Stony Brook Committed to Big South

[TexasTerror]

Per this article...good news for both parties! Article mentions the possibility of a CAA spot being SB's to claim though, but it just does not make sense outside of perhaps saving some in travel budget, does it?


Stony Brook has no designs on bolting from its associate membership in the Big South.

The Long Island, N.Y.-based school is under contract to compete in the league in football only through 2011. A new deal has not been reached, but the sides have started negotiations and could extend their marriage of convenience, which allowed the Big South to earn an automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.

"To be totally honest, I love the Big South," Stony Brook Athletic Director Jim Fiore said at the NCAA Myrtle Beach Baseball Regional earlier this month. "I truly like and respect the people in the Big South. The conference is committing [resources] and getting harder and harder. ... We're a proud member of the conference.


http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/06/17/1536993/stony-brook-appears-committed.html

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Per this article...good news for both parties! Article mentions the possibility of a CAA spot being SB's to claim though, but it just does not make sense outside of perhaps saving some in travel budget, does it?



http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/06/17/1536993/stony-brook-appears-committed.html

Translation: We can't get into the CAA, and there's no way were going back to the 40 scholarship NEC. So "we love the Big South".

Interestingly,


"We like our success, we like where we are going and we like what we have in the program," Fiore said. "With that said, it's all finances at the end of the day. ... That said I don't know what's going to happen. We want to be talked about like the Michigans and Virginias: a large, state research institute. ... We ultimately want to be aligned athletically with that. That's my job."

Big Ten? xlolx

[jmufan999]

we lost Hofstra and Northeastern, but did the author forget we're adding ODU and GSU? i don't know that we're looking to add members, maybe i'm wrong. anyway, the Big South will definitely have a chance to prove its worth every year in the playoffs from now on.

[Husky Alum]

Fiore's crazy if he wants to be in the CAA. He can be a fish like any other fish in the Big South, or he can be a little fish in the CAA pond.

What would you do?

"We Love the Big South."

Portion that was missing.... "because we can compete and win the **** conference with some level of regularity."

[Redwyn]

So true, so true.

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that playoff exposure is a massive recruiting boon, far more than conference affiliation. No one wants to be cannon fodder, even in the best conference.

Best situation for SBU is to keep going to the playoffs, keep winning conference titles, and when the program's well developed - with larger stadium and fan base, perhaps an FBS win or two (Army and Buffalo are winnable in 2011 and 2012) - then make a move to a permanent home, not another stepping stone.

[wr70beh]

we lost Hofstra and Northeastern, but did the author forget we're adding ODU and GSU? i don't know that we're looking to add members, maybe i'm wrong. anyway, the Big South will definitely have a chance to prove its worth every year in the playoffs from now on.

VCU fans are still hoping for that football program to start up and play in UR's old stadium. There was an article (Here (http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_football/article/STAD08_20100607-222203/349712/) ) that said the city might turn the old lot into housing.

Bottom line is, will the CAA expand if VCU wants to start a football program? It might have to.

[jmufan999]

Bottom line is, will the CAA expand if VCU wants to start a football program? It might have to.

unfortunately, i think you're right. if they do, we have MAJOR, MAJOR issues in Virginia. that would be WAAAAY too many FCS schools for one state and one conference (possible even all in the same division).

translation: VCU, STAY AWAY. you're great at bball, stick to it.

[superman7515]

VCU isn't the only one though, remember that if any of the full-time members decides to start playing football, they have to be accepted. You could have VCU, George Mason, JMU, and Richmond all playing (in theory). Drexel and UNCW also have the option. Then the conference gets unwieldy and you end up with the Mid-Atlantic Conference with Villanova, Drexel, Delaware, Towson, JMU, George Mason, Richmond, W&M, VCU, and ODU.

[henfan]

A lot could and likely will change between now and 7/1/17 but that's the date CAA members George Mason, VCU, UNCW, Drexel, Northeastern & Hofstra have to notify the conference that they intend to add (or revive) football and still gain admission to the CAA FB league.

VCU & Drexel are such stretches to add FB, it's almost ridiculous to even consider. IMO, George Mason is the only possible contender to add FB from that group. They have the land, an existing club team and the location to do it. They just lack the institutional desire.

Wouldn't surprise me if Hofstra eventually revived scholarship FB but, again, it would probably take an institutional change (a new CEO) and several years for that to even be a remote consideration.

The CAA appears to have no real need to add more than ODU & GSU.

[TexasTerror]

A lot could and likely will change between now and 7/1/17 but that's the date CAA members George Mason, VCU, UNCW, Drexel, Northeastern & Hofstra have to notify the conference that they intend to add (or revive) football and still gain admission to the CAA FB league.

I am confused...?

Where is this date coming from and what does it mean? There has been no such news that I am familiar with...

[superman7515]

It's a CAA rule. All full-conference members are allowed to start a football team and gain automatic entry as long as the make their intentions known prior to that date. After that date the conference does not have to allow automatic entry to any full-member schools that start a football team.

CAA Football Handbook (http://www.nmnathletics.com/fls/8500/supportfiles/Handbook/FB/09_CAAFB_Handbook_web.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=8500)

Section 2.03

[DFW HOYA]

VCU & Drexel are such stretches to add FB, it's almost ridiculous to even consider. IMO, George Mason is the only possible contender to add FB from that group. They have the land, an existing club team and the location to do it. They just lack the institutional desire.


While there's a 55,000 seat stadium literally down the street from Drexel, it's still a reach to think this is a priority for the school. VCU could play at the Diamond (it's still there, right?) which would be an odd but not insurmountable seating configuration.

As for GMU, I don't get it. The school was planning for an ODU-styled team in 1998 when it fell one vote short in the trustees and it has disappeared from conversation since. The club team struggled to stay on the field last year and doesn'r seem to be pushing for an upgrade.

[Seawolf97]

Personally I'm happy with our home in the Big South. We have a growing rivalry with Liberty and a few of the other member programs. The conference continues to be more competitive as all the teams improve. Hopefully we will extend our membership another 4 or 5 years.

[WUTNDITWAA]

While there's a 55,000 seat stadium literally down the street from Drexel, it's still a reach to think this is a priority for the school. VCU could play at the Diamond (it's still there, right?) which would be an odd but not insurmountable seating configuration.

As for GMU, I don't get it. The school was planning for an ODU-styled team in 1998 when it fell one vote short in the trustees and it has disappeared from conversation since. The club team struggled to stay on the field last year and doesn'r seem to be pushing for an upgrade.

The Diamond probably wouldn't be great for football, but there is a 22,000 seat stadium that's newly vacated.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Not only is Richmond* I mean, City Stadium right down the lane from VCU, unlike what henfan says there's actually all the ingredients there for VCU starting up football: 1) a president that wants to look into it, 2) an AD who's interested in pursuing it, and 3) interested students.

OTOH I agree that for Drexel it is absolutely not a priority to have football. Sharing Franklin Field would be a reach even if there was any interest in it.

[Husky Alum]

I wouldn't be surprised if within the next 5 years you see GMU and VCU football. Those schools will see ODU's success and will try and mimic.

Football at NU is gone and will never come back.

[wr70beh]

Not only is Richmond* I mean, City Stadium right down the lane from VCU, unlike what henfan says there's actually all the ingredients there for VCU starting up football: 1) a president that wants to look into it, 2) an AD who's interested in pursuing it, and 3) interested students.

OTOH I agree that for Drexel it is absolutely not a priority to have football. Sharing Franklin Field would be a reach even if there was any interest in it.

Old UR stadium will need some minimal upgrades in order for it to be VCU ready. Would the city lease it to them for $1 a year like they did with UR? Perhaps. Would they sell it to VCU outright? Maybe.

If they want to make it like Foreman Field, they would have to sink some cash into the thing. Would the students accept an increase in student activity fees on top of a 25% increase in tuition that happened this year? I don't know.

[henfan]

If VCU wants to save City Stadium for a start up FB program, they had better get cracking PDQ. Without UR FB, the decaying stadium is only going to get worse (UR's no longer maintaining it) and, of course, there's already pressure to demolish the structure and add to the tax base. Does anyone really believe The Diamond or 3K-seat Sports Backers Stadium are options for a D-I FB program? How would VCU ever finance FB when they only offer 14 sports now?

Drexel is not going to revive FB; they can't afford it. DU can barely afford to finance the minumum number of sports to maintain its D-I eligibility status. Come on. This is silly.

[DFW HOYA]

Football at NU is gone and will never come back.

Why not?

There are more than a dozen I-AA schools which are playing football today largely because students took the initiative to get it going when their school would not. If it means Northeastern is playing Vermont and George Mason as a club team for a few years and lobbying the school to join the Pioneer or Patriot (good seats still available), it beats sitting around and cursing the darkness.

[Uncle Buck]

Two things, SBU is in good shape right now with the America East and the Big South. They're coming off their best all around athletic season and football won the conference, even with a sub-par record. They can compete and build on that, which has to happen before they move anywhere.

As for Hofstra maybe bringing football back by 2017, or at least making their intentions known, the current president's contract i believe is up in 2015. Football won't comeback before then because he is a scumbag with an agenda, but it just might after he goes.

[Husky Alum]

Why not?

There are more than a dozen I-AA schools which are playing football today largely because students took the initiative to get it going when their school would not. If it means Northeastern is playing Vermont and George Mason as a club team for a few years and lobbying the school to join the Pioneer or Patriot (good seats still available), it beats sitting around and cursing the darkness.

Facilities. If we had a facility, we'd still have a team. Without a facility, it's a non-starter.

I don't think anyone's cursing the darkness.

Our hockey and basketball teams received substantial increases in funding with the cutting of football, and sports like crew, baseball, m/w soccer all got boosts in scholarships.

[Keenan]

Personally I'm happy with our home in the Big South. We have a growing rivalry with Liberty and a few of the other member programs. The conference continues to be more competitive as all the teams improve. Hopefully we will extend our membership another 4 or 5 years.

As a Liberty fan, I'm hoping SBU stays in the Big South for years to come. The Big South football conference has grown by leaps and bounds in the few short years of it's existence. Much of the credit goes to SBU for what they have been able to accomplish in the past two seasons. The only negative part of the new rivalry between Liberty and SBU is the massive road trip.