Is The Best Place for East Carolina the CAA?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/?title=is-the-best-place-for-east-carolina-the-&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1


While the news from Big East HQ might not have been received favorably by Holland and company, the fact remains that the only impact of expanding Big East football would be felt at Dowdy-Ficklen. East Carolina basketball would not necessarily be better-served — competitively speaking, anyway — by stepping back to the good old days of the CAA.

[Tribe4SF]

Why is this on an FCS board? No hint from anywhere that ECU would consider playing football in the CAA. This is a basketball article.

[DFW HOYA]

The issue as it relates to I-AA is that the CAA already has 12 schools. Any consideration of adding ECU outside football invovles wholesale scheduling changes in other sports, or that ECU could take someone else's place.

The same travel issues that affect ECU will impact Charlotte once it adds football. I don't know if Charlotte would consider the CAA as a interim football step before I-A but barring a place for them to play at the bowl level (no sure thing) it may be in the discussion.

Which raises yet another question: is the CAA getting too big for itself?

[Seawolf97]

The issue as it relates to I-AA is that the CAA already has 12 schools. Any consideration of adding ECU outside football invovles wholesale scheduling changes in other sports, or that ECU could take someone else's place.

The same travel issues that affect ECU will impact Charlotte once it adds football. I don't know if Charlotte would consider the CAA as a interim football step before I-A but barring a place for them to play at the bowl level (no sure thing) it may be in the discussion.

Which raises yet another question: is the CAA getting too big for itself?

Which generates an age an age old question . Does a new conference form in the Norhteast or does America East pick up football? Stay tuned.

[DFW HOYA]

Which generates an age an age old question . Does a new conference form in the Norhteast or does America East pick up football? Stay tuned.

It won't happen unless the AE leadership steps forward to consider this as a possibility. They've got potentially six schools (UMass, URI, Maine, Albany, Stony Brook, maybe Northeastern) to build a core group.

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

It won't happen unless the AE leadership steps forward to consider this as a possibility. They've got potentially six schools (UMass, URI, Maine, Albany, Stony Brook, maybe Northeastern) to build a core group.

UNH

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

It won't happen unless the AE leadership steps forward to consider this as a possibility. They've got potentially six schools (UMass, URI, Maine, Albany, Stony Brook, maybe Northeastern) to build a core group.

Northeastern is an all sports member of the CAA! They aren't a candidate for any other football league without a serious upheaval in the Northeast.

UMass and URI are all sports members of the A-10. There is no association with AE! Within AE there are five non football schools who outnumber the four football playing schools. Historically, the AE "Leadership" (some would say that's an oxymoron) has never demonstrated much interest in sponsoring football.

No groundswell of interest in AE Football at UNH that I can detect. Quite content with CAA Football. Pretty sure things are the same in Amherst. Can't speak for Orono nor Kingston.

[Eyes of Old Main]

Why would the CAA want ECU? They have little in common institutionally and ECU (or EZU as many in the Carolina's call it) fancies itself as somehow equivalent to North Carolina, NC State, Duke and Wake Forest. I wouldn't want to be associated with those people if I was the CAA.

[Cobblestone]

Northeastern is an all sports member of the CAA! They aren't a candidate for any other football league without a serious upheaval in the Northeast.

UMass and URI are all sports members of the A-10. There is no association with AE! Within AE there are five non football schools who outnumber the four football playing schools. Historically, the AE "Leadership" (some would say that's an oxymoron) has never demonstrated much interest in sponsoring football.

No groundswell of interest in AE Football at UNH that I can detect. Quite content with CAA Football. Pretty sure things are the same in Amherst. Can't speak for Orono nor Kingston.

I for one would welcome an America East (AE) football conference. I'm not sure that's true about no interest in football from the AE. I did hear something last year about a meeting between current AE presidents to discuss the possiblity of adding football to their sports conference. I don't know what transpired during this meeting or how serious the talk was.

Given the success that UNH has enjoyed in the CAA, I doubt they'd be willing to make a jump to a new conference. As for URI, I have stated both publicly and privately that we need to move into either the NEC or a newly formed America East for football and get the heck out of the CAA. As of now Thorr doesn't agree with me. In time that may change.

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

I don't see any NE school leaving the CAA unless something big changes.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

It won't happen unless the AE leadership steps forward to consider this as a possibility. They've got potentially six schools (UMass, URI, Maine, Albany, Stony Brook, maybe Northeastern) to build a core group.


UNH

xconfusedx xconfusedx xconfusedx xconfusedx xconfusedx xconfusedx

You must have hit enter too quickly or something.

[Brad82]

I would be surprised if Rhody moves out of CAA unless some others go to.
Travel $$ could be reason. A waste.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

I for one would welcome an America East (AE) football conference. I'm not sure that's true about no interest in football from the AE. I did hear something last year about a meeting between current AE presidents to discuss the possiblity of adding football to their sports conference. I don't know what transpired during this meeting or how serious the talk was.

Given the success that UNH has enjoyed in the CAA, I doubt they'd be willing to make a jump to a new conference. As for URI, I have stated both publicly and privately that we need to move into either the NEC or a newly formed America East for football and get the heck out of the CAA. As of now Thorr doesn't agree with me. In time that may change.

I said no groundswell at UNH, not that there wasn't some interest at the league level. Talk on the street has always been that the Commish got the job because he promised the presidents he would add football and ice hockey to AE. There have been rumblings out of Maine that they don't have the resources to compete and you've consistently stated your opinion about URI. So, I'm sure that there have been discussions especially with Albany and Stony Brook increasing scholarships. I'm sure many are like me and don't consider that six schools with two being affiliate members is a "solid core" for a football league.

Ironically, Providence College and the Chestnut Hill Beagles agreed to Hockey East becoming an America East administered league. This grand plan was supposedly scuttled by all sports member Boston University! xeekx The Terriers are always supposedly leaving AE for greener pastures and according to the rumors they didn't want to be associated with anything AE when they do leave. I'm sure Husky Alum and Dane96 can provide more detail here. I think the main message here is don't expect much cooperation from the non football schools.

[DFW HOYA]

Whatever the mix, the upcoming additions to CAA football (ODU, Georgia St.) will raise these issues.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Whatever the mix, the upcoming additions to CAA football (ODU, Georgia St.) will raise these issues.

FWIW, I'm hearing that no affiliates are going to be forced out.

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

I said no groundswell at UNH, not that there wasn't some interest at the league level. Talk on the street has always been that the Commish got the job because he promised the presidents he would add football and ice hockey to AE. There have been rumblings out of Maine that they don't have the resources to compete and you've consistently stated your opinion about URI. So, I'm sure that there have been discussions especially with Albany and Stony Brook increasing scholarships. I'm sure many are like me and don't consider that six schools with two being affiliate members is a "solid core" for a football league.

Ironically, Providence College and the Chestnut Hill Beagles agreed to Hockey East becoming an America East administered league. This grand plan was supposedly scuttled by all sports member Boston University! xeekx The Terriers are always supposedly leaving AE for greener pastures and according to the rumors they didn't want to be associated with anything AE when they do leave. I'm sure Husky Alum and Dane96 can provide more detail here. I think the main message here is don't expect much cooperation from the non football schools.

And another reason to hate BU

[Tribe4SF]

FWIW, I'm hearing that no affiliates are going to be forced out.

That's my understanding too, but something is going to have to give, especially if Georgia State goes forward with football. With 14 teams, the rest of FCS will be raising hell when we get six or seven in the playoffs!:D

[Fresno St. Alum]

ECU sucks at basketball the CAA plays good b-ball. They'd still suck
ECU is good at football and won't go to the FCS. They should stay in C-USA.

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

That's my understanding too, but something is going to have to give, especially if Georgia State goes forward with football. With 14 teams, the rest of FCS will be raising hell when we get six or seven in the playoffs!:D


Sooner or later the NE schools are going to have to make a move.

While I support staying with the CAA for as long as possible alternative plans should be in the works so we are ready when the time comes.

I like whats going on at URI
U Mass is U Mass
UNH has got to get something done about the staduim.
Both Albany and Stony Brook are headed in the right direction.
Maine is going thru some tough times now but they'll be back. (I hope)

Thats 6 solid programs to build around when the time comes.

[Seawolf97]

Sooner or later the NE schools are going to have to make a move.

While I support staying with the CAA for as long as possible alternative plans should be in the works so we are ready when the time comes.

I like whats going on at URI
U Mass is U Mass
UNH has got to get something done about the staduim.
Both Albany and Stony Brook are headed in the right direction.
Maine is going thru some tough times now but they'll be back. (I hope)

Thats 6 solid programs to build around when the time comes.

I agree and with Rhode Island getting a new coaching staff and some quality recruits that program could turn around quickly. The next several years could be interesting.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Sooner or later the NE schools are going to have to make a move.

While I support staying with the CAA for as long as possible alternative plans should be in the works so we are ready when the time comes.

I like whats going on at URI
U Mass is U Mass
UNH has got to get something done about the staduim.
Both Albany and Stony Brook are headed in the right direction.
Maine is going thru some tough times now but they'll be back. (I hope)

Thats 6 solid programs to build around when the time comes.

And the problem will continue to be that there aren't enough other programs around to add to those six. And even fewer that are potential all sports members of AE.

For the time being I like the chances of getting an at large bid out of a 12-14 member CAA more than I do out of any of the iterations of AE Football that I've seen. And personally I think scheduling is easier and will continue to be easier in the CAA than with any of the AE proposals that I've seen.

[Hoyadestroya85]

I think it was kinda hinting that the big east wants some of its basketball power schools to become football schools too.. I'm kind of on the ropes on the whole matter of moving to I-A

[catdaddy2402]

I think it was kinda hinting that the big east wants some of its basketball power schools to become football schools too.. I'm kind of on the ropes on the whole matter of moving to I-A
IMO that's what Mike Tranghese wants too, as it's the only way he sees the 18 team monstrosity staying together.
With 8 members that means only 7 conference games for a 12 game slate. It's hard enough to find 4 OOC games, the Big East has a 5th. Something eventually has to give.

[DFW HOYA]

I think it was kinda hinting that the big east wants some of its basketball power schools to become football schools too.. I'm kind of on the ropes on the whole matter of moving to I-A

Mike Tranghese is not interested in Georgetown as a Big East football candidate.

[ChooChoo]

I'd vote no on ECU in the CAA. As for Georgia State football, look for our announcement April 16. I'm sure the CAA will not dismiss affiliates until well after the expansion dust settles. Though I think 14 is too big for a football conference, I think they'll wait to see what develops with JMU, ODU, and GSU. I think ODU and GSU will know within the first 4 years if their future lies here or elsewhere and JMU's expansion plans definitely lends to speculation.

[Hoyadestroya85]

I kind of want I-A because i don't want this matter of losing millions a year on football.. maybe if we were I-A we could get some people in the stands

[JMU2004]

I kind of want I-A because i don't want this matter of losing millions a year on football.. maybe if we were I-A we could get some people in the stands

and maybe if Villanova drew more than 5k a game. BUT, you don't, so let it go.

[Tribe4SF]

and maybe if Villanova drew more than 5k a game. BUT, you don't, so let it go.

Almost as off base as HoyaDestroya's assessment that Villanova is losing "millions a year" on football. The Wildcats average nearly twice that, and if they went FBS, they might well actually lose "millions a year". Not to mention the "tens-of-millions" they'd need upfront to make the move.

[BearsCountry]

Nova is a little different cat bc they would have BCS money thrown at them fairly quickly bc of their conference affilation.

[Hoyadestroya85]

Our Feasability study 10 years back actually gave a favorable recommendation to the idea... I think if we had big time college football coming in, with natural rivals (sorry JMU, Richmond, Hofstra, Towson, and UMASS), then our school might be able to get excited about football

[AppMan]

From an outsiders viewpoint, it makes perfect sense for those New England schools to form their own all sports league, but there are a lot of egos to massage with this sort of thing. The AE seems to offer the perfect foundation with Albany, New Hampshire, Maine, and Stony Brook as football playing members. One would think Hofstra and Northeastern would be willing to jump on board, but the X factor is will UMass and Rhode Island be willing to give up the prestique of playing basketball in the A-10 to make it work?

Isn't it a little ridiculous a conference called the Atlantic Ten has two members from Ohio, one from Pittsburg, one from Missouri, and one from the western part of North Carolina?

[Brad82]

Rhody fields more D-1 teams than any school in A-10 and probaly CAA.
Travel costs are sky-high. Survey coaches @ any school and ask where they would like to see $$ spent-travel vs. infrastructure and recruiting?

[Tribe4SF]

Our Feasability study 10 years back actually gave a favorable recommendation to the idea... I think if we had big time college football coming in, with natural rivals (sorry JMU, Richmond, Hofstra, Towson, and UMASS), then our school might be able to get excited about football

Natural rivals? The only football playing schools in the Big East who are comparable are Notre Dame and Syracuse. You know the Notre Dame story, and you probably also know the state of Syracuse's program. Transferring the aura around Villanova's basketball program to an FBS football operation might be a tougher job than you think. Temple, as a public school with 20,000+ students, has tried to mine the Philly area for fan support for a long time. They routinely look at 45,000 empty seats at Lincoln Financial.

Maybe you can get your true peer Georgetown to come along for the ride.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

From an outsiders viewpoint, it makes perfect sense for those New England schools to form their own all sports league, but there are a lot of egos to massage with this sort of thing. The AE seems to offer the perfect foundation with Albany, New Hampshire, Maine, and Stony Brook as football playing members. One would think Hofstra and Northeastern would be willing to jump on board, but the X factor is will UMass and Rhode Island be willing to give up the prestique of playing basketball in the A-10 to make it work?

Isn't it a little ridiculous a conference called the Atlantic Ten has two members from Ohio, one from Pittsburg, one from Missouri, and one from the western part of North Carolina?

That "prestige", IMO, of playing basketball in the A-10 is diminishing by the year. The A-10 is looking like a 2-bid conference this year and has seen the MVC streak by them in prestige.

There's evidence that the A-10 may spin off one or more teams as A-10 schools are increasingly unhappy with no football (UMass, Richmond). St Bonaventure looks like they might be gone, and I think Fordham may be edging out too. The difference between the top and the bottom is becoming increasingly huge, and even the top isn't as good as it used to be.

The AE discussion is really its own thread, but its problem is that it's basically the same animal as the A-10 as a basketball-first conference. Their support for football has been (at best) uneven. If they went gung-ho and supported football, then there would be motivation for A-10 schools to possibly jump. Otherwise, why go through the hassle?

[DFW HOYA]

Almost as off base as HoyaDestroya's assessment that Villanova is losing "millions a year" on football. The Wildcats average nearly twice that, and if they went FBS, they might well actually lose "millions a year". Not to mention the "tens-of-millions" they'd need upfront to make the move.

He is likely referring to EADA documentation that shows Villanova's football revenues [$960,789] versus expenses [$4,164,213].

I-A probably wouldn't lose considerably more, but would benefit by national TV contracts and road guarantees which it doesn't have right now. But without facilities, the Wildcats and Hoyas aren't getting a call-up.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

From an outsiders viewpoint, it makes perfect sense for those New England schools to form their own all sports league, but there are a lot of egos to massage with this sort of thing. The AE seems to offer the perfect foundation with Albany, New Hampshire, Maine, and Stony Brook as football playing members. One would think Hofstra and Northeastern would be willing to jump on board, but the X factor is will UMass and Rhode Island be willing to give up the prestique of playing basketball in the A-10 to make it work?

Isn't it a little ridiculous a conference called the Atlantic Ten has two members from Ohio, one from Pittsburg, one from Missouri, and one from the western part of North Carolina?

Right now, definitely not. There have been heated discussions on the AE Forum with a URI fan repeatedly telling the AE people what a huge drop in basketball it would be if they were to join. And for that reason it would never happen regardless of the expense related to travel for all other sports. He felt URI would find some other association of schools with a high level of basketball before they'd join AE. Following New England basketball for 40 years, I agree with him. There hasn't been any UMass folks in that same discussion, but I know they would have the same opinion.

You have to understand that Mass and Rhody went their own way for an all sports league over 25 years ago. Even with the geographic proximity and football rivalries, they don't schedule many OOC games with Maine and UNH in any sports. Not even playing ice hockey generates more games between UMass, UNH and Maine. AFAIK, both URI and UMass refuse to play basketball games at UNH (and I assume at Maine). In fact, my Wildcats have had a couple of guarantee games ($$$$) at URI over the past few years. I don't think UNH and UMass have met on the hardwood in 15 years.

Unless there is some radical change in philosophy in Amherst and Kingston, I just don't see either school joining AE for all sports. Crude hitting $100 per barrel hasn't generated any such discussion AFAIK.

[Hoyadestroya85]

We reached a preliminary deal 8 years ago to play at franklin field with the hope to build our own building...
We would not lose as much money because we have the advantage of the BCS tie in.. Revenue sharing is a great thing...

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

That "prestige", IMO, of playing basketball in the A-10 is diminishing by the year. The A-10 is looking like a 2-bid conference this year and has seen the MVC streak by them in prestige.

There's evidence that the A-10 may spin off one or more teams as A-10 schools are increasingly unhappy with no football (UMass, Richmond). St Bonaventure looks like they might be gone, and I think Fordham may be edging out too. The difference between the top and the bottom is becoming increasingly huge, and even the top isn't as good as it used to be.

The AE discussion is really its own thread, but its problem is that it's basically the same animal as the A-10 as a basketball-first conference. Their support for football has been (at best) uneven. If they went gung-ho and supported football, then there would be motivation for A-10 schools to possibly jump. Otherwise, why go through the hassle?

That's all true, but that's still light years ahead of AE in hoop which has never put two teams into the Big Dance. And this year where AE is having a down year, if anybody but our regular season champ gets the NCAA bid, they are most likely a 16 seed and a candidate for the PIG.

UMass and URI both have large basketball arenas to fill. After playing Temple, St. Joe's, Dayton, George Washington, Xavier, etc., they won't fill those seats playing UNH, Maine, Vermont, Boston Univ., Albany, Binghamton, Stony Brook, Hartford and Maryland-Baltimore County. Besides, all the BU kids wouldn't be able to transfer across state to Amherst if they were in the same league! :p Rumor has it that one more is coming! ;)

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

We reached a preliminary deal 8 years ago to play at franklin field with the hope to build our own building...
We would not lose as much money because we have the advantage of the BCS tie in.. Revenue sharing is a great thing...

Then why didn't you grab the same opportunity that UConn did? AFAIK, Villanova was given the same deal by the Big East that UConn got.

[WrenFGun]

Oh Corey Lowe.

From a UNH perspective, there is only need to worry if the CAA insists that the non-CAA members find a new home. Ideally, the CAA would separate into two divisions, with UNH, UMass, URI, UMaine, Northeastern, Hofstra and Villanova in the North, and Delaware, JMU, Richmond, ODU, Georgia State, William & Mary and Towson in the South, where the CAA North would play a rotation of two teams from the South every two years. It would be almost as if they weren't a conference, but it would make scheduling a tad easier.

The bigger concern is for teams like Stony Brook and Albany, but as UNH Wildcat has stated, a conference with Stony Brook, Albany, URI and Maine is probably not enticing enough for UNH, and ESPECIALLY for UMass, to flea the CAA. Hofstra and Northeastern are all-sport CAA members, so they're not options. I would absolutely like to see Albany and SBU play plenty of non-conference games, but ultimately, there is not room for an AE conference right now because there is not enough to establish it.

[Hoyadestroya85]

Then why didn't you grab the same opportunity that UConn did? AFAIK, Villanova was given the same deal by the Big East that UConn got.

Read a season in purgatory... it goes into detail on the whole situation.. it's too complex to explain in this post...
needless to say, Bob Mulcahy thought it was a good idea

[GannonFan]

That "prestige", IMO, of playing basketball in the A-10 is diminishing by the year. The A-10 is looking like a 2-bid conference this year and has seen the MVC streak by them in prestige.


An odd statement this year - the A10 could very well get 4-5 teams in this year (Xavier, UMass, St. Joe's, URI, and Dayton among the possibles) and has had a great year this year, the first year they've redone schedules to boost their RPI's (like the Valley has done for years). And the A10 is ranked ahead of the Valley RPI-wise right now. The death knell for the A10 is still a ways away apparently.

[ur2k]

That "prestige", IMO, of playing basketball in the A-10 is diminishing by the year. The A-10 is looking like a 2-bid conference this year and has seen the MVC streak by them in prestige.

There's evidence that the A-10 may spin off one or more teams as A-10 schools are increasingly unhappy with no football (UMass, Richmond). St Bonaventure looks like they might be gone, and I think Fordham may be edging out too. The difference between the top and the bottom is becoming increasingly huge, and even the top isn't as good as it used to be.

The AE discussion is really its own thread, but its problem is that it's basically the same animal as the A-10 as a basketball-first conference. Their support for football has been (at best) uneven. If they went gung-ho and supported football, then there would be motivation for A-10 schools to possibly jump. Otherwise, why go through the hassle?


The a10 is not kicking anyone out of the league anytime soon. While I bet some folks would love to trim the fat from the bottom of the league - it ain't happening.

Gannon said it above - the a10 is having a great year - RPI wise its above the MVC, have a top10 team (Xavier), and have a number of teams with at large resumes.

Who says Richmond is not happy with having no football in the conference? The first year of the CAA was a rousing success and practically the same conference as the Yankee or the a10 just under a different banner.

[DFW HOYA]

AFAIK, Villanova was given the same deal by the Big East that UConn got.

Four schools got the offer: Connecticut, Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's. Two schools studied it (UConn, Nova), and one opted to go forward, thanks to the state legislature of CT funding the East Hartford project.

[ODUfootballfan]

Not to mention the fact that by 2012 ODU will be the dominant force in CAA (and all FCS) football ..... (OK, now breath everybody, relax, that was just a little joke)

[Maroon&White]

Rhody fields more D-1 teams than any school in A-10 and probaly CAA.


Unless you're not considering skiing D1, UMass has 1 more intercollegiate sport.

[henfan]

From a UNH perspective, there is only need to worry if the CAA insists that the non-CAA members find a new home. Ideally, the CAA would separate into two divisions, with UNH, UMass, URI, UMaine, Northeastern, Hofstra and Villanova in the North, and Delaware, JMU, Richmond, ODU, Georgia State, William & Mary and Towson in the South, where the CAA North would play a rotation of two teams from the South every two years. It would be almost as if they weren't a conference, but it would make scheduling a tad easier.

The CAA is already split into two divisions for the purposes of FB scheduling. CAA commish Tom Yeager stated two weeks ago at a meeting I attended that the CAA FB conference has no intention of shuttling existing affiliates when ODU (and, presumably, GSU) come(s) on board. The conference will simply expand by one (or two) and fight for any at-large bids it deserves.

As for ECU re-joining the CAA for Olympic sports, it simply will not happen. The idea was floated a couple of years ago with both Marshall and East Carolina and was resoundly rejected by CAA leaders. One, the CAA Olympic sport league is not looking to expand. Two, if the league did expand, it would be with 'all sport' members. Since ECU or MU would not bring along their FB programs, the CAA would have little interest in their Olympic sports.

[89Hen]

The CAA is already split into two divisions for the purposes of FB scheduling. CAA commish Tom Yeager stated two weeks ago at a meeting I attended that the CAA FB conference has no intention of shuttling existing affiliates when ODU (and, presumably, GSU) come(s) on board. The conference will simply expand by one (or two) and fight for any at-large bids it deserves.
Not saying he's lying and not saying it will happen, but why would he say anything else to affiliates it before it happened? There is no way the CAA keeps 14 football members IMO. GSU is a long way off, so we can make due with ODU and 13 for now. IF GSU comes on board, I'd look for a change in what he's saying.

BTW, with the quick start ODU is having with ticket sales and interest in the program, do you think the talk of I-A will be right around the corner? xeyebrowx

[henfan]

Not saying he's lying and not saying it will happen, but why would he say anything else to affiliates it before it happened? There is no way the CAA keeps 14 football members IMO.

While I used to believe the same thing, I don't any longer.

Tom Yeager was pretty emphatic that there will be no effort by the league to force any change in FB membership. He didn't have to speak in those terms if he intended to be vague about it.

Not only is there no process in place to force FB affliates from the league for anything short of breaking contractual terms, there just isn't any desire on the part of league presidents. As you know, most of these schools have played together for decades through a couple of league changes. Some of the FB ties are tighter than some suspect, I think.

I suppose we can't rule out that one of more of the FB affiliates could eventually leave the fold for another affiliation, etc., but that's not on the immediate horizon. If it happens, it happens, but clearly it won't be by the CAA's doing... at least not according to Yeager. The CAA seems prepared to move forward with 13 or, possibly, 14 teams.

Yeager did allude to the league possibly adopting membership standards for FB teams. Whether or not that ever comes to pass or how it could impact membership remains very much to be seen. It's too vague a notion to even speculate.

[MplsBison]

BTW, with the quick start ODU is having with ticket sales and interest in the program, do you think the talk of I-A will be right around the corner?

That would make two mid atlantic schools with 20k+ average attendance that don't belong in FCS.

[BearsCountry]

That would make two mid atlantic schools with 20k+ average attendance that don't belong in FCS.

Other than football - Delaware would have no business with the rest of the FBS schools.

[SoCon48]

The CAA is already split into two divisions for the purposes of FB scheduling. CAA commish Tom Yeager stated two weeks ago at a meeting I attended that the CAA FB conference has no intention of shuttling existing affiliates when ODU (and, presumably, GSU) come(s) on board. The conference will simply expand by one (or two) and fight for any at-large bids it deserves.

As for ECU re-joining the CAA for Olympic sports, it simply will not happen. The idea was floated a couple of years ago with both Marshall and East Carolina and was resoundly rejected by CAA leaders. One, the CAA Olympic sport league is not looking to expand. Two, if the league did expand, it would be with 'all sport' members. Since ECU or MU would not bring along their FB programs, the CAA would have little interest in their Olympic sports.

The idea was floated a couple of years ago with both Marshall and East Carolina and was resoundly rejected by CAA leaders.

GOOD!

[89Hen]

That would make two mid atlantic schools with 20k+ average attendance that don't belong in FCS.
How so? xconfusedx

[BDKJMU]

Our Feasability study 10 years back actually gave a favorable recommendation to the idea... I think if we had big time college football coming in, with natural rivals (sorry JMU, Richmond, Hofstra, Towson, and UMASS), then our school might be able to get excited about football

Yeah, but its not like you're a 20-30k student body University 200k living alumni. Say Nova went I-A in 5-6 years. Do you think within a decade Nova could fill a 40k stadium? I can't imagine that.

[BDKJMU]

Natural rivals? The only football playing schools in the Big East who are comparable are Notre Dame and Syracuse. You know the Notre Dame story, and you probably also know the state of Syracuse's program. Transferring the aura around Villanova's basketball program to an FBS football operation might be a tougher job than you think. Temple, as a public school with 20,000+ students, has tried to mine the Philly area for fan support for a long time. They routinely look at 45,000 empty seats at Lincoln Financial.

Maybe you can get your true peer Georgetown to come along for the ride.

Most recent NCAA attendance figures I found are 06': Temple, 15,810 in
67.5k Lincoln Financial, which isn't a very big stadium for a pro team (its only about 2/3 the size of Happy Valley a few hrs away),
http://www.ncaa.org/stats/football/attendance/2006/2006_football_attendance.pdf
At Temple they've been playing in front of 50k plus empty seats at the Linc.

[MplsBison]

Other than football - Delaware would have no business with the rest of the FBS schools.


Oh right, I forgot about the great basketball teams of Boise State and South Florida.

[BDKJMU]

That would make two mid atlantic schools with 20k+ average attendance that don't belong in FCS.

By 2011 (when JMU's stadium expansion reaches 25k) me thinks that JMU will hit over a 20k avg, so that could make 3 20k+ avg attendance that despite what you say, do belong in I-AA if they so choose to stay. xsmiley_wix

[henfan]

By 2011 (when JMU's stadium expansion reaches 25k) me thinks that JMU will hit over a 20k avg, so that could make 3 20k+ avg attendance that despite what you say, do belong in I-AA if they so choose to stay. xsmiley_wix

So long as UD & JMU desire to offer no more than the FCs maximum number of scholarships and fund their ADs accordingly, this is where we belong.xthumbsupx