CAA in 2007

[89Hen]

It's official...

http://www.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/050405aaf.html

"We are pleased to announce the addition of football to the CAA," CAA Commissioner Thomas Yeager said. "College football, with all of its tradition, pageantry, and rivalries, creates an interest and excitement on campus and across communities that is unmatched. We look forward to having the CAA name attached to such a distinguished group of institutions and building on the successes that those members have had in the past. The addition of Northeastern as a full CAA member and the sixth football-playing institution qualified the CAA for football conference recognition by the NCAA," Yeager said. "With the commitment to begin conference competition, invitations were sent to the other six institutions and we are thrilled that the long, competitive history of this league will be preserved."

In the most shocking news, Maine has graced the CAA with their presence. :rolleyes:

The University of Maine announced today that the football team will compete as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association Football Conference beginning with the 2007 season.

[The Gadfly]

I never knew there was a "Colony of Maine?" :cool:

[Libertine]

Question (whichhasprobablyalreadybeenansweredsomewhereelseb utImisseditsosueme):
Since NCAA bylaws state that a conference must have had 6 D-1 football-playing teams for at least 2 years and since the CAA will technically be a new conference, does that mean that the current A-10 teams will temporarily be losing their shot at an autobid to the playoffs?

[Hansel]

answer=no, they keep their autobid (as the Mountain West kept its BB bid when forming a new conference)

[89Hen]

They will not lose it because the teams were playing together. Same thing happened when the Yankee became the A10.

[umassfan]

The following statement was issued by Atlantic 10 commissioner Linda Bruno following today's announcement regarding the formation of Colonial Athletic Association football after the 2006 season:

"We have thoroughly enjoyed our association with the institutions which comprise the Atlantic 10 Football Conference. We are proud of the accomplishments of our institutions and the fact that the greatest success in the history of the Yankee Conference / Atlantic 10 Football Conference has occurred in the last eight years, with three national champions, four Walter Payton Award winners, one Buck Buchanan Award winner, and two Eddie Robinson Award winners. We look forward to two more seasons of the Atlantic 10 Football Conference being the best in the nation."

All she said was blah blah BS!

[Mr. C]

answer=no, they keep their autobid (as the Mountain West kept its BB bid when forming a new conference)
Actually, the Mountain West did not have an auto bid their first year as a conference, but did for the second year (which is why we now have 65 teams in the basketball field and that play-in game each year).

Considering that the I-AA football committee makes the decisions on who gets auto bids and the A-10 has a representative on the committee, I imagine that the CAA will keep the A-10's bid.

[Mr. C]

All she said was blah blah BS!
Isn't that about all Linda Bruno ever says. I'm surprised she even remembered that the A-10 still played football.

[GannonFan]

Actually, the Mountain West did not have an auto bid their first year as a conference, but did for the second year (which is why we now have 65 teams in the basketball field and that play-in game each year).

Considering that the I-AA football committee makes the decisions on who gets auto bids and the A-10 has a representative on the committee, I imagine that the CAA will keep the A-10's bid.

The Mountain West was a bad example by the earlier poster - the Mountain West was actually a brand new conference being formed by only some members of the former conference (the WAC). As the WAC remained in existence with some of its original teams and new ones, then the issue of a new autobid (in addition to the WAC's) was clouded. The football A10 becoming the CAA is just a name change on the letterhead and the patches on the uniforms - nothing else fundamentally changes for now.