Rivalry Saturday

Tomorrow is the biggest Saturday of the Division 3 Eastern Region football season. Conference championships will be on the line, and annual rivalries will be settled. By the time the dust clears tomorrow evening, we should have a good idea how the NCAA Division 3 Football tournament brackets will shape up. The actual selections will be made on Sunday.

Widener at Delaware Valley

A long standing rivalry gets renewed this Saturday when the Delaware Valley Aggies hosts the Widener Pride in the annual Keystone Cup game. This season there is the added factor of the MAC Championship and an automatic playoff bid being on the line.

If that were not enough already, we have revenge on the minds of Delaware Valley. Last season Widener upset Delaware Valley 28-27 and caused the Aggies to potentially lose the #1 seed in Eastern Region. Instead Mount Union was imported from the North to be the East's number one seed. The Aggies were forced to travel to Alliance, Ohio on November 27, 2010, where they lost 31-3 to end their season.

Up until last Saturday, say around 3 pm or so, I was picking red hot Widener to end Delaware Valley's undefeated streak in 2011. But after witnessing Delaware Valley drive 54 yards in less than a minute for the winning touchdown against Lycoming on the road, I became a believer that the Aggies can indeed see this thing through.

Our pick? Delaware Valley to barely win a fast paced game with a moderate amount of scoring. Will it be enough to win them the #1 ranking, or will Mount Union come East again? We'll find out Sunday.

Kean at Montclair State

While this one doesn't have the historical significance of the Keystone Cup or the Cortaca Jug, the Kean Cougars and Montclair State Red Hawks are fast developing a new, intense rivalry. No less than three former Montclair players now coach at Kean, including head coach Dan Garrett. The schools are less than 20 miles apart, so it is likely many players on each roster were actively recruited by their opponent.

Kean with Tom D'Ambrisi has the superior passing game. Montclair with Chris D'Andrea has a better ground attack. Both defenses are quick, hard hitting units which make few mistakes and keep the play in front of them.

The winner gets more than just bragging rights. They get the NJAC Championship trophy and a stamped ticket to the big dance. The loser is almost certainly out of the playoff hunt, and has the choice of playing an ECAC bowl next Saturday.

Our pick is Montclair in a tough, defensive struggle. Look for a late score or turnover to swing this one.

Cortland at Ithaca

They call it the Cortaca Jug. Sports Illustrated once called it the Biggest Little Game in the Nation. With the Cortland State Red Dragons seemingly out of the playoff hunt, and the Ithaca College Bombers having its first non-winning season in 40 years, this game will not carry the same regional implications in 2011.

However playing your biggest rival in front of 10,000 to 12,000 fans tends to motivate you.

Cortland has the offensive advantage on paper, though Ithaca may have as much talent on defense, and perhaps even more on special teams. Ithaca also has recent history on its side, having won three consecutive Cortaca Jugs through 2009, before Cortland took the Jug back last season.

It may be a cliche, but you truly never know what is going to happen between these two teams until they take the field. In 2003, Cortland was a 5-5 team. Ithaca came one game from winning the Eastern Region finals in the NCAA tournament. But Cortland stunned Ithaca 16-15 in the Cortaca Jug, likely costing the Bombers a shot at home field advantage in the playoffs.

In 2008, Cortland went undefeated in the NJAC and made it to the NCAA Eastern Region finals before falling to mighty Mount Union. Ithaca bombed Cortland 35-13 on the road to take away a chance at a #1 seed for Cortland and home field advantage in the playoffs. Ithaca lost to Curry in the first round of the playoffs, who then lost to Cortland 42-0, creating a bizarre triangle of results.

Our pick? This one will be closer than anyone seems to think it will be. Look for a turnover or big special teams play to be the difference. As much as I am tempted to pick Ithaca for the upset, I think Dan Pitcher and Cortland will find a way to pull it out.

Join Us Saturday

Remember to join us tomorrow evening as we analyze the day's results, and choose which eastern teams we think will be in the NCAA tournament.