Patriot League Pick 'em - Week 12

Johnny Carson’s Carnac the Magnificent would end his act by saying “I have in my hand the final envelope.” The audience would then erupt in prompted cheers to indicate that they were glad the act was ending. Bearing that in mind,

I present below the final slate of games for this historically bad (atrocious, abominable, mediocre, dreadful, horrid, sorry, rotten, pitiful, incompetent, painful, crappy, awful, terrible, lousy, deplorable, unspeakable …) season of Patriot League football.

[I now pause for the cheers. Take as long as you like.]

LAFAYETTE @ LEHIGH (Number 153)
COLGATE @ GEORGETOWN
BUCKNELL @ FORDHAM

Bye: Holy Cross (Season Finished)

Game of the Week: Lafayette @ Lehigh. It’s tradition. It’s a legitimate “I hate ‘em” rivalry. The stands will be packed. It will be watched across the country and, I believe, in some foreign countries on special TV hookups. Thousands and thousands actually care who wins this game. It’s the Patriot League’s version of a bowl game. I now defy you to tell me one thing – anything – about either of those other games that distinguishes it from a high school scrimmage in early August. Go ahead … I’m waiting.

I’m bringing this up for the 5^th, 6^th, 10^th, … 20^th time: How is it that a confederation of old and respected eastern colleges and universities, each with a storied athletic program, has only one traditional game to hype on the final Saturday of the football season? We can’t find even one other matchup to throw out there as something special? That bunch in Center Valley needs to pull their heads out of their butts.

Clearly, the Patriot has been overshadowed by our FCS brethren south of the Potomac and west of the Alleghenies, especially in social media and in forums like this one.

Lehigh
Colgate
Fordham

Colgate Bucknell and HC Fordham should be final game each year. Colgate- Lehigh week prior.

Agreed. My guess is that rather than creating another attractive rivalry game, the PL instead avoids slighting Colgate or critical associate member Fordham with a bye or one of the 2 teams that could care less about fielding a competitive team every year. This is one of the problems of a 7 team league with 2 associate members.

Holy Cross vs. Colgate would be natural, given that they are 2 of the top 4 most storied football programs in the League. I'd prefer that over HC vs. Fordham, another worthy matchup, since Colgate should not face Bucknell, Georgetown, or the resurgent BYE to finish the season every year.

My ideal week 12:
Lehigh vs. Lafayette
Colgate vs. Holy Cross
Fordham vs. Georgetown
Bucknell ends the season early to focus basketball. You know, the sport that matters in Lewisburg.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LehighU11

Agreed. My guess is that rather than creating another attractive rivalry game, the PL instead avoids slighting Colgate or critical associate member Fordham with a bye or one of the 2 teams that could care less about fielding a competitive team every year. This is one of the problems of a 7 team league with 2 associate members.

Holy Cross vs. Colgate would be natural, given that they are 2 of the top 4 most storied football programs in the League. I'd prefer that over HC vs. Fordham, another worthy matchup, since Colgate should not face Bucknell, Georgetown, or the resurgent BYE to finish the season every year.

My ideal week 12:
Lehigh vs. Lafayette
Colgate vs. Holy Cross
Fordham vs. Georgetown
Bucknell ends the season early to focus basketball. You know, the sport that matters in Lewisburg.

---

Like it :).

Colgate-HC makes more sense historically but I think HC-Fordham makes more sense institutionally and logistically.

We sort of make light of this issue to a degree but it really has hurt HC football (and others in the PL) in not having a "rivalry game"....HC has now been without one for ovah 30 years since the BC series ended in 1986....every season since then, in one way, shape or form has just sort of ended in a "poof" (like it did today) against a different school every year most years.

Up to your ADs to press the issue with Center Valley.

We recently endured our two years with the final week bye. (At least it feels recent.) In the fog of history, the school now called Bucknell was founded by Baptist missionaries from a Hamilton, NY institution, now called Colgate. That regular season-ending matchup sounds good to me, snowy tundra and all.

I am 34-14 thus far...

Bucknell- A homer pick, for sure. The turnover gods have already done their worst.
Lehigh- Go Pards
Colgate- cuz I read the papers

Colgate should win in a walk. Although I remember a number of years ago when 'gate had a very good team with a great back which went on to the, then, IAA playoffs, that almost stubbed their toe in D.C. and barely got away with a 21-20 win (something close to that). Hoyas will play respectable D, but will tire. Raiders roll in the second half. 38-6

The Bison make a trip to the Bronx Zoo and hope not to be detained. What Fordham team shows up? This could be a tight game and turnovers determining winner. My sense is that Bucky has a bit more incentive with a winning season on the line. Bucknell, 19-17.

Laughyette has shown a nice defense this year, which has given them better results than I think most expected in this new transition. Because of that, they can 'hang around' and hope for some turnover gods to provide opportunities for an inept offense. Lehigh's D has made inept offenses look vibrant this year (see Georgetown) and even Bucky scored some points. However, the Mountain Hawk D has shown some improvement of late and but for the four turnovers in the Bronx, they would be coming in undefeated in the PL. With the championship on the line, I cannot fathom Lehigh not coming out with fire in their eyes and focused. As of now, long range forecast is projecting a 50% chance of rain. That could change and typically, such forecasts tend to 'speed up', so here's hoping for a wet Friday. Lehigh nails third straight Rivalry win, 38-17.

My ideal week 12:

Lehigh vs. Lafayette
Colgate vs. Cornell
Holy Cross vs. BU
Georgetown vs. Loyola
Fordham vs. Columbia
Bucknell vs. Penn

Bonus game:

Brown vs. URI