Mark writes:
>I'd like to think that the new HE alignment (BC,PC,UNH,UMLowell -
>BU,Maine,Merrimack,NU) was designed more for balance of strength
>rather than to give easier rides to the perennial strong teams.
>For instance, roughly approximating last years performances, the
>conference appeared 3 tiered:
>
>  (BC, Maine, BU)
>  (PC, UNH)
>  (UMLowell, Merrimack, NU)
 
I agree on the tiers, however, wouldn't it make more sense to arrange the
teams with regard to their individual performances against each other in
recent years and not order of finish?  Merrimack has finished in the lower
half the past two years and BC near the top, yet Merrimack has had more
success against BC than Maine or BU.
 
The way I look at it, the first 21 games are evenly distributed because
everyone plays each of the other seven teams three times (ignoring the home-
away thing).  Somehow the other three games should be evenly distributed.
In this method, I don't think they are.
 
 
- mike