-You don't give kudos for not having tracks or negatives for having tracks, or being under 10k (Ex having Elon at 11.6k, with no track, and real grass, dead last).
-You said about RU "the only thing holding it back might just be its smaller size". Left off "and a track".
-URI did open in 1928, they had a major renovation 2006.
-TU did open in 1978, they had a major renovation 2002.
-You did get JMU right..
-Good pics (I added one for Elon to illustrate what I was talking about).
Here's how I would rank them.
-The 6 without tracks go to the front, the 6 with tracks go to the bottom.
-Deduction for being under 10k.
-Bonus for being newer or recent renovation.
-Bonus point for real grass. Only 2 CAA stadiums left with real grass, URI & Elon.
-Bonus point for being steep (a la UD), which leads to better sightlines, but which you don't see on the newer stadiums & renovations I believe because of ADA compliance.
1. JMU: no explanation needed.
2. UD: 22k, opened 1952.
Bonuses:
-Over 20k.
-No track.
-Steepest grandstands in the CAA, with good sightlines.
-The piss wall.
Negative: Opened in the Stone Age. 5 upgrades, but nothing major this century I don't think except the field. Ancient, just like their fanbase.
3. Elon: 11.3k, opened 2001,
Bonuses:
-No track.
-Stands on the visitor side are laid into a barely embankment, with all the seats looking to be about between the 25s.
-Can sit on the grass on hillsides in both endzones. (Some might call this a negative as opposed to real grandstands/bleachers in the endzones).
-Real grass.
Negatives:
-The stands are a little further from the field than trackless stadiums with uncurved grandstands (but the curved grandstands can also make for better sightlines).
-The visitor side seats that are laid into the hill look very shallow, could be poor sight lines.
This is how it looks packed (not included in W&MSportsBlog's pics) (think from an ASU game the last decade):
https://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/...6ff5a8.jpg
4. Albany: 8.5k, opened 2013.
Bonuses:
-No track.
-Newer.
Negative: Under 10k. No excuse for a public to be under 10k.
5. SBU: 8.3k, opened 2002.
Bonuses:
-No track.
-Newer.
-Sort of bowled in.
Negatives:
-Under 10k (although it looks like it seats more). No excuse for a public to be under 10k.
-Stands are a little further from the sidelines than they should be at a trackless stadium, but not because of curved grandstands like Elon. Because of soccer?
6. URI: 6.6k, opened 1928, completed major renovation 2006,
Bonuses:
-No track.
-Real grass.
-Narrower on both sides (all seats look to be between the 20s). Visitor side goes kind of high, with good sight lines.
Negative: Smallest capacity in the CAA. No excuse for a public to be under 10k
7. UNH: 11k, opened 1936, completed major renovation 2016. 2 years ago was #12.
Bonus: recent major 8 figure renovation. HUGE improvement over their old dump. The old tiny visitor side (now the new 6k? home side) used to seat maybe only 1500, and bathroom options were a port o potty or the woods behind the stands. 2 years ago would have ranked them dead last.
Negative: Has a track. If they's gotten rid of it and moved the new stands on the old visitor side/new home side closer, they could have gone from dead last #3.
8. W&M: 12.7k, opened 1935, completed major renovation 2016,
Bonus: recent major 8 figure renovation.
Negatives:
-Has a track.
-That waste of space with that tunnel opening at center field on the non renovated side, eliminating a large chunk of seating between the 40s.
9. TU: 11.2k, opened 1978, completed major renovation 2002.
Bonus: Stadium dug into the ground, when you enter the stadium, you walk down to your seat.
Negative: Has a track.
10. RU: 8.7k, opened 2010, has a track.
Bonus: newer, 7 figure cost.
Negatives:
-Has a track.
-Sub 10k capacity.
-Of the 4 CAA stadiums to open brand new since 2001, the only 1 that has a track, which was just dumb. The only sub 10k stadium in the CAA with a track = high school. Unlike the SUNY publics of Albany and SBU, RU does have somewhat of an excuse on the sub 10k, as RU is private.
11. VU: 12.5k, opened 1927.
Bonus: None.
Negatives:
-Has a track.
-The oldest stadium in the CAA. Don't believe any major renovations in decades.
12. Maine: 10k, opened 1947, completed renovation 1998.
Bonus: Not one except the home side actually looks decent size about 8.5k.
Negatives:
-Has a track.
-Visitor's side looks to be about a 1.5k capacity joke. The most the most lopsided stadium in the CAA. And unless things have changed since 2012, the visitor side bathroom is a port o potty or 2 behind the stands. Similar to the old UNH's Cowell, that only listed 6.5k permanent, but with temp endzone in both endzones I believe seated around 10+k. But at least with Cowell, instead of waiting in line at halftime to use the the 2 port o potties, guys could go back into the woods behind the visitor side to take a leak.