(02-23-2014 11:51 PM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  At what point does William and Mary leave the CAA for the Patriot League? Seems they are close to making that call? Whats the last straw?

It's been on the radar for a while. Here are some emails that provide some insight into the discussion being had by W&M leadership:
http://shadesof48.com/emails-show-colleg...ot-league/

Personally, I think W&M in the PL would be a bit of a departure but given Loyola's membership, Virginia is now contiguous. It might spur W&M to finally pursue men's lax.

Regarding Furman, if they choose to go the CAA route, I'd feel real good about Coastal's chances of finally getting a SoCon invite.

I know this question has already been posed, but would Furman cut ties with the Southern to go to the Colonial? They've been in the SoCon for what...80+ years? Weren't they said to be seriously pondering a move to the CAA when GaState, ODU, VCU left two years ago?

IMO, I think the Paladins stay put.

(02-24-2014 08:13 AM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  I thought I saw Freedom of Info documents that showed they already almost bolted for the Patriot League and that is their top preference outside of the CAA. They prefer the academic strength. I really doubt they would be interested in the SoCon based on that info.

At the very least, according to the W&M blog's FoIA findings, the Patriot approached Villanova, William & Mary, Richmond, and New Hampshire for football-only membership. There wasn't anything from the emails saying W&M had definitely been approached for full-membership, iirc, but it's been rumored to have been an ongoing conversation. All schools approached said they had no interest, according to the emails.

I don't see Richmond and W&M going to SoCon now with Davidson and Elon gone. Both Elon and CoC were supposed to be the means to also obtaining Davidson and Furman, who both rebuffed (and Davidson skipped CAA entirely).

Delaware and Towson are both said to be conducting FBS viability studies. Heck, when these basketball schools start steering the conference into a small private college league, they ought to. All Hofstra and Drexel want anyway is to join the A10...to the detriment of the CAA.

(02-24-2014 08:18 AM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-23-2014 11:51 PM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  At what point does William and Mary leave the CAA for the Patriot League? Seems they are close to making that call? Whats the last straw?

It's been on the radar for a while. Here are some emails that provide some insight into the discussion being had by W&M leadership:
http://shadesof48.com/emails-show-colleg...ot-league/

Personally, I think W&M in the PL would be a bit of a departure but given Loyola's membership, Virginia is now contiguous. It might spur W&M to finally pursue men's lax.

You realize that the CAA already sponsors men's LAX, right? Title IX is likely the obstacle to the Tribe having Men's lacrosse.

As for moving conferences, the CAA is still currently the best fit for the Tribe. Will be interesting what happens in a month or 2 after some changes, if any, are announced but no other conference is currently a better fit for the Tribe then the CAA. What the Shades of 48 article showed is that the leadership had internal discussions but were not completely sold on moving (otherwise W&M could have). But they were not standing still and being completely reactive

(02-24-2014 11:40 AM)tribe_pride Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 08:18 AM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-23-2014 11:51 PM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  At what point does William and Mary leave the CAA for the Patriot League? Seems they are close to making that call? Whats the last straw?

It's been on the radar for a while. Here are some emails that provide some insight into the discussion being had by W&M leadership:
http://shadesof48.com/emails-show-colleg...ot-league/

Personally, I think W&M in the PL would be a bit of a departure but given Loyola's membership, Virginia is now contiguous. It might spur W&M to finally pursue men's lax.

You realize that the CAA already sponsors men's LAX, right? Title IX is likely the obstacle to the Tribe having Men's lacrosse.

Yeah but CAA lax sucks. At least PL lax is competitive.

(02-24-2014 11:45 AM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 11:40 AM)tribe_pride Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 08:18 AM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-23-2014 11:51 PM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  At what point does William and Mary leave the CAA for the Patriot League? Seems they are close to making that call? Whats the last straw?

It's been on the radar for a while. Here are some emails that provide some insight into the discussion being had by W&M leadership:
http://shadesof48.com/emails-show-colleg...ot-league/

Personally, I think W&M in the PL would be a bit of a departure but given Loyola's membership, Virginia is now contiguous. It might spur W&M to finally pursue men's lax.

You realize that the CAA already sponsors men's LAX, right? Title IX is likely the obstacle to the Tribe having Men's lacrosse.

Yeah but CAA lax sucks. At least PL lax is competitive.

With Loyola in the PL, lax could be more than competitive.

(02-24-2014 12:59 PM)MRD92 Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 11:45 AM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 11:40 AM)tribe_pride Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 08:18 AM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-23-2014 11:51 PM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  At what point does William and Mary leave the CAA for the Patriot League? Seems they are close to making that call? Whats the last straw?

It's been on the radar for a while. Here are some emails that provide some insight into the discussion being had by W&M leadership:
http://shadesof48.com/emails-show-colleg...ot-league/

Personally, I think W&M in the PL would be a bit of a departure but given Loyola's membership, Virginia is now contiguous. It might spur W&M to finally pursue men's lax.

You realize that the CAA already sponsors men's LAX, right? Title IX is likely the obstacle to the Tribe having Men's lacrosse.

Yeah but CAA lax sucks. At least PL lax is competitive.

With Loyola in the PL, lax could be more than competitive.

For lax, there is the ACC, a huge gap, and then PL, IVY, B10 all mixed together.

(02-24-2014 03:14 AM)prp Wrote:  

(02-23-2014 07:42 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Yeah, CAA is very petty regarding the eligibility thing, and their commissioner isn't one to advocate for the high road. Proactively cruel. CAAF's a bit different, and outbound schools have been spared the "penalty," probably because the decision is in different peoples' hands.

AE has options...on paper. Boston University drove a stake into that conference, and it's amazing they still exist as they do. CCSU's got a Hartford problem, and NJIT is being made to sponsor more sports. I don't think AE wants NJIT, but I guess NJIT got a more firm "no"/"get lost" from the MAAC and NEC. It may be that if Monmouth can't get CAA consideration, AE might take them.

I hope for the sake of the athletes, NJIT eventually finds a conference, but the fact that they are even running a D-1 athletics program is a farce. There's no desire amongst the students, faculty and alumni in operating at that level and virtually no fan support. The only people at the school that want D-1 sports are a few people in the administration who live in constant fear of NJIT being absorbed into the Rutgers system and merged with Rutgers-Newark and thus eliminating their jobs. They're desperate to portray NJIT as an all-around university, something more than the engineering and architecture school that it primarily is. Any conference that adds them needs to understand they could not be long for D-1. The longer they go on being the butt of jokes, the more the pressure will grow to downgrade, or the school could cease to exist all together as an independent entity.

I feel bad for their kids, but, like you said, NJIT made this mess.

I'm curious if the AE really learned something from BU's reign of terror over the group and either made the remaining parts tighter or that much more willing to flee. An AE with programs that have one foot out the door would just take NJIT and be done with it. These guys, though...they really sound like they're making them work for it. You'd think a school like that would be easy to absorb based on the location...

(02-24-2014 01:41 PM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 12:59 PM)MRD92 Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 11:45 AM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 11:40 AM)tribe_pride Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 08:18 AM)Hitch Wrote:  It's been on the radar for a while. Here are some emails that provide some insight into the discussion being had by W&M leadership:
http://shadesof48.com/emails-show-colleg...ot-league/

Personally, I think W&M in the PL would be a bit of a departure but given Loyola's membership, Virginia is now contiguous. It might spur W&M to finally pursue men's lax.

You realize that the CAA already sponsors men's LAX, right? Title IX is likely the obstacle to the Tribe having Men's lacrosse.

Yeah but CAA lax sucks. At least PL lax is competitive.

With Loyola in the PL, lax could be more than competitive.

For lax, there is the ACC, a huge gap, and then PL, IVY, B10 all mixed together.

I wouldn't even put the B10 in that mix until next year.

(02-24-2014 02:55 PM)MRD92 Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 01:41 PM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 12:59 PM)MRD92 Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 11:45 AM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 11:40 AM)tribe_pride Wrote:  You realize that the CAA already sponsors men's LAX, right? Title IX is likely the obstacle to the Tribe having Men's lacrosse.

Yeah but CAA lax sucks. At least PL lax is competitive.

With Loyola in the PL, lax could be more than competitive.

For lax, there is the ACC, a huge gap, and then PL, IVY, B10 all mixed together.

I wouldn't even put the B10 in that mix until next year.

Ohio State and Penn State are both top 20 teams.
http://www.insidelacrosse.com/polls/DI

Who knows what the CAA is going to do anymore...it's become a weird mix of small privates (he!) and mid sized publics that range in geography from New England to southern North Carolina. It's basically become an island of misfit toys.

(02-24-2014 03:28 PM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 02:55 PM)MRD92 Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 01:41 PM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 12:59 PM)MRD92 Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 11:45 AM)Hitch Wrote:  Yeah but CAA lax sucks. At least PL lax is competitive.

With Loyola in the PL, lax could be more than competitive.

For lax, there is the ACC, a huge gap, and then PL, IVY, B10 all mixed together.

I wouldn't even put the B10 in that mix until next year.

Ohio State and Penn State are both top 20 teams.
http://www.insidelacrosse.com/polls/DI

But neither play Big 10 lacrosse this year. Ohio State is in the ECAC along with Michigan. Penn State is in the CAA.

The Big 10 doesn't exist as a lacrosse league until next year (Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Rutgers, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins).

As of this week, the rankings break down by conference as follows:

ACC - 6 (Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Syracuse, Notre Dame)
Ivy - 4 (Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Penn)
CAA - 3 (Penn State, UMass, Drexel)
ECAC - 2 (Fairfield, Ohio State)
Patriot - 2 (Loyola, Lehigh)
American East - 1 (Albany)
Big East - 1 (Denver)
Independent - 1 (Johns Hopkins)

Of course, next year, in addition to the Big 10 sponsoring men's lacrosse, Fairfield moves to the CAA (lacrosse only) and I think the ECAC as a league will cease to exist.

(02-24-2014 05:02 PM)MRD92 Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 03:28 PM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 02:55 PM)MRD92 Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 01:41 PM)Hitch Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 12:59 PM)MRD92 Wrote:  With Loyola in the PL, lax could be more than competitive.

For lax, there is the ACC, a huge gap, and then PL, IVY, B10 all mixed together.

I wouldn't even put the B10 in that mix until next year.

Ohio State and Penn State are both top 20 teams.
http://www.insidelacrosse.com/polls/DI

But neither play Big 10 lacrosse this year. Ohio State is in the ECAC along with Michigan. Penn State is in the CAA.

The Big 10 doesn't exist as a lacrosse league until next year (Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Rutgers, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins).

As of this week, the rankings break down by conference as follows:

ACC - 6 (Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Syracuse, Notre Dame)
Ivy - 4 (Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Penn)
CAA - 3 (Penn State, UMass, Drexel)
ECAC - 2 (Fairfield, Ohio State)
Patriot - 2 (Loyola, Lehigh)
American East - 1 (Albany)
Big East - 1 (Denver)
Independent - 1 (Johns Hopkins)

Of course, next year, in addition to the Big 10 sponsoring men's lacrosse, Fairfield moves to the CAA (lacrosse only) and I think the ECAC as a league will cease to exist.

A fine distinction (in both ways) but yes, I was thinking of PSU and OSU as B10 schools, and next year's B10 will be the #2 lax league behind the ACC.

(02-22-2014 11:11 PM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  

(02-22-2014 10:59 PM)LastMinuteman Wrote:  There's no exit fee for moving from the CAA to FBS, and a negligible one for moving to another FCS conference.

CAA Football would be fine with only 10 teams. They have 11 now.

No fee for CAA football, but there is one for all-sports members. Also the CAA will be back at 12 next year, Elon is coming up north from the SoCon.

Elon fits better in the CAA. Large percentage of Northern students.

(02-24-2014 06:23 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  

(02-22-2014 11:11 PM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  

(02-22-2014 10:59 PM)LastMinuteman Wrote:  There's no exit fee for moving from the CAA to FBS, and a negligible one for moving to another FCS conference.

CAA Football would be fine with only 10 teams. They have 11 now.

No fee for CAA football, but there is one for all-sports members. Also the CAA will be back at 12 next year, Elon is coming up north from the SoCon.

Elon fits better in the CAA. Large percentage of Northern students.

That may be, but I'll be darned if they added anything athletically to the conference, other than some relief for UNCW.

(02-24-2014 06:29 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(02-24-2014 06:23 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  

(02-22-2014 11:11 PM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  

(02-22-2014 10:59 PM)LastMinuteman Wrote:  There's no exit fee for moving from the CAA to FBS, and a negligible one for moving to another FCS conference.

CAA Football would be fine with only 10 teams. They have 11 now.

No fee for CAA football, but there is one for all-sports members. Also the CAA will be back at 12 next year, Elon is coming up north from the SoCon.

Elon fits better in the CAA. Large percentage of Northern students.

That may be, but I'll be darned if they added anything athletically to the conference, other than some relief for UNCW.

Don't think the SoCon cared. Not a wet eye in the bunch.

Elon has decent baseball. They are perennially a team that comes closes to the NCAAs. Last year they were the only SoCon team. Basketball except for the last couple years has been average to below-average. They are decent in the Olympic sports, soccer especially (they were in top 25 last couple of years)

CofC is a lot like that too. We have had very good baseball, and basketball is good, but hasn't made the NCAAs since 1999. Women's basketball hasn't made the tournament at all. CofC is a wonderful tennis and volleyball school. Volleyball has won a conference title of some sort (regular or postseason) for something like 15 consecutive years.

We moved because of all of our out-of-state students. We have 34% out of state, mostly from the Northeast, but spread across nation. Elon is 75%! out of state students.

I don't think you offer Elon full membership for baseball and soccer. This is the same conference that sat on other schools' bids for not adding anything to basketball, and here they go all-in on someone who's never been to the tournament, men's or women's. Or FCS playoffs.

From how it sounds, Elon might fit right in there with Hofstra. From some of the SoCon talk I've heard, SoCon tried to appease them, but Elon wasn't for virtually anyone the conference was looking to take, while also waffling on commitment. It made Elon look uncooperative and disingenuous.