and remembering all the times I saw Yale and Colgate play each other, that they haven't faced off since 2004.

Played nearly every year for a long time, with Yale winning most of the games.

[Pard4Life]

Here's a conundrum: if Fordham "wins" the Patriot League by going undefeated against league foes, does it receive an 'at-large' to the playoffs?

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Here's a conundrum: if Fordham "wins" the Patriot League by going undefeated against league foes, does it receive an 'at-large' to the playoffs?

I think 9-2 would be good enough for an at-large. ODU is in a similar situation.

[Pard4Life]

I think 9-2 would be good enough for an at-large. ODU is in a similar situation.

Yes but ODU is a top-3 team, while Fordham has a D-2 win.

[carney2]

I hope that was with tomgue firmly inserted in cheek.

Not at all.. Homer you is, I would assume, thinking that Fordham @ Lehigh is the biggie. (You were to lock Homer in the closet for this one. Remember?) In my opinion (the only one that counts at this keyboard) Fordham will roll over for Lehigh as they always do. Not a lot of interest here in that one.

[carney2]

Here's a conundrum: if Fordham "wins" the Patriot League by going undefeated against league foes, does it receive an 'at-large' to the playoffs?

That D-2 win won't help them. Neither will the loss to a not great Villanova. Assuming an inevitable loss to Cincinnati, they'd be 9-2. I'd say that some praying would be called for. The CAA thinks they're entitled to all those at-large spots.

[Engineer86]

Here's a conundrum: if Fordham "wins" the Patriot League by going undefeated against league foes, does it receive an 'at-large' to the playoffs?

I would say no, based on another string there is a long line of teams looking for at large bids and Fordham has the loss to Villanova hanging there. Based on what I am seeing right now, a Lehigh or Lafayette at 10-1 should they get to that level, could get left out. Doubtful, but possible.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Let's stop this silliness now.

An 8-3 record with a win over the No. 13 team in the country gets Fordham an at-large bid.

A 9-2 record and a Patriot League "championship" of a sweep of the PL gets Fordham an at-large bid.

An 8-3 record with a loss to Lehigh, and Lehigh goes undefeated their remaining games, Fordham's "quality wins" may not be enough.

7-4 will not be enough.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Not to crow or anything, but I picked every Patriot and every Ivy game correctly last week - and I even nailed the score on the Georgetown/Princeton match. So maybe I’m due for an O-fer, but here goes . . .

Holy Cross at Harvard - Treavor will tip the “Scales” for the Crimson in this one, I think. The Crusaders are not playing up to their talent for some reason. While I think that Holy Cross will put on its best game in Allston, Harvard simply will be too much to overcome. Harvard 27-20.

Cornell at Bucknell - The Nell brothers, Corny and Bucky, have their annual feud, this time in Lewisburg. I’ve seen both of these teams quite a bit this season. Unless Cornell QB Jeff Matthews takes the Buffalo Jump before Saturday, the Bison will be reeling. Bucknell should do a much better job defensively against Big Red than did Yale, but it won’t be enough. Cornell 31-24. *

Fordham at Lehigh - As good as LFN tells us they are, the Beige Weenies really aren’t showing it on the scoreboard, or on the stat sheet. I’m thinking that the Rams’ cajones are bigger than the Engineers’ ego this week, so I’m going for the upset. Fordham 21-20.

Lafayette at Robert Morris – Over on the Lafayette Board we've been going through the Colonials’ stats and roster with an archeologist’s brush, trying to find some way that this game could be Frankosaured into a fossilized Leopard defeat. We’re a decidedly nay-saying, glass-half-full bunch, but the Pards just ain’t losing this one. No way, no how. Lafayette 28-17.

Brown at Georgetown – This is a difficult one. If the Hoyas actually had some semblance of a stadium, they’d be entitled to a home field advantage. But they don’t, and the same ramshackle bleachers they put in place “temporally” in 1931 (or whenever) for Bruno’s last visit will continue to serve. I liked what I saw last weekend on NBC Sports when Brown held up (for the most part) against those vicious Cantabs. Georgetown? Can’t tell since they don’t allow anyone to watch. Brown 28-24.

Colgate at Yale - The Red Raiders nearly beat Stony Brook, though the defense collapsed when it came down to the wire. Gotta play four quarters, fellas. That said, I was mortified by all four quarters of the Elohim defense in Ithaca last weekend. Literally, they were flailing their arms. Gate rolls in the Bowl. Colgate 24-16.



*EDIT - I should note that "Bucky" is the older of the two "Nells" by a generation, so age might play a factor here.

[TheValleyRaider]

I was surprised, looking at the series history and remembering all the times I saw Yale and Colgate play each other, that they haven't faced off since 2004.

My first and only trip to the Yale Bowl. Would certainly be interested to see it now after the renovations

As for a game, I much preferred watching 2003 than 2004 xreadx

[danefan]

Let's stop this silliness now.

An 8-3 record with a win over the No. 13 team in the country gets Fordham an at-large bid.

A 9-2 record and a Patriot League "championship" of a sweep of the PL gets Fordham an at-large bid.

An 8-3 record with a loss to Lehigh, and Lehigh goes undefeated their remaining games, Fordham's "quality wins" may not be enough.

7-4 will not be enough.

If Fordham beats Lehigh, Lehigh won't be ranked 13th anymore and that win won't count. At least that's what everyone tells Albany fans happens when we beat ranked teams. ;)

[van]

If Fordham beats Lehigh, Lehigh won't be ranked 13th anymore and that win won't count. At least that's what everyone tells Albany fans happens when we beat ranked teams. ;)

Develop a track record and they will stop telling you that.

[danefan]

Develop a track record and they will stop telling you that.

Well we do have multiple wins over ranked teams.....

And the risk for the same thing happening to Fordham if they beat Lehigh is very high, IMO.

[Franks Tanks]

I would say no, based on another string there is a long line of teams looking for at large bids and Fordham has the loss to Villanova hanging there. Based on what I am seeing right now, a Lehigh or Lafayette at 10-1 should they get to that level, could get left out. Doubtful, but possible.

Don't forget the playoffs now include 20 teams. A 10-1 Lafayette or Lehigh with just a loss in the game is a lock for the playoffs.

A 9-2 Fordham team is a virtual lock as long as Lafayette and Lehigh finish with good records.

[carney2]

All of this Fordham to the playoffs talk is a bit premature, don't you think? They are doing very well. They will, in my opinion, continue to do very well. But, winning out - even against 2012 Patriot League competition - is a stretch. Dealing with the here and now, let's start with Lehigh where they have an all-time winning percentage of 8%. Before talking about climbing mountains in November, how about a little September climbing first.

[Fordham]

All of this Fordham to the playoffs talk is a bit premature, don't you think? They are doing very well. They will, in my opinion, continue to do very well. But, winning out - even against 2012 Patriot League competition - is a stretch. Dealing with the here and now, let's start with Lehigh where they have an all-time winning percentage of 8%. Before talking about climbing mountains in November, how about a little September climbing first.

waaaay premature - agreed. As I've said from the beginning of the year, our O can play with anyone (save Cinci) on our schedule. Our D will not be able to stop anyone (save Loch Haven) on our schedule. Shootouts galore with each game able to go either way. After Cinci, this is the game we should have the most trouble keeping close but it's always possible.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Here's a conundrum: if Fordham "wins" the Patriot League by going undefeated against league foes, does it receive an 'at-large' to the playoffs?


All of this Fordham to the playoffs talk is a bit premature, don't you think?...

Perhaps it is premature to say they are definitely going, but it's not premature to suggest a sweep through their PL schedule would result in an at-large bid. Assuming a loss to Cincinnati, that's your 9-2 record, with a win over at least one ranked team, and potentially two, along with a "reasonably close loss" to Villanova, who might also be playoff-bound.

[carney2]

Hey, Bogie, anything from the Vegas crowd since that 19 point spread on HC @ Harvard?

[Pard4Life]

Hey, Bogie, anything from the Vegas crowd since that 19 point spread on HC @ Harvard?

Bogie let us down this week... no RMU themed avatar... I hope everyone is not letting their guard down this week since we are playing RMU...

[DFW HOYA]

An 8-3 record with a loss to Lehigh, and Lehigh goes undefeated their remaining games, Fordham's "quality wins" may not be enough.

8-3 didn't endear Georgetown to the voters last season, either.

[Pard4Life]

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/27475053.jpg http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/27475240.jpg

[RichH2]

Neat and a great idea once Tavani convinces OL to avtually block. They are tall , trimm look great in their uniforms but are disinclined to forcefully move people out of the way.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/27475240.jpg

I need to use this somewhere.

[Pard4Life]

I need to use this somewhere.

Yeah yeah you are going to use it to play off of our "Easton Evil Empire" theme...

[Fordhamanhattan]

The Darth Vader thing is brilliant and so, so original.

[Engineer86]

8-3 didn't endear Georgetown to the voters last season, either.

You were missing a quality win outside of the PL.

[Bogus Megapardus]

PL/Ivy Sportsbook:

Harvard (-19½) vs Holy Cross

Colgate (-6) at Yale

Dartmouth (-5½) vs Penn

Columbia (-1) vs Princeton

Lehigh (-17) vs Fordham

Brown (-3) at Georgetown

Cornell (-6) at Bucknell

Lafayette (-17) at Robert Morris

* * * * * * * *

Other lines possibly of interest to PL readers:

Delaware (pk) at New Hampshire

Wofford (-10½) at Elon

Old Dominion (-7) at Richmond

Maine (-3) vs Villanova

Dayton (pk) at Butler

Jacksonville (-5) vs Marist

[Pard4Life]

HA! Great avatar... best one yet! Sometimes I wonder if Tavani's mind is in outer space... or the Jurassic period... with regard to running the offense.

Tavani is the godfather who pulls Mickey Fein's strings.. you seriously think an NCAA record holding former QB wants to run the same rushing play every down???

[Bogus Megapardus]

HA! Great avatar... best one yet! Sometimes I wonder if Tavani's mind is in outer space... or the Jurassic period... with regard to running the offense.

Tavani is the godfather who pulls Mickey Fein's strings.. you seriously think an NCAA record holding former QB wants to run the same rushing play every down???

This week the Frankosaurus simply is, "walking on the Moon."


http://imageshack.us/a/img825/9250/frankomoonsmudgelogofba.png

[Sader87]

18-6 on the year, with 3 of those losses coming due to the fact that I bleed purple.

Harvard 27 Holy Cross 16 I think the poor weather will keep the Saders around...after this week we can say we are one of the best 0-4 teams in the country.

Yale 20 Colgate 17 Tough call, will give the Eli the edge in their home opener.

Lehigh 31 Fordham 21 The Rams are no longer the lambs but the Engineers have too much at Goodman.

Brown 30 GTown 23 Should be a good one...give Bruno the slight edge.

Cornell 23 Bucknell 17 Battle of the Nells goes to the Ithaca airshow this year.

Lafayette 27 Robert Morris 24 The Pards dream season continues but they get a scare.

[RichH2]

Great avatar Bogie. Looked at Massey ratings pretty much in line with Bassetts and your book. LU 31-17 over Rams. Do hope all these lines are correct.

[Pard4Life]

LFN never did his weekly picks... maybe I was too rough on him?

[Bogus Megapardus]

LFN never did his weekly picks... maybe I was too rough on him?

He bruises easily.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

LFN never did his weekly picks... maybe I was too rough on him?

Are you kidding? 5-1 last week, and (without checking) I respectfully submit by belated Harvard/Cross pick.

Lehigh 31, Fordham 26. Read why here (http://lehighfootballnation.blogspot.com/2012/09/game-5-breakdown-fordham-at-lehigh.html)

Harvard 34, Holy Cross 13: Crusaders won't figure it out against one of the favorites to win the Ivy League, especially at home, especially on Friday.

Colgate 30, Yale 10: Raiders seem to have figured some things out, while the Eli have regressed pretty badly.

Georgetown 24, Brown 21: I keep forgetting why Georgetown is still in the running for the Patriot League title: all they do is win. They'll do so again, this time against the Brownies.

Cornell 37, Bucknell 10: The Bison took a step back last week, and it doesn't seem likely the Big Red is the answer to their problems.

Lafayette 24, Robert Morris 6: What's the equivalent of Tastykake in Pittsburgh?

[Go...gate]

Harvard 28, Holy Cross 17

Yale 20, Colgate 19

Lehigh 33, Fordham 21

Brown 23, Georgetown 13

Cornell 30, Bucknell 20

Lafayette 27, Robert Morris 12

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Yale over Gate? Really? I think the Raiders are headed in the right direction despite what their record says. A loss to Eli would be a major step backwards imo.

[PJ McJorma]

Fordham 33 - Lehigh 31
Colgate 18 - Yale 11
Harvard 35 - Holy Cross 21
Georgetown 27 - Brown 24 OT
Cornell 31 - Bucknell 27
Lafayette 24 - Robert Morris 18

Expect packed house at Goodman Stadium; Rams are good enough on d-line to stay in this and pull it out. Kicking game is tops in FCS ball.

[Go...gate]

Yale over Gate? Really? I think the Raiders are headed in the right direction despite what their record says. A loss to Eli would be a major step backwards imo.

We always have trouble at the Bowl. I still have vivid memories of Cozza's teams hammering us.

[LehighU11]

Expect packed house at Goodman Stadium; Rams are good enough on d-line to stay in this and pull it out. Kicking game is tops in FCS ball.

If by "packed house," you mean 6,400-7,600 of 16,000 seats, then I suppose you are correct. Only one game outside of Lehigh-Lafayette in the past 5 seasons has passed the 9k mark at Goodman. Parents' Weekend against Holy Cross last November drew 9200, following the bizarre snowstorm that cancelled class for 3 days.

Guess I shouldn't have brought up attendance again... xrolleyesx

[Lehigh Football Nation]

If by "packed house," you mean 6,400-7,600 of 16,000 seats, then I suppose you are correct. Only one game outside of Lehigh-Lafayette in the past 5 seasons has passed the 9k mark at Goodman. Parents' Weekend against Holy Cross last November drew 9200, following the bizarre snowstorm that cancelled class for 3 days.

Guess I shouldn't have brought up attendance again... xrolleyesx

We have scholarships now. What else is there to talk about?

[Bogus Megapardus]

We have scholarships now.

I know that I'm taking you entirely out of context here, LFN, but I keep reading the "have scholarships" misconception and I think that it raises an important issue. As to Lafayette, by way of example, message board-posting fans of OOC opponents W&M, Penn and Robert Morris fans all seem to think that "we have scholarships now" in the Patriot League. But we don't. None of us do. Next year, we'll all (excepting Georgetown, I suppose) have our first 15 freshmen on scholarship, very few of whom will see the field in 2013. The Patriot truly will "have scholarships" in 2016, but not before then. And consider the nearly complete absence of institutional recollection in the Patriot of how to "have scholarships." We're all flying blind here. What's more, at least a couple of us are certain to muck it up big time, at least to start. We ought not to fool ourselves, or anyone else.

[van]

I know that I'm taking you entirely out of context here, LFN, but I keep reading the "have scholarships" misconception and I think that it raises an important issue. As to Lafayette, by way of example, message board-posting fans of OOC opponents W&M, Penn and Robert Morris fans all seem to think that "we have scholarships now" in the Patriot League. But we don't. None of us do. Next year, we'll all (excepting Georgetown, I suppose) have our first 15 freshmen on scholarship, very few of whom will see the field in 2013. The Patriot truly will "have scholarships" in 2016, but not before then. And consider the nearly complete absence of institutional recollection in the Patriot of how to "have scholarships." We're all flying blind here. What's more, at least a couple of us are certain to muck it up big time, at least to start. We ought not to fool ourselves, or anyone else.

Point well taken, but I am more optimistic. Successful use of merit schollies should result in at least one hot frosh seeing the field next year, several sophs in 2014 and at least half the team should be juniors or less by 2015. Of course, the key word here is successful.

[DFW HOYA]

Next year, we'll all (excepting Georgetown, I suppose) have our first 15 freshmen on scholarship,

Correct. None being offered by Georgetown, but there will be freshmen getting playing time.

[ngineer]

Like the avatar--in honor of the Frankasaurus being on [in] the Moon, PA landscape today??

[RichH2]

Bogie has his point and valid, if overstated. The improvement will be gradual with a number of bright spots and misses. Schollies do not insure that every recruit will be great. Some will be ,some will never see the field. And I am sure we will all muck it up on the way.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Like the avatar--in honor of the Frankasaurus being on [in] the Moon, PA landscape today??

Indeed it is.

[Pard4Life]

Lafayette 24, Robert Morris 6: What's the equivalent of Tastykake in Pittsburgh?

The Pirates...

Your six may be right for once.

[Sader87]

18-6 on the year, with 3 of those losses coming due to the fact that I bleed purple.

Harvard 27 Holy Cross 16 I think the poor weather will keep the Saders around...after this week we can say we are one of the best 0-4 teams in the country.

Yale 20 Colgate 17 Tough call, will give the Eli the edge in their home opener.

Lehigh 31 Fordham 21 The Rams are no longer the lambs but the Engineers have too much at Goodman.

Brown 30 GTown 23 Should be a good one...give Bruno the slight edge.

Cornell 23 Bucknell 17 Battle of the Nells goes to the Ithaca airshow this year.

Lafayette 27 Robert Morris 24 The Pards dream season continues but they get a scare.

Another 4-2 week though I got the alma mater pick right (but not the differential) for the first time this season.

I really don't think we've "learned" a hell of a lot in the month of September other than: HC is beat up and a shell of the team they were from the last few years, Fordham is better and that Lehigh is still the team to beat but they're beatable.

ETA: I think Friday's debacle in Allston made crystal clear the decision to go schollie....Harvard is essentially a scholarship program and it showed.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Harvard is essentially a scholarship program and it showed.

Don't call it a comeback. I've been here for years.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Are you kidding? 5-1 last week, and (without checking) I respectfully submit by belated Harvard/Cross pick.

Lehigh 31, Fordham 26. Read why here (http://lehighfootballnation.blogspot.com/2012/09/game-5-breakdown-fordham-at-lehigh.html)

Harvard 34, Holy Cross 13: Crusaders won't figure it out against one of the favorites to win the Ivy League, especially at home, especially on Friday.

Colgate 30, Yale 10: Raiders seem to have figured some things out, while the Eli have regressed pretty badly.

Georgetown 24, Brown 21: I keep forgetting why Georgetown is still in the running for the Patriot League title: all they do is win. They'll do so again, this time against the Brownies.

Cornell 37, Bucknell 10: The Bison took a step back last week, and it doesn't seem likely the Big Red is the answer to their problems.

Lafayette 24, Robert Morris 6: What's the equivalent of Tastykake in Pittsburgh?

Pretty decent 4-2. Basically nobody picked RMU to win, Bucknell made it a surprising game vs. Cornell, and Georgetown laid an enormous egg, but the rest of the games I got pretty spot-on, especially Colgate/Yale and Lehigh/Fordham.

Anyone getting the suspicion that Georgetown's going to be falling hard the next few weeks? Brown's a good team, but that resounding loss can't be good news.

[Pard4Life]

Pretty decent 4-2. Basically nobody picked RMU to win, Bucknell made it a surprising game vs. Cornell, and Georgetown laid an enormous egg, but the rest of the games I got pretty spot-on, especially Colgate/Yale and Lehigh/Fordham.

Anyone getting the suspicion that Georgetown's going to be falling hard the next few weeks? Brown's a good team, but that resounding loss can't be good news.

A big clue was that less than convincing win at Davidson, who gets held to a safety by that renowned power Lenoir-Ryne.

[Sam]

What happened with Georgetown and Holy Cross? I expected more from the two teams this year is it injuries?

[ColgateTD]

Well, WVa beat Baylor, 70-63.....not that means anything. But Hey What?: the Leopards losing to RMU?? I thought the only thing RMU was known for was a halfway decent hockey team. This will either destroy L'fayette's confidence or get them pumped to run the table thru the PL.

[Sader87]

What happened with Georgetown and Holy Cross? I expected more from the two teams this year is it injuries?

Both are playing with their #3 QB, HC's lines are all banged up.

The Harvard score notwithstanding, I still don't think HC is "bad"....should have beaten a decent Brown team, almost beat Dartmouth etc. Will they win the PL? Probably not, but I could see them winning 3 or 4 (including Fordham) PL games.

[Pard4Life]

Well, WVa beat Baylor, 70-63.....not that means anything. But Hey What?: the Leopards losing to RMU?? I thought the only thing RMU was known for was a halfway decent hockey team. This will either destroy L'fayette's confidence or get them pumped to run the table thru the PL.

My take: we lay down against Princeton, and then right the ship for Yale.

[Sam]

That was the problem with Colgate last year injuries , that offensive line is so important they get no recognition but they are the engine to the machine without your not moving...

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

I had a good week. Missed on LC like everyone else. 23-7 on the season....

[Pard4Life]

I had a good week. Missed on LC like everyone else. 23-7 on the season....

24-6... three of those losses are Lafayette xblehx (WM, Penn, RMU)... one is Lehigh winning at Liberty. The two others are HC.