Cornell football 2023

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

This could be the year the Bills get to the Super Bowl in search of an unprecedented 0-5 record.

As long as they lose to the Eagles, I'm good with it.

[billhoward]

This could be the year the Bills get to the Super Bowl in search of an unprecedented 0-5 record.

As long as they lose to the Eagles, I'm good with it.

There was a big Cornell alumni event, CALC, the weekend of the Eagles' victory, and it was kinda icky to see the light poles had been greased up to avoid revelers injuring themselves.

[RichH]

This could be the year the Bills get to the Super Bowl in search of an unprecedented 0-5 record.

As long as they lose to the Eagles, I'm good with it.

There was a big Cornell alumni event, CALC, the weekend of the Eagles' victory, and it was kinda icky to see the light poles had been greased up to avoid revelers injuring themselves.

A Philly tradition: https://billypenn.com/2022/10/23/philadelphia-grease-the-poles-phillies-nlcs-crisco/

[billhoward]

Cornell-Penn football is an old tradition and I don't think they grease up anything for that weekend.

[RichH]

Cornell-Penn football is an old tradition and I don't think they grease up anything for that weekend.

Beating us so often while piling up championships we only dreamt of became so commonplace there was no longer any excitement for them. Maybe they greased some palms to get out of being our "traditional rival" so they could try to associate with the likes of Old Nassau for the final weekend instead. Left us to forge that meaningful "Empire Cup" or whatever with that powerhouse Columbia.

[Local Motion]

I think they should play the Empire Cup (Cornell vs. Columbia) game in New York City every year, last game of the season similar to the old Cornell vs. Penn game in Philly over Thanksgiving.   But host it the weekend before Thanksgiving as they do now, as doing it on Turkey Day makes it complicated for many families.   When they play the game in Ithaca the weather is usually cold and very few fans show up, where NYC is a good ten degrees warmer and November is a great time to be in Manhattan.   Last year we had a nice Cornell crowd for the Columbia game in the City.   I think if the game was properly promoted with a huge contingent of Cornell & Columbia alums living in the NY Metro area they could sell out Kraft Field every November, similar to the Harvard vs. Yale or Lehigh vs. Lafayette rival games.   It would also help recruiting and fundraising for both Cornell and Columbia football programs.   This plays well with Cornell's new Tech Campus and Medical School in the City it's practically a home game for the Big Red.  Follow up with the Big Apple Classic hockey game the next week, it's a win-win all the way around.

[George64]

I think they should play the Empire Cup (Cornell vs. Columbia) game in New York City every year, last game of the season similar to the old Cornell vs. Penn game in Philly over Thanksgiving.   But host it the weekend before Thanksgiving as they do now, as doing it on Turkey Day makes it complicated for many families.   When they play the game in Ithaca the weather is usually cold and very few fans show up, where NYC is a good ten degrees warmer and November is a great time to be in Manhattan.   Last year we had a nice Cornell crowd for the Columbia game in the City.   I think if the game was properly promoted with a huge contingent of Cornell & Columbia alums living in the NY Metro area they could sell out Kraft Field every November, similar to the Harvard vs. Yale or Lehigh vs. Lafayette rival games.   It would also help recruiting and fundraising for both Cornell and Columbia football programs.   This plays well with Cornell's new Tech Campus and Medical School in the City it's practically a home game for the Big Red.  Follow up with the Big Apple Classic hockey game the next week, it's a win-win all the way around.

Interesting idea.  I hope it's explored thoroughly.

[Local Motion]

Right now at Cornell the only well attended game we have is Homecoming and the crowds are usually gone for the remainder of the home games, but then again we have not even challenged for an Ivy League title since 1999.  

I think Harvard and Yale have a huge recruiting advantage with "The Game", which they should as both schools have done a great job promoting that rivalry for many years.  My thought is having the Cornell vs. Columbia game in NYC as the last game every year would be kind of like our own bowl game (Empire Cup) and give the rivalry more significance.   Plus November is a great time of year to visit Manhattan with all the great shows, holiday decorations, and awesome restaurants.   Last year my wife and I stayed in a nice hotel in Manhattan near Central Park.   I got up in the morning and had a nice run in the park, then we took the subway north to Columbia (Kraft Field) had a tailgate with some friends and enjoyed the game.   Then we met up with some family for dinner in the Big Apple after the game.   It was so much fun!!!   Meanwhile it's not like NYC alums are going to travel to Ithaca in late November.

[upprdeck]

What is the ease of travel for the alumni of hard/yale for the game vs any alumni of cornell?
What number of alumni live within a 30-60 min drive of the game?

For Cornell I cnat imagine its even close to 10% live within 2-3 hrs drive.

[ugarte]

harvard and yale do not have a huge recruiting advantage for "the game," they have a huge recruiting advantage because they are harvard and yale.

[billhoward]

Playing Cornell vs. Columbia football, now the season-ender, every year in NYC has disadvantages:
* Every year is a home game for Columbia
* Every year since 2017, Cornell has played ice hockey at Madison Square Garden on Thanksgiving Saturday, BU on odd years, someone else also distinguished on even years, UConn in 2022. When Cornell classes want to do pre-game events, there's competition between the football tailgate vs. the hockey classes receptions a week later in MSG-adjacent bars. Our class does one not but not two most years, and usually it's hockey. That might change if football was more competitive.

[billhoward]

To put a nicer spin on season-ending partners, in our lifetime there's a good chance a Penn-Princeton matchup would determine the Ivy title (or knock one into / out of contention) while a Cornell-Columbia matchup clarifies who's sixth, seventh or eighth.

[code]IvY Titles Since the Formal Ivy League (1956)
College           Titles* Last
Dartmouth   20   2021
Penn           18   2016
Harvard           17   2015
Yale           17   2022
Princeton   13   2021
Brown            4   2008
Cornell            3   1990
Columbia    1   1961
* Includes ties[code]

[billhoward]

Code Select Expand

Bucknell   1-4  0-2 Patriot League
@Cornell   2-2  1-1 Ivy League
1 pm, Schoellkopf, 10/14/23, weather likely 55, rainy
Cornell should have a decent chance. Home game for Cornell, and Bucknell gives up lots of points: 38 to JMU (38-3), 37 to Penn (L37-21), 56 to Lafayette (56-22), 55 to #12 Holy Cross (55-27). Lone win 21-13 in week 2 at home over VMI. Except for the first game, the, ah, Buckies, no, not 'Nells, ah, the Bison, have scored 21-27 points.

[Trotsky]

To put a nicer spin on season-ending partners, in our lifetime there's a good chance a Penn-Princeton matchup would determine the Ivy title (or knock one into / out of contention) while a Cornell-Columbia matchup clarifies who's sixth, seventh or eighth.

[code]IvY Titles Since the Formal Ivy League (1956)
College           Titles* Last
Dartmouth   20   2021
Penn           18   2016
Harvard           17   2015
Yale           17   2022
Princeton   13   2021
Brown            4   2008
Cornell            3   1990
Columbia    1   1961
* Includes ties[code]

I hate title ties.  Has anybody gone back and resolved all the ties with a decent tie breaker, or is it up to me?

(Whaddya wanna bet when it's done we lose all 3 titles?)

[Trotsky]

harvard and yale do not have a huge recruiting advantage for "the game," they have a huge recruiting advantage because they are harvard and yale.

Just have Cornell play Columbia at Madison Square Garden.