Questions for some of you A-10 types

[eaglesrthe1]

Will the CAA take the auto-bid that the A-10 currently has when it starts football?

Are there any rules about a waiting period before a new football conference becomes eligible for an auto-bid?

[polsongrizz]

Good question a little help here.

[GannonFan]

As all of the current A10 football members will be going to the CAA, the autobid will remain with them and basically be the CAA's autobid. This is really, for most people, just a name change for all practical purposes, and not very different than what happened when the old Yankee conference turned over the reins to the A10.

If it were a new conference then yes, there could very well be a waiting period. However, that is not the case here.

[polsongrizz]

does that happen this yr???

[GannonFan]

No, the A10 remains the A10 this year. Right now, the change will be effective for the 2007 season, but there is a feeling that it could happen as early as the 2006 season.

[polsongrizz]

Thanks GF, I don't think that is a change I wil get used to hearing. :confused:

[arkstfan]

No, the A10 remains the A10 this year. Right now, the change will be effective for the 2007 season, but there is a feeling that it could happen as early as the 2006 season.

So the thought it is that since the CAA and A-10 membership for football will be identical, why should the A-10 spend resources on 2 lame duck years and let it get down to the business of being what it will be, while the CAA's thinking would be we want to promote the brand so let's take it early if offered?

[GannonFan]

I believe there is a contract in place for the A10 to continue administration of the league through 2006. They do get exposure from having the A10 patch on the uniforms of their member teams, and as the past two national champs are from the A10, that's some decent advertising. However, the A10 does need to look after their other sports, including men's b-ball, so they could be agreeable to an early withdraw of the football league. Of course, the CAA would love to take it over as soon as possible.

[89Hen]

I'm not 100% sure about the technical aspect of that GF. Yes, the autobid will go with the teams to the CAA, but I think that's because the A10 will be left with no football, not because it belongs to the teams. Just as the Yankee became no more, the A10 will become no more. In this case, however, the Atlantic 10 still exists as a conference for all other sports. So if they could have somehow maintained a football conference with six teams already in I-AA, I think they would have maintained the auto, even if it were six different teams. Don't the conferences apply for the auto?

[arkstfan]

When in doubt, check the rule book.

31.3.4.2 Additional Requirements, Sports Other Than Men’s Basketball. To be considered eligible for automatic qualification in a particular sport, a member conference (including a single-sport conference) must include six core institutions that satisfy continuity-of-membership. For the purposes of this legislation, core refers to an institution that has been an active member of Division I the eight preceding years. Further, the continuity-of-membership requirement shall be met only if a minimum of six core institutions have conducted conference competition together in Division I the preceding two years in the applicable sport.

So the CAA will have at least six members that have been Division I for 8 years.

That clears the first hurdle.

The CAA will have at least six members that "conducted conference competition together the preceding two years"

Note that it doesn't require that the conference competition together be under the current banner, just that at least six played together.

The CAA will easily satisfy the requirements to be eligible for consideration for automatica qualification by the I-AA Football Committee.

[polsongrizz]

yeah the thing about that book is it was written by lawyers. :confused: :confused: :confused: :( :cool:

[arkstfan]

yeah the thing about that book is it was written by lawyers. :confused: :confused: :confused: :( :cool:

I WISH!

The problem with the NCAA Bylaws and Constitution is that it was written to suit the most feared beast in all the land. The university president. It's woefully organized and has numerous inconsistencies that good counsel would point out for correction.

[Eagle_77]

So what happens to A-10 football once all memebers go to the CAA? Do they just not have football anymore?

[LetsGoNova]

Correct. They weren't that high on the idea to begin with.

[GannonFan]

The A10's never been a very strong proponent of football to begin with, it was merely a marriage of convenience at the time - the Yankee Conference didn't want to deal with the administrative aspect of the conference and the A10 wanted a quick and painless way to have football. As the A10 was pretty much made up of non-football schools to begin with, and as some Yankee members were A10 as well, it was easy to set-up. However, football has always been a step child to the A10 as so many of the football schools are only in the A10 for football. And now that the CAA has the majority of schools that are strongly interested in their football programs under thier banner for all sports (UD, W&M, JMU, Hofstra, etc) the other schools are just as happy to move the A10 flag to the side and put up a CAA one.

[HensRock]

The thing that most others don't realize is that the A10 Football conference is vastly different from the A10 conference for all other sports (different members) so it is treated as the "step child". Delaware, JMU, Hofstra, Towson, and W&M are alredy in the CAA for all other sports. Maine is in the America East conference for other sports and Villanova is in the Big East. Only UMass, URI, UR, and UNH are "All-Sport" members of the A10. Northeastern was, but they are moving to the CAA for all sports as well. THe move to CAA gives at least 6 members of the conference an "All-Sports" home, while Maine and Nova will be affiliate FB members wherever they go - so they really shouldn't care.




A10 School Conference Affiliation:

School Now 2007?
FB Other FB Other
Delaware A10 CAA CAA CAA
JMU A10 CAA CAA CAA
Hofstra A10 CAA CAA CAA
Towson A10 CAA CAA CAA
William & Mary A10 CAA CAA CAA

Northeastern A10 A10 CAA CAA*

Massachusetts A10 A10 CAA A10
New Hampshire A10 A10 CAA A10
Richmond A10 A10 CAA A10
Rhode Island A10 A10 CAA A10

Maine A10 AE CAA AE
Villanova A10 BE CAA BE

*Northeastern is switching to CAA for all sports in 2007

[TheValleyRaider]

The thing that most others don't realize is that the A10 Football conference is vastly different from the A10 conference for all other sports (different members) so it is treated as the "step child". Delaware, JMU, Hofstra, Towson, and W&M are alredy in the CAA for all other sports. Maine is in the America East conference for other sports and Villanova is in the Big East. Only UMass, URI, UR, and UNH are "All-Sport" members of the A10. Northeastern was, but they are moving to the CAA for all sports as well. THe move to CAA gives at least 6 members of the conference an "All-Sports" home, while Maine and Nova will be affiliate FB members wherever they go - so they really shouldn't care.




A10 School Conference Affiliation:

School Now 2007?
FB Other FB Other
Delaware A10 CAA CAA CAA
JMU A10 CAA CAA CAA
Hofstra A10 CAA CAA CAA
Towson A10 CAA CAA CAA
William & Mary A10 CAA CAA CAA

Northeastern A10 A10 CAA CAA*

Massachusetts A10 A10 CAA A10
New Hampshire A10 A10 CAA A10
Richmond A10 A10 CAA A10
Rhode Island A10 A10 CAA A10

Maine A10 AE CAA AE
Villanova A10 BE CAA BE

*Northeastern is switching to CAA for all sports in 2007



Actually, Northeastern and New Hampshire are in America East with Maine. So really, the only changes are for UMass, Richmond and URI who are leaving the conference they're affiliated with for other sports.

[HensRock]

Thanks VR

[RadMann]

That's right, and UNH and Northeastern were in the America East along with Delaware, Hofstra, Drexel and Towson up until just a few years ago for all olympic sports (before the four noted moved to the CAA). The A10 is really a basketball-based conference primarily. Football was the neglected step child....