OFFICIAL 2008 Schedule Released

[danefan]

http://www.ualbanysports.com/ViewArt...ATCLID=1404602

 

8/30 at UMass#

9/6 vs Fordham#

9/13 at Hofstra

9/20 at UNH#

9/27 at Delaware#

10/4 at Duquense*

10/11 vs. Central Conn.*

10/18 at Sacred Heart*

10/25 vs St. Francis*

11/1 vs. Monmouth*

11/8 at Robert Morris*

11/15 vs. Wagner*

 

*NEC game

#2007 Playoff Participant (Delaware - finalist; UMass - semifinalist)

 

 

BRUTAL first 7 weeks. Brutal

[danefan]

Can anyone tell me why we can't get ONE OOC game late in the season? Just one.....let the team grow a little bit during the season before we go out play these tough OOC games!

[UAalum72]

Can anyone tell me why we can't get ONE OOC game late in the season? Just one.....let the team grow a little bit during the season before we go out play these tough OOC games!

Almost everybody plays their OOC in September. Nobody wants to interrupt the league schedule late in the season.

 

I don't know why they listed CCSU and Monmouth for 1:00 starts. I thought the 4:00 start worked well.

 

(Fordham at 6:00, St. Francis 4:00, Wagner 1:00 is OK in mid-November)

[danefan]

Can anyone tell me why we can't get ONE OOC game late in the season? Just one.....let the team grow a little bit during the season before we go out play these tough OOC games!

Almost everybody plays their OOC in September. Nobody wants to interrupt the league schedule late in the season.

 

 

I know, but we are in a little different situation here. We need to break up our OOC schedule with our "easy" league games.

[danefan]

Adding Duquense to the NEC will be good, but man it really changes the travel situation. We used to have to only go to Western PA once a year. Now it will be twice a year in every other year.

 

This year is especially tough considering we have to go to Newark, DE and then to Pittsburgh the very next week. I hope they fly to Pittsburgh.

[danefan]

FWIW, there may be some scheduling discrepancy here.

 

Rhode Island already announced their schedule which includes them playing at Fordham on Sept. 6th.

 

http://gorhody.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/sc...otbl-sched.html

 

Interesting.

[UAalum72]

FWIW, there may be some scheduling discrepancy here.

 

Rhode Island already announced their schedule which includes them playing at Fordham on Sept. 6th.

 

http://gorhody.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/sc...otbl-sched.html

 

Interesting.

Heard today we had a verbal agreement with Fordham but Rhode Island had a written one. We're looking for a home game on Sept. 6 but will resume the series with Fordham next year.

[danefan]

Maybe its for the better. I hope they don't fill the game and just take a bye week.

 

At this point most schools worth playing have filled their schedules. I'd rather have a bye-week then play a crappy team, even if it is at home.

[danefan]

And BTW........Rutgers has an open date on 9/6.......if we only had 53 scholarships......

[UAalum72]

According to the lists on AGS, Northeastern and Villanova have open dates that day, but who knows if they'd be willing to play here.

 

It's tough building a fan base with only four home games a year.

[danefan]

Looking at it again. We really do need a home game that day. If not, we won't have our home opener until October 11th against Central which will be a tough game. That would suck.

 

Now the question is....who can we play?

 

Northeastern probably wouldn't come to us because they are:

@ Ball State on 8/28

off the 6th

@ Georgia Southern 9/13

@ Syracuse 9/20

 

That puts them at a likely 0-3 and we are not even close to a guaranteed win for them. I don't think they'd care about the stadium issue, as their stadium stinks too, but I just think four road games won't be likely for them especially since they have two FBS games in there.

 

 

Villanova may make sense but I don't think they'll come to us. They are at West Virginia on the 30th and then home against Lehigh on the 13th, so a game with us fits, but I doubt they'd come to us.

 

Illinois State is also a potential. They are out of the Gateway Football Conferece. They ended up 4-7 last year and below us in GPI. Its a winnable game for us but will they come to us? They get 10,000+ at their games so I don't know.

 

Chattanooga also has an opening on the 6th. They finished 2-9 out of the Socon last year and were also below us in the GPI. They get around 6,000 or 7,000 at their games, so they shouldn't be too dissapointed with the 5,000 or so we'll get at the first home game.

[ATL_DANE]

Looking at it again. We really do need a home game that day. If not, we won't have our home opener until October 11th against Central which will be a tough game. That would suck.

 

Now the question is....who can we play?

 

Northeastern probably wouldn't come to us because they are:

@ Ball State on 8/28

off the 6th

@ Georgia Southern 9/13

@ Syracuse 9/20

 

That puts them at a likely 0-3 and we are not even close to a guaranteed win for them. I don't think they'd care about the stadium issue, as their stadium stinks too, but I just think four road games won't be likely for them especially since they have two FBS games in there.

 

 

Villanova may make sense but I don't think they'll come to us. They are at West Virginia on the 30th and then home against Lehigh on the 13th, so a game with us fits, but I doubt they'd come to us.

 

Illinois State is also a potential. They are out of the Gateway Football Conferece. They ended up 4-7 last year and below us in GPI. Its a winnable game for us but will they come to us? They get 10,000+ at their games so I don't know.

 

Chattanooga also has an opening on the 6th. They finished 2-9 out of the Socon last year and were also below us in the GPI. They get around 6,000 or 7,000 at their games, so they shouldn't be too dissapointed with the 5,000 or so we'll get at the first home game.

 

Not to hijack this thread but since this is the football thread, any word on conferences or scholarships? There was a lot of talk about a split of the CAA in 2010. Any news there? Also, we're up to 30 scholarships now? I guess we're just in a holding pattern until something opens up in another conference, right? I'd love to see a lower FBS on the schedule but we can't play them at their home until we're up to 50 scholarships, correct? Sorry for the questions, I'm just trying to see if there was any news or rumors I may have missed relative to football. I guess we should learn the fate of the stadium this week also, right?

[UAalum72]

Central Connecticut did play Western Michigan last year but that was a puzzling move for WMU since you're correct in that we're not a counter for Bowl Eligibility purposes until we average 56.5 scholarships over two years.

 

I guess the Northeast Conference meeting is next month.

[ATL_DANE]

Central Connecticut did play Western Michigan last year but that was a puzzling move for WMU since you're correct in that we're not a counter for Bowl Eligibility purposes until we average 56.5 scholarships over two years.

 

I guess the Northeast Conference meeting is next month.

 

 

Thanks for the update UAalum72.

 

I guess the significant events we're looking for is the budget and it's affect on a stadium as well as the NEC meeting next month. We'll see if they raise the scholly level. I would think there is little value in raising it if you can't at least get to this 56.5 level. At least we could get some money games.

[danefan]

Rumor is there will be a vote next month to increase the limit to 40 scholarships.

 

I'd love for them just to vote now to continue to increase the limit 10 a year (until 63) to accomodate each year's recruiting class.

 

Lets face it. The kids on scholarship right now (the full 30) are either incoming, redshirt frosh or sopsh. Those kids aren't going anywhere at the end of this year. Who then, do we recruit next year? We wouldn't have any (maybe a few from scholarship kids leaving) to give to new recruits. Without increasing the rides we're going to end up with a wave-like recruiting cycle, which would stink.

 

Just vote to go to the 56.6 average, at least, and implement over two or three years.

 

Just an aside and a little twisting of the knife.....Stony Brook plays at Rutgers next year............