Future of UAlbany Football

[mainejeff]

Keep an eye on UNC-Charlotte's football announcement on Thursday.....that could play a part in this whole Eastern football puzzle AND affect Albany. It has been mentioned that Charlotte could start playing football in 2012. One not-so-far-out scenario that I've been thinking about is that Charlotte and Albany could be added as associate members to the CAA for a total of 16 football schools and split into two 8 team divisions:

 

Maine

UNH

Northeastern

URI

UMass

Albany

Hofstra

Villanova

 

Delaware

Towson

JMU

Richmond

W&M

ODU

Charlotte

Georgia State

 

This could eventually lead to a variety of different scenarios:

 

A) A split could happen pretty much along the lines that I have drawn excluding Villanova and adding Stony Brook.

 

B ) A new FBS conference could eventually be formed with:

 

UMass

Albany

Delaware

James Madison

Old Dominion

Charlotte

+Appalachian State

Georgia State

 

C) Status quo of 16 teams with the flexability to shed teams (UMass, Charlotte, ODU) if they move to FBS football.

[ATL_DANE]

Keep an eye on UNC-Charlotte's football announcement on Thursday.....that could play a part in this whole Eastern football puzzle AND affect Albany. It has been mentioned that Charlotte could start playing football in 2012. One not-so-far-out scenario that I've been thinking about is that Charlotte and Albany could be added as associate members to the CAA for a total of 16 football schools and split into two 8 team divisions:

 

Maine

UNH

Northeastern

URI

UMass

Albany

Hofstra

Villanova

 

Delaware

Towson

JMU

Richmond

W&M

ODU

Charlotte

Georgia State

 

This could eventually lead to a variety of different scenarios:

 

A) A split could happen pretty much along the lines that I have drawn excluding Villanova and adding Stony Brook.

 

B ) A new FBS conference could eventually be formed with:

 

UMass

Albany

Delaware

James Madison

Old Dominion

Charlotte

+Appalachian State

Georgia State

 

C) Status quo of 16 teams with the flexability to shed teams (UMass, Charlotte, ODU) if they move to FBS football.

 

 

That's the best piece if news I've heard all year! God, please let this happen

[Clickclack]

We need a stadium BADLY...in the worst WAY! Think about how much more attractive UA would be with modern facilities.

[ATL_DANE]

I appreciate your positive attitude mainejeff but the guys on AGS don't sound as sure about UNCC announcing football. God, I hope your right but what makes you think UNCC will make the punge?

 

If UNCC does make the jump, I would see them following Georgia State right into FBS. FCS is a temporary stop for large non-northeast state schools. This is a USF kind of school. I would be happy if we used UMass as our bench mark and followed them regardless whether FCS into FBS. We're not that much different from UMass.

 

Anyway, love to hear your thoughts.

[uofalbany]

Maybe there's behind the scenes discussions taking place...

 

Has anyone ever heard any commentary from 'people in high places' including Albany as an addition to a reshuffling of the CAA?

 

By the way, I surfed by a channel discussing D1 Crew, and if I heard correctly, the NCAA allows 20 full scholarships per program... if Albany wanted to add women's crew to meet Title IX requirements.

 

 

 

For Your Viewing/Listening Pleasure: Let's Go Albany!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Alma Mater

http://www.albany.edu/studentevents/movies/serendipity.mpg

 

Fight song - Earth Tones

http://www.albany.edu/main/features/2003/0...s/fightsong.mp3

 

Fight song - Pep Band

http://www.albany.edu/studentevents/movies...rpleandgold.mp3

[ATL_DANE]

I haven't heard anything about conference affiliations. I would love UA to be in the CAA. No one can argue that the peer group for the State University of New York is St Francis or Robert Morris? Gaining admission into the CAA would put us on par with Maine, Massachusetts, and Delaware. Those are peer institutions.

 

Speaking more broadly, what is really needed is a new FBS league. There isn't one all northeast FBS football conference. That's astounding when you think of the number of state universities in the northeast. The Big East appears to be migrating south with the addition of universities such as South Florida. The Midwest has the Big 10; the west has the PAC 10; the southeast has the SEC. The Northeast has what... part of the Big East? Mainejeff's hinting of a future FBS is the biggest prize... yeah, I know we need a stadium or even a respectable pasture to play on but still it's a great prospect for Northeast football. I hope UA is part of that conference if the day ever came but Northeast college football fans would still rejoice with or without us. Let's hope for the former.

[alum73]

uofalbany quote 'Everything that I have previously written on this topic has been influenced by those same exact thoughts atl dane. Lackadaisical effort, mediocre goals, and a lack of vision by our university and our athletic department will put us so behind that we'll never catch up.

 

This will happen if we are nearsighted, and if we obsess on all of the small, minute obstacles along the way. I guess it's all about personal perspective, and where each of us wants to see our university go.

 

Will UA fight, and will its supporters, including alumni, fight?"

 

 

Are you personally aware of the efforts being made? What are the mediocre goals you mention? Do you have a list? I think people are putting in great efforts for our FB program and just "small minute obstacles" are you referring to? If getting 50 million dollars is a small obstacle for you, how about writing a check? I think you are doing a disservice to the athletic department by making comments like this. If you have some examples, please provide them.

 

We all are anxious to get the stadium built and upgrade the program, but most of us are not close enough to know what efforts are being made. You take lack of results as lack of effort. They don't always equate.

[uofalbany]

uofalbany quote 'Everything that I have previously written on this topic has been influenced by those same exact thoughts atl dane. Lackadaisical effort, mediocre goals, and a lack of vision by our university and our athletic department will put us so behind that we'll never catch up.

 

This will happen if we are nearsighted, and if we obsess on all of the small, minute obstacles along the way. I guess it's all about personal perspective, and where each of us wants to see our university go.

 

Will UA fight, and will its supporters, including alumni, fight?"

 

 

Are you personally aware of the efforts being made? What are the mediocre goals you mention? Do you have a list? I think people are putting in great efforts for our FB program and just "small minute obstacles" are you referring to? If getting 50 million dollars is a small obstacle for you, how about writing a check? I think you are doing a disservice to the athletic department by making comments like this. If you have some examples, please provide them.

 

We all are anxious to get the stadium built and upgrade the program, but most of us are not close enough to know what efforts are being made. You take lack of results as lack of effort. They don't always equate.

 

I'm not sure if you noticed but what I wrote was all in FUTURE tense. I was touching upon, IMO, what it will take in the FUTURE to keep pace with UB and SBU. I WASN'T saying the AD or University are operating with lackadaisical effort, mediocre goals, and a lack of vision now or in the past. In NO WAY was I referring to our football program. Everything you just directed at me was based on bad interpretation.

 

I am very pleased with where our university and athletics department have gone this decade. As an outsider, it is very difficult to determine what the university goals and visions are.... and how aggressive we will be heading into the future.

 

As I have stated earlier, I'm pleased with the progress we have made at the University and in the AD... I would have no idea what is coming down the line in the future, as I sit back, wait and hope that it develops the way I'd like to see it develop. We will need to be aggressive and have BIG goals. Knowing Dr.M, he's probably thinking along those lines.

 

I wouldn't attack and do a disservice to an AD that has done so much in such a short period at my alma mater.

Is there anything else I can clear up?

[danes05]

Keep an eye on UNC-Charlotte's football announcement on Thursday.....that could play a part in this whole Eastern football puzzle AND affect Albany. It has been mentioned that Charlotte could start playing football in 2012. One not-so-far-out scenario that I've been thinking about is that Charlotte and Albany could be added as associate members to the CAA for a total of 16 football schools and split into two 8 team divisions:

 

Maine

UNH

Northeastern

URI

UMass

Albany

Hofstra

Villanova

 

Delaware

Towson

JMU

Richmond

W&M

ODU

Charlotte

Georgia State

 

This could eventually lead to a variety of different scenarios:

 

A) A split could happen pretty much along the lines that I have drawn excluding Villanova and adding Stony Brook.

 

B ) A new FBS conference could eventually be formed with:

 

UMass

Albany

Delaware

James Madison

Old Dominion

Charlotte

+Appalachian State

Georgia State

 

C) Status quo of 16 teams with the flexability to shed teams (UMass, Charlotte, ODU) if they move to FBS football.

 

What is the point of having a 16 team conference? I mean, I can see basketball(Big East) where you would play every other team but for football it seems to large, doesn't it? I'd rather see a conference focused along geographical lines (northeast) and with similar institutions.

[ATL_DANE]

Keep an eye on UNC-Charlotte's football announcement on Thursday.....that could play a part in this whole Eastern football puzzle AND affect Albany. It has been mentioned that Charlotte could start playing football in 2012. One not-so-far-out scenario that I've been thinking about is that Charlotte and Albany could be added as associate members to the CAA for a total of 16 football schools and split into two 8 team divisions:

 

Maine

UNH

Northeastern

URI

UMass

Albany

Hofstra

Villanova

 

Delaware

Towson

JMU

Richmond

W&M

ODU

Charlotte

Georgia State

 

This could eventually lead to a variety of different scenarios:

 

A) A split could happen pretty much along the lines that I have drawn excluding Villanova and adding Stony Brook.

 

B ) A new FBS conference could eventually be formed with:

 

UMass

Albany

Delaware

James Madison

Old Dominion

Charlotte

+Appalachian State

Georgia State

 

C) Status quo of 16 teams with the flexability to shed teams (UMass, Charlotte, ODU) if they move to FBS football.

 

What is the point of having a 16 team conference? I mean, I can see basketball(Big East) where you would play every other team but for football it seems to large, doesn't it? I'd rather see a conference focused along geographical lines (northeast) and with similar institutions.

 

You make a good point. The conference can become too large. Current members complain that the number of AQs isn't going to increrase so this will just add to competition. On the other side, this two division system basically acts like separate conferences. The northern teams would only play the southern teams at play offs. The hope would be this two division structure might beak off into their own conference based on these geographical lines.

 

I love the idea of UA being in a conference with other peer large northeastern state schools. This might lead to a future northeast FBS league? Schools like UMass and Delaware would like to make the jump to FBS but have no where to go. The MAC is more Midwest than anything. They would be destroyed in the Big East or ACC. This would give the Northeast a home in college football. This would also be good for other sports. The CAA quality teams are a huge step up from our current home in the America East. I may be dreaming but this would finally put us on par with our peers and give us some much needed publicity. Beating our 2nd CAA team in the last few years has to help in getting their attention. UA is good; lets just hope someone takes a chance with us.

[ATL_DANE]

I hate to acknowledge our in-state peer, especially one that threw us under the "flagship" bus but did anyone look at who they're playing this week? They're playing #5 Missouri. I've heard a lot of criticsm of them making the jump to FBS and into the MAC over the years... but come on. In hindsight, that was a great decision. They're 2-1 on the season. ESPN's Sports Center spent significant time talking about their Haily Mary pass and win last weekend over Temple. They are arguably one of the better Northeast programs, granted it is the Northeast... still. I hate those A holes but I love their courage and strength to fight the SUNY system. My hope is that competition is the greatest motivator and that we will ultimately benefit from their couragous decision. For the record, I still hate those jerks.

[alum73]

uofalbany quote 'Everything that I have previously written on this topic has been influenced by those same exact thoughts atl dane. Lackadaisical effort, mediocre goals, and a lack of vision by our university and our athletic department will put us so behind that we'll never catch up.

 

This will happen if we are nearsighted, and if we obsess on all of the small, minute obstacles along the way. I guess it's all about personal perspective, and where each of us wants to see our university go.

 

Will UA fight, and will its supporters, including alumni, fight?"

 

 

Are you personally aware of the efforts being made? What are the mediocre goals you mention? Do you have a list? I think people are putting in great efforts for our FB program and just "small minute obstacles" are you referring to? If getting 50 million dollars is a small obstacle for you, how about writing a check? I think you are doing a disservice to the athletic department by making comments like this. If you have some examples, please provide them.

 

We all are anxious to get the stadium built and upgrade the program, but most of us are not close enough to know what efforts are being made. You take lack of results as lack of effort. They don't always equate.

 

I'm not sure if you noticed but what I wrote was all in FUTURE tense. I was touching upon, IMO, what it will take in the FUTURE to keep pace with UB and SBU. I WASN'T saying the AD or University are operating with lackadaisical effort, mediocre goals, and a lack of vision now or in the past. In NO WAY was I referring to our football program. Everything you just directed at me was based on bad interpretation.

 

I am very pleased with where our university and athletics department have gone this decade. As an outsider, it is very difficult to determine what the university goals and visions are.... and how aggressive we will be heading into the future.

 

As I have stated earlier, I'm pleased with the progress we have made at the University and in the AD... I would have no idea what is coming down the line in the future, as I sit back, wait and hope that it develops the way I'd like to see it develop. We will need to be aggressive and have BIG goals. Knowing Dr.M, he's probably thinking along those lines.

 

I wouldn't attack and do a disservice to an AD that has done so much in such a short period at my alma mater.

Is there anything else I can clear up?

 

 

I'm glad it's a misinterpretation, I hope others didn't also misinterpret. Thanks for clearing this up.

[uofalbany]

I'm glad it's a misinterpretation, I hope others didn't also misinterpret. Thanks for clearing this up.

 

Well, if they did, it's clear now.

 

Have any opinions on the CAA and possible UAlbany affiliation?

Where do you want to see the football program go, along with the athletic department and University, in the future?

[uofalbany]

You make a good point. The conference can become too large. Current members complain that the number of AQs isn't going to increrase so this will just add to competition. On the other side, this two division system basically acts like separate conferences. The northern teams would only play the southern teams at play offs. The hope would be this two division structure might beak off into their own conference based on these geographical lines.

 

What's the latest word coming out of the CAA and future shakeups?

Have there been any serious discussion or commenting on the subjet from any schools, press?

[danefan]

This is what I want the future of UAlbany Football to look like and I don't see any reason why it can't!