Northeast Football Solution ?

[Collegefootballfan]

With the constant debate on what to do with football in the Northeast .
Especially with the issue of the Patriot League going to scholarship or not.
Add to that the question of the future of Rhode Island, UMass, UNH, continuing in the
CAA.
One solution has never been mentioned .
Why not have our cake and eat it too.
Take a page from D 1 conferences and create a super conference made up of
The Patriot League .
Umass, URI , UNH,
Northeast 10.
The Conference would be split into three divisions.
Full Scholarship
UMass, URI, UNH, Albany, Stony Brook,
Norhteast 10 Division offering limited scholarship
The Patriot Division non scholarship
The conference would allow each school to decide play in the division which
meets there situation .
For instance Fordham and Albany would have the option to be in either
Full Scholarship or partial scholarship
Each conference would play members of its own division with two inter division
games between the divisions.
With almost all northeast teams being in the conference the teams would
be certain of any automatic bid to the play offs.
Second there would be a bowl game to determine the champion of the league.
Each division winner would qualify with one wild card team. (best record)
To Clarify :
So conference members would have automatic bids.
A bowl game for non qualifiers.
The question of scholarships would be put to rest.
Pick a division that suites the teams best interest.
Full Scholarship Division Northeast Division The Patriot League
( Full Scholarship) ( Partial Scholarship) (Grant in Aid )

Is this too logical .

[WestCoastAggie]

With the constant debate on what to do with football in the Northeast .
Especially with the issue of the Patriot League going to scholarship or not.
Add to that the question of the future of Rhode Island, UMass, UNH, continuing in the
CAA.
One solution has never been mentioned .
Why not have our cake and eat it too.
Take a page from D 1 conferences and create a super conference made up of
The Patriot League .
Umass, URI , UNH,
Northeast 10.
The Conference would be split into three divisions.
Full Scholarship
UMass, URI, UNH, Albany, Stony Brook,
Norhteast 10 Division offering limited scholarship
The Patriot Division non scholarship
The conference would allow each school to decide play in the division which
meets there situation .
For instance Fordham and Albany would have the option to be in either
Full Scholarship or partial scholarship
Each conference would play members of its own division with two inter division
games between the divisions.
With almost all northeast teams being in the conference the teams would
be certain of any automatic bid to the play offs.
Second there would be a bowl game to determine the champion of the league.
Each division winner would qualify with one wild card team. (best record)
To Clarify :
So conference members would have automatic bids.
A bowl game for non qualifiers.
The question of scholarships would be put to rest.
Pick a division that suites the teams best interest.
Full Scholarship Division Northeast Division The Patriot League
( Full Scholarship) ( Partial Scholarship) (Grant in Aid )

Is this too logical .

The Patriot is expected to allow members to give scholarships in football.

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

With the constant debate on what to do with football in the Northeast .
Especially with the issue of the Patriot League going to scholarship or not.
Add to that the question of the future of Rhode Island, UMass, UNH, continuing in the
CAA.
One solution has never been mentioned .
Why not have our cake and eat it too.
Take a page from D 1 conferences and create a super conference made up of
The Patriot League .
Umass, URI , UNH,
Northeast 10.
The Conference would be split into three divisions.
Full Scholarship
UMass, URI, UNH, Albany, Stony Brook,
Norhteast 10 Division offering limited scholarship
The Patriot Division non scholarship
The conference would allow each school to decide play in the division which
meets there situation .
For instance Fordham and Albany would have the option to be in either
Full Scholarship or partial scholarship
Each conference would play members of its own division with two inter division
games between the divisions.
With almost all northeast teams being in the conference the teams would
be certain of any automatic bid to the play offs.
Second there would be a bowl game to determine the champion of the league.
Each division winner would qualify with one wild card team. (best record)
To Clarify :
So conference members would have automatic bids.
A bowl game for non qualifiers.
The question of scholarships would be put to rest.
Pick a division that suites the teams best interest.
Full Scholarship Division Northeast Division The Patriot League
( Full Scholarship) ( Partial Scholarship) (Grant in Aid )

Is this too logical .

#1 you forgot Maine

#2 it seems a little....well...out there

[DSUrocks07]

#1 you forgot Maine

#2 it seems a little....well...out there

yeah..."a little" is a nice way of putting it

And I'm not sure how this 24-team (or 26??? xconfusedx) mega-conference would work logistically

The quickest (i.e. so easy a caveman could do it) solution for the "CAA North" or football affilites is the creation of a "Yankee Conference" administered by the CAA or the AEast.

The AEast and the Atlantic 10 do not sponsor football, if anything those options should be pursued first. That would solve the Charlotte question, the CAA question, and the Northeast football question as well.

[henfan]

No need to wrack your brains or invent wild scenarios on this. One thing is abundantly clear: the evolution of conferences is a continuous process. There are no "logical" solutions, as every school has its own philosophy and aspirations for FB & athletics.xtwocentsx

[Doc QB]

Delaware will be in the big east within 5-7 years. Count on it.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Delaware will be in the big east within 5-7 years. Count on it.

That would seem to make sense. It captures the Philadelphia market without "directly" competing with the NFL Philadelphia Eagles. Great football attendance and a huge new industrial area for athletics expansion. Blue Hen men's basketball is really the only area that would need dramatic improvement. Delaware has a wonderful, historic campus and its facilities are well-funded by the state. Delaware has broad appeal to out-of-state students. Students from New Jersey seem to vastly prefer Delaware over Rutgers and Philadelphia-area students prefer its pleasant, historic campus to Temple's urban blight.

I think Delaware would be a fantastic Big East member.

[DFW HOYA]

Delaware has broad appeal to out-of-state students. Students from New Jersey seem to vastly prefer Delaware over Rutgers and Philadelphia-area students prefer its pleasant, historic campus to Temple's urban blight. I think Delaware would be a fantastic Big East member.

UD is more likely a candidate in a new I-A eastern league with Buffalo, Temple, JMU, Liberty, Georgia State, Charlotte, et al. than the Big East, which will increasingly be looking west to maitnain BCS status.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

UD is more likely a candidate in a new I-A eastern league with Buffalo, Temple, JMU, Liberty, Georgia State, Charlotte, et al. than the Big East, which will increasingly be looking west to maitnain BCS status.

Or an FBS-level CAA. Shhhh....

[Dane96]

Delaware will be in the big east within 5-7 years. Count on it.

Not a chance unless 'Nova leaves...and still....likely not a chance.

[NHwildEcat]

I think this idea of an over the top mega conference just wouldn't work at this level. Hell, I don't think it would work at any level! I just don't see a league in which there are essentially three types of teams involved...just seems pointless to me. These teams can all schedule each other OOC if they really want to play to keep travel costs down. I just see no benefit to it.

Also, to me there is no way UNH does anything without Maine/and or UMass. These three in my opinion need to remain together...it is fun to brag/joke around with folks from this tri-state connection about games in all sports but especially football!

As someone noted above a new Yankee conference ran by either the AE or A-10 would seem to be the most logical choice if things go south as far as the northern teams wanted to play with those from the southern portion of the conference.

[UNH 1999]

I'd like to see UD in the ACC, but that's just me...

[bjtheflamesfan]

I think there is a D2 conference that has the Northeast 10 name cornered

[NHwildEcat]

I think there is a D2 conference that has the Northeast 10 name cornered

Yes there is...and they are the worst conference in D2 at that...limited scholly's.

[Seawolf97]

I think there is a D2 conference that has the Northeast 10 name cornered
You are right. It is D 2 Conference. Something will give in the Northeast in the next few years. CAA teams are starting to go their own ways or dropping football altogether. Has anyone heard what Rhode Island plans to do ? Last was they would
make an announcement in August and here we are in November. Still no truth about moving to the NEC?

[Bogus Megapardus]

Yes there is...and they are the worst conference in D2 at that...limited scholly's.

The Northeast 10 serves its members very well while bringing together a host of diversified colleges. It has won DII national championships in several different sports and its lacrosse teams could give a lot of DI teams a run for the money.

[NHwildEcat]

The way things have been going in college football with schools changing conferences..I bet URI makes the jump to the Big East! I kid...but that would be something. They did beat UNH this season!

[NHwildEcat]

The Northeast 10 serves its members very well while bringing together a host of diversified colleges. It has won DII national championships in several different sports and its lacrosse teams could give a lot of DI teams a run for the money.

I am not digging on the NE-10...I went to Southern NH U...I know all too much about the conference and its members. Infact it is the only D2 conference for college hockey...and my alma mater has seen quite a lot of success in soccer and basketball. I wish we had a football team, but that has not happened and doesn't look good. Although, I will always try to keep that issue on the table!

[BlueHenSinfonian]

I'd like to see UD in the ACC, but that's just me...

I'd love to see that, and I think a lot of other UD fans would to. The ACC could be a better fit than the basketball-centric Big East if UD ever does decide to move up to FBS and manages a BCS conference invite. We'd have a natural regional rival with Maryland.