New Haven Football.

[CWP '68]

Re: New Haven Football.

Cwfenn: I think Big East football would have survived if they had included Penn State from Day One. Yeah, they might have dominated the conference for a few years, but that would have been an incentive for other schools to build up their own programs in order to compete.

[cwfenn]

Re: New Haven Football.

Cwfenn: I think Big East football would have survived if they had included Penn State from Day One. Yeah, they might have dominated the conference for a few years, but that would have been an incentive for other schools to build up their own programs in order to compete.

Good point - PSU in the Big East would have transformed the conference, and Paterno didn't want it. Sad that it broke up the way it did, Big East basketball was must-see TV when I was younger.

[cwfenn]

Re: New Haven Football.

That wouldn't surprise me at all if that was the case. Right now those are the top 3 programs in the conference and (I think in New Haven's and Assumption's cases, can't speak for Post or the rest of the conference) on good financial footing. I think given the voting there should have been a compromise and a title game between the top two teams.

[NE10Fan]

Re: New Haven Football.

Even if Franklin Fierce joining football, there will be only nine teams in the conference, each team will still need 2 out of conference opponents to make a 10 game season. It might not be right away but geographically, the PSAC or even the MEC make a lot of sense. New Haven used to traveled much further than all teams from Super Region 1 to play football anyway. I don't think NE10 is a good fit for a team like New Haven for a long term, so I don't think other options are bad ideas. As far as moving up to D1, it would be the last resort to do IMO.

The NE10 could go forward with the 9 teams, with one out of conference game for 9 games, then bring back the Championship game for the 10th game.

[Paul Falewicz]

Re: New Haven Football.

The NE10 could go forward with the 9 teams, with one out of conference game for 9 games, then bring back the Championship game for the 10th game.

The coaches get together right after the season is complete. They will discuss the options and make a decision on the future. It might go that they add the 10th game as the championship game for the top 2 teams and the other 7 are done at point.

I am sure that they will have a bunch of options to discuss as OOC games are tougher in Week 2 than Week 1 because of the PSAC crossovers and then travel costs to go south to the MEC or west to the GMAC.

[NewHaven Alum]

Re: New Haven Football.

The coaches get together right after the season is complete. They will discuss the options and make a decision on the future. It might go that they add the 10th game as the championship game for the top 2 teams and the other 7 are done at point.

I am sure that they will have a bunch of options to discuss as OOC games are tougher in Week 2 than Week 1 because of the PSAC crossovers and then travel costs to go south to the MEC or west to the GMAC.

Yeah I could see the costs and all, but how bad would it be if it's just one game a year to travel? and if it's a home and home deal, then it's just gonna be once every other year that they will need to travel. Like I have mentioned earlier, New Haven used to travel much further than all the teams from this region just to play football. Last year New Haven came to North Carolina to play Shaw and I was there. If this conference wants to or commits to have football, sometime they will have to travel period.

[Paul Falewicz]

Re: New Haven Football.

Yeah I could see the costs and all, but how bad would it be if it's just one game a year to travel? and if it's a home and home deal, then it's just gonna be once every other year that they will need to travel. Like I have mentioned earlier, New Haven used to travel much further than all the teams from this region just to play football. Last year New Haven came to North Carolina to play Shaw and I was there. If this conference wants to or commits to have football, sometime they will have to travel period.

Two teams didn't play OOC games this year so adding a 2nd one for them might be an issue due to money. Yes, one might be at home and one on the road but if they schedule a FCS team, they will not travel to a D2 field.

Teams will need to get more creative in scheduling until they can find a 10th member of the league. Some teams like New Haven are willing to play for the travel whereas others will not.

[Chargers Nation]

Re: New Haven Football.

Two teams didn't play OOC games this year so adding a 2nd one for them might be an issue due to money. Yes, one might be at home and one on the road but if they schedule a FCS team, they will not travel to a D2 field.

Teams will need to get more creative in scheduling until they can find a 10th member of the league. Some teams like New Haven are willing to play for the travel whereas others will not.

I also agree New Haven needs to find a new conference to join. When fans are not coming out to games to support their own teams and schools are not willing to travel to play football, then it's time to move on.

[NewHaven Alum]

Re: New Haven Football.

I also agree New Haven needs to find a new conference to join. When fans are not coming out to games to support their own teams and schools are not will to travel to play football, then it's time to move on.

Well, when they don't have enough teams for a 10 game season then teams need to find other options.

[cwfenn]

Re: New Haven Football.

I also agree New Haven needs to find a new conference to join. When fans are not coming out to games to support their own teams and schools are not willing to travel to play football, then it's time to move on.

Unless New Haven looks to move up to D1 I think the NE10 is the only place they can be. However, I think the PSAC (the only other football-sponsoring D2 conference nearby) is quite happy with Shepherd and having even divisions, maybe they would be more open to letting New Haven in as an affiliate if one of their non-football schools (like Pitt-Johnstown) decided to start a program or if another school drops out of the PSAC.

I honestly don't want to see New Haven move up and join LIU and Merrimack in the NEC (if they are even considering the move). The NEC is very low in D1, and I think that despite the issues the NE10 is having with football, the conference is a good fit for New Haven for many of their other sports. In the NE10 New Haven can place multiple teams in the NCAA tournament each year and potentially win games in those tournaments - last year volleyball got to the quarterfinals and women's basketball did the same a few years earlier. Track and field has been quite good as well. Sure, there has been a limit to how far the programs have gone once they got that far (you can say that for pretty much every school that doesn't win it all), but they have a far better chance at success in D2 than they do in D1. Think of what would happen with women's basketball if they went D1 and managed to win the NEC - last year's champs St. Francis (PA) got a 16th seed and lost 140-52 to UConn. In other words, no shot.

After the defections New Haven will likely be the top-drawing football team in the NE10 - this year they have drawn over 4000 a game and the rest of the conference's schools don't get half that, provided the numbers are right. Unless the CACC or ECC decide to shock everyone and decide to sponsor football, I think New Haven's (and Assumption's, since they're at the top of the conference) role needs to be to help lead the NE10 to a healthy balance in sponsoring football while holding to their mission. If New Haven and Assumption stay good next year and 2-3 other schools get better and become more competitive with teams from other conferences, then is the NE10 really that bad a place to be if the conference champs can win games in the playoffs like Assumption, Post, and New Haven have recently?

As long as there are a decent number of teams, I think the NE10 can still be OK with football. I worry St. Anselm may drop the sport given its lack of success, but then again, we can look at Pace and Assumption to see what could happen with a good coach and recruiting.

Warts and all, the NE10 is one of the most important reasons why New Haven brought back football in the first place, and as a fan, I'm quite appreciative of that.

(Dang, sorry about the Russian novel-length post here.)