Conference Realignment- With NCAA comments

[Dane96]

BIG NEWS. The NEC confirmed A-10 lax by announcing the NEC lax league is DONE due to departures to the MAAC and A-10.  

1. NEC- Losing four teams including Bryant, St. Joes, Bryant, Hobart, and Mt. St Mary's.  Wagner, LIU, Merrimack, and Sacred Heart.  Stonehill DOES NOT sponsor Lax.  If you believe the NEC commissioner, then the NEC is expecting to expand and that school will have lax.  Stonehill is likely to start up lax (my guess only), and that would give the NEC 5 teams...still not enough.  The NEC would be 10 teams: CCSU, Wagner, SFU, SFU-Brooklyn, Sacred Heart, Merrimack, LIU, FDU, Stonehill, and another school.  So if they plan on bringing back lax, they will need at least one affiliate.  The NEC is also very much at risk for losing SFU-Brooklyn, bringing them back to 9.  Howard is most likely to announce the CAA move in June, so the Morgan St and Delaware St. moves are likely.  Neither school has lax...maybe they add.  But the most likely lax scenario is affiliate status for the NEC to rebuild their league. 

2. MAAC- The MAAC is losing St. Bonaventure and Monmouth.  They will be left with Marist, Manhattan, Siena, Quinnipiac, and Canisius.  They are gaining Mt. Saint Mary's.  That's six.  Then they pick up 3 in LIU, Wagner, and Sacred Heart. They then add VMI as an affiliate (announced last month).  That's 10.  That's ungodly, even for a season.  I really don't know how the NEC is rebuilding lax...and I think this is more permanent than the NEC is letting on.  With 14-15 lax games, I can't see how the league isn't losing another school, presumably the Q.   

3. The CAA will lose UMASS definitively.  They gain Monmouth, SBU, and Hampton.  The original A-10 rumor had Fairfield going to the A-10 lax.  If this happens, it basically cements the CURRENT view that Fairfield is out of the CAA North permanent all-sports talks.  The pressure will clearly be on them to put up or shut up if indeed the North is coming down to Albany and Fairfield (I think the Q is not a school the CAA wants).  The CAA Lax league will be Delaware, Towson, Drexel, Hofstra, Monmouth, SBU, and Hampton (if this all goes through).  At 7, this is a good size and the CAA isn't "forced" to add a lax school ASAP.  They could continue the alleged talks they are having with North schools.  SBU for UMASS is a wash...Same with Monmouth and Fairfield.  Hampton is an afterthought.

4. A-10- Now becomes St. Joe's, UMASS , St. Bonaventure, Fairfield, Hobart, Richmond (leaving SoCon).  That's six teams.  They will need one more.  So Merrimack COULD be in play.  However, the original rumors had High Point (they have a huge focus on the Northeast for enrollment...and the fact they have not been added as a CAA South team (yet) seems to be an indication they will be in play for the A-10.  If Howard is added to the CAA (and they will be based on all accounts so far), then the next southern school for the CAA will be a football school (or is likely to be).

5. SoCon- they are done...completely done.  Richmond, High Point, VMI, and Hampton are gone.  Mercer and Jax will need to find a home.

6. America East- loses SBU but gains Bryant.  Net zero loss in numbers.  AE is at 7 schools.  They could take on Merrimack however, I have to think the fact that they have not secured the services of a new league means one of the following:  1) The AE is ok at 7; 2) The AE is gaining an 8th (Quinnipiac) and certainly does not want to go 9 (takes away from ALL IMPORTANT OOC games that can shoot a great team up the rankings like Albany has done in the past, with wins); and 3) Ok with an 8th but may be waiting to see if Albany to the CAA is real...I don't think it is for this year...but who knows.  

The Big East and PL are unlikely to pick up Merrimack.  

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by Dane96

[cwdickens]

I am for 8th or 9th lacrosse team .... even one or two associate members ... Quinnipiac was an associate member of the America East Conference for lacrosse in our early years of DI Lacrosse

[statefan]

Looks like Bryant lost their MLAX coach:

https://www.usalaxmagazine.com/high-school/boys/mike-pressler-named-head-coach-at-highland-park-texas?fbclid=IwAR34ip4GBSZ6gikebQXO11JSWJSuzFiCDEgNCG9Ur0lmmrStRTa3UGBeDTw

[cwdickens]

On 6/7/2022 at 3:55 PM, statefan said:

Looks like Bryant lost their MLAX coach:

https://www.usalaxmagazine.com/high-school/boys/mike-pressler-named-head-coach-at-highland-park-texas?fbclid=IwAR34ip4GBSZ6gikebQXO11JSWJSuzFiCDEgNCG9Ur0lmmrStRTa3UGBeDTw

Sounds like he retired prior to accepting this position ..... which likely pays pretty nicely ..... with better weather

[Dane96]

16 hours ago, cwdickens said:

Sounds like he retired prior to accepting this position ..... which likely pays pretty nicely ..... with better weather

Highland Park is not paying anything close to what he was making at Bryant, which was around $300k with yearly incentives achieved, close to $270k without.  

[cwdickens]

1 hour ago, Dane96 said:

Highland Park is not paying anything close to what he was making at Bryant, which was around $300k with yearly incentives achieved, close to $270k without.  

As I said, his new position likely pays nicely, whether or not close to $270,000....

[jimbo]

https://www.highlandparklacrosse.org

Check out the sponsors. This is a very wealthy suburb of Dallas. Their stadium is bigger than Casey. Not saying he’s making D1 money, but if he was looking for a good place to retire, at a storied program....this could be it. Weather has to be better than Rhode Island. 

Edited June 9, 2022 by jimbo

[cwdickens]

Nice to see such a talented coach take his career in a different direction to work with younger players....

[UAalum72]

Report that Howard has backed out of moving to the CAA
 

 

[Dane96]

49 minutes ago, UAalum72 said:

Report that Howard has backed out of moving to the CAA
 

 

Absolutely SHOCKING news.  They were set to announce on the 16th that they were joining.  I think they are left with two choices right now:  Albany and Fairfield.  

[Dane96]

Just now, Dane96 said:

Absolutely SHOCKING news.  They were set to announce on the 16th that they were joining.  I think they are left with two choices right now:  Albany and Fairfield.  

Actually, check that...they need a Southern school. Towson wants to be in the North.  

[Dane96]

Huge news that has been confirmed by almost every media outlet and the lead PAC 12 media news person:

USC and UCLA to the B1G in 2024.  This is going to lead to a much quicker march to what the inevitable was going to be:  expansion to 20 team leagues for the SEC and B1G, and the ACC, Big 12, and PAC 12 duking out for the scraps.  

Here is how I see it:

Both leagues will go to 20 teams.  I think the SEC doesn't want to however, I think the B1G will, forcing the hands of the SEC.  I then think you see a scramble for the ACC and Big XII to keep teams.

Here is: A)Current SEC and B1G setups; Future SEC and B1G setups with known (Texas and Oklahoma) and pretty solid (USC and UCLA) moves; and C) Potential moves, with those new schools in bold and an attempt at Pods.  The Pods are for either marketing reasons (e.g. Notre Dame in the Eastern B1G Pod for $$$), attempt to keep rivalries together, and for travel. There is also a MAJOR AAU component at play here.

You will likely see a schedule, for football, that features, 4 games in your pod, 2 in each separate pod (preserving rivalries if need be and teams are in separate pods), and 3 OOC matchups in an 11 game season. 

I think this is finally the time that Notre Dame will have to make a decision because this new world we are heading into will NOT help ND at all.  If ND stays independent, I see the B1G going after Colorado or Arizona, with Colorado having much more upside. 

A. Current SEC

East: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vandy

West: Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi, Miss State, A&M

B. Future SEC Known Today

East: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vandy

West: Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi, Miss State, A&M

Texas, Oklahoma

C. Potential New SEC

Pod 1; FLORIDA STATE, MIAMI, South Carolina, CLEMSON,  NORTH CAROLINA

Pod 2: Florida, Georgia, LOUISVILLE, Kentucky,  Tennessee

Pod 3: Alabama, Mississippi, Miss State, LSU, Vandy,

Pod 4: Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas A&M,WEST VIRGNIA

A. Current B1G

East: Indiana, Michigan, Maryland, Mich State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers

West: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin

B. Future B1G Known Today

East: Indiana, Michigan, Maryland, Mich State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers

West: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin

USC, USC

C. Potential New B1G

Pod 1: Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State, Ohio State, NOTRE DAME

Pod 2: Michigan, Mich State, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois

Pod 3: Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern,  KANSAS

Pod 4: USC, UCLA, Nebraska, WASHINGTON, OREGON

[B9j2j6s]

My grandfather who is a USC alum and former ticket holder must be spinning in his gave,  

This news sucks for everyone.  It is going to have a crazy trickle down effect.

OT-Does Boise finally gets into the Pac-12. 

For UA will it speed up our joining the CAA?   

[GreatDanes06]

To me it's very simple what this is leading to...

The NFL System

You will have an AFC and and NFC conference, with 3 divisions...each conference will have their own 8 team playoff and the winners of each conference play each other for the national championship.

ESPN will get one conference and Fox the other (like CBS and Fox). Amazon and CBS will sprinkle in their coverage of certain games like NFL does with Thursday Night and Sunday Night Football.

Teams who don't get in the conferences will create the new I-AA (MAC, American, Sun Belt etc...), while teams in current I-AA (CAA, Big Sky, Missouri Valley etc...) will create a new I-AAA

And yes it would be the same for basketball

The Power 5's are pretty much going to eliminate the fat and create their own level of NCAA sports. They will let UA's of the world get some non-conference action, but they won't be invited to the big parties/dances anymore.

[dslyank]

10 hours ago, GreatDanes06 said:

The Power 5's are pretty much going to eliminate the fat and create their own level of NCAA sports. They will let UA's of the world get some non-conference action, but they won't be invited to the big parties/dances anymore.

AGREE!  Sad but True.  

IMHO collegiate athletics as we know it has/will come to an end. If not officially there yet; college athletics is/will become minor leagues for the PRO's.

NIL article in todays Albany TU adds to the threat. [I'll try to figure how to link.]

https://digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/odn/albanytimesunion/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=HATU%2F2022%2F07%2F01&entity=Ar01201&sk=BDDE32FE&mode=text

Edited July 1, 2022 by dslyank