Patriot League Offseason Thread

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

I think the PL will continue to get a little bit deeper next year. Lafayette, Holy Cross, Colgate and Fordham should all be decent to good. Does Lehigh make a marked turnaround in 2024 or are we still another year away from seeing them contend again? Bucknell is Bucknell and Georgetown IMO will continue to punch above its weight.

My 2024 PL champ pick right now is Colgate.

As far as comparing to the Ivy, last couple of years have been a bit strange in the Ancient 8. Still very strong top to bottom but lacked truly great teams at the top. I see next year the Ivy winning around 60% of the cross sectional matchups.

Losing Chesney is big loss for both the league and Holy Cross. Just like losing Biddle, Moorhead, Coen, etc was. Like in basketball with Langel, who has the best coach pretty much runs the league because for whatever reason, the administrations have struggled to get it right at the same time in recent years. Troxell is the proven commodity at this point given what he did at F&M and within two years at Lafayette. The Leopards return more than enough talent/experience to repeat. Plus, their schedule is quite favorable, 9-3 maybe 8-4 is my guess.

Colgate did beat the 'Pards last year in Easton which means Lafayette heads to Hamilton, in November as a bonus, this season which could factor into a tie-breaker situation. I don't put too much stock in their wins over Lehigh (Mountain Hawks no-showed) and Fordham (flaky Fordham at its best). Raiders first 5 games are @ Maine, Villanova, @ Akron, Cornell, @ Penn. I don't think it's beyond reason to believe a 1-4 or even an 0-5 start is possible. With that said, beat Maine in Orono and the tone changes significantly. Moorhead is in year 3 at Akron. Last year they were competitively terrible. Villanova will win by 3+ TDs, Penn will be a "solid" favorite, and Cornell is a big rival.

Fordham may very well be the most talented team but I don't trust them. They'll sleep walk to a 7-5 type season imo....

Holy Cross is naturally going to experience a regression in coaching and talent (especially depth of talent). I'm still shocked they went with Curran. While this is obviously a small sample size (i've paid attention to Merrimack given this tie) Curran is 0-2 against Lehigh recently which is a tough feat to accomplish. My believe he'll prove to be a solid hire (similar to early Gilmore) in large part to the program investments/residual equity created by Chesney. HC's schedule is brutal, @ Rhode Island, UNH, @ Bryant, Yale, @ Syracuse, @ Colgate, Fordham, @ Harvard, @ Lafayette before 3 very winnable game to end the season. When factoring in the attrition on the heels of last year's 7-4 campaign, I foresee a 5-7 maybe even a 4-8 type season in Worcester. Of the games I listed which ones will HC be favored in?

[bonarae]

Holy Cross is naturally going to experience a regression in coaching and talent (especially depth of talent). I'm still shocked they went with Curran. While this is obviously a small sample size (i've paid attention to Merrimack given this tie) Curran is 0-2 against Lehigh recently which is a tough feat to accomplish. My believe he'll prove to be a solid hire (similar to early Gilmore) in large part to the program investments/residual equity created by Chesney. HC's schedule is brutal, @ Rhode Island, UNH, @ Bryant, Yale, @ Syracuse, @ Colgate, Fordham, @ Harvard, @ Lafayette before 3 very winnable game to end the season. When factoring in the attrition on the heels of last year's 7-4 campaign, I foresee a 5-7 maybe even a 4-8 type season in Worcester. Of the games I listed which ones will HC be favored in?

My take:
Rhody
UNH (50-50)
Bryant
Harvard (new coach effect?)

That's all for now I think.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

My take:
Rhody
UNH (50-50)
Bryant
Harvard (new coach effect?)

That's all for now I think.

- URI was 6-5, 4-4 in the CAA last year and they'll be at home. I don't see HC giving points.
- UNH was also 6-5, 4-4 in the CAA. Depending on how the URI game goes and accounting for the fact the Wildcats travel to Worcester leads me to believe this could be a pick'em type game
- Bryant figures to be pegged for the bottom 1/4 of the CAA in their first year. They're at home but I could see HC being a "solid" favorite.
- Harvard at home, I don't see the Crimson giving points unless they really struggled out of the gate. Which is possible? As of right now, I favor their talent level over the Crusaders...

Colgate and Holy Cross both have great barometer games to start the year. Not too tough, not too easy, rather just right....

[NY Crusader 2010]

Losing Chesney is big loss for both the league and Holy Cross. Just like losing Biddle, Moorhead, Coen, etc was. Like in basketball with Langel, who has the best coach pretty much runs the league because for whatever reason, the administrations have struggled to get it right at the same time in recent years. Troxell is the proven commodity at this point given what he did at F&M and within two years at Lafayette. The Leopards return more than enough talent/experience to repeat. Plus, their schedule is quite favorable, 9-3 maybe 8-4 is my guess.

Colgate did beat the 'Pards last year in Easton which means Lafayette heads to Hamilton, in November as a bonus, this season which could factor into a tie-breaker situation. I don't put too much stock in their wins over Lehigh (Mountain Hawks no-showed) and Fordham (flaky Fordham at its best). Raiders first 5 games are @ Maine, Villanova, @ Akron, Cornell, @ Penn. I don't think it's beyond reason to believe a 1-4 or even an 0-5 start is possible. With that said, beat Maine in Orono and the tone changes significantly. Moorhead is in year 3 at Akron. Last year they were competitively terrible. Villanova will win by 3+ TDs, Penn will be a "solid" favorite, and Cornell is a big rival.

Fordham may very well be the most talented team but I don't trust them. They'll sleep walk to a 7-5 type season imo....

Holy Cross is naturally going to experience a regression in coaching and talent (especially depth of talent). I'm still shocked they went with Curran. While this is obviously a small sample size (i've paid attention to Merrimack given this tie) Curran is 0-2 against Lehigh recently which is a tough feat to accomplish. My believe he'll prove to be a solid hire (similar to early Gilmore) in large part to the program investments/residual equity created by Chesney. HC's schedule is brutal, @ Rhode Island, UNH, @ Bryant, Yale, @ Syracuse, @ Colgate, Fordham, @ Harvard, @ Lafayette before 3 very winnable game to end the season. When factoring in the attrition on the heels of last year's 7-4 campaign, I foresee a 5-7 maybe even a 4-8 type season in Worcester. Of the games I listed which ones will HC be favored in?

While I haven't formally made my prediction on Holy Cross, I think it's going to be a challenging season. I still think we have a pretty talented team that could in most years contend for a PL title. Defense was very young last year and showed some improvement late in the season. We also return a backup QB who led us to two comeback wins in the Patriot League stretch run last year. He's no Sluka but we won't be lacking at the position.

5 wins is probably what I would guess, 6 would be a great start for Curran with this year's schedule IMO. What makes it tough is that there will be A LOT of opponents out for blood against us. We were basically everyone's Super Bowl in the PL the past two years, and even though we aren't the favorites anymore, I still think that we'll be the team that everyone gets up for. Chesney's teams played with a lot of swagger and were often labeled cocky and unsportsmanlike by the opposition, so yea some licks will be taken. Yale will look to bounce back against us after we STOMPED them back to back seasons. We've absolutely blown out Colgate 4 straight times. We play AT Lafayette. Our league rival Fordham hasn't beaten us since the Yankee Stadium game in 2016 and will be hungry to finally break through. Back to Cambridge against Harvard -- we've only won at Harvard Stadium once in the past 20 years, in 2022. Not to mention URI and Bryant will both be tough games. Not sure what they each have coming back.

AND we play our nine most difficult games on paper, in a row, before our bye week, and close with the three easiest opponents on paper.

[centraljerseycat]

Losing Chesney is big loss for both the league and Holy Cross. Just like losing Biddle, Moorhead, Coen, etc was. Like in basketball with Langel, who has the best coach pretty much runs the league because for whatever reason, the administrations have struggled to get it right at the same time in recent years. Troxell is the proven commodity at this point given what he did at F&M and within two years at Lafayette. The Leopards return more than enough talent/experience to repeat. Plus, their schedule is quite favorable, 9-3 maybe 8-4 is my guess.

Colgate did beat the 'Pards last year in Easton which means Lafayette heads to Hamilton, in November as a bonus, this season which could factor into a tie-breaker situation. I don't put too much stock in their wins over Lehigh (Mountain Hawks no-showed) and Fordham (flaky Fordham at its best). Raiders first 5 games are @ Maine, Villanova, @ Akron, Cornell, @ Penn. I don't think it's beyond reason to believe a 1-4 or even an 0-5 start is possible. With that said, beat Maine in Orono and the tone changes significantly. Moorhead is in year 3 at Akron. Last year they were competitively terrible. Villanova will win by 3+ TDs, Penn will be a "solid" favorite, and Cornell is a big rival.

Fordham may very well be the most talented team but I don't trust them. They'll sleep walk to a 7-5 type season imo....

Holy Cross is naturally going to experience a regression in coaching and talent (especially depth of talent). I'm still shocked they went with Curran. While this is obviously a small sample size (i've paid attention to Merrimack given this tie) Curran is 0-2 against Lehigh recently which is a tough feat to accomplish. My believe he'll prove to be a solid hire (similar to early Gilmore) in large part to the program investments/residual equity created by Chesney. HC's schedule is brutal, @ Rhode Island, UNH, @ Bryant, Yale, @ Syracuse, @ Colgate, Fordham, @ Harvard, @ Lafayette before 3 very winnable game to end the season. When factoring in the attrition on the heels of last year's 7-4 campaign, I foresee a 5-7 maybe even a 4-8 type season in Worcester. Of the games I listed which ones will HC be favored in?

I wish Nova and Holy Cross would commit to a long-term scheduling arrangement similar to the one we had with Lehigh.

[DFW HOYA]

I wish Nova and Holy Cross would commit to a long-term scheduling arrangement similar to the one we had with Lehigh.

I wish Nova and Georgetown would commit to a long-term scheduling arrangement similar to the one you had with Lehigh.

[The Boogie Down]

Thanks for the correction--with five 5th years starting last fall on offense per the media notes, this may not be as concerning if the depth is there.

Most of those 5th year O guys were on the line, not skills people. Without really knowing which spot is going where I can say that all the O-line replacements (from a strong junior class) come with experience over the last two seasons. The WR core is different. Unless we get some portal help we do have a weakness there. The D is the D but at least there's tons of experience on that side. Not only several 5th year guys but, from looking at the spring practice roster, one 7th year guy. That could be a misprint so I'm not naming names but yeah, that might add a whole lotta experience-lol

Long story shorter, we're not rebuilding and we have lots of talent coming back. Definitely enough talent to win the PL.

Fordham may very well be the most talented team but I don't trust them. They'll sleep walk to a 7-5 type season imo....

Problem is (counting the Covid mini season) this is the 5th offseason in a row I'm saying we have enough talent to win the PL. We came close once but completely flaked out the other three times. Not sure how Conlin will be able to defend not winning yet again but it keeps happening.

[ngineer]

Most of those 5th year O guys were on the line, not skills people. Without really knowing which spot is going where I can say that all the O-line replacements (from a strong junior class) come with experience over the last two seasons. The WR core is different. Unless we get some portal help we do have a weakness there. The D is the D but at least there's tons of experience on that side. Not only several 5th year guys but, from looking at the spring practice roster, one 7th year guy. That could be a misprint so I'm not naming names but yeah, that might add a whole lotta experience-lol

Long story shorter, we're not rebuilding and we have lots of talent coming back. Definitely enough talent to win the PL.



Problem is (counting the Covid mini season) this is the 5th offseason in a row I'm saying we have enough talent to win the PL. We came close once but completely flaked out the other three times. Not sure how Conlin will be able to defend not winning yet again but it keeps happening.

​To quote Roseanne Rosannadana, "It's aways something..."

[DFW HOYA]

Not sure how Conlin will be able to defend not winning yet again but it keeps happening.

There's no hot seat in Patriot Land:

Everyone Is Happy: Troxell, Dakosty
New: Curran
Relatively New: Cahill
No Issues Yet: Conlin
Fit For Purpose: Sgarlata, Cecchini

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

There's no hot seat in Patriot Land:

Everyone Is Happy: Troxell, Dakosty
New: Curran
Relatively New: Cahill
No Issues Yet: Conlin
Fit For Purpose: Sgarlata, Cecchini

I would pushback on "everyone is happy" with Dakosty. Stan felt compelled to pen a letter to the 'Gate faithful before the Raider's rivalry game with Cornell in an attempt to settle the growing unrest in Hamilton. While last year's 6-5 record and some positive preseason pub heading into 2024 is nice, a 5-6 or worse season leads that nowhere will have Stan back on the hot seat imo.

Cahill needs to show some tangible progress the program is ready to return to legitimacy in 2025. If this year is another 3 or even 4 win campaign Kevin will be on the hot seat 12 months from now.

I could see a mutual parting of the ways between Fordham and Conlin if the Rams were to go 5-7, maybe even 6-6.