Everything Cortaca 2019

Perhaps you have heard that the annual Ithaca College-SUNY Cortland football game is being held at MetLife Stadium just outside of New York City this Saturday. I may have mentioned it. I thought I would create one post with everything that you need to know about this historic game.

* First, based on tickets sales, the 2019 Cortaca Jug game will be the biggest game in terms of attendance of any Division 3 football game. Last I heard as of about a week or two ago, there have been approximately 43,000 tickets sold. My guess is that the total will be between 45,000 and 50,000 tickets sold. (I also wonder what game will have more people: the Cortaca game, the New York Jets game against the Miami Dolphins on December 8th, or the New York Giants game against the Dolphins on December 15th.)

* A little publication called "Forbes" has an article about the game.

* Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone has thoughts about the game.

(You know I asked #Jaguars' Doug Marrone about #Cortaca)

"Someone asked me [we were in NFC Championship Game w/ #Saints], what's the biggest game you've ever coached in? And I said @CortlandStateFB & @IthacaBomberFB.

.".. And they were pissed." 😂 pic.twitter.com/nfLV63Pc6O

— Mia O'Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) November 11, 2019

* Despite my thoughtful and elaborate post outlining why ESPN’s College GameDay should broadcast from East Rutherford, New Jersey, ESPN is going to Waco, Texas to cover the Baylor-Oklahoma game instead. It’s nice of ESPN to travel to Waco for the feel-good story which is Baylor football. Baylor clearly runs an extremely clean football program, so it’s nice to see ESPN reward them with national exposure. (In reality, maybe GameDay just wants to go to Texas since it will be 30 degrees warmer than New York City.)

* There's a Cortaca Jug Giving Challenge:

For the first time, IC and Cortland will go head to head off the field to see who has the strongest donor support. Whichever school secures the most donors through game day wins the challenge and the vice president of institutional advancement from the losing school will have to write a personal check to the winning school’s Annual Fund!

* I'm not going to tell anyone how to sell their tickets on StubHub, but my guess is this person is not going to get $500.

The Ithaca Journal has a story titled "Cortaca Jug: 10 things to know about the rivalry game at MetLife Stadium."

* I miss being around college campuses a getting free shirts. Ithaca College students can "shed the red" by donating articles of red clothing to charity in exchange for a student-designed Cortaca shirt. Yes, I want this shirt!

* The biggest thing about Cortaca 2019 is that I'm going to see friends that I first met 25 years ago. I'm going to see people who I haven't seen in over 20 years. This is really exciting!

* The Ithacan has information about the actual football teams and key players.

* There's going to be an Ithaca College Fan Fest at the game.

Participants will be able to run on a turf field and try on helmets and shoulder pads. The event will feature music from DJ Washburn, an alumnus who performed at numerous college sporting events while a student, and there will be a giant inflatable chair adorned with the IC shield that fans can sit in to take pictures. While Fan Fest will be geared towards the Ithaca College community, anyone is able to participate.

* Finally, MetLife Stadium has everything you need to know about what you can and cannot bring into the stadium. Here are some of the "highlights."

Event Timeline:

Parking Lots Open: 8:00am
Ticket Office and Will Call Opens: 10:00am
Gates Open: 11:00am
Event Time: 1:00pm

Stadium Carry-In Policies:

- Clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bag that does not exceed 12” x 6” x 12” OR one-gallon clear, plastic freezer bag (Ziploc or similar) – limit 1 per person
- Small clutch purse/wallet no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” with or without a handle or strap can be taken into the stadium with one of the clear plastic bag options
- Bags that do not meet these specifications can be checked-in at one of our bag check facilities (located outside each entry gate) for a $5 fee per bag
- An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at a gate designated for this purpose

Sadly, battery powered heated clothing is prohibited. I don't know what exactly this is, but with the temperature set to be in the 30s, I wish I could have this!

College GameDay Should Go To NJ/NY

College GameDay is the biggest show/event in college football. Each week during the football season, ESPN broadcasts live from the marque game of the week. Generally, College GameDay goes to places like Columbus, Ann Arbor, Baton Rouge, Tuscaloosa, Norman, Gainesville, Clemson, and Happy Valley. However, on November 16th, I believe that GameDay should go to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey for the Cortaca Jug game between Ithaca College and the State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland).

You're probably thinking, Sean, why would GameDay want to go to East Rutherford? Isn't that where the New York Giants and New York Jets play? First, I applaud you on knowing your geography. Yes, that's where the Jets and Giants play, outside New York City. That's also where the 61st annual Cortaca Jug game is taking place. With the game still a few weeks away, ticket sales are at around 40,000. This will set the attendance record for a Division III game. GameDay should be in New Jersey just for this reason alone.

While I'm sure that only a handful of you are unfamiliar with this game, "Sports Illustrated" once dubbed the Ithaca-Cortland game as "the biggest little game in the nation." Both schools have successful traditions as well with Ithaca winning three Division III championships and Cortland regularly making the playoffs since the late 1980s. Now, you might be thinking, that's great, Sean. Sure, this is a cool rivalry and both schools have histories, but what about this year? Good question. Ithaca College is currently 7-0 and ranked #7 nationally. Meanwhile, Cortland is also 7-0 and ranked #18. Those seem pretty good to me.

Maybe you're still not convinced. You're thinking, GameDay deserves to be at a college campus and not at an NFL stadium. I agree with you. I also know that GameDay has been live at various bowl games and conference championships and at the Red River Showdown between Oklahoma and Texas in Dallas and the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between Florida and Georgia in Jacksonville. Basically, they can take a break from being on a college campus once or twice during the season.

Based on the history, attendance record, quality of the teams, and the uniqueness of this game, College GameDay needs to be there for the Cortaca Jug. As an added bonus, I will be there too! Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, and company can have the rare opportunity to meet me in person. Let's make this happen, ESPN!

Cortaca Jug Game Goes To New York City (Area)

The annual Cortaca Jug game between Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland is arguably the biggest rivalry in Division III football. Sports Illustrated even called it the “Biggest Little Game in the Country.” However, unless you’re affiliated with one of these schools, are a die-hard Division III football fan, or live in Central New York, you’re likely not aware of this game. There are probably about 10,000 people who attend the annual game, but it certainly doesn’t have the attendance draw of Ohio State-Michigan. (Of course, stadium capacity is significantly less at Butterfield Stadium and Cortland's Stadium Complex compared to The Shoe and The Big House.) So when it was announced that the 2019 Cortaca Jug game would be played at MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and Giants, my initial reaction was “Holy Crap!” It sounded (and still sounds) like a cool idea. My next reaction though was, “How is this going to work?”

Ithaca and Cortland are both over 200 miles from East Rutherford, New Jersey. That’s not very convenient for students, faculty, and staff that live in those areas. While I've heard estimates that 30,000 Cortland and Ithaca alumni live in the New York City area, I’d be interested in seeing how the area is defined.* How far into Connecticut and New Jersey does this include? Regardless, this still seems ambitious that a majority of grads will attend the game.

Despite all this, I’m definitely interested in going. It’s about a 4-hour drive from Northern Virginia to the stadium. Well, 4 hours without traffic or stopping, which probably means 5 hours unless the Delaware Memorial Bridge is closed when it could take even longer.

Anyway, while I’ve started considering if I can go and what friends may be able to join me, Ithaca, Cortland, Ticketmaster, or whoever else may be forcing my hand. Despite the game being about 50 weeks away (Nov. 16, 2019), tickets go on sale this Saturday, December 1st. This seems insane to me! I don’t know what I’m having for dinner tomorrow (I would normally say tonight, but there’s dinner at a local restaurant where a portion of the sales go to the elementary school PTA, so I know what I’m ordering) or when I’m going to take my car for an oil change, but I need to commit to an event nearly a year away?

My theory is that MetLife wants to make sure that enough tickets are sold to make it worth it. 10,000 people in an NFL stadium isn’t going to work for them. According to this article in The Ithacan, Ithaca College's Susan Bassett, associate vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports, said "there has to be a minimum of approximately 20,000 tickets sold for the game at MetLife Stadium to be a success." If you're going to play at an NFL stadium with a capacity of 82,500, you better have way more than 20,000 tickets sold!

Back to the ticket sales, it seems that sports and especially concert tickets go on sale earlier and earlier now, and I’m not sure why. I mean, I’m sure it’s because of money, but what’s the difference between selling tickets 3 months before an event rather than 11 months?

To conclude, Go Bombers!


* According to The Ithacan article linked above, there are 27,221 Ithaca College alumni within a four-hour radius of the city. I guess they have some pretty good data.

Cortaca 2013

Today is a special day. Not only is it Talk Like a Pittsburgh Pirate Day, but it also the annual college football game between rivals Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland. I've written about the Cortaca game and the battle to win the Cortaca Jug many times over the years, so instead, I'm just going to provide some links about today's game below.

Here is a preview of the game courtesy of The Ithacan.

Here are your game notes from Cortland Athletics website.

The Ithaca Journal profiles IC coach Mike Welch & co-captain Will Carter.

The Ithacan profiles cousins Senior running back Rakim Jones and sophomore defensive lineman Tijah Henderson.

Finally, if you're in DC, watch the Cortaca game at Grand Central.

Go Bombers!

Update 11/17

Cortland defeated Ithaca 28-24. Boo. This is the recap by D3Football.com

Despite winning four straight games in this series, it seems like Cortland celebrated like this was the biggest win in school history. According to CNYCentral.com, about 30 people got arrested.



Actually, maybe Cortland students really needed to celebrate as the team's season is now over. Meanwhile, Ithaca advances to the D3 playoffs to host Framingham State next Saturday.

2009 Cortaca Jug Ticket Information

As the extremely unofficial blogger of Ithaca College football and the Cortaca Jug football game, I am proud to provide information about tickets for this year's game.

The Cortaca Jug Football game will be held Saturday, November 14, at noon at the Butterfield Stadium at Ithaca College.

There are a LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS AVAILABLE. No tickets will be sold at the gate on the day of the game. Tickets are required to enter the stadium. College IDs will not allow you admission to the game.

Ticket distribution for IC students, faculty and staff will be on Tuesday, October 27 and Wednesday, October 28. Distribution will take place in the Hill Center lobby, outside the Ben Light Gymnasium, from 4 to 10 pm both days. This is the designated time for students, faculty and staff to pick up their FREE ticket. ID is required to secure a ticket.

Provided that tickets are available, general community ticket sales will begin on the Ithaca College campus on Sunday, November 1. Sales will be open from noon to 6:00 p.m., in the Clark Lounge of the Campus Center. Tickets will also be sold on November 2 from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in the Clark Lounge, while tickets are available. Tickets are limited to two tickets per person.

Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $5 for students. Payment by cash or check only.

From my understanding, alumni sales will be online Nov. 1 starting at noon. Ordering will take place through the Alumni Relations webpage. The limit is two tickets per person. It's recommended that you join the online community via the Alumni Relations webpage, in advance. This is assuming that you graduated from IC.

UPDATE: This is the link for IC alumni to purchase tickets.

If you have no idea what I'm writing about, just click here to learn more about the Cortaca Jug game.


The same information I posted above is also available on the Ithaca College website.

Cortaca 2008

Take a look at the Division I college football schedule this week. There are no games featuring two ranked teams, and the big Saturday night games on ABC are either #13 Oklahoma State (8-2) against 5-5 Colorado or 6-3 Boston College at #19 Florida State (7-2). Don’t expect huge TV ratings.

So what’s the game of the weekend? The 50th annual Cortaca Jug game!



Not convinced yet?* Fine. You want to see a match-up of two ranked teams, right? Cortland State (9-0) is ranked #7 in the current D3Football.com poll while Ithaca College (8-1) is #17. Looking for drama? Although Cortland has already clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs, a win could give the team a regional top seed. IC appears to be in decent shape to make the playoffs, but nothing is guaranteed. A win over Cortland would almost certainly be enough for a postseason berth. How about history? The schools started playing in 1930 and have met every year since 1948. Ithaca leads the all-time series 37-26-3 and the Cortaca Jug series 32-17. Oh, Sports Illustrated once called this rivalry the "Biggest Little Game in America." Atmosphere? I attended four games during my time at IC and had an amazing time at each game.

Since I can't be in Cortland on Saturday (I highly recommend grabbing lunch at the old-fashioned A&W; they deliver food to your car or you can order via a phone on the table.), the least I could do is provide everything you need to know about Cortaca 2008.

The Ithacan has a preview of the game as well as the history behind the jug.



The Cortland athletic website has complete information about both teams.

The Ithaca Journal has the Cortaca Jug Breakdown and two other articles about Ithaca's Connecticut Connection and Cortland's local talent.

WBNG has a video preview of the game as does News 10 Now.

Syracuse's Post Standard says that the modern rivalry started in the 1988 game.

The Vice Presidents of Student Affairs from both schools say be safe out there and act responsibly. Don't drink and drive!

The Sports Chick Blog says Go Cortland. I disagree!

Lots of insightful and thoughtful debate (or not) on the D3 message board.

IC Sports Radio also has their own preview.

The game, which starts at noon, is scheduled to be televised live in Cortland and Tompkins Counties on Time Warner Cable (Channel 6 in Cortland, Channel 16 in Ithaca). The television broadcast will not be available via satellite. The game will also be broadcast live by WICB (91.7 FM) - WICB’s broadcast will be available at http://www.wicb.org/; on Cortland's webcast; and on Live Stats.

Go Bombers! (That would be Ithaca College)

P.S. I would love a Cortaca Jug T-shirt if there are any for sale.


* Don't mind me as I ask questions to no one in particular.


UPDATE 11/15 @ 1:30: At halftime, Ithaca leads Cortland 14-10.

Update #2 @ 3:20pm: It’s a final. Ithaca retains the Cortaca Jug by defeating Cortland 35-13. Back-up QB Brian Grastorf threw for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns and ran for another 2 scores. Safety Jason Chier had three interceptions in leading a very impressive defensive performance. Cortland came into the game scoring 34.8 points per game but the offense only scored six points (the other TD was on a blocked punt). Way to go Bombers!

Cortaca Jug 2008 Tickets

To any Ithaca College alumni out there, tickets for Cortaca Jug 2008 between IC and SUNY Cortland go on sale today (Sunday, November 2) at noon. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sales are limited to four general admission tickets per alumnus/a, at a cost of $6 per ticket. Try finding a $6 ticket for a JV high school football game!

To purchase tickets online, you will be required to log on to the Ithaca College Online Community. Visit www.icalumni.net/cortaca2008 to purchase tickets (the "Purchase Ticket(s) button" will not be activated until Sunday, November 2 at 12:00 noon).

As for the game, it is set for Saturday, November 15, 2008 at noon at Cortland. I’ll have much more about the game in the upcoming weeks, but this is all that you need to know for now. Cortland is 8-0 and ranked #7 in the D3football poll while Ithaca is 7-1 and currently ranked #21, but will likely move into the top 20 next week. There’s a reason why this is called the biggest little game in the nation.

UPDATE 11/14: As promised, a full preview of the game is now available.

Ithaca vs. Cortland

Several times over the past few years I have written about the annual Cortaca Jug football game between Ithaca College and SUNY-Cortland once dubbed "The Biggest Little Game in the Nation" by Sports Illustrated. Although football season is still several months away, Ithaca and Cortland will face each other twice on Sunday in some of the biggest athletic match-ups between the two schools in their histories. The sports: men’s lacrosse and women’s softball.

In lacrosse, #7 IC (17-2) and #2 Cortland (17-1) meet in the Division III semi-final today at 1:00. Cortland’s only loss this season: a 9-8 loss to Ithaca on March 22. The Ithaca Journal has a full preview and WSYR in Syracuse and WBNG in Binghamton show how each team made it this far.

One hour earlier, the #4 seed Cortland faces the #6 seed Ithaca in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship. There are only six teams remaining in the double-elimination tournament, and the loser of this match will return to upstate New York. Cortland’s and Ithaca’s sports websites explain how each team got here.



Go Bombers!!

P.S. Oh, the Penguins and Flyers also meet today for game 5.

UPDATE SUNDAY NIGHT: Cortland convincingly defeated Ithaca in men’s lacrosse 16-5, but IC’s softball team handled the Red Dragons 8-1.

In addition, in case you haven’t heard, the Penguins are going to the Stanley Cup finals!

Bombers Win!

Ithaca College defeated Cortland 40-17 to take back the Cortaca Jug. Woo hoo! Go Bombers! (Here's the box score.) Now we wait until Sunday to see if Ithaca makes the Division III playoffs.

Rivalry Weekend

This is a big rivalry weekend with Cortland State at Ithaca College on Saturday and the Cleveland Browns visiting the Steelers on Sunday. I’ll start with the 49th Cortaca Jug game, although there have actually been 65 games in the series (Ithaca leads 36-26-3). Both teams enter with 7-2 records and the winner has an outside chance at making the Division III playoffs, even though no 8-2 teams earned an at-large bid in 2006 and the D3football.com playoff projections fail to include either team. I’ve got several links for this game so here we go:

* The Ithacan explains how the Bombers can make the postseason.
*Cortland Game Notes
*The Ithaca Journal’s preview #1 and #2
*To the fans, stay safe out there. (Seriously, don’t drink and drive; plus, there are usually checkpoints set up between Ithaca and Cortland.)

After the Steelers crushed Cleveland in week one, I wrote that the rivalry between the two teams was over. I’m not ready to retract what I wrote, but Sunday’s game may decide the AFC North division winner. If the Browns do manage to win the game, the rivalry is back. I’ll be live at Heinz Field on Sunday, though not live-blogging, but I’ll try to share notes about the game.

Division III Football

I could write about the impressive Steelers victory over the Bengals (the way the Bengals have been playing this season, it might be easy for Steeler fans to get group tickets again like it was pre-Carson Palmer days), the Red Sox winning the World Series, Ohio State defeating Penn State, or even Pitt and the Penguins. Instead, I want to write about a topic that I haven’t mentioned much this season…Division III football. More specifically, Ithaca College football, but I’ll start with D3 football as a whole. Perhaps you read about or saw video of the amazing ending of the Trinity-Millsaps game in which Trinity had 15 laterals on the last play of the game to score the winning touchdown. While much of the article describes the play itself, it ends with the following:

With the victory, Trinity remained in contention for the Southern CollegiateAthletic Conference title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs. Millsaps would have clinched the playoff spot by winning.

"This puts us in position to play for something in November," said Mohr, 143-53 in his 18 seasons at Trinity. "It doesn't guarantee anything. Our kids understand it, but at least it kept us in the hunt."

Unlike the ridiculous Division I Bowl Championship Series where you may not have the best teams meet in the championship (are the best college teams really Ohio State and Boston College or could Arizona State, Oregon, LSU, West Virginia, Oklahoma or others beat either of these teams on a neutral field?), Division III football has a real playoff system where the argument over the best team is settled on the field. I included the above quote because the Trinity coach realizes that the victory, although incredible, keeps the team alive for the D3 playoffs.

This all brings me to Ithaca College football. The Bombers started the season 2-2, but have now won four straight games going into this Saturday’s game at #19 Alfred. Following the Alfred game is the annual Cortaca Jug game against SUNY Cortland, one of the greatest rivalries in sports (yes I’m being serious). In my opinion, Ithaca will earn a playoff spot with two wins. Things are a little dicey if IC wins only one of these two games. I’m sure that I’ll write more about the 2007 Cortaca Jug game as it gets closer, but in the meantime, visit D3football.com for all of your Division 3 football news.