CAA Shakeup Possible? First time I've seen anything in print

[danefan]

http://www.dnronline.com/sports_details.ph...0082&CHID=3

 

HARRISONBURG - With all signs pointing toward a 14-team, two-division alignment for the Colonial Athletic Association in the near future, the league's coaches want the NCAA to take the unprecedented step of awarding the conference two automatic bids in the I-AA playoffs.

 

"I don't really know what we're trying to accomplish having that many teams," James Madison coach Mickey Matthews said this week. "It puts everyone at a huge disadvantage. Given the present system, we're just hurting ourselves."

Of course, the Colonial could avoid the oversized league - and the scheduling problems the 14-team scenario would create - by dropping current members.

 

"There's been a lot of internal talk about the league splitting and if people want to stay together," Matthews said. "To me, it's obvious if you keep adding teams, you can't keep adding teams till we have a 20-team league. Some tough decisions have to be made."

 

That's as close as any coach will come to saying publicly that the conference should boot out any current members. When the CAA wrested the football league away from the Atlantic 10 after the 2006 season, the coaches all seemed to agree that keeping the same schools together under either league banner was the priority.

 

But with the prospect of a cumbersome 14-team league on the horizon, that conviction could be waning.

 

"You know, I guess if that was the discussion and some schools were in consideration of that, I may be for that," UMass coach Don Brown said. "We fought so hard to keep this group together. If people were forced out I would have some concerns about that. But if people were just moving on, that would be their choice."

 

 

The league also could look at removing members that don't participate in the CAA in other sports. That list includes some highly successful programs: Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Villanova. It also breaks sharply along geographic lines.

 

The CAA could separate north from south, the way it aligns its divisions. That is a configuration that Matthews, a former assistant at Georgia, thinks has some benefits.

 

"The best leagues are always regional leagues," Matthews said. "That's why the SEC is always good. I think we need to take a look at that. When I was at Georgia, we took very few plane rides."

 

 

This is the first printed words I've seen about the potential for a CAA shakeup. This would have major ramifications for us in a positive way.

 

Just thought you guys would be interested in reading it.

[Clickclack]

For those of us who might be "slightly" less informed.....can you explain what possible ramifications this might have on UA?

 

- It appears that football is the driving force behind possible change in conference affiliation, how heavily would our chances of moving up hing on the construction of a new stadium?

- Would this potential move be in all sports or just an affiliation through football?

 

I'm not dying to leave the AE but I understand that football is kind of a step child right now with us being a football only member of the NEC. I like the current mix of schools in the AE but if this potential move gets us into a stronger all sports conference then I would probably embrace the change.

[danefan]

For those of us who might be "slightly" less informed.....can you explain what possible ramifications this might have on UA?

 

- It appears that football is the driving force behind possible change in conference affiliation, how heavily would our chances of moving up hing on the construction of a new stadium?

- Would this potential move be in all sports or just an affiliation through football?

 

I'm not dying to leave the AE but I understand that football is kind of a step child right now with us being a football only member of the NEC. I like the current mix of schools in the AE but if this potential move gets us into a stronger all sports conference then I would probably embrace the change.

 

 

This is more of an football issue. This has the potential to force the creation of a new full scholarship northeastern football conference with the North Division CAA teams and potentially us and SBU.

 

That's why its huge for us.

 

Maine

URI

Northeastern

Hofstra

UMass

UNH

 

Are the North Division teams.

 

South CAA are:

JMU

Richmond

Towson

Villanova

Delaware

William & Mary

 

Adding in 2012:

Old Dominion

Georgia State

[UAalum72]

At least in a league with UNH, URI and Northeastern we wouldn't have to be ashamed of University Field as it is.

[ATL_DANE]

This is the first credible news I've heard about a CAA shake up. Sure we've been talking about it but but I haven't seen anything in the media. I would love for Albany to get into an all sports conference with UMass and the rest of CAA North. Full scholarship football with a money game versus FBS.

[ATL_DANE]

An interesting article. I pulled out some of the more insightful sections. UB played SEC affiliated Auburn last year and Stony Brook will be playing Big East affiliated South Florida? Sounds like flagship quality football and I don't like that we're not there.

 

If America East ever got off their butt and offered full scholarship football we'd be back in the race... oh that and a freaking stadium!

 

Constatine can kiss my a$$

 

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Kallander’s long-term vision is for the Big South to have a similar football profile to the other FCS conferences in the South, notably the CAA and Southern. That means a full allotment of scholarships for each institution and a steady diet of games against high-level competition. Stony Brook shares a similar vision. It has plans of playing games against FBS opponents, starting with a trip to South Florida in 2010. The Seawolves are also trying schedule games with Buffalo in 2011 and Army in 2012.

 

Whether or not the Seawolves are still in the league by 2012 is still up for conjecture. Stony Brook signed a four-year contract as an associate member, one that will expire after the 2011 season. By then, Presbyterian College will be a fully eligible Big South member, so it wouldn’t hurt the Big South’s automatic bid if SBU were to leave.

 

Link: http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/sports/coll...ows_south/6919/

[UBBulls]

An interesting article. I pulled out some of the more insightful sections. UB played SEC affiliated Auburn last year and Stony Brook will be playing Big East affiliated South Florida? Sounds like flagship quality football and I don't like that we're not there.

 

If America East ever got off their butt and offered full scholarship football we'd be back in the race... oh that and a freaking stadium!

 

Constatine can kiss my a$$

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kallander’s long-term vision is for the Big South to have a similar football profile to the other FCS conferences in the South, notably the CAA and Southern. That means a full allotment of scholarships for each institution and a steady diet of games against high-level competition. Stony Brook shares a similar vision. It has plans of playing games against FBS opponents, starting with a trip to South Florida in 2010. The Seawolves are also trying schedule games with Buffalo in 2011 and Army in 2012.

 

Whether or not the Seawolves are still in the league by 2012 is still up for conjecture. Stony Brook signed a four-year contract as an associate member, one that will expire after the 2011 season. By then, Presbyterian College will be a fully eligible Big South member, so it wouldn’t hurt the Big South’s automatic bid if SBU were to leave.

 

Link: http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/sports/coll...ows_south/6919/

 

I'm sure you have seen this on AGS, but UB has announced the SBU game as a go for 2011, along with Rhody in 2010 and Gardner-Webb in 2009, marking a successful effort to secure 6 home games through those seasons. I'm not certain why this article contains the term "trying". I would not be surprised if SBU may back out at some point if a BCS program offers more money, as UB had done to WVU in picking up the Auburn game, which was actually 2006. Last year we were at Penn State, this year @ Missouri (ick) and @ Pitt. So far the only BCS teams to visit UB Stadium were Rutgers (2001), Syracuse ('04), Baylor ('07), with Pitt visiting in '09. UConn visited as FBS indy in '00, '02, '03, before joining the BE in 2004, but they come again in '11.