CAA and SoCon both act like no one is leaving. CAA needs to add. SoCon acts like they are content.
Something has got to give. Until the possibility of CAA flight is laid to rest, I'd imagine new teams would be nervous hitching their wagon to a conference with an uncertain future. IMO put the flight fears to bed, the CAA must bolster the southern edges. They must poach a SoCon or BigSouth school or this CAA southern defection topic will come up yearly.

For Howard, joining the CAA would likely also mean killing the MEAC, so I'm sure that factors into their decision.

(11-04-2021 12:53 PM)TDenverFan Wrote:  For Howard, joining the CAA would likely also mean killing the MEAC, so I'm sure that factors into their decision.

I'm sure this is true, and from an HBCU perspective that would be troublesome. But, IMO, it's also important that a traditional HBCU rises through the ranks and becomes a recognizable peer of traditional PWI state schools. Maybe that's not what they want, but I think that is the next step forward for HBCUs.

(11-04-2021 01:33 PM)mrjoolius Wrote:  

(11-04-2021 12:53 PM)TDenverFan Wrote:  For Howard, joining the CAA would likely also mean killing the MEAC, so I'm sure that factors into their decision.

I'm sure this is true, and from an HBCU perspective that would be troublesome. But, IMO, it's also important that a traditional HBCU rises through the ranks and becomes a recognizable peer of traditional PWI state schools. Maybe that's not what they want, but I think that is the next step forward for HBCUs.

That's been part of the issue for the MEAC, Hampton and NC A&T both left for the Big South.

The conference is hanging on by a thread, it has 8 basketball and 6 football members, both the bare minimums. Some of the schools, like Howard and NC Central, wouldn't have too hard of a time finding a new home, but I think schools like Coppin State or Maryland Eastern-Shore would struggle to find a conference to take them.

I have no insider information, nor do I know if Howard was ever being considered by/has actually turned down CAA membership, but I would think the MEAC's survival/death plays a role in their thought process.

(11-04-2021 01:48 PM)TDenverFan Wrote:  ... I have no insider information, nor do I know if Howard was ever being considered by/has actually turned down CAA membership, but I would think the MEAC's survival/death plays a role in their thought process.

I agree that the MEAC's survival probably would factor into Howard's decision-making. However, I can think of several schools (at least seven) who abandoned the CAA with apparently no thought to who they left behind. VCU has bounced around several leagues over the years with no thought for anything other than their own self interest (granted, that should be their first thought but perhaps not their only thought) and ODU has quit the CAA twice. So when it comes to self interest, you cannot always count on people to do the "right" thing for everyone else.

(11-04-2021 02:27 PM)Zorch Wrote:  

(11-04-2021 01:48 PM)TDenverFan Wrote:  ... I have no insider information, nor do I know if Howard was ever being considered by/has actually turned down CAA membership, but I would think the MEAC's survival/death plays a role in their thought process.

I agree that the MEAC's survival probably would factor into Howard's decision-making. However, I can think of several schools (at least seven) who abandoned the CAA with apparently no thought to who they left behind. VCU has bounced around several leagues over the years with no thought for anything other than their own self interest (granted, that should be their first thought but perhaps not their only thought) and ODU has quit the CAA twice. So when it comes to self interest, you cannot always count on people to do the "right" thing for everyone else.

I agree, it's often an every man for themselves mindset, and I have no issues with that - if W&M got in to the A10 I would take that in a heartbeat, regardless of what it does to the CAA. And I would take Howard in the CAA, even if that means the rest of the MEAC is up the creek without a paddle.

I do it's a little different for HBCUs, that's a group that historically has stuck together, and there was a lot of bad blood when Hampton first announced their departure form the MEAC (Hampton's 2018 football schedule is like half D2/D3/NAIA colleges - including a road trip to D3 SUNY-Maritime. The MEAC basically booted them last minute before the Big South was ready for them, and they had to scramble). And unlike the CAA, there aren't really that many candidates for the MEAC to recover with, Chicago State might be their only option, the D2 HBCUs don't seem interested in moving up, and I don't see any PWIs that would take an offer from the MEAC.

(11-04-2021 12:46 PM)mrjoolius Wrote:  CAA and SoCon both act like no one is leaving. CAA needs to add. SoCon acts like they are content.
Something has got to give. Until the possibility of CAA flight is laid to rest, I'd imagine new teams would be nervous hitching their wagon to a conference with an uncertain future. IMO put the flight fears to bed, the CAA must bolster the southern edges. They must poach a SoCon or BigSouth school or this CAA southern defection topic will come up yearly.

I agree that the CAA should add a southern school to prevent future defections. However, as bolded above, I am not convinced that the CAA must add one or more new schools.

With JMU's defection, CAA Football has 11 schools -- each team has 10 conference opponents. So if the CAA increased their conference schedule from 8 to 9 games then every team would play every other team except 1 each year. The league could rotate that 1 every year to ensure that all teams play all teams -- although each team could keep one (or two) natural rivals who they would play every year out of the not-play rotation (for example, W&M would play UR every year and Delaware would play Villanova, etc.). This is just one thought about how the CAA could survive/thrive without having to add another school (especially if there aren't any great choices out there). (It goes without saying (although I'll say it anyway) that CAA Football could also just keep their 8 game conference schedule and simply play with 11 teams instead of 12).

For all other sports than football, the CAA would have 9 schools -- each team would have 8 opponents. Playing them once each, or twice each depending on the sport, would work well with most sports' schedules. Basketball would have 16 league games and 12 OOC. This also seems eminently workable without being forced to add another team.

So, I don't have a problem with the concept of adding one or more schools to replace JMU but neither do I have any problem with staying with the status quo (minus JMU).

I don't think the question is can the remaining schools make a schedule work. Sure they can.
Status quo is fine for the short term. I think adding a school or two will make the current teams less uneasy and set the tone that the CAA is solid going forward and not a conference hemorrhaging teams each off season. Right now, IMO, the CAA projects instability. Only way to fix that is to hang on to what you got and build on what you have.

(11-04-2021 02:45 PM)mrjoolius Wrote:  I don't think the question is can the remaining schools make a schedule work. Sure they can.
Status quo is fine for the short term. I think adding a school or two will make the current teams less uneasy and set the tone that the CAA is solid going forward and not a conference hemorrhaging teams each off season.

Okay. My personal opinion, though, is that it will not happen while Joe D'Antonio is the conference commissioner. He might be capable of adding teams but I don't think that they would be the right teams.

I think adding any schools for the sake of tone-setting is unwise. Like all conferences outside of the SEC and the Ivy League, the CAA is going to be susceptible to more defections no matter what membership decisions are made. Just focus on making the conference as strong as possible for the medium term.

ETSU should be a CAA target.

(11-04-2021 02:39 PM)Zorch Wrote:  

(11-04-2021 12:46 PM)mrjoolius Wrote:  CAA and SoCon both act like no one is leaving. CAA needs to add. SoCon acts like they are content.
Something has got to give. Until the possibility of CAA flight is laid to rest, I'd imagine new teams would be nervous hitching their wagon to a conference with an uncertain future. IMO put the flight fears to bed, the CAA must bolster the southern edges. They must poach a SoCon or BigSouth school or this CAA southern defection topic will come up yearly.

I agree that the CAA should add a southern school to prevent future defections. However, as bolded above, I am not convinced that the CAA must add one or more new schools.

With JMU's defection, CAA Football has 11 schools -- each team has 10 conference opponents. So if the CAA increased their conference schedule from 8 to 9 games then every team would play every other team except 1 each year. The league could rotate that 1 every year to ensure that all teams play all teams -- although each team could keep one (or two) natural rivals who they would play every year out of the not-play rotation (for example, W&M would play UR every year and Delaware would play Villanova, etc.). This is just one thought about how the CAA could survive/thrive without having to add another school (especially if there aren't any great choices out there). (It goes without saying (although I'll say it anyway) that CAA Football could also just keep their 8 game conference schedule and simply play with 11 teams instead of 12).

For all other sports than football, the CAA would have 9 schools -- each team would have 8 opponents. Playing them once each, or twice each depending on the sport, would work well with most sports' schedules. Basketball would have 16 league games and 12 OOC. This also seems eminently workable without being forced to add another team.

So, I don't have a problem with the concept of adding one or more schools to replace JMU but neither do I have any problem with staying with the status quo (minus JMU).

The flaw in your opinion is that neither Elon or W&M can afford to play football in the CAA with JMU gone. Cost of travel and logistics a huge issue for all sports. For the CAA to be sustainable it will need to have a North and South division by adding more schools or we can expect CoC and UNCW to exit plus Elon.