Gridiron Classic confirmed (2nd Place NEC vs. PFL Champ)

[danefan]

This rumor (and it is still just a RUMOR) is one of the more absurd things that I have heard in a long time.

So are you saying you don't think the AD of an NEC team knows whether the NEC is playing in "two post season games this year" as he said on National TV?

[CoachL]

This rumor (and it is still just a RUMOR) is one of the more absurd things that I have heard in a long time.

So are you saying you don't think the AD of an NEC team knows whether the NEC is playing in "two post season games this year" as he said on National TV?

Uh... Yes, that is pretty much exactly what I am saying.

People "misspeak" all the time. There has been no confirmation from either the NEC or the PFL. In fact, the last words on the subject from the PFL were that the Gridiron Classic is over. Done. Finished. Period.

For the PFL, the idea of the PFL "champion" (whomever that may be and however it may be determined) playing the #2 from the NEC is a lose-lose proposition.

Win the game, and the PFL champ "only beat the runner-up in the NEC" which means nothing.

Lose the game, and the PFL champ "lost to the runner-up in the NEC" which means "the NEC is superior (this year) to the PFL."

I'm more of an "NEC guy" now than a "PFL guy", but the only Gridiron Classic that I would like to see between the NEC and the PFL is Butler vs. Duquesne for my own personal family reasons. Anything else is garbage, IMHO.

Folks bring up the fact that the FBS plays meaningless, useless Bowl games all the time. That's fine for them because there is $$$$$$$$$$$ involved. Lots of $$$$$$$$$, even for the participants in the Ty-D-Bowl.

Gridiron Classic? Not so much.

All that said, I'm not saying that an NEC #2 vs. PFL Champion Gridiron Classic game cannot and will not take place in 2010. I'm just saying that it would be unfortunate if it did. Goodness know that stranger, more absurd things do happen in this world!

[danefan]

So are you saying you don't think the AD of an NEC team knows whether the NEC is playing in "two post season games this year" as he said on National TV?

Uh... Yes, that is pretty much exactly what I am saying.

People "misspeak" all the time. There has been no confirmation from either the NEC or the PFL. In fact, the last words on the subject from the PFL were that the Gridiron Classic is over. Done. Finished. Period.

For the PFL, the idea of the PFL "champion" (whomever that may be and however it may be determined) playing the #2 from the NEC is a lose-lose proposition.

Win the game, and the PFL champ "only beat the runner-up in the NEC" which means nothing.

Lose the game, and the PFL champ "lost to the runner-up in the NEC" which means "the NEC is superior (this year) to the PFL."

I'm more of an "NEC guy" now than a "PFL guy", but the only Gridiron Classic that I would like to see between the NEC and the PFL is Butler vs. Duquesne for my own personal family reasons. Anything else is garbage, IMHO.

Folks bring up the fact that the FBS plays meaningless, useless Bowl games all the time. That's fine for them because there is $$$$$$$$$$$ involved. Lots of $$$$$$$$$, even for the participants in the Ty-D-Bowl.

Gridiron Classic? Not so much.

All that said, I'm not saying that an NEC #2 vs. PFL Champion Gridiron Classic game cannot and will not take place in 2010. I'm just saying that it would be unfortunate if it did. Goodness know that stranger, more absurd things do happen in this world!

I share your thoughts on everything regarding the game.

But I'm 100% confident the game is happening or at least the NEC thinks its happening.

[CoachL]

Until I see something a little more official that contradicts the following, I'll stick with the "rumor" label.

(This seems like a story on which the folks at CSN should follow up.)

http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews. ... ion?blog=2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

CSN: Gridiron Classic Comes to Close, Pioneer Continues Pursuit of AQ

ST. LOUIS - After a four year relationship between the Pioneer Football League and Northeast Conference, the Gridiron Classic will cease to exist according to information provided to College Sporting News writer Jason Plotkin.

The Gridiron Classic was started in 2006 and featured a postseason contest between champions of the PFL and NEC. The PFL won three out of the four games, including a 28-23 victory by Butler over Central Connecticut at the conclusion of the 2009 season.

According to PFL spokesperson Cody Bush, the game was not renewed after the NEC acquired an automatic bid for its champion to compete for the NCAA Division I Football Championship.

The NEC along with the Big South will send their regular season conference champions to the NCAA postseason as automatic qualifiers for the first time as the field expands to 20 in 2010.

The PFL will not be without a postseason for their regular season champion for much longer if the league is successful in joining the NEC and Big South in securing an automatic qualifer of their own. The league has applied for a spot in the postseason, a process that is ongoing.

College Sporting News

02:49:01 pm - 07/02/10

[CoachL]

I've known about this rumor for at least a week, but I've been very hesitant about mentioning it because: 1.) It has not been "officially" announced, thus remaining in the "rumor" column. and 2.) I'm still not over the initial shock and disappointment that I felt when I first read about it.

But, since we're dealing with comments made by someone in an NEC Athletic Department, but not yet officially announced by the powers-that-be...

After Duquesne has done so much to upgrade their OOC schedule in the past few years (i.e. playing Delaware this year and Nicholls State last year while not playing any sub-Division I teams), it has been rumored that the Dukes will host Valparaiso in 2011 (while traveling to Bucknell and Dayton), and travel to Valparaiso in 2012 (while hosting Dayton - Bucknell apparently drops from the schedule).



I can understand that Duquesne does not want to travel to all three of their OOC games in 2011, and the quirks of scheduling would mean just that if they took another "money game" in 2011. But.... VALPO?

It has been rumored that Delaware is very interested in hosting Duquesne again in 2012, and in 2013 the Dukes will be playing a 12 game schedule.

I guess that it is better than scheduling one of the numerous Pennsylvania Division II programs in order to get a home OOC game in 2011 (and RMU's 10-game schedule this year shows how hard it is to schedule only DI squads), but... VALPO?

[danefan]

I've known about this rumor for at least a week, but I've been very hesitant about mentioning it because: 1.) It has not been "officially" announced, thus remaining in the "rumor" column. and 2.) I'm still not over the initial shock and disappointment that I felt when I first read about it.

But, since we're dealing with comments made by someone in an NEC Athletic Department, but not yet officially announced by the powers-that-be...

After Duquesne has done so much to upgrade their OOC schedule in the past few years (i.e. playing Delaware this year and Nicholls State last year while not playing any sub-Division I teams), it has been rumored that the Dukes will host Valparaiso in 2011 (while traveling to Bucknell and Dayton), and travel to Valparaiso in 2012 (while hosting Dayton - Bucknell apparently drops from the schedule).



I can understand that Duquesne does not want to travel to all three of their OOC games in 2011, and the quirks of scheduling would mean just that if they took another "money game" in 2011. But.... VALPO?

It has been rumored that Delaware is very interested in hosting Duquesne again in 2012, and in 2013 the Dukes will be playing a 12 game schedule.

I guess that it is better than scheduling one of the numerous Pennsylvania Division II programs in order to get a home OOC game in 2011 (and RMU's 10-game schedule this year shows how hard it is to schedule only DI squads), but... VALPO?

I think we're going to see a lot of this type of scheduling now because the NEC will prohibit scheduling DIIs. Especially for the "NEC West" teams.

[Seahawks]

Wagner travels to Richmond and Cornell in 2011; Delaware in 2012.

I thought RMU plays a 10 game schedule because that is Joe Walton's preference?

As far as the GIC is concerned, I read where it is dead. Seems strange that they would try to revive it without any publicity this late in the season.

[danefan]

Wagner travels to Richmond and Cornell in 2011; Delaware in 2012.

I thought RMU plays a 10 game schedule because that is Joe Walton's preference?

As far as the GIC is concerned, I read where it is dead. Seems strange that they would try to revive it without any publicity this late in the season.

The question is whether it was actually dead at all or at least whether the NEC thought it was dead. Seems to me that the NEC commish and the PFL Commish should get on the phone? I'm going to email the NEC office now and see what they say.

RMU went with a 10 game schedule because Walton refused to play a DII team, not because he wanted a 10 game schedule. They tried to work out the 11th game with a number of FCS teams (MVFC teams and others) but couldn't move the schedules around so late.

[aceinthehole]

Great schedule for the Seahawks!!

Same for the Dukes. Another game at Delaware would be great, but there is nothing wrong with 1 of your 3 non-conference games in a season with team like Valpo. Sure, I rather see a better opponent as well, but 1) they are a FCS team and 2) they are willing to travel to you for a return game.

The NEC is going to have a hard time getting games. Sure, all the CAA teams will invite us to their house for a paycheck, but outside of Maine and URI, none of those teams will do a home/home. The NEC is also very willing to go on the road to play MVFC teams, but they aren't coming East.

Some Ivy teams have started to sign home/home deals with NEC team (Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown), but the majority of the Ancient 8 (HYP, Penn and Columbia) will not go on the road to a NEC team.

Same for the PL. Beside Bucknell, Fordham, and Georgetown, how many PL teams have played on the road at a NEC field since 2005? Lehigh, Lafayette, HC, and Colgate are just not going on the road unless they have to - and when they do, they are playing at a CAA team.

The HBCU schools have no reason financially to play an away game at a NEC school either. So that means MEAC and SWAC opponents are pretty much unschedulable.

So when the league does ban D-II opponents, where are NEC teams going to find HOME games?