With the C7 poaching the A-10, the A-10 will be looking to the CAA again.
GMU will be tops on their list. CofC, Hofstra, Drexel, and Northeastern will all be looked at as well.
JMU and UD will be forced to find new homes as the CAA's death knell rings.
W&M will finally make the move to the Patriot.
UNCW to the SoCon
I don't know where this leaves Towson.
A10 can look to the CAA all they want, doesnt mean those schools are going to jump.
why would a JMU fan post this? Even if A10 takes 2 schools, that leaves 8. Hardly forcing JMU/Delaware to find new homes.
(03-01-2013 09:33 AM)darkdragon99 Wrote: [ -> ]A10 can look to the CAA all they want, doesnt mean those schools are going to jump.
I'm not sure they will. That being said, I don't see how it makes any sense to have 2 mid-major conferences sharing the same territory.
It worked when the A-10 was considered a power mid-major, but that label is GONE now.
(03-01-2013 09:37 AM)stever20 Wrote: [ -> ]why would a JMU fan post this? Even if A10 takes 2 schools, that leaves 8. Hardly forcing JMU/Delaware to find new homes.
A lot of CAA fans feel that if we lose 2 more schools (after losing 3 last year), the conference will start to collapse.
(03-01-2013 09:29 AM)JMU2004 Wrote: [ -> ]With the C7 poaching the A-10, the A-10 will be looking to the CAA again.
GMU will be tops on their list. CofC, Hofstra, Drexel, and Northeastern will all be looked at as well.
JMU and UD will be forced to find new homes as the CAA's death knell rings.
W&M will finally make the move to the Patriot.
UNCW to the SoCon
I don't know where this leaves Towson.
The only way Drexel is considered by the A-10 is if for some inexplicable reason St. Joe's leaves the conference. Even then, i doubt the A-10 would want them. The only reason there are currently three Philly teams was Temple went to bat for LaSalle to rescue them when the MCC imploded. I've seen nothing fom the A-10 leadership to think that they are so clueless as to consider adding a mediocre and completely irrelevant program such as Northeastern. I think Hofstra and CofC will be considered, but I think that Hofstra especially will be a lower priority. I don't think the CAA is going to be completely destroyed, but they may well lose a team or two.
VCU would be better off going BACK to the CAA.
(03-01-2013 09:41 AM)JMU2004 Wrote: [ -> ] (03-01-2013 09:37 AM)stever20 Wrote: [ -> ]why would a JMU fan post this? Even if A10 takes 2 schools, that leaves 8. Hardly forcing JMU/Delaware to find new homes.
A lot of CAA fans feel that if we lose 2 more schools (after losing 3 last year), the conference will start to collapse.
CAA is not at the bottom of the pecking order.
And may not even be below the A10 much longer. The WAC got raided by the Sun Belt, so it could happen. All the teams that play in something bigger than a high school gym are leaving the A10.
(03-01-2013 09:47 AM)dbackjon Wrote: [ -> ]VCU would be better off going BACK to the CAA.
If cooler heads cold prevail.....UR/VCU would come back to the CAA. GWU would be a good fit as well.
However, VCU and UR had "relations" with the CAA's wife, kicked the dog, and then did figure 8's in our yard when they left. There is too much mutual animosity for them to come back.
It is strange to see all this realignment just take a recent powerhouse FCS conference and take it down to dire straights. I think there is plenty more moving and shaking to come too.
The CAA is below the A-10 and will remain so for the foreseeable future. As we've seen this year, losing VCU and ODU was devastating to the conference because they along with GMU were the only CAA members with A-10 / MVC level budgets. GMU is the only remaining CAA member that has shown a consistent committment to operating a basketball program at the highest mid-major level. All of the A-10 teams make mens basketball the highest priority in the AD budget. It's why they have larger basketball budgets and pay their coaches more than CAA teams and MAC teams for that matter. The A-10 will do the same thing this time around as when Temple and Charlote announed their departures. They'll target teams that don't sponsor scholarship football and are willing to spend at a comparable level to the rest of the conference. The A-10 is definitely taking a major hit, they'll just have more quality remaining even after the next round of losses than the CAA and MAC.
i mean to me the biggest thing- the average A10 team is higher than the highest CAA team this year.
The CAA will not die since there are leagues below them. He'll NJIT is looking for a home.
I see the A-10 just going to 12 with GM and Siena.
If GMU were to leave, the CAA would be down to W&M and JMU as remaining founding members.
I can assure you that JMU will move on if the CAA is further watered down. Most of our rivalries/peers have moved on anyway.
(03-01-2013 10:16 AM)NJRedMan Wrote: [ -> ]The CAA will not die since there are leagues below them. He'll NJIT is looking for a home.
I see the A-10 just going to 12 with GM and Siena.
I don't know if Siena will be in there or not.
(03-01-2013 09:33 AM)darkdragon99 Wrote: [ -> ]A10 can look to the CAA all they want, doesnt mean those schools are going to jump.
CAA schools will jump because their TV contract with NBC is in jeopardy and the A10 is on more solid ground. Most CAA schools want to be in the A10.
The question more I think is which CAA schools could get into the A10? George Mason is a lock but I'm not sure outside of them.
A10 South: Richmond, VCU, GMU*, GW, Duquense, La Salle
A10 North: St. Joe's, St. Bonaventure, Fordham, UMass, URI, Northeastern*
George Mason and Northeastern are the 2 largest schools in the A10 and make sense to protect the footprint.
That knocks the CAA down to 8 schools.....
CAA: CofC, Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra,
JMU, Towson, UNCW, W&M
James Madison would be no longer playing in a conference containing most of the major in-state schools (VCU, ODU, GMU). Travel costs will go up for JMU to the point where they might as well be playing in the Sun Belt or MAC.
I could also see where Liberty and Davidson might have interest in joining the CAA. Davidson interest in the CAA with the Southern Conference losing ASU and Southern. Liberty to upgrade its football program. This is if Liberty does not get raided by the Sun Belt which is also a possible situation.
The creation of a 32nd automatic conference may be positive for a lot of low major conferences in the south that have been forced to expand to 12+ members.
(03-01-2013 10:26 AM)Louis Kitton Wrote: [ -> ]A10 South: Richmond, VCU, GMU*, GW, Duquense, La Salle
A10 North: St. Joe's, St. Bonaventure, Fordham, UMass, URI, Northeastern*
George Mason and Northeastern are the 2 largest schools in the A10 and make sense to protect the footprint.
I will be very surprised if Northeastern is invited to the A-10. Hockey is and always will be the highest priority at NU. The A-10 will target universities such as GMU that emphasize basketball because it is the best strategy that they can pursue to remain somewhat relevant. They're never going to make much in TV revenue, so they have to maiximize NCAA units. Inviting members who are more invested in Hockey East than the A-10 makes no sense.
(03-01-2013 10:06 AM)LostInSpace Wrote: [ -> ]The CAA is below the A-10 and will remain so for the foreseeable future. As we've seen this year, losing VCU and ODU was devastating to the conference because they along with GMU were the only CAA members with A-10 / MVC level budgets. GMU is the only remaining CAA member that has shown a consistent committment to operating a basketball program at the highest mid-major level. All of the A-10 teams make mens basketball the highest priority in the AD budget. It's why they have larger basketball budgets and pay their coaches more than CAA teams and MAC teams for that matter. The A-10 will do the same thing this time around as when Temple and Charlote announed their departures. They'll target teams that don't sponsor scholarship football and are willing to spend at a comparable level to the rest of the conference. The A-10 is definitely taking a major hit, they'll just have more quality remaining even after the next round of losses than the CAA and MAC.
Ohio to its credit has an A10/MVC level budget with a coach in the 600k range but yes overall budgets for basketball in the CAA/MAC are an issue.
(03-01-2013 09:41 AM)JMU2004 Wrote: [ -> ] (03-01-2013 09:37 AM)stever20 Wrote: [ -> ]why would a JMU fan post this? Even if A10 takes 2 schools, that leaves 8. Hardly forcing JMU/Delaware to find new homes.
A lot of CAA fans feel that if we lose 2 more schools (after losing 3 last year), the conference will start to collapse.
That sounds like an accurate assessment.
The CAA should try to keep at 10 schools with a focus in adding in the Carolinas. There are a lot of viable schools at the D1 level in that region like Davidson that could be interested with the right mix of membership.
(03-01-2013 10:35 AM)Louis Kitton Wrote: [ -> ] (03-01-2013 09:41 AM)JMU2004 Wrote: [ -> ] (03-01-2013 09:37 AM)stever20 Wrote: [ -> ]why would a JMU fan post this? Even if A10 takes 2 schools, that leaves 8. Hardly forcing JMU/Delaware to find new homes.
A lot of CAA fans feel that if we lose 2 more schools (after losing 3 last year), the conference will start to collapse.
That sounds like an accurate assessment.
The CAA should try to keep at 10 schools with a focus in adding in the Carolinas. There are a lot of viable schools at the D1 level in that region like Davidson that could be interested with the right mix of membership.
Davidson shot us down last year. Next on the list would be Elon/Furman. However, with the current evolution of the SoCon, they have no reason to move.
Realistically you are looking at Big South teams like CCU. For most in the CAA, I think they will pursue other options before trying to regroup AGAIN.
Keep in mind, the CAA almost died in 2001 as well. It has become similar to pouring money into and old car....at some point, you need to cut your losses.