It was a pretty good season for the NE-10 in 2011. For the first time in three years, they had a team in the playoffs and they even beat a non-NE-10 playoff team. New Haven advanced to the quarterfinals and gave the league their best playoff run since 2005. Besides the Chargers, several teams had good seasons and were in the hunt for the league title.

Mostly importantly, the league made some strides in the region with the success of New Haven and also held their own in out of conferences games way back in September. They showed that they are capable of competing with other teams in the region but they still need to continue to prove it on the field. Winning games within the region is the only way that the league will continue to make progress.

1. New Haven (11-2, 8-0 NE-10)

The Chargers are clearly back in the national view after their run to the quarterfinals. Coach Rossomando has done a masterful job getting New Haven back from nothing in 2008 to the playoff run this year. He will have some players to replace in 2012 but also has a lot of talent back. Ryan Osiecki will be back under center next year and that is good news for the Chargers and bad news for their opponents. He has a lot of offensive weapons back and they will all be hungry to achieve more than they did in 2011.

2. Southern Connecticut (7-3, 6-2 NE-10)

The Owls were in the playoff picture until the final weekend of the regular season. They have a lot of talent to replace in 2012 with the graduation of Rashaad Slowley. But if you have followed Southern Connecticut over the years, there is another running back stud in the stable who will take over next fall. Jacob Jablonski will take over the offense from Kevin Lynch but will have a number of new faces around him.

3. Merrimack (6-4, 5-3 NE-10)

The Warriors were in good position several times this season to make a run at the NE-10 title. But both times they were stopped by the weather. They lost at Assumption in the middle of October in the rain and a rain/snow storm in the second half against New Haven stopped them as well. Merrimack will need to replace three of the better players to play for the Warriors in James Suozzo, Shawn Loiseau and Tony Johnson.

4. Bentley (6-4, 5-3 NE-10)

The Falcons had high hopes for the season but a tough stretch in the middle of the season derailed any playoff hopes. They will be hit hard by graduation as they lose their quarterback Bryant Johnson who has helped Bentley to a lot of success in the previous couple of seasons. But Bentley always seems to have people in the wings to replace graduating upperclassmen.

5. AIC (6-4, 5-3 NE-10)

The Yellow Jackets were the surprise team of the league in 2011. They had a young team that gelled early and finished higher than most people though except themselves. Kevin Arduino emerged as a quality quarterback and helped AIC to score points. After some early season struggles, they scored at least 35 points in four of their final five games. They will be in the mix for the league title next year as their defense is always solid.

6. Stonehill (4-7, 3-5 NE-10)

The Skyhawks finished the season strong again but it is the first two months of the season that they need to find that magic. They played some of the top teams in the league tough for 60 minutes but were not able to end up on the winning side of the scoreboard. Stonehill loses their dynamic kick returner Stephan Neville but has a young team who should be able to make some noise.

7. Assumption (4-6, 3-5 NE-10)

The Greyhounds seemed to have a better season than their final record indicated. They played toe to toe with the iron of the NE-10 but were only able to defeat one team ahead of them in the final standings, Merrimack. Assumption struggled to put together 60 minutes of football until midway through the season. They have a young nucleus that should learn from their mistakes this season to make 2012 a more success season.


8. St. Anselm (1-9, 1-7 NE-10)

The Hawks continue their rebuilding process as they were only able to win one games this season. The first two weeks featured a lot of points but the offense was not able to find that magic week in and week out for the rest of the season. St. Anselm will need to find more players like Marc Wilson who will go down as one of the best players in the program's history.

9. Pace (1-9, 0-8 NE-10)

The Setters appeared to have turned the corner in week two when they defeated Stonehill in overtime. But they struggled in league play and were not able to repeat the success of that game. The team is extremely young and learned a lot about playing college football this year. It will take Pace a couple more recruiting classes in order to get the team consistently in the top tier of the league.

2012 Predictions

Here are my early picks for the 2012 season.

1. New Haven
2. AIC
3. Merrimack
4. Southern Connecticut
5. Bentley
6. Assumption
7. Stonehill
8. St. Anselm
9. Pace

It was a great ride in 2011 and I am looking forward to 2012 already.