(03-01-2013 09:29 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  JMU and UD will be forced to find new homes as the CAA's death knell rings.

I know UDelaware was on one of C-USA's shorter lists before the final decisions if Tulsa's gone to the C-TBA. Makes me wonder if they're going to consider that marriage, or if the MAC is giving them serious consideration, as they'd still be in a decent compact location.

I'm not sold on it as a C-USA school fan, but I could see UD being put back in the picture for the conference.

Delaware isn't leaving the CAA anytime soon. Patrick Harker, their president, has been publicly vocal about the fact that UD has no intention of reclassifying or changing conferences in the near-term. UD's plan is to wait out realingment in the FBS power conferences and then assess the situation at that point. CAA football isn't in danger of imploding and as long as UD feels it has a safe home there, they'll stay put.

As for Davidson, they turned down the CAA when it had GMU. Why on earth would they leave an unstable, one-bid conference to join another unstable, one-bid conference that would result in Davidson having much higher travel expenses? The same holds true for the other private schools in the SoCon.

The most likely scenario for the CAA is that they start poaching from America East. Five of the eight remaining CAA members came there from AEast and most of the AEast members are also affiliate members of the CAA already.

Davidson might say yes to the A10. Which is better than the CAA without VCU.

I don't see why Delaware would have any choice but to say yes to to the A10. If Delaware says no, and the A10 wants to grow, it is likely another CAA school will say yes, which will further deplete its conference home. FCS football, should they elect not to go to FBS with the MAC or CUSA, will find a home in the Big South.

The CAA cant really poach for all sports from the Americ East without taking all four members that play football with it because those left out would likely leave CAA football for the Big South. The four members of the AE who play football in the CAA are: Maine, New Hampshire, Stony Brook, and Albany.

McKillop wants Davidson to join the A10 and really doesn't want them in the CAA, but it isn't his decision to make alone and they are behind Siena on the A10's list anyway. The A10 has no interest in Delaware, tweets from a poorly informed Hofstra beat writer notwithstanding. GMU and VCU are the only two CAA teams who fit the A10's criteria for new members. they will not be raiding the CAA further.

Why can't the CAA poach from the AEast? Maine isn't going to join the Big South for football if they don't receive a CAA invite, nor would Albany or UNH.

(03-26-2013 11:54 AM)LostInSpace Wrote:  McKillop wants Davidson to join the A10 and really doesn't want them in the CAA, but it isn't his decision to make alone and they are behind Siena on the A10's list anyway. The A10 has no interest in Delaware, tweets from a poorly informed Hofstra beat writer notwithstanding. GMU and VCU are the only two CAA teams who fit the A10's criteria for new members. they will not be raiding the CAA further.

Why can't the CAA poach from the AEast? Maine isn't going to join the Big South for football if they don't receive a CAA invite, nor would Albany or UNH.

They could but they take the risk the left behind CAA AE football members, with no skin in the game, would leave them. Rhode Island, which doesnt care about FCS football apparently could choose to go with the AE schools.

I think the remaining AE FCS schools would join the Big South if their all sports home was destabilized without adding them.

I think its too big of a risk for the CAA. Unless they take all the AE schools. For the southern CAA FCS members, if CAA football falls apart completely, the Big South could say no for football only. As they did with Charlotte.

(03-26-2013 12:01 PM)AlaIllTex Wrote:  They could but they take the risk the left behind CAA AE football members, with no skin in the game, would leave them. Rhode Island, which doesnt care about FCS football apparently could choose to go with the AE schools.

I think the remaining AE FCS schools would join the Big South if their all sports home was destabilized without adding them.

I think its too big of a risk for the CAA. Unless they take all the AE schools. For the southern CAA FCS members, if CAA football falls apart completely, the Big South could say no for football only. As they did with Charlotte.

There is no risk for the CAA. Maine and UNH, the two schools least likely to get invited to the CAA for olmypic sports can't afford to, and will not be willing to cover travel expenses for Big South football let alone olympic sports. Their AD budgets are built around funding nationally competitive hockey and managing expenses in every other sport. As for URI, you've got to be kidding. They'll drop football before joining the Big South, the AE or doing anything other than protecting their basketball program as best they can. If the AE is raided, they'll go after NEC members. We're talking about a conference that just added D-II call-up UMass-Lowell. Other than geographic concerns, they aren't picky.

(03-26-2013 12:28 PM)LostInSpace Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 12:01 PM)AlaIllTex Wrote:  They could but they take the risk the left behind CAA AE football members, with no skin in the game, would leave them. Rhode Island, which doesnt care about FCS football apparently could choose to go with the AE schools.

I think the remaining AE FCS schools would join the Big South if their all sports home was destabilized without adding them.

I think its too big of a risk for the CAA. Unless they take all the AE schools. For the southern CAA FCS members, if CAA football falls apart completely, the Big South could say no for football only. As they did with Charlotte.

There is no risk for the CAA. Maine and UNH, the two schools least likely to get invited to the CAA for olmypic sports can't afford to, and will not be willing to cover travel expenses for Big South football let alone olympic sports. Their AD budgets are built around funding nationally competitive hockey and managing expenses in every other sport. As for URI, you've got to be kidding. They'll drop football before joining the Big South, the AE or doing anything other than protecting their basketball program as best they can. If the AE is raided, they'll go after NEC members. We're talking about a conference that just added D-II call-up UMass-Lowell. Other than geographic concerns, they aren't picky.

If there's no risk, why didn't the invite the best choice available for the CAA in all sports last time: Stony Brook? Yes, better than College of Charleston or Davidson. AAU member, good football, basketball, and baseball. Nice facilities. Within existing footprint. Would say yes. They were the best choice on the board.

If Maine and UNH are in the Big South for football only along with Rhode Island why is that worse for those three. Especially if Albany bolts as well. Its very possible.

Having CAA football creates problems IMO because of the nature of the league. I dont see why an AAU member like Stony Brook would be acceptable as a Big South member but lesser academic lights would turn up their noses.

You may be right but I find it telling the CAA never approached Stony Brook about all sports membership last time. Rhode Island doesnt care about football (re: NEC dalliance) and is looking for the cheapest place period. And if the 3 of the AE schools leave, they're gone too one would think.

(03-26-2013 06:06 PM)AlaIllTex Wrote:  If there's no risk, why didn't the invite the best choice available for the CAA in all sports last time: Stony Brook? Yes, better than College of Charleston or Davidson. AAU member, good football, basketball, and baseball. Nice facilities. Within existing footprint. Would say yes. They were the best choice on the board.

If Maine and UNH are in the Big South for football only along with Rhode Island why is that worse for those three. Especially if Albany bolts as well. Its very possible.

Having CAA football creates problems IMO because of the nature of the league. I dont see why an AAU member like Stony Brook would be acceptable as a Big South member but lesser academic lights would turn up their noses.

You may be right but I find it telling the CAA never approached Stony Brook about all sports membership last time. Rhode Island doesnt care about football (re: NEC dalliance) and is looking for the cheapest place period. And if the 3 of the AE schools leave, they're gone too one would think.

The CAA tried to get Davidson when they invited Charleston and Davidson said, no thanks. I assume the CAA will try again, but I'm not expecting them to be any more succesful this time. Certainly if McKillop has anything to say about it, and he'll certainly be an influential voice, Davidson isn't joining the CAA this time either.

You're right about URI. Maine and UNH can't afford the travel expenses for the Big South, Maine especially. I see them as part of a three team package with URI to the NEC before the Big South if it came down to those two choices.

SBU played in the Big South because they had no better alternative at the time and they had donors behind them willing to foot the bill. I suspect that the invitation to Charleston was a futile attempt to improve CAA basketball in the hopes of keeping GMU in the conference, or maybe they were added in anticipation of GMU's departure. SBU though somewhat decent recently in basketball, has never appeared in the NCAA tournament and just last week won its first post-season game ever. If the CAA was looking to strengthen basketball, the only sport that actually generates revenue for the conference, Charleston has the better pedigree. It's why they went after Davidson. i don't think it's becasue they feared an apocalypse might result from paoching the AE.

America East (*football member)

Maine*/Mass-Lowell
Vermont/New Hampshire*
Stony Brook*/Hofstra
Albany*/Binghamton
UMBC/Towson*
Drexel/Delaware*
Football only: Villanova*, Monmouth*, Rhode Island*

Southern:

William & Mary*/UNCW
UNCG/Elon*
Davidson/Western Carolina*
Samford*/Chattanooga*
The Citadel*/College of Charleston
Furman*/Wofford*
Football only: Richmond*

The Big South gets football only memberships from Mercer, Kennesaw State, and ETSU. James Madison goes FBS, and Northeastern follows George Mason to the Atlantic 10.