Move to the CAA

[Clickclack]

I'll admit, I'm relatively uninformed when it comes to this topic, but I've been hearing that UA could potentially be a good fit in the CAA. Can anyone offer any guesstimates on if and when this might happen. How this type of move comes about (actual process of leaving one conference to go to another). I know we'd all love to go to the CAA but what does CAA and the schools currently in that conference think of us. What do we need to do strategically to get into a position where they would want us.....or are we pretty much in position now.

 

I'd love to see this topic discussed......any thoughts?

[Dane96]

I'll admit, I'm relatively uninformed when it comes to this topic, but I've been hearing that UA could potentially be a good fit in the CAA. Can anyone offer any guesstimates on if and when this might happen. How this type of move comes about (actual process of leaving one conference to go to another). I know we'd all love to go to the CAA but what does CAA and the schools currently in that conference think of us. What do we need to do strategically to get into a position where they would want us.....or are we pretty much in position now.

 

I'd love to see this topic discussed......any thoughts?

 

Who knows when it could happen, but full football scholarships and a stadium would help.

 

We need two things to happen: Desire to move...and a conference shift among football/hoop lines within the CAA.

 

We are, I would presume, on their radar with our multiple successful sports (what McElroy has done, compared to that of Bing and SBU, is he has made our ENTIRE program marketable-- It is nothing short of an IMPRESSIVE JOB!)

 

I think the CAA schools (well I know at least six of them-- William and Mary, VCU, Delaware, Northeastern, Hofstra, and Towson) would be IMMEDIATELY RECEPTIVE! VCU may not be there if things shake out and split along football lines. We have reps on our board (I forgot the name of the board) from Northeastern and William and Mary (the AD).

 

 

We would need to strenghthen FOOTBALL first and foremost...and hope for moves.

 

I have made it no secret that I feel the schools in the CAA are what who we should be working with, both Academically and Athletically. I believe the CAA is what Dr. Hall had in mind when he said there was some room for us to grow.

[danefan]

I think it will be interesting to see what happens with Northeastern. A great way for us to get our foot in the door in the CAA would be as an afilliate member for football only. We already have more to offer than Northeastern by way of football (higher attendance, more wins, etc...). If Northeastern drops football (who knows) and we get approval for the stadium I wouldn't be surprised at all if we end up in the CAA for football by 2010. Whether we end up there for all-sports or not is beyond my knowledge.

[scrabbleship]

I think it will be interesting to see what happens with Northeastern. A great way for us to get our foot in the door in the CAA would be as an afilliate member for football only. We already have more to offer than Northeastern by way of football (higher attendance, more wins, etc...). If Northeastern drops football (who knows) and we get approval for the stadium I wouldn't be surprised at all if we end up in the CAA for football by 2010. Whether we end up there for all-sports or not is beyond my knowledge.

 

If Northeastern drops football, it'd be counterproductive for them to stay in the CAA and on paper it'd make sense to rejoin the AE for the sake of geography (and their rivalries with BU outside of hockey that have been on hold since the move). Only thing is would Northeastern want to rejoin the AE and would the AE want them back. Paging Dane96!!

 

Migrating to the CAA for football at least would be perfect as it'd get us away from the small private schools of the NEC (CCSU excepted) and against, to quote ATL_DANE, "our peers" with their football conference having UMass, URI, UNH, Maine, Delaware, etc. Going there for all sports might be a chore with all the southerly travel but it'd be good for our overall exposure (not to mention for those alumni who have settled to some points south who could see us every year). One downside is how would we keep our rivalries with Bing and SBU after such a move?

[danefan]

I think it will be interesting to see what happens with Northeastern. A great way for us to get our foot in the door in the CAA would be as an afilliate member for football only. We already have more to offer than Northeastern by way of football (higher attendance, more wins, etc...). If Northeastern drops football (who knows) and we get approval for the stadium I wouldn't be surprised at all if we end up in the CAA for football by 2010. Whether we end up there for all-sports or not is beyond my knowledge.

 

If Northeastern drops football, it'd be counterproductive for them to stay in the CAA and on paper it'd make sense to rejoin the AE for the sake of geography (and their rivalries with BU outside of hockey that have been on hold since the move). Only thing is would Northeastern want to rejoin the AE and would the AE want them back. Paging Dane96!!

 

Migrating to the CAA for football at least would be perfect as it'd get us away from the small private schools of the NEC (CCSU excepted) and against, to quote ATL_DANE, "our peers" with their football conference having UMass, URI, UNH, Maine, Delaware, etc. Going there for all sports might be a chore with all the southerly travel but it'd be good for our overall exposure (not to mention for those alumni who have settled to some points south who could see us every year). One downside is how would we keep our rivalries with Bing and SBU after such a move?

 

Rivalries are just as good in OOC games IMO. Plus imagine if we played SBU in a first round playoff football game. Or 'Bing in a second-round NCAA basketball game. Can you get any better than that?

[UA_MA_2000]

There was a time where I authored posts on this Board in opposition to a move to the CAA, as I liked the America East (and I still believe the two conferences are equal academically when using the often-cited US News School Rankings), but, upon further reflection, I think a full move (or even just football) to the CAA would suit me just fine! It's absolutely a jump up in college hoops, and that would be exciting.

[scrabbleship]

I think it will be interesting to see what happens with Northeastern. A great way for us to get our foot in the door in the CAA would be as an afilliate member for football only. We already have more to offer than Northeastern by way of football (higher attendance, more wins, etc...). If Northeastern drops football (who knows) and we get approval for the stadium I wouldn't be surprised at all if we end up in the CAA for football by 2010. Whether we end up there for all-sports or not is beyond my knowledge.

 

If Northeastern drops football, it'd be counterproductive for them to stay in the CAA and on paper it'd make sense to rejoin the AE for the sake of geography (and their rivalries with BU outside of hockey that have been on hold since the move). Only thing is would Northeastern want to rejoin the AE and would the AE want them back. Paging Dane96!!

 

Migrating to the CAA for football at least would be perfect as it'd get us away from the small private schools of the NEC (CCSU excepted) and against, to quote ATL_DANE, "our peers" with their football conference having UMass, URI, UNH, Maine, Delaware, etc. Going there for all sports might be a chore with all the southerly travel but it'd be good for our overall exposure (not to mention for those alumni who have settled to some points south who could see us every year). One downside is how would we keep our rivalries with Bing and SBU after such a move?

 

Rivalries are just as good in OOC games IMO. Plus imagine if we played SBU in a first round playoff football game. Or 'Bing in a second-round NCAA basketball game. Can you get any better than that?

 

The one thing that might get me with that is how would we keep it up on a yearly basis, basketball-wise at least? Or would we potentially be like Buffalo in that regard in which we rarely play our sisters? In terms of basketball, it might be a move up if we end up with yearly games against them on top of $iena, it'd mean fewer OOC games to schedule which could make us more in-demand. Playoff games against them would be nice, thing is would people outside of here and then care.

 

Somehow I see UA/SBU in the FCS playoffs being The Battle of New York that slipped under the radar. Newsday would put an article next to the Aqueduct results and the TU would run some puff piece on Ford on gameday and it'd get nothing from the NYC papers outside of a boxscore.

[danefan]

I think it will be interesting to see what happens with Northeastern. A great way for us to get our foot in the door in the CAA would be as an afilliate member for football only. We already have more to offer than Northeastern by way of football (higher attendance, more wins, etc...). If Northeastern drops football (who knows) and we get approval for the stadium I wouldn't be surprised at all if we end up in the CAA for football by 2010. Whether we end up there for all-sports or not is beyond my knowledge.

 

If Northeastern drops football, it'd be counterproductive for them to stay in the CAA and on paper it'd make sense to rejoin the AE for the sake of geography (and their rivalries with BU outside of hockey that have been on hold since the move). Only thing is would Northeastern want to rejoin the AE and would the AE want them back. Paging Dane96!!

 

Migrating to the CAA for football at least would be perfect as it'd get us away from the small private schools of the NEC (CCSU excepted) and against, to quote ATL_DANE, "our peers" with their football conference having UMass, URI, UNH, Maine, Delaware, etc. Going there for all sports might be a chore with all the southerly travel but it'd be good for our overall exposure (not to mention for those alumni who have settled to some points south who could see us every year). One downside is how would we keep our rivalries with Bing and SBU after such a move?

 

Rivalries are just as good in OOC games IMO. Plus imagine if we played SBU in a first round playoff football game. Or 'Bing in a second-round NCAA basketball game. Can you get any better than that?

 

The one thing that might get me with that is how would we keep it up on a yearly basis, basketball-wise at least? Or would we potentially be like Buffalo in that regard in which we rarely play our sisters? In terms of basketball, it might be a move up if we end up with yearly games against them on top of $iena, it'd mean fewer OOC games to schedule which could make us more in-demand. Playoff games against them would be nice, thing is would people outside of here and then care.

 

Somehow I see UA/SBU in the FCS playoffs being The Battle of New York that slipped under the radar. Newsday would put an article next to the Aqueduct results and the TU would run some puff piece on Ford on gameday and it'd get nothing from the NYC papers outside of a boxscore.

 

 

HAHA. We could win the Rose Bowl and the Times Useless would run a story on the Rose Parade and how Coach Ford saw it when he was a child.

 

I think its important to keep rivalries and I think it would be easier in basketball to schedule one more OOC game versus Bing every year. Being in a stronger conference would allow us the freedom of not having to play as many play-up games. For football if we were in the CAA I could see our OOC games as one FBS school a year (Army), Stony Brook, Monmouth/Central Conn. and Fordham. That would be a nice football schedule to have.

[scrabbleship]

HAHA. We could win the Rose Bowl and the Times Useless would run a story on the Rose Parade and how Coach Ford saw it when he was a child.

 

Of course, the year we won the Rose Bowl was 2 years after the TU merely became a feeder service for blogs with no coverage of sports whatsoever, the lack of sports coverage coming after we came one basket from winning a Men's basketball title while $iena went winless and the pressure of the populace led the TU to fold.

 

I think its important to keep rivalries and I think it would be easier in basketball to schedule one more OOC game versus Bing every year. Being in a stronger conference would allow us the freedom of not having to play as many play-up games. For football if we were in the CAA I could see our OOC games as one FBS school a year (Army), Stony Brook, Monmouth/Central Conn. and Fordham. That would be a nice football schedule to have.

 

Both would be good schedules to have, plus in-conference you'd end up with a good amount of alumni support of road games. Between Hofstra, the Virginia schools, and even Northeastern (if they didn't move) and Georgia State, you have a lot of schools in areas where our alumni are settling and it'd be wise for the Alumni Association to try to mobilize alumni to go to those games. It's a win-win for all involved and it'd be good to see.

[ATL_DANE]

For football if we were in the CAA I could see our OOC games as one FBS school a year (Army), Stony Brook, Monmouth/Central Conn. and Fordham. That would be a nice football schedule to have.

 

That's my desire for this program. CAA with an OOC against a FBS. My brother attended USMA so Army would be a great game for the family. I talk about our peers a lot because I think you need bench marks in life. I don't think this is an unreasonable goal for a state university center with 18k students. We may not be UConn or Rutgers but Delaware or UMass is well within reason. Why not us?

[ATL_DANE]

One other thing. 27 conference championships in AE and NEC. I think we have maxed out our current conferences. We deserve a shot to move up! Your either growing or dying.

[UAalum72]

Other than football, I'm not sold on the benefits of the CAA. In the AE we're centrally located in a fairly compact footprint with several flagship universities plus Boston U. In the Olympic sports we'd be a northern outlier of a spread-out conference. Except for Delaware, the CAA has three private schools (NU, Drexel, and Hofstra), five southern non-flagship state schools (Towson, Old Dominion, UNC-Wilmington, Georgia State, and Virginia Commonwealth), and three dead guys and a dead girl (George Mason, James Madison, William and Mary).

 

Yes, GMU made a run at the NCAAs, but is it repeatable, and how long can they live off of it? They have the same football/no football split as the AE, though FB seems to be in control. It's a stronger conference in most sports, but still not a BCS conference and I don't think it's going to become one. If it's not BCS, it's not going going to give us measurably more attention. If we affiliated for football and stayed AE for the rest it would be OK by me.

 

Of course, one other benefit is that it would be harder for Ettkin to say the CAA is inferior to the MAAC. He might allow they are almost equal