Patriot League 2018 - way way way to early

[Roll 'gate]

No better time to start the way way way too early talk and predictions about next year right now.

I'm curious what peoples thoughts on next years conference will look like and how they think it will shake out. I know personally the Raider's are excited for what's possibly to come in the sunny tundra ... Curious how everyone else thinks the league will shake out next year.

Colgate - Returns a vast majority on both sides of the ball. Love the quarterback, offensive line, and backfield situation.
lehigh - Loses two key weapons at wide receiver. Return the best running back in PL though which should take pressure off of a QB who makes questionable decisions as is. If defense tightens up they should at least be in the talk around the top of the league.
Lafayette - That defense loses a bunch of contributors on the d-line but should still be a relatively stingy group. Can the offense figure it out? Should be able to feast on lower end of PL if they can figure out how to put a couple points on the board.
Fordham - Losing the experience they will at QB and RB hurts a ton. Their defense was suspect this year and I'm not sure what they lose to graduation. Supposedly they had a very tough year injury wise. I also think rest of league is catching up with the scholarship situation. Not sure Fordham will be able to "feast" as it used to in coming years.
Bucknell - A team that didn't show much fight towards the end of the year. Could be the biggest ? next year as to what type of team comes out of Lewisburg on Saturdays.
Holy Cross - New coach, no PP. A team that had lofty expectations at beginning of year after a couple games that quickly were extinguished. A bottom half of the league type team that might surprise one of two teams if they don't come ready to play, but doubt they will be contenders.
Georgetown - I don't think much needs to be said here.

[van]

Lehigh losses two stud receivers as noted and 3 starting OL as well on O, several underclass OL got starts this year and held their own so I think the OL will reload OK, hard to say on the receivers as they did not get a lot of playing time but Christiano should be back from injury and Kelsey is eligible for a 5th year if he chooses, Coaches were high on Bibbens and Porto returns from a great FR year, all in all expect the O to be very strong again next year

on D we lose Cavenas who is a beast on the DL and will be sorely missed, Jones is a stand out senior DB but could get a medical 5th also, other than those 2 and some DL that rotated the D was pretty young this year and playing in a new scheme, so there is some reason to be optimistic about next years D being improved, at least improved from the first half of this year

[RichH2]

Lehigh losses two stud receivers as noted and 3 starting OL as well on O, several underclass OL got starts this year and held their own so I think the OL will reload OK, hard to say on the receivers as they did not get a lot of playing time but Christiano should be back from injury and Kelsey is eligible for a 5th year if he chooses, Coaches were high on Bibbens and Porto returns from a great FR year, all in all expect the O to be very strong again next year

on D we lose Cavenas who is a beast on the DL and will be sorely missed, Jones is a stand out senior DB but could get a medical 5th also, other than those 2 and some DL that rotated the D was pretty young this year and playing in a new scheme, so there is some reason to be optimistic about next years D being improved, at least improved from the first half of this year

Agree for the most part. Brad needs to settle in on his reads a bit better but otherwise he is an excelleny QB in all phases. RB return the Dirty Bs as well as two 3* RBs in Chadbourne and Allen. OL will be fine if not guite up to last years. WR lost 2 of the best we've ever had. Not quickly replaced. That said a lot of talent returns and the 3 coming in look to be very good. D ???? Hope you're right. A lot of athletes not much cohesion or tackling. Rybka will surely help on DL. LB and DBs well I hope experience helps.

[ColgateTD]

No better time to start the way way way too early talk and predictions about next year right now.

I'm curious what peoples thoughts on next years conference will look like and how they think it will shake out. I know personally the Raider's are excited for what's possibly to come in the sunny tundra ... Curious how everyone else thinks the league will shake out next year.

Colgate - Returns a vast majority on both sides of the ball. Love the quarterback, offensive line, and backfield situation.
lehigh - Loses two key weapons at wide receiver. Return the best running back in PL though which should take pressure off of a QB who makes questionable decisions as is. If defense tightens up they should at least be in the talk around the top of the league.
Lafayette - That defense loses a bunch of contributors on the d-line but should still be a relatively stingy group. Can the offense figure it out? Should be able to feast on lower end of PL if they can figure out how to put a couple points on the board.
Fordham - Losing the experience they will at QB and RB hurts a ton. Their defense was suspect this year and I'm not sure what they lose to graduation. Supposedly they had a very tough year injury wise. I also think rest of league is catching up with the scholarship situation. Not sure Fordham will be able to "feast" as it used to in coming years.
Bucknell - A team that didn't show much fight towards the end of the year. Could be the biggest ? next year as to what type of team comes out of Lewisburg on Saturdays.
Holy Cross - New coach, no PP. A team that had lofty expectations at beginning of year after a couple games that quickly were extinguished. A bottom half of the league type team that might surprise one of two teams if they don't come ready to play, but doubt they will be contenders.
Georgetown - I don't think much needs to be said here.

Once again Colgate and Lehigh will dominate, but I see Bucknell making a big jump to 3rd place. The rest of the teams you can shake up in a bag; don't know what order they will come out...

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Once again Colgate and Lehigh will dominate, but I see Bucknell making a big jump to 3rd place. The rest of the teams you can shake up in a bag; don't know what order they will come out...

Bucknell loses Abdullah on D and DeFloria at RB. They still don't have a quarterback or the look of a program that's ready to take the next step.

On paper it's hard not to see the league being pretty bad again. Holy Cross will be going through a transition phase. Fordham loses Edmonds and Anderson and Breiner's status still seems a bit uncertain. Lafayette has to be better on offense but the defense takes quite a few hits. It will be 9 years since their last winning season when next year kicks off! So Lafayette still has to get over the hump. Georgetown seems hopeless. Colgate will be good but until they win some meaningful OOC games their margin for error is extremely small. Like Lehigh, the Raiders graduate several key players (Holland, Afriyie, Paulish). Until there's major changes on defense Lehigh's ceiling will only be so high. Good PL program, irrelevant nationally....

No preseason Top 25 team and no real threat on the national stage once again in 2018.

[Colgate Raider Redux]

. Colgate will be good but until they win some meaningful OOC games their margin for error is extremely small. Like Lehigh, the Raiders graduate several key players (Holland, Afriyie, Paulish). Until there's major changes on defense Lehigh's ceiling will only be so high. Good PL program, irrelevant nationally....No preseason Top 25 team and no real threat on the national stage once again in 2018.

Colgate actually has almost the entire team coming back for the 2018 season. You're incorrect about Holland. He has a 5th medical year, along with starting O linemen Scott Hirschman and co-captain Max Harrtzman. Starting strong safety and co-captain Alec Wisniewski will also be returning for a medical 5th year. There are almost no 2017 starters that have to be replaced in 2018. Because of injuries during the year, the high number of experienced back-ups coming back is very unusual. In my 2018 season crystal ball, there are only one or two teams in the PL who are likely to give Colgate a tough game, assuming this team earnestly embraces the next logical steps between now and then..

I think you're correct that a big challenge for Colgate in 2018 is getting some meaningful O.O.C. wins: New Hampshire, Furman, Wm & Mary, Cornell and Army West Point. Freshman qb Breneman was cutting his eye teeth in the early season O.O.C. games, Buffalo, Furman, Richmond and Cornell. He was challenged in those games. And looked very much like the rookie that he is. Beneman has yet to prove himself against the Raider's O.O.C. competition. PL games were/are another story. Colgate went on to lose to L.U. by 3 points; but outscored its next 4 PL opponents 150-22. Some significant playmakers emerged, especially among the receivers and the 3-4 front D.L,-L.B. group of the D.. Breneman's progress after the O.O.C. games, along with the entire O, D and special teams was really impressive.

But, let's not kid ourselves....this was a very weak PL. And while we're in the reality zone, let's be frank about the Raider's long term objectives for its fb brand ....If Colgate is going to win the PL in 2018, without a couple of solid O.O.C. wins, it won't be very eventful. Colgate's annual approach to scheduling in the schollie age, though aggressive, is very deliberate and is designed to distinguish it in the FCS. It's designed to stretch a talented group of PL recruits into the next performance level just above the PL. That would manifest in the 2018 season by securing a higher than "normal PL seed" and getting an opponent it can beat in the FCS playoff. That might avoid the traditional "one-and-done" PL FCS tournament pattern. Ambitious?... yes. But doable for this group in 2018. Anything less in 2018 will be disappointing.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Colgate actually has almost the entire team coming back for the 2018 season. You're incorrect about Holland. He has a 5th medical year, along with starting O linemen Scott Hirschman and co-captain Max Harrtzman. Starting strong safety and co-captain Alec Wisniewski will also be returning for a medical 5th year. There are almost no 2017 starters that have to be replaced in 2018. Because of injuries during the year, the high number of experienced back-ups coming back is very unusual. In my 2018 season crystal ball, there are only one or two teams in the PL who are likely to give Colgate a tough game, assuming this team earnestly embraces the next logical steps between now and then..

I think you're correct sbout the challenge for Colgate in 2018: getting some meaningful O.O.C. wins: New Hampshire, Furman, Wm & Mary, Cornell and Army West Point. Freshman qb Breneman was cutting his eye teeth in the early season O.O.C. games, Buffalo, Furman, Richmond and Cornell. He was challenged in those games. And looked very much like the rookie that he is. Beneman has yet to prove himself against the Raider's O.O.C. competition. PL games were/are another story. Colgate went on to lose to L.U. by 3 points; but outscored its next 4 PL opponents 150-22. Some significant playmakers emerged, especially among the receivers and the 3-4 front part of the D.. Breneman's progress after the O.O.C. games, along with the entire O, D and special teams was really impressive.

But, let's not kid ourselves....this was a very weak PL. And while we're in the reality zone, let's be frank about the Raider's long term objectives for its fb brand ....If Colgate is going to win the PL in 2018, without a couple of solid O.O.C. wins, it won't be very eventful. Colgate's annual approach to scheduling in the schollie age, though aggressive, is very deliberate and is designed to distinguish it in the FCS. It's designed to stretch a talented group of PL recruits into the next performance level just above the PL. That would manifest in the 2018 season by securing a higher than "normal PL seed" and getting an opponent it can beat in the FCS playoff. That might avoid the traditional "one-and-done" PL FCS tournament pattern. Ambitious?... yes. But doable for this group in 2018. Anything less in 2018 will be disappointing.

I think when it's all said and done Lehigh and Colgate will basically be 1A. and 1B. Lehigh gets Colgate at Goodman and have had the Raiders number this decade (6-2).

I think Lehigh's offense will be fine so long as Mayes's decision making/movement in the pocket improves. The one thing about Coen coach teams is good OL play. I have no major concerns about how that will shake out. Losing Pelletier and Casey will hurt. You can't sugarcoat the loss of a tandem this good. But, Lehigh has reloaded at WR (like EWU) before and there is experience being built this year. Having Brags and the rest of the RB will be a huge boost. Mayes really has to make the most of his senior season. To this point his Lehigh career has been Shafniskyesque.

It all comes down to the defense. Coen and the AD need to find a credible DC and rebuild the whole thing. This late season "improvement" is nothing but a mirage being perpetrated by terrible competition. This is year 5 of terrible defense so the insanity must end. Its handcuffed the program! This year's team would be 8-3/9-2 with a competent defense!

Either way, it's no shock that since the dust settled on the scholarship transition Colgate and Lehigh have once again re-emerged as the dominant programs in the PL. Both still need to raise their game on a national level. It starts by winning OOC games, 0-5 and 2-3 aren't going to cut it....

Lafayette will figure it out before too long. There's simply too much there to continue to suck year after year. 8 straight losing seasons? Holy ****!!!

[Roll 'gate]

I think when it's all said and done Lehigh and Colgate will basically be 1A. and 1B. Lehigh gets Colgate at Goodman and have had the Raiders number this decade (6-2).

I think Lehigh's offense will be fine so long as Mayes's decision making/movement in the pocket improves. The one thing about Coen coach teams is good OL play. I have no major concerns about how that will shake out. Losing Pelletier and Casey will hurt. You can't sugarcoat the loss of a tandem this good. But, Lehigh has reloaded at WR (like EWU) before and there is experience being built this year. Having Brags and the rest of the RB will be a huge boost. Mayes really has to make the most of his senior season. To this point his Lehigh career has been Shafniskyesque.

It all comes down to the defense. Coen and the AD need to find a credible DC and rebuild the whole thing. This late season "improvement" is nothing but a mirage being perpetrated by terrible competition. This is year 5 of terrible defense so the insanity must end. Its handcuffed the program! This year's team would be 8-3/9-2 with a competent defense!

Either way, it's no shock that since the dust settled on the scholarship transition Colgate and Lehigh have once again re-emerged as the dominant programs in the PL. Both still need to raise their game on a national level. It starts by winning OOC games, 0-5 and 2-3 aren't going to cut it....

Lafayette will figure it out before too long. There's simply too much there to continue to suck year after year. 8 straight losing seasons? Holy ****!!!

It's true that both teams need to raise the game on the national level but that starts with the overall PL raising its level. Stiff ooc play is fantastic but having a equally competitive league is also important. There needs to be more parody top to bottom before you will see true national level recognition other than a random team here or there.

Agreed that Lafayette is a team to watch. Just not sure when they get over the hump!

[Doc QB]

But, let's not kid ourselves....this was a very weak PL. And while we're in the reality zone, let's be frank about the Raider's long term objectives for its fb brand ....If Colgate is going to win the PL in 2018, without a couple of solid O.O.C. wins, it won't be very eventful. Colgate's annual approach to scheduling in the schollie age, though aggressive, is very deliberate and is designed to distinguish it in the FCS. It's designed to stretch a talented group of PL recruits into the next performance level just above the PL. That would manifest in the 2018 season by securing a higher than "normal PL seed" and getting an opponent it can beat in the FCS playoff. That might avoid the traditional "one-and-done" PL FCS tournament pattern. Ambitious?... yes. But doable for this group in 2018. Anything less in 2018 will be disappointing.

I like Colgates OOC here and this season, its shows the right direction, ambition, and aggressive approach . Helps them prep for PL schedule, and shows there commitment to work to become more relevant nationally.

[RichH2]

I like Colgates OOC here and this season, its shows the right direction, ambition, and aggressive approach . Helps them prep for PL schedule, and shows there commitment to work to become more relevant nationally.

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