With W&M's struggles of this past year in the rear-view & a new AD expected to be hired in the coming months, we ask the question: should W&M consider pursuing the PATRIOT LEAGUE? The arguments for W&M in the Patriot make sense...
Read our article here exploring the topic. But would love to hear informed opinions on the topic here (and get everyone's thoughts on the article itself). LET'S GO TRIBE
Article:
https://wmsportsblog.com/2021/04/16/shou...ot-league/
"Here’s the list of current CAA schools, excluding William & Mary:
Albany
Delaware
Elon
James Madison
Maine
New Hampshire
Richmond
Rhode Island
Stony Brook
Towson
Villanova"
7 of those are football only CAA schools. Major difference.
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(04-15-2021 07:47 PM)WMSportsBlog Wrote: [ -> ]With W&M's struggles of this past year in the rear-view & a new AD expected to be hired in the coming months, we ask the question: should W&M consider pursuing the PATRIOT LEAGUE? The arguments for W&M in the Patriot make sense...
Read our article here exploring the topic. But would love to hear informed opinions on the topic here (and get everyone's thoughts on the article itself). LET'S GO TRIBE
Article: https://wmsportsblog.com/2021/04/16/shou...ot-league/
Nah. Patriot League sucks.
Sorry, but quite a few problems with that article.
1. Just based on the title, I thought I was going to read about joining the Patriot League for all sports. Then it seemed apparent that you meant just for football (your stating that the CAA formed in 2007 gave that away; presumably you meant CAA Football and, remember, even that was actually the A-10 for a few years and the Yankee Conference before that; the non-football part of the CAA goes back to '83-'84). So you should have made it clear right away whether you meant joining the Patriot for football only or for all sports.
2. You listed CAA Football schools (Tribal already mentioned that). Then you mentioned Patriot schools. However, you did a poor job of that. You mentioned the Patriot basketball schools (including American, Boston U., Army, Navy, and Loyola Md) that don't even play Patriot football. You ignored Georgetown and Fordham who play Patriot football but are in other leagues for other sports.
Unfortunately, after seeing those errors, I lost interest in the rest of the article.
This thread is DOA
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You can find my thoughts on your Facebook page.
No!!!
Only reasonable change that I would be happy with, would be to mirror Richmond and stay CAA for football and go A10 for all else. That said, it isn't very reasonable because A10 wouldn't want us.
If JMU left the CAA....you guys would really take your chances with the CAA leftovers? You would not be proactive (Patriot) if possible?
When I refer to the CAA.....I mean all sports......not just football.
Assume for a minute that we aren't in a huge hole financially. I don't know why we would consider moving down in class. I'm old enough to remember when we still played big name schools on our home fiels/courts. With Rowe's aspiration to grow enrollment, I'd be more inclined to hope for more and not less in terms of competitors.
(04-16-2021 07:52 AM)mainejeff Wrote: [ -> ]If JMU left the CAA....you guys would really take your chances with the CAA leftovers? You would not be proactive (Patriot) if possible?
When I refer to the CAA.....I mean all sports......not just football.
Why would JMU's decisions factor into it?
America East is a good fit for Maine. Nice geographic footprint. CAA is a good fit for us. PL would be a step down for both schools and that's just writing to level of competition...doesn't even include the ridiculous restrictions the TL imposes on member schools.
Remember in the old CAAzone days when all the chicken littles proclaimed "the CAA is dead" because VCU & GMU left? Well, 10+ years later...
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Maybe not dead, but certainly crippled. Or maybe a zombie.
Definitely not dead (it's still a conference) so no maybe about it.
Football is decidedly stronger and that's not even debatable.
The only area the CAA took a hit is basketball. It's our fault for not taking advantage of that.
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JMU football is definitely stronger.
Tribe football is... definitely not. :(
If we're gonna go to the Patriot, just go NAIA or make all sports club sports. Same thing.
(04-16-2021 09:47 AM)WMInTheBurg Wrote: [ -> ]If we're gonna go to the Patriot, just go NAIA or make all sports club sports. Same thing.
Actually, with your example, the ODAC would be a closer fit. Small schools, small towns, solid academics, under funded, too many ancillary sports, ... I could go on. This has been a terrible year for W&M sports.
(04-16-2021 09:45 AM)soccerguy315 Wrote: [ -> ]JMU football is definitely stronger.
Tribe football is... definitely not. :(
Ugh, we're talking about the conference.
Lost: GA State & ODU (who didn't have football when VCU and GMU left)
Gained: Stony Brook, Albany, and Elon
It's W&M's problem that we've underperformed in football and haven't taken advantage of a weaker basketball conference.
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(04-16-2021 08:25 AM)Tribal Wrote: [ -> ] (04-16-2021 07:52 AM)mainejeff Wrote: [ -> ]If JMU left the CAA....you guys would really take your chances with the CAA leftovers? You would not be proactive (Patriot) if possible?
When I refer to the CAA.....I mean all sports......not just football.
Why would JMU's decisions factor into it?
America East is a good fit for Maine. Nice geographic footprint. CAA is a good fit for us. PL would be a step down for both schools and that's just writing to level of competition...doesn't even include the ridiculous restrictions the TL imposes on member schools.
Remember in the old CAAzone days when all the chicken littles proclaimed "the CAA is dead" because VCU & GMU left? Well, 10+ years later...
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Well I know that you (W&M), Delaware and JMU are obsessed with the company that you keep. Do you see a JMU-less CAA as being an attractive place to be? I hear you on the Patriot, the lesser competition and the restrictions......although I would argue that in men's hoop.....the top of the Patriot has been better than the top of the CAA recently.
What leads you to believe W&M is obsessed with the company we keep? Point to just one example because absolutely nothing in our current affiliation supports that claim.
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Football is stronger? The late 2000s/early 2010s were the glory days, IMO. Depth, quality, and exposure. In what ways are we better off today?