Spotlight on Premier Dynasty the Trifecta and Commissioner Bravejaf
In our latest spotlight, we focus on the premier dynasty the Trifecta and get an interview with the dynasty commish Bravejaf. The Trifecta is currently in Season 9 with NCAA 11 and is running strong. They will continue as a premier dynasty going into NCAA 12 and will be carrying over 9 members which will leave them with 3 openings to draft in the upcoming premier draft. Bravejaf is a fairly new commissioner of the Trifecta much like JCspartan and the Experience. He took over the dynasty in this year’s NCAA. Without further ado, here is Bravejafs bio:
Name: Joseph Ferrone
Age: 29
Location: Columbus, OH
Favorite sports teams: Atlanta Braves (hence my user name), Ohio State Buckeyes, Philadelphia Eagles
Job: JP Morgan Chase - Customer Care Research
I work in the home lending side and do some of the back office work for the people dealing with customers. Thankfully my position involves little to no contact with customers, a nice change after being on the front lines for more than a year.
Hobbies: Video games, movies and anime would probably be my biggest hobbies. NCAA is the game I play the most each year but I also like the occasional action game or RPG. I also enjoy playing golf when I can find the time. I probably only played a total of 27-36 holes of golf in 2010. Hoping to significantly increase that amount in 2011 now that my work hours have improved.
I then sat down with him for a quick Q&A interview session:
How long have you been playing NCAA and playing online?
I started playing NCAA Football online when Online Dynasty first came out with NCAA 09. The first league I ever joined was a short lived league through one of the lobbies. After that I migrated over to GameFaqs NCAA Football forum and found some really good leagues.
Who is your favorite real life team/school? Do you always try to play as them in dynasty mode or try out other schools?
My favorite school is the Ohio State Buckeyes, with my alma mater Bowling Green State University Falcons. I like to get the Buckeyes in one dynasty with every release of NCAA and this year I was fortunate to get them in Trifecta. I haven’t really used BGSU in a dynasty the past 2 releases of NCAA but I did use the Falcons in an all MAC dynasty with NCAA 09.
How did the Trifecta get to become a part of TSO?
I’m not the best person to ask. This was my first year in Trifecta and I only took over the commissioner role from Dru50. My limited understanding is that originally T3 had a lot of guys from the Tradition and Deuce, but the league fell apart when a one league limit was instituted. I could be completely wrong on the history of this league.
How long have you been a commissioner? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a commish and what do you bring to the table for your online dynasty?
I have been a commissioner in different leagues for the past two releases of NCAA. Last year I took over the Rivalry when the commissioner decided to leave. I stayed on as commissioner for the rest of NCAA 10 but it merged with another dynasty to form League of Champions. For Trifecta I inherited the role when Dru took a step back due to family commitments. One of my strengths is keeping the league moving and ensuring advances occur at a quick pace. Since taking over as commissioner the league is averaging a complete season in about 25 days. My weakness would be dealing with problems. I tend to put off dealing with these problems for far too long. Thankfully with T3 this hasn’t been much of an issue.
What have been the struggles, if any, that the Trifecta has had this year and in the past, and how did the dynasty overcome them?
In the beginning and middle there was a lot of turnover. Fortunately I was able to put together a great crew and the league has been running very smoothly since that point. Aside from a couple members the dynasty still has most of the same members from season 6. While we haven’t struggled in content creation, I would like to see more forum participation out of our group in NCAA 12.
Is there a dominant coach or coaches or is it an even playing field for the most part?
Hokie Effect (Penn State) had been dominating the league for several seasons. He just recently had his 73 game win streak snapped and he has won 6 of the 8 National Championships so far. Surprisingly he has started off 0-2 so far in season 9, after 2 tough user game losses. vBig Slickv (Texas) won the other 2 National Championships so far, including a win over Penn State in National Championship for season 1.
What makes the Trifecta stand out amongst other online dynasties?
The thing I enjoy most about the league is the communication. Most of the members hang out together in XBox Live party chats, even when we aren’t playing NCAA games. Many of us played together last year in Coast 2 Coast or other dynasties, so it is a tight knit group.
What is your most memorable moment or game from this years dynasty?
For me personally the most memorable game was the season 3 National Championship game. That is the one year my Ohio State Buckeyes beat Hokie’s Penn State team. I ended up going undefeated but met Texas in the Championship. Slick and I played till OT in that game. I won the toss and put my defense on the field. My defense failed to hold Texas, who kicked the extra point to grab a 7 point lead. My offense came on the field and scored the TD. I made the bold/stupid decision to go for the 2-point conversion but rushed the pass. It was knocked down and I lost the game.
What is the plan for the Dynasty heading into NCAA 12?
Right now the focus is on the draft and filling out the roster. Due to the recent rule changes we need to find 3 replacements to fill out the 12 man league. After completing the roster our attention will turn to the league format, such as selecting conferences and teams. While waiting for NCAA 12 I still hope to keep the NCAA crew together for as long as possible. I really want to knock out a few more seasons with our current group.
Bravejaf has also supplied us with his current NCAA 11 roster and and some quick info for each owner:
Ohio State/Bravejaf - A better player probably could have won some championships with this team. The Buckeyes have been loaded every season but have just 1 conference title.
Penn State/Hokie Effect - As mentioned above Hokie had a 73 game win streak. He won 7 of 8 Big 10 Titles and 6 of 8 National Titles.
Minnesota/Beazus Christ - Beazus has really built the Gophers program and this team is very talented. He rarely loses out of conference games but has just 1 win total against Ohio State and Penn State.
UCLA/Papa Perry - Perry has a couple Pac 10 titles and he has built the Bruins into a formidable foe. The win against Penn State this season was easily his biggest win of the dynasty.
Washington State/GoWazzuCougs - Cougs took on a tough task when he entered the league as Washington State. He doesn’t have roster to win against big teams, but he usually keeps games very close. He is chomping at the bit for a win against UCLA and Pac 10 title this season.
Texas/vBig Slickv - Texas has been a roller coaster team in T3. The highs are definitely the National Championship seasons but Slick also suffered a 4 loss season. Like Ohio State the roster talent hasn’t always been reflected in the win column. Still he has 2 more championships than anyone outside of PSU.
Oklahoma/Twister18 - Twist has put together some very talented recruiting classes but has struggled against conference rivals Nebraska and Texas. The Sooners seem to lose a lot of heart breakers, including a Hail Mary loss against Minnesota in the final seconds.
Nebraska/Bl0ndeRedHead - The Huskers have overachieved in terms of on field performance compared to roster talent. They reached the National Title a couple seasons ago. Bl0nde also boasts a couple conference titles. His biggest win may have been the streak breaker against Hokie’s Penn State squad.
Clemson/ClayRocks - Clay is the newest member of T3. He has taken over a mediocre Clemson squad, dragged down by CPU recruiting for 6+ seasons, but managed a big win against WSU in first user game.
Oklahoma State/Jman - The Cowboys are a rarity in T3 since they rely on a power running attack. This strategy has worked well for Oklahoma State as they put together a top 5 showing a couple seasons ago. Being in the Big 12, Oklahoma State has a lot of tough foes to contend with. Slick has only let the Cowboys reach one Big 12 Title Game.
Many thanks go out to Bravejaf for taking the time for an interview and allowing us all to take a closer look at the Trifecta.
