(09-13-2021 10:21 AM)dan10 Wrote: I agree I dont think the conference will ignore football so a football only member would make the most sense to bring in for divisions. I just struggle to see why W&M would have any interest in staying in the CAA without JMU. I cant see them desiring being the lone VA school. I think the caa dissolves completely personally. And the remnants form back with some reshuffling of the AE, PL, SoCon, ASun, Big South type of conferences. I think the CAA football side will keep going as is which was basically just renamed from before (Yankee Conference) but is still essentially the AE football programs plus CAA programs.
With the lack of media deal, I just struggle to see how the CAA can expand or how stretching the coast as a league, can survive. Its not like any of the remaining schools are making huge money in athletics. I would be ok with a north south split and expansion to that, but just doesnt feel like we have a commish in charge to jump on that. I feel like the conference will wait and see again and fall further/completely
If I were the AEast and I wanted to kill the CAA:
Once JMU is gone, I would get Delaware, Towson, and W&M to join the AEast. Hartford is going D3 and likely only has 1 or 2 more years left in that AEast. Their departure will leave the AEast at 9. By adding Delaware, Towson, and W&M, the AEast can sponsor football and take control of the Eastern FCS league.
This 12 team AEast would have very sensical divisions
North (Upstate NY/New England)
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, UMass Lowell, Albany, Binghamton
South (NYC to VA)
Stony Brook, NJIT, Delaware, Towson, UMBC, W&M
With JMU out of the picture, there is just not a good VA Centric solution for W&M in the CAA. This southern AEast division can be presented as the next best alternative
The CAA would be left a jumbled mess with 3 northern non football privates (Drexel, Hofstra, and Northeastern), 2 southern non football publics (UNCW and CoC) and 1 southern FCS private (Elon).