New Poll
First, the 'Era Poll' is finally history. It had a great turn out and sparked some very interesting discussion. The final result is that readers of The 13 Yard Line chose the Biddle Years over the 1930's 53% to 47%. Clearly we have a divided opinion here!
Next up: the Northeast Conference (NEC). I've spent a lot of time this past week discussing and debating the scheduling of the NEC and the impact their new scholarship policy may have on the Patriot League and Colgate in particular. In case you did not know, the NEC was a need-based league like the Patriot but put a cap of 30 equivalencies per team. 'Equivalency' is an NCAA term for the amount of money that equals one full scholarship. The Patriot has no such cap and therefore most teams are around the 50 equivalencies mark. The limit in I-AA is 63.
For this recruiting season, the NEC has changed from need-based aid like the Patriot to athletic scholarships like the majority of I-AA but has kept the 30 cap and also has a cap of no more than 10 per year.
So take some time to think about what that may mean for the Patriot League (stroll on over to the Don Hansen forum to catch up on the debate I've been having if you like) and cast your vote!
Next up: the Northeast Conference (NEC). I've spent a lot of time this past week discussing and debating the scheduling of the NEC and the impact their new scholarship policy may have on the Patriot League and Colgate in particular. In case you did not know, the NEC was a need-based league like the Patriot but put a cap of 30 equivalencies per team. 'Equivalency' is an NCAA term for the amount of money that equals one full scholarship. The Patriot has no such cap and therefore most teams are around the 50 equivalencies mark. The limit in I-AA is 63.
For this recruiting season, the NEC has changed from need-based aid like the Patriot to athletic scholarships like the majority of I-AA but has kept the 30 cap and also has a cap of no more than 10 per year.
So take some time to think about what that may mean for the Patriot League (stroll on over to the Don Hansen forum to catch up on the debate I've been having if you like) and cast your vote!
posted by colgate13 at
11:14 PM
11 Comments:
I imagine that some of those scholarships will be awarded to existing players. So the impact on recruiting may not be as significant as one may think, at least in the short term. Down the road, we will lose recruits to these leagues and their level of play will improve much to the detriment of the Patriot schools.
By
Anonymous, at 12:12 PM
Colgate will not be able to compete with the New Hampshires and Delawares of the world until they offer scholaships. It will be a sad day when we say that Colgate will not be able to compete with the Marists and Wagners of the world.
I am a new follower of Colgate football. Is it the academic integrity of the institution that is at the heart of the matter for the Patriot league?
By
Anonymous, at 12:26 PM
Some clarification:
I do believe the 10 scholarships are for this class going forward. I think the impact will be a better freshman class that plays more.
Marist is in the MAAC, not the NEC. Wagner on the other hand... The real sleeping giants in the NEC are actually the public schools. CCSU, Albany, Stony Brook... Stony Brook has a very nice facility and Albany is doing something soon too. Those programs could eventually find themselves looking for an A-10 league alternative in the future.
To answer the question though, the heart of the matter seems to be the perception of football scholarships as brining in an inferior student and some, IMO, ill founded Title IX concerns. In reality, I think the whole PL football scholarship comes down to some leadership at some key schools that is still hanging on to the Ivy League ideal and wanting to rub elbows with them.
By
colgate13, at 1:17 PM
I attended the Family Weekend at Colgate (Lehigh game)and I overheard a visiting parent behind me say to his daughter that he was surprised that Colgate would lower its standards to admit football players. It's not just the leadership. It is alumni and families who have never seen the value that athletics bring to an academic institution such as Colgate or any other PL team. Sure, football might give some kid a hook who might not otherwise have qualified but these kids are graduating which should be the indicator. If these kids weren't "Colgate material" they wouldn't graduate. These are well-rounded kids who bring more to a campus than SAT scores. Heaven forbid we give them a scholarship!
By
Anonymous, at 7:13 PM
Don't be surprised to see Albany follow Buffalo into D-IA not too far down the road. That plan was on the drawing board a few years ago.
By
Anonymous, at 7:25 PM
In which case Buffalo will only be the second worst team in Div. 1A. If you remember right, Cogate beat Div. 1A Buffalo a few years back.
By
Anonymous, at 8:11 PM
Yes, but I also remember Buffalo beating Colgate in 1994 and 1996 when they were gearing up for D-IA.
By
Anonymous, at 8:24 PM
I stand corrected. I should research before commenting.
My point really is that it takes more than scholarships to have a successful 1AA program. I don't think 1A Buffalo or even a future 1A Albany can compete in the A10. Maybe I am wrong. There is no storied football history at either of those schools. Scholarships don't necessarily breed success. Colgate on the other hand is rich in football tradition. Scholarships would have a great impact on that program and they could compete with the the big 1AA's. I suppose UConn is an exception. They are rapidly on the rise without any great tradition but, by and large, success, not scholarships, breeds success.
By
Anonymous, at 8:47 PM
"I attended the Family Weekend at Colgate (Lehigh game)and I overheard a visiting parent behind me say to his daughter that he was surprised that Colgate would lower its standards to admit football players."
There are so many things wrong with this statement it is not even funny. How I wish I was there to challenge it!
The idea that Colgate has a standard for all students than then lowers them for athletes of any sort is ridiculous. There is no 'standard'. There are ranges of attributes for all sorts of things with grades/SATs just being one of them. If that parent wants to go down that path, he should choke on this:
-Colgate 'lowers its standards' for domestic students. International students generally have higher SATs and GPAs then U.S. students.
-Colgate 'lowers its standards' for male students. Female students bring in higher scores and grades on average.
-Colgate 'lowers it standards' for rich students. We are not need-blind. We turn away better qualified kids that need money in favor of those that don't so that we can pay for everything.
-Colgate 'lowers it standards' for important alumni or development issues.
-I wonder what this parent would think of the OUS program by the way...
Fact is, there are plenty of avenues and areas to get into a great college. It is not all about SAT scores/grades. Football (and athletics in general) is just an easy target.
What an ignorant fool. I wonder how entertained he would be at that game if the team was made up soley of 'standard' students! Even at the Princetons of the world, the 'standard' is lowered!
And yes - Colgate football players DO graduate and DO go on to be very successful in life. Isn't that the point of college anyway?
By
colgate13, at 1:28 PM
Thank you 13. I wish I had been informed and articulate enough to have responded in such a way.
By
Anonymous, at 5:10 PM
regarding Buffalo...
They do have a long football history. They been playing since the 1890s, except for some WWII years and the mid 1970s when they dropped football. They are 7-8 against Colgate.
Interestingly, they tried with some success to gear up their schedule in the 1960s. The mid to late 1960s saw the likes of NCState, Iowa State, Virginia Tech on the schedules and they frequently played and beat BC, Delaware, HC, Colgate and other teams that they now play. They got too successful and dropped football after the 1970 season and picked it back up as D-III in 1977. My guess is that they won't be a doormat much longer now that Turner Gill is coach.
There is some Colgate connection to Buffalo, too. Their winningest coach is a former Colgate assistant and former Colgate AD Bob Demming was coach there in 1969-1970, before they dropped to D-III.
By
Anonymous, at 8:21 AM
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