Twenty-five straight seasons of .500 football or worse in the New England Small College Athletic Conference are probably a testament to Bates College’s stringent academic policies. The Bobcats don’t cut many corners in the name of competitiveness.

If they’re trying to patch up graduation departures and injury losses with first-year players and stand toe-to-toe with perennial powers Williams and Amherst, it isn’t a fair fight.

“We had a lot of young guys that earned their stripes last year,” said Mark Harriman, who will kick off his 10th year as Bates’ head coach when the Bobcats host Amherst at 1 p.m.

All that on-the-job training could make Bates a tougher assignment than usual this season.

Eight offensive starters are back after a 1-7 campaign in 2006, and that total doesn’t fully reflect a staggering seven returning offensive linemen with experience on the first rung of the depth chart.

Defensively, Bates boasts seven holdovers, including its entire complement of linebackers.

“We struggled last year with our offensive line. We had a lot of young guys who worked hard, and getting another year of experience for those offensive line guys is a huge thing,” Harriman said. “The great news for us is we’ve got seven guys who played significantly for us. To have that up front is unbelievable.”

Senior quarterback Brandon Colon is the chief beneficiary of that grizzled look in the trenches.

Colon enters the season with 3,772 passing yards. He needs only 716 more, plus a mere 15 completions, to become Bates’ career leader in both categories.

“Brandon struggled a little bit for us last year. We changed our offense a little bit, and I think that did affect him early. He came back late in the season and did a phenomenal job,” Harriman said. “Obviously coming back with a guy with his experience and his talent, we ought to be in good shape there.”

Seeing the targets down field won’t be a problem for Colon, either. Bates showcases a deep and lanky group of receivers, including 6-foot-7 sophomore tight end Sean Wirth, a transfer student.

Ross Van Horn, at 6-4, is the other tight end. MacEgan Starrett, a 6-3 sophomore, stands tall in a cast of flankers that also features senior Dave Philbrook of Portland.

“Our strongest position in the time I’ve been at Bates is our receiver corps,” Harriman said. “We actually lost an all-conference player (Dylan MacNamara), but the talent we have coming back is the best I’ve seen here.”

Bates must fill the void of a departed cornerstone on each side of the line of scrimmage.

Running back Jamie Walker was a semifinalist for the Draddy Award, presented to the outstanding student-athlete in all three divisions of college football. Terence Ryan was one of the premier pass rushers in the nation, combining for more than 20 sacks his junior and senior seasons.

“It may be a tailback by committee,” conceded Harriman, who has moved starting cornerback Shawki White back to offense for his junior year. Greg Thornton and Judd Smith also are in the mix, running behind the battle-tested line that includes senior bookend tackles Brian Machunski and Raoul Scott.

Anthony Begon should give Bates ample pressure at defensive end, and a proven lot of linebackers was a primary reason Bates flaunted the No. 11 rushing defense in Division III last season. Mt. Blue High School graduate Ron DiGravio led the crew with 57 tackles from his outside slot. He’s joined by fellow seniors Todd Wilcox and Graham Raymond inside, junior Coleman Peeke outside, and Hebron Academy product Greg Gumbs as a key reserve.

“Todd Wilcox is an all-conference type player,” Harriman said. “Ron DiGravio is a great athlete, a real tough kid who has done a lot of things for us. That is probably the strength of our defense.”

Bates’ other three home games are Tufts on Sept. 29, Middlebury on Oct. 20 and Bowdoin on Nov. 3.