CAA Affiliates: Don't Get Too Comfy

[colgate13]

Story (http://www.dnronline.com/sports_details.php?AID=1807&CHID=3)




Is the Atlantic 10 too big for its own good?

James Madison coach Mickey Matthews, whose 2004 Division I-AA football champions were left out of this year’s postseason after compiling a 7-4 record, thinks so.

"I think it is too big a league," Matthews said Tuesday. "We really have two leagues in one. It just presents a huge problem trying to get out of the thing."

So what can be done?

One idea, Matthews said, would be to break the 12-team conference into two smaller conferences, most likely along the same geographic lines now used for its two divisions.

Matthews said both leagues would likely have to add another school or two to boost their membership to seven or eight.

The goal: to get more teams in the playoffs.



Granted, I know it's just talk from a coach (who likes to talk) but I think these grumblings are not going to go away. This is the perfect simmering pot that sends the CAA affiliates looking for a new home IMO.

[AppGuy04]

SOUR GRAPES! :bang:

[bandl]

Dammit Matthews....just when it seems you had slipped under the "he's a trash-talkin' southern boy who don't know no shut-up" radar, you gotta bring up this crap. :rotateh: xidiotx

[*****]

Granted, I know it's just talk from a coach (who likes to talk) but I think these grumblings are not going to go away. This is the perfect simmering pot that sends the CAA affiliates looking for a new home IMO.IMO there should be two conferences from those teams.

[colgate13]

IMO there should be two conferences from those teams.

I agree... which then by extension opens up the "so who gets an autobid" discussion or "do we expand the playoffs" discussion, etc...

[AppGuy04]

remember, there are several other conferences gunning for an autobid, and there are only 8 max to go around

[*****]

I agree... which then by extension opens up the "so who gets an autobid" discussion or "do we expand the playoffs" discussion, etc...Not playoff expansion since there won't be more teams but it would present a compelling reason for the eight autobid conferences to be examined and the bids shuffled.

[bandl]

Story (http://www.dnronline.com/sports_details.php?AID=1807&CHID=3)





Granted, I know it's just talk from a coach (who likes to talk) but I think these grumblings are not going to go away. This is the perfect simmering pot that sends the CAA affiliates looking for a new home IMO.
If Keeler, or that coach down at Mary & Bill or the coach at UMass (one of the more high profile coaches in the A-10), had said this...would anyone be calling them out? I doubt it. I won't defend MM in this one though.

[AppGuy04]

If Keeler, or that coach down at Mary & Bill or the coach at UMass (one of the more high profile coaches in the A-10), had said this...would anyone be calling them out? I doubt it. I won't defend MM in this one though.

Reputation matters when coaches makes statements

[Lehigh Football Nation]

A-10 North

New Hampshire (affiliate)
Maine (affiliate)
Hofstra
N'Eastern
UMass (affiliate)
URI (affiliate)

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Story (http://www.dnronline.com/sports_details.php?AID=1807&CHID=3)

Matthews said both leagues would likely have to add another school or two to boost their membership to seven or eight.

The goal: to get more teams in the playoffs.

Thanks, MM, for giving more ammunition for those freakin' folks on the Fordham boards pushing to apply to the A-10/CAA. :bang:

[bandl]

Reputation matters when coaches makes statements

Yeah, I know. I'm not him though, so I can't control what he says. Bah.

[texcap]

A-10 North

New Hampshire (affiliate)
Maine (affiliate)
Hofstra
N'Eastern
UMass (affiliate)
URI (affiliate)

So we've come full circle (minus a few) back to the Yankee Conference.

[OL FU]

A-10 North

New Hampshire (affiliate)
Maine (affiliate)
Hofstra
N'Eastern
UMass (affiliate)
URI (affiliate)

I know this has been explained ad nauseum but how about one more time. How to the affiliates participate? UNH will partcipate in CAA football but not other sports?

[colgate13]

If Keeler, or that coach down at Mary & Bill or the coach at UMass (one of the more high profile coaches in the A-10), had said this...would anyone be calling them out? I doubt it. I won't defend MM in this one though.

If you read the article, Don Brown at UMass agrees somewhat (or at least his quote does).

[colgate13]

Thanks, MM, for giving more ammunition for those freakin' folks on the Fordham boards pushing to apply to the A-10/CAA. :bang:

How so? I see this as dashing their hopes completely. They might get a spot in a 'new' A-10 or America East, but the CAA is going to be looking for full members only. It will be the affiliates looking to cobble together a league. Fordham could fit... But then again, a few affiliates might see a scholarship (not to debate that issue) PL as an option. :twocents:

[bandl]

If you read the article, Don Brown at UMass agrees somewhat (or at least his quote does).

I didn't. Sorry. xcoffeex

[Hansel]

be nice to see 'Nova and Richmond go PL, would make the PL about on par with the other top leagues

[TexasTerror]

Richmond went on the road to drop previously undefeated Hampton, the champion of the soft-as-always MEAC. The Spiders won 38-10.

"soft-as-always MEAC"...OUCH! Writer putting his opinion in as well...

[89Hen]

Granted, I know it's just talk from a coach (who likes to talk)
Understatement of the year. Remember that JMU was really jobbed from a playoff spot this year according to MM. xlolx

[henfan]

OL FU, the CAA is scheduled to assume administration of the CAA after next season. The agreements are for affiliates participation for football only, though Villanova has a separate agreement with the CAA for affiliate membership for men's LAX.

As I understand it, affiliates have signed 5 year deals with the CAA.

[bcrawf]

I think that there has to be a way to re-evaluate autobids every year or every other year. We need to ask ourselves if leagues like the OVC and MEAC deserve to have their champion make the playoffs.

We need the most competitve field we can have, it is for the best of the Division. You can't tell me teams like YSU, Lehigh, and Illinois State would not improve the playoffs. This is not the NCAA basketball tournament and should not be treated him as such. Maybe the answer is to award autobids to the four best conferences from the year before (Usually the Big Sky, Gateway, SoCon, and A10) and to throw the other 12 out to the best teams.

[89Hen]

I know this has been explained ad nauseum but how about one more time. How to the affiliates participate? UNH will partcipate in CAA football but not other sports?
Exactly. It's nothing really too exciting. Think of CAA football just as a football conference like the Gateway or Great West. I'd prefer to be all sports members, so I actually agree with MM, but not until the CAA lines up some more all sports members.

[Hansel]

Easy answer, drop ALL autobids :nod:

[Cocky]

If the autobids are rearranged it may cause more conference to conference movement. I'm sure the MEAC and OVC would be at the top of the list to lose the autobid. This may make JSU, EKU, EIU, Hampton, and SC State relook at their present conference.

[colgate13]

Easy answer, drop ALL autobids :nod:

NOT in favour. Conference championships should mean something.

[JoltinJoe]

How so? I see this as dashing their hopes completely. They might get a spot in a 'new' A-10 or America East, but the CAA is going to be looking for full members only. It will be the affiliates looking to cobble together a league. Fordham could fit... But then again, a few affiliates might see a scholarship (not to debate that issue) PL as an option. :twocents:

Because if the league splits into two, the "South" will be the CAA, leaving a bunch of schools in the North with A-10 affiliations. Fordham is already a full member of the A-10.

[Hansel]

NOT in favour. Conference championships should mean something.
They do they mean you won your conference, but if you go 4-2 in a 7 team conference like the PL or SLC, why should that entitle you to a playoff spot

[89Hen]

NOT in favour. Conference championships should mean something.
Yup, I am also in favour of keeping them. The different conferences add flavour and colour. ;)

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I think that there has to be a way to re-evaluate autobids every year or every other year. We need to ask ourselves if leagues like the OVC and MEAC deserve to have their champion make the playoffs.

We need the most competitve field we can have, it is for the best of the Division. You can't tell me teams like YSU, Lehigh, and Illinois State would not improve the playoffs. This is not the NCAA basketball tournament and should not be treated him as such. Maybe the answer is to award autobids to the four best conferences from the year before (Usually the Big Sky, Gateway, SoCon, and A10) and to throw the other 12 out to the best teams.

The NCAA Basketball tournament's solution was the "play-in game".

What could be done is, expanding the playoffs to 20 or 24 teams, and have some of these autobid teams play some "play-in games".

[TexasTerror]

Maybe the answer is to award autobids to the four best conferences from the year before (Usually the Big Sky, Gateway, SoCon, and A10) and to throw the other 12 out to the best teams.

Gonna keep the SLC out of the mix? Have a quarterfinalist this year, a #4 seed then you had Nicholls who came two points short at Furman...

Had a semifinalist last year and typically have two, sometimes THREE folks in the tournament fold from the SLC. May not have top four GPI every year, but have some success in playoffs than the other omissions (OVC, MEAC, Patriot)...

[OL FU]

Two different subjects I guess, I really don't like the affiliate concept. I think it adds to the conference when you have to play each other in most sports. I don't mind the SoCon having participants that don't play football as long as they play most of the other sports. It is even more important when one (and in the past, two) of the schools were, with the exception of a few, all male.

I have to agree with Mr. Mathews on this one. 12 schools is too big for a football conference. It is probably ok if you can schedule a championship game, but that is not going to happen in I-AA and still participate in the playoffs. .

[RadMann]

I’ve always argued that the CAA is too large since it took its current form. There should be two conferences each with an auto bid.

By the way Colgate13, are you originally from the UK or Canada? (Just curious since you don't use the american word spellings, but use the Brit instead)....

[henfan]

Think of CAA football just as a football conference like the Gateway or Great West.

It actually won't be anything like the Gateway or Great West at all. The CAA is not now nor will it be exclusively a football league, as are both the Gateway and Great West, operated by other conferences. The CAA will continue to be an all-sport D-I league who accepts affiliates for various other sports, including football.

I agree that affiliate membership is not the most desirable option for the purposes of developing intrasport rivalries among full members. They'll have to do in the meantime, unless every CAA school begins sponsoring the exact same sports.

[mainejeff]

All I can say is......careful what you wish for Mr. Matthews ;) .

[89Hen]

It actually won't be anything like the Gateway or Great West at all. The CAA is not now nor will it be exclusively a football league
I said think of it that way for the benefit of someone who didn't get the concept of teams having their other sports elsewhere. But, while it's not completely like a football only conference, with HALF of the teams NOT being in the CAA for all other sports, it's a lot closer to the Gateway or GW than you may be willing to admit.

[bandl]

All I can say is......careful what you wish for Mr. Matthews ;) .

I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing that he (and other coaches in the A-10) want smaller conferences, or whatever.

To go along with the 'autobid poll' thread...let's just SAY that the A-10 were to split up into two divisions, and both divisions were to get an auto-bid. IF the A-10 goes that route, that obviously ties up another at-large bid...so, how about including a 'minimum-win' clause for each division, and not a small number for that matter. At least 8 or 9 wins to gain the 'auto-bid'. If they don't gain that minimum amount...they leave their fate up to the committee. Seems fair to me.

And that's about all the thinking I can do on this matter for now. I've gotta go take a leak before I think anymore about this. :hyped:

[AppGuy04]

Yeah, I know. I'm not him though, so I can't control what he says. Bah.

neither can he obviously xlolx

[89Hen]

I let's just SAY that the A-10 were to split up into two divisions, and both divisions were to get an auto-bid. IF the A-10 goes that route, that obviously ties up another at-large bid...
Not really. The NCAA has a rule that half of the field HAS to be at-large. So unless they took one away from another conference, the CAA can't have two.

[bandl]

Not really. The NCAA has a rule that half of the field HAS to be at-large. So unless they took one away from another conference, the CAA can't have two.

I thought it had already been determined to take the auto-bid away from the MEAC?? xlolx xlolx

[89Hen]

I thought it had already been determined to take the auto-bid away from the MEAC?? xlolx xlolx
OVC has been worse.

Last MEAC win - 1999
Last OVC win - 1996

[Hansel]

Has the A-12 ever not sent a team from both the north and south?

[89Hen]

Has the A-12 ever not sent a team from both the north and south?
We've only had North and South for a few years.

In the mid 90's there were two divisions and it just started again last year.

[dbackjon]

OVC has been worse.

Last MEAC win - 1999
Last OVC win - 1996

2000 OVC champ was WKU - they won there first round game (against the MEAC). 1999 MEAC win was against.....OVC :)

[89Hen]

2000 OVC champ was WKU - they won there first round game
But they are not helping the OVC's case today. I'd still count their last win at Murray.

[Go...gate]

A-10 North with Albany and/or Fordham might have some traction, though I think Fordham is a good fit in the Patriot.

[HensRock]

ok so, what we now call the A-10 would get 2 automatic bids instead of one. Big deal. When was the last time the A-10 failed to send at least 2 teams to the playoffs? I don't think that's ever happened, at least since we started the 16-team format.

[rokamortis]

ok so, what we now call the A-10 would get 2 automatic bids instead of one. Big deal. When was the last time the A-10 failed to send at least 2 teams to the playoffs? I don't think that's ever happened, at least since we started the 16-team format.

But it would also be easier to send 2 and possibly even 3 from one or both conferences, thus giving the real advantage. Sure still a longshot, but could happen.

I wonder if Coastal should go ahead and send an informational packet to the CAA C/O Mickey Matthews?

[SoCon48]

SOUR GRAPES! :bang:

Their "quality of losses" :o , not their lack of quality wins, is what killed them this year.

Surely they don't think they actually should have been in this year. Not saying they couldn't have pulled it together and made a good showing, though. Just don't see how they could have proven their deserving a spot this time around..