Is the ECAC Classic Game gone with?

[GreatDanes06]

did they get rid of that game after last year? Can UA qualify for any type of "bowl game" if they win the conference?

[Dane Pound]

As far as I remember one of the Pittsburgh papers had a story that the ECAC bowl was cancelled sometime over the winter. Nothing on the NEC site about it so I guess it is gone.

 

As far as a post-season game I'm sure there are other people on the board more knowledgeable about that. I'm pretty sure the 1-AA playoffs have at-large selections of the highest ranked teams. I don't think Albany realistically would have a shot at one of those spots. Although the year we played Duqeunse in the ECAC bowl they were ranked #24 in 1-AA. I'm not sure that would have got them a playoff spot though.

[DaneFan2k3]

I believe the at-large spots always go to the scholarship schools. It may even be a rule that a non-scholarship I-AA team can't get them but I won't go as far to say that without knowing for sure. The ECAC Bowl I think died with the MAAC began to die.

[Dane96]

ECAC bowl is dead. All IAA teams are eligible for the playoffs....if we hadn't destroyed the Dukes they may have been the first non-scholly invited.

[DaneFan2k3]

I looked on I-AA.org and it says that anyone can be invited, scholarship or not.

 

But since it is 8 automatic qualifiers and 8 at-large schools, not only would you have to rank among the Top 16, scholarship and non-scholarship, but you'd also have to hope that no one got upset in a conference title game (i.e. someone outside the Top 16 upsets a Top 16 team and gets the auto berth).

 

I found an article on teh message board that someone down south was trying to get it expanded to 24 teams becuase their conference is due for an automatic berth but they won't give it to them, since they don't want to make it 9-7 auto-atlarge. So he is trying to expand the tournament.

[Dane96]

Actually, there has been talk, as well, of expanding to 32 teams if the NCAA reclassifies all IA schools as IA (no IA and IAA football....just IA).

[UAalum72]

I believe the at-large spots always go to the scholarship schools.  It may even be a rule that a non-scholarship I-AA team can't get them but I won't go as far to say that without knowing for sure. 

All I-AA teams are eligible, but only half of the 16 spots go to automatic bids, and realistically MAAC, NEC and Pioneer League teams won't have a power rating high enough to get an at-large bid (they've NEVER gotten one yet). Even IF Albany went undefeated, AND Lehigh & Fordham then were 1-2 in the Patriot, Hofstra won the A-10, and Brown the Ivy, the rest of the NEC would pull the SOS below what we'd need.

 

With the Great West Conf. being formed and the Big South wanting an auto-bid (if they ever get six teams), either a current league will lose a bid, or they'll have to expand the playoffs, and then maybe the limited-scholarship leagues might get a bid. But I still wouldn't count on it.

 

The only thing that would help would be if we and the rest of the NEC also could start winning a lot of the challenge games - 3 vs. the A-10, 5 vs. the Patriot, 1 Ivy, 4 Pioneer and 1 Duquesne this year, and the league can't afford to lose any to the MAAC.

Edited August 21, 2004 by UAalum72

[DaneFan2k3]

With the Great West Conf. being formed and the Big South wanting an auto-bid (if they ever get six teams)

The Big South did get their six teams, I went back and that was the commissioner pushing for the 24-team field. Right now they don't have an automatic bid even though they are technically (by having six teams) eligible for it.

 

A good compromise would be to just have a I-AA scholarshop and I-AA non-scholarship playoff. Realistically the I-AA non-scholarship teams have nothing to play for right now.

[UAalum72]

Maybe the BS (somebody wasn't thinking) Conference has another member signed for the future, but for this year it's still five. Big South preseason poll

Anyway they're still too weak to deserve one of eight bids.

 

An NCAA proposal for a 4-team non-scholarship playoff, that took almost two years to go thru the approval process, was shot down in the final step last year. The NCAA reasoning was they didn't want to encourage colleges to reduce the number of scholarships ("reduce athletic opportunities") they had to give. The number of 'mid-major', reduced-scholly schools is down to 20, St. Peter's looks real shaky, and some other MAAC programs don't look too healthy either. If Albany, Stony Brook and a couple of others upgrade, there won't be enough teams to have a playoff for.

[DaneFan2k3]

That's what I get for skimming. The article was a hyptothetical based on the BSC commissioner talking to schools about getting to the six limit.