Oct. 29, 2002

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Duquesne University's football team, with last Saturday's 46-0 shutout at La Salle, continues to maintain the lead for their fourth straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League title and a return berth to the ECAC Football Classic, nee the ECAC Bowl.

The ECAC Football Classic, resurrected in 2001 by the Eastern College Athletic Conference, matches the regular-season football champions from the Northeast Conference and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The 2001 game was held at Duquesne, the MAAC champion site, and the 2002 game will be hosted by the NEC representative. The site will rotate annually between the two conferences.

• MAAC: Duquesne looks to be in good shape to return to the ECAC Football Classic as the Dukes remain undefeated on the season with a 5-0 conference mark. Saint Peter's and Iona are tied for second with 4-2 league marks. The Dukes have three league games remaining on their schedule and have an outside chance at clinching the title this weekend. The Dukes would need to defeat Iona and have Saint Peter's defeat Fairfield.

  If this would happen, Duquesne would win tiebreakers with both Saint Peter's and Iona and would have one fewer league loss than Fairfield. Should Duquesne and Fairfield both post victories, the title would still be up for grabs.

• NEC: With three weeks left in the regular season, Albany and Wagner are tied for first place in the NEC with a 4-1 record, but Albany has the inside track to represent the conference in the ECAC Football Classic against the MAAC champion on November 23. If the two teams finish in a tie, Albany advances based on its win over Wagner, 35-14, on October 5.

  The Great Danes defeated St. Francis (PA) on Saturday, 49-21, and have two league games remaining on its schedule - at Robert Morris on November 2 and at home with Monmouth on November 16. Wagner still must play at Sacred Heart (4-2) and Central Connecticut State (2-3) over the next two weeks.

The ECAC Bowl Game was conducted from 1993 to 1997 as the season-ending game for the now defunct Intercollegiate Football Conference, which was comprised of many of the MAAC and NEC members. Duquesne has participated in three of the six contests winning the title in the 1995 matchup with Wagner.

Please click on the link above for the complete and latest ECAC Classic release.