fb 2023 Game #12: 11/18/23 - 1:00PM vs Monmouth (Regular Season Finale)

[bob87]

1 hour ago, UAalum72 said:

The incorrect totals were mine, not thinking about the 21 point max. Thanks for the update, it’s a lot more doable.

By a lot. I’d like that bye week

Plus keep the athletic department busy the weekend of 12/2. Mens basketball home vs Dartmouth and women basketball home against some lower level team. Be nice to see how the handle a football home game if albany gets a bye week 

[UAalum72]

Weekly polls out. Any Given Saturday poll has Delaware 6, Albany 8, Villanova 9, Richmond 26.

Stats Perform top 25 has Delaware 7, Villanova 10, Albany 12, and Richmond 28.

FCS Coaches' Poll has Delaware 6, Villanova 15, Albany 23. Richmond has 1 vote in\ 35th place, also behind William & Mary and Rhode Island.

IVISION I FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEE'S TOP 10 RANKINGS haven't been published for a couple of weeks, That one might be be the most important if they put out an update before the selection.

Looks like unless we win the autobid we won't get a bye. In fact even if we do, that means Nova beat Delaware, and they might be ranked ahead of us for a bye even if the tiebreaker gives us the auto 

Edited November 13, 2023 by UAalum72

[Eli]

Updated stat rankings for the last game. Noticeable takeaways:

1. We are BY FAR the best run defense. We are clear of the next best team by almost 30 yards/game. IMPRESSIVE.
2. We are 1 of 3 team who are perfect from PAT. Monmouth is the worst and has missed 5 PATs.
3. Similarly, Monmouth only makes 44% (on 9 attempts) of their FGs which suggests they don't go for them often. 4 down territory all game long.
4. Monmouth has given up the 13th most sacks at 26...we've given up 14th most at 30. Defensive lines EAT against us. BUT, we also eat against them (league leading 35 for the year) where Monmouth only has 20. Advantage UAlbany.
5. Albany completes 33.3% on 4th down. Monmouth completes at 56.4% (see #3 above). Luckily we hold opponents to 43.3% conversion...so hopefully that leans our way vs the other direction.

[HOF2013]

10 hours ago, DanesRGood said:

At least there is good info out there but yes, confusing.  So many sceanrios.

 

Posted this on my FB page.   Villanova and W & M need to help us a little and we need to win.

[UAalum72]

23 hours ago, bob87 said:

Plus keep the athletic department busy the weekend of 12/2. Mens basketball home vs Dartmouth and women basketball home against some lower level team. Be nice to see how the handle a football home game if albany gets a bye week 

All the second-round playoff games will be played on December 2. With the women at 2:00 and the men's game at 7:00, would they change start times to squeeze football in between them, or would we play a late-night game in December? Or like the Big 10 have 11:00 football?

[cwdickens]

3 hours ago, UAalum72 said:

All the second-round playoff games will be played on December 2. With the women at 2:00 and the men's game at 7:00, would they change start times to squeeze football in between them, or would we play a late-night game in December? Or like the Big 10 have 11:00 football?

I guess the time to worry about schedule conflicts comes after Sunday.

[cwdickens]

From today's Times Union:

UALBANY FOOTBALL

 

1st CAA title a win away

Danes, picked 11th in preseason, could nab automatic FCS bid

 

By Mark Singelais

Lori Van Buren/Times Union

UAlbany coach Greg Gattuso said he’s focused on Monmouth more than the chance to win a share of the CAA championship.

Jim Franco/Times Union

William & Mary junior Hollis Mathis makes a catch in front of UAlbany senior Bill Hackett on Nov. 4 at Casey Stadium in Albany.

The University at Albany football team, picked 11th in the preseason coaches poll, is playing Saturday for a share of the program’s first Coastal Athletic Association championship.

If the Great Danes (8-3 overall, 6-1 CAA) beat Monmouth in the regular-season finale at Casey Stadium, they’ll finish in a two-or three-way tie for first and be recognized as league co-champion.

 

“From our standpoint, we’ve talked a lot about just, we’ve got to win a game,” UAlbany head coach Greg Gattuso said on Monday’s media conference call. “We’ve got a big game to play against a high-quality opponent, but yeah, it’s huge. This would be our first CAA title and it’s something that’s important to us. It’s why we play the game. It’s part of the goals we have every year when you go into it, is to make the playoffs and have a chance to win your conference. We’re really excited about it, but we spent the year just focusing on individual games.”

UAlbany enters Saturday in a four-way tie for first with Delaware, Richmond and Villanova. Delaware and Villanova play each other while Richmond travels to William & Mary.

While the Great Danes have practically locked up an at-large bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, they can still earn the CAA’s automatic bid on Saturday.

UAlbany will get the automatic bid if it finishes in a two-way tie with Villanova for first place because the Great Danes beat the Wildcats 31-10 on Sept. 30 in Albany. UAlbany can’t win a two-way tiebreaker with Delaware because it would come down to common opponents, and the Great Danes lost to New Hampshire, a team the Blue Hens defeated.

The Great Danes could win a three-way tiebreaker, but it’s murkier because it will involve point differential in conference games, which will change based on Saturday’s scores.

Getting the automatic FCS bid could strengthen UAlbany’s case for a top-eight seed and a first-round bye when the NCAA announces the 24-team field at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU.

“Obviously, (a first-round bye) would be great, but we’re really focused on trying to win this football game,” Gattuso said. “We’re in rarified air and we feel like this is a big game for us as every game has been leading up to it. This conference is really tough. Anybody can get you at any day. You see it week in, week out. You’ve got to go out and play a really tough team in a big game and we need to focus on that. We’ll worry about the other stuff afterward.”

UAlbany moved up in the polls on Monday, rising from No. 18 to No. 12 in the Stats Perform Top 25 and from 25th to 23rd in the FCS coaches poll, the one that’s used by the selection committee.

The Great Danes have the top-ranked rushing defense in FCS at 79.8 yards per game. It will be tested by Monmouth running back Jaden Shirden, who leads the nation with 1,429 rushing yards.

Monmouth is 4-6, 3-4.

[UAalum72]

31 minutes ago, cwdickens said:

I guess the time to worry about schedule conflicts comes after Sunday.

12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 19, on ESPNU to be exact.

Speculation and worry are what message boards are for.

[UAalum72]

Gattuso said on the radio today that the autobid has no effect on seeding, so if the Coaches’ Poll is what the committee looks at I don’t have much hope for a second-round home game

[ctdanes]

The coaches poll is laughable. Not only in our situation. Just in general 

[B9j2j6s]

Just win baby win.  We are playing with house money at this point no one expected this season to go so well.  

[cwdickens]

The weather forecast for the greater Capital District: 

Tonight: Showers, mainly before 5am. Low around 42. South wind 7 to 14 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday:  A chance of showers, mainly before 7am. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 48. North wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

[jimbo]

Did you know that Ori Jean-Charles was a very good dual threat QB in HS in addition to being an OLB? He’s about 30 lbs heavier now, bet he’d make a heck of a wildcat. 

[MRuler 79]

I imagine the team must be out of their minds with excitement that they can win the CAA or at least a part of the CAA. I can't see them playing tight tomorrow. I see them playing loose and lights out knowing they went from worst to first!! 

[UAalum72]

Massey predicts a 31-27 win, 61%. Sagarin also predicts about a 4-point win. RealtimeRPI predicts a 35-15 win, 92.4% (!!!)