(01-25-2022 03:01 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:50 PM)dan10 Wrote:  And a 16 team CAA can split in the future without truly hurting any member...

The one possibility I can think of for a CAA split would be if the CAA takes Howard and the MEAC collapses.

If the CAA could convince Howard to join, the MEAC would be below NCAA minimums fr sports sponsorship.

Its not unfeasible that this would cause the southern portion of the MEAC (Central, Norfolk, SC State) to work out a deal with the Big South, who is also in need of football schools now that Hampton, Monmouth, Kennesaw, and N Alabama are going elsewhere.

If the MEAC could get ravaged, the schools that do not have a home elsewhere could in theory sell their charter to a conference like the CAA and drop to D2. One of the CAA divisions could then "move" to the MEAC and have an autobid right away without upsetting the applecart. CAA football could continue to exist as is.

I feel like this is a bit of a pipedream though and would require some real vision and leadership to push through the tide. I dont see that anywhere.

I think its simpler than this. I dont think it require any charters of other conferences. I do agree the MEAC appears to be on its way out and those schools will find new homes or stay independent/drop from DI. Chicago State may help keep it alive from 1 school defection, but its plausible more than 1 happens. I think the CAA is looking to form a 16 team now, so that in 8 years it can split. The impacts of this realignment wont be fully seen until what, 2025? so its like a 3 year head start. However, I dont think the league wants to go to 16 until the legislation settles on what the NCAA landscape is going to look like. For now they wanted to shore up at least half of the conference to put it in a position to be in the 2nd tier should a new division arise. It looks like the CAA is playing the long game and hedging against the short. It is definitely the most vision we have ever seen from the league, and maybe we are giving them far too much undeserved credit. But it appears to me the CAA has made a power play here to ensure it stays a mid major conference and doesnt fall into the low majors that might get left behind

(01-25-2022 03:44 PM)dan10 Wrote:  I think the CAA is looking to form a 16 team now, so that in 8 years it can split.

unless the rules change again, the 8 year clock doesn't start until you split.

Here is my prediction. CAA adds one school with football, one school without football to get to 14.


Football and all sports - Campbell or NC A&T
Non football and all sports - UNCG or High Point

(01-25-2022 03:03 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:43 PM)Proff Wrote:  A CAA split sure looks possible. Remember the CAA came into existence by breaking away from the ECAC. navy, richmond, gmu, jmu, bill & the virgin, ezu, american & the Dub broke off to form the CAA. Another split could certainly be on the horizon. Bigger may better to an extent. After the "extent", bigger becomes unwieldy. What is the magic number? Who knows?

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If my memory hasn't failed me here, and at times it certainly does. UNCW was not a member of the ECAC. We were an independent. We were accepted into the new CAA in spite of Richmond protesting the move. They didn't think we were academically strong enough. Makes me wonder about their true feelings on EZU.

You are correct. We were an independent at that time.

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(01-25-2022 12:57 PM)B_Hawk06 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:06 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:02 PM)B_Hawk06 Wrote:  The link doesn't work for me. WTF happened now?

It's just the official announcement that the 3 new schools are joining.

Yeah. As previously mentioned, I’m not at all excited about this and I view it as yet another trend in the wrong direction for UNCW and basketball. I don’t see it as helping baseball either. This is squarely a football driven decision.

The evidence? There’s an entire paragraph at the bottom devoted to CAA football and how “great” it is.

Really hoping UNCW leadership didn’t vote for this, but wouldn’t surprise me if they were dumb enough to vote “yes”.


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It will hurt Baseball for UNCW, CofC and Elon. March and April games in the Northeast will be horrible.

(01-25-2022 05:55 PM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:57 PM)B_Hawk06 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:06 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:02 PM)B_Hawk06 Wrote:  The link doesn't work for me. WTF happened now?

It's just the official announcement that the 3 new schools are joining.

Yeah. As previously mentioned, I’m not at all excited about this and I view it as yet another trend in the wrong direction for UNCW and basketball. I don’t see it as helping baseball either. This is squarely a football driven decision.

The evidence? There’s an entire paragraph at the bottom devoted to CAA football and how “great” it is.

Really hoping UNCW leadership didn’t vote for this, but wouldn’t surprise me if they were dumb enough to vote “yes”.


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It will hurt Baseball for UNCW, CofC and Elon. March and April games in the Northeast will be horrible.

Divisions will make this better, not worse. We already play games up north. If we get to 7 teams in the south division we will play fewer games up north.

(01-25-2022 04:25 PM)Proff Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 03:03 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:43 PM)Proff Wrote:  A CAA split sure looks possible. Remember the CAA came into existence by breaking away from the ECAC. navy, richmond, gmu, jmu, bill & the virgin, ezu, american & the Dub broke off to form the CAA. Another split could certainly be on the horizon. Bigger may better to an extent. After the "extent", bigger becomes unwieldy. What is the magic number? Who knows?

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

If my memory hasn't failed me here, and at times it certainly does. UNCW was not a member of the ECAC. We were an independent. We were accepted into the new CAA in spite of Richmond protesting the move. They didn't think we were academically strong enough. Makes me wonder about their true feelings on EZU.

You are correct. We were an independent at that time.

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Proff, Old 70s remembers it differently. We were members of the ECAC South (briefly), which then split off to become the CAA:

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/con.../1985.html

That is true. The first tournament in Williamsburg was referred to as the ECAC South & not CAA tournament.

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Yeh, but I believe they were already in the process of changing the name. I don't think we had any say in the change. I do believe we were voted in after the decision to become the CAA. Of course, I could be wrong.

"D'Antonio not ready to commit to #CAAFB moving (back) to N/S divisions full-time, as has been reported and speculated with additions of Hampton, Monmouth. He did go so far as to confirm that CAA Football's regular-season schedule will continue to be comprised of 8 conf gms/team."

https://soconsports.com/news/2022/1/27/g...ision.aspx

(01-27-2022 12:11 PM)mainejeff Wrote:  https://soconsports.com/news/2022/1/27/g...ision.aspx

Hopefully this makes the CAA South understand that no one is leaving the SoCon and begin to look elsewhere for #13 and #14

(01-27-2022 12:17 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(01-27-2022 12:11 PM)mainejeff Wrote:  https://soconsports.com/news/2022/1/27/g...ision.aspx

Hopefully this makes the CAA South understand that no one is leaving the SoCon and begin to look elsewhere for #13 and #14

NC A&T and Winthrop.

(01-27-2022 12:42 PM)mainejeff Wrote:  

(01-27-2022 12:17 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(01-27-2022 12:11 PM)mainejeff Wrote:  https://soconsports.com/news/2022/1/27/g...ision.aspx

Hopefully this makes the CAA South understand that no one is leaving the SoCon and begin to look elsewhere for #13 and #14

NC A&T and Winthrop.

Why would A&T or Winthrop join the CAA ? It makes zero sense for them on any level .

(01-27-2022 12:55 PM)jumpinmullet Wrote:  Why would A&T or Winthrop join the CAA ?

Perhaps to satisfy their fans long-held secret desires to perpetually play annual games against Stoney Brook and Monmouth?

The CAA is an embarrassment, and its shameful that there are still UNCW fans out there who support staying in this sh*t sandwich of a league.

(01-27-2022 01:22 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  The CAA is an embarrassment, and its shameful that there are still UNCW fans out there who support staying in this sh*t sandwich of a league.

Interesting that you are disparaging the CAA while the SoCon just hiked their exit fee to $2 million? I thought they were such a great conference that nobody would leave to join a sorry conference like the CAA? Sure looks to me like some SoCon Presidents felt the need to put a bigger fence around their schools to keep them caged in to me.

What would you say about the CAA had they just voted to do the same thing?

(01-27-2022 01:56 PM)82hawk Wrote:  

(01-27-2022 01:22 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  The CAA is an embarrassment, and its shameful that there are still UNCW fans out there who support staying in this sh*t sandwich of a league.

Interesting that you are disparaging the CAA while the SoCon just hiked their exit fee to $2 million? I thought they were such a great conference that nobody would leave to join a sorry conference like the CAA? Sure looks to me like some SoCon Presidents felt the need to put a bigger fence around their schools to keep them caged in to me.

What would you say about the CAA had they just voted to do the same thing?

No fence was put around any SoCon school to "cage" them. The unanimous vote to up the exit fee is to broadcast to the public, other conferences, and student-athletes currently being recruited by all the SoCon members, that ALL SoCon schools are happy in the SoCon and not interested in lateral moves.

If a SoCon school wanted to "move up" to an FBS conference, the $2 million exit fee is a "drop in the bucket" to the costs associated with moving up from FCS to FBS, that the school would incur in a move up.

I also think today's actions by the SoCon presidents, indicates the doors are open for expansion of the conference, and interested schools can be confident that the conference they join, is the conference they will play in, unlike those that recently joined the ASUN, and possibly those that just joined the CAA.

(01-27-2022 02:16 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-27-2022 01:56 PM)82hawk Wrote:  

(01-27-2022 01:22 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  The CAA is an embarrassment, and its shameful that there are still UNCW fans out there who support staying in this sh*t sandwich of a league.

Interesting that you are disparaging the CAA while the SoCon just hiked their exit fee to $2 million? I thought they were such a great conference that nobody would leave to join a sorry conference like the CAA? Sure looks to me like some SoCon Presidents felt the need to put a bigger fence around their schools to keep them caged in to me.

What would you say about the CAA had they just voted to do the same thing?

No fence was put around any SoCon school to "cage" them. The unanimous vote to up the exit fee is to broadcast to the public, other conferences, and student-athletes currently being recruited by all the SoCon members, that ALL SoCon schools are happy in the SoCon and not interested in lateral moves.

If a SoCon school wanted to "move up" to an FBS conference, the $2 million exit fee is a "drop in the bucket" to the costs associated with moving up from FCS to FBS, that the school would incur in a move up.

I also think today's actions by the SoCon presidents, indicates the doors are open for expansion of the conference, and interested schools can be confident that the conference they join, is the conference they will play in, unlike those that recently joined the ASUN, and possibly those that just joined the CAA.

Interesting. I'm not a fan of the CAA being so football focused and leaving our basketball schools to be pulled along at will, but I'm not naïve either. I understand that the CAA football has had some good success, which means that a SOCON school with football isn't necessarily making a "lateral" move by looking to the CAA. Similarly, their athletes would be playing in a conference that has had some solid national exposure and success at the NFL level.

(01-27-2022 02:32 PM)B_Hawk06 Wrote:  

(01-27-2022 02:16 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-27-2022 01:56 PM)82hawk Wrote:  

(01-27-2022 01:22 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  The CAA is an embarrassment, and its shameful that there are still UNCW fans out there who support staying in this sh*t sandwich of a league.

Interesting that you are disparaging the CAA while the SoCon just hiked their exit fee to $2 million? I thought they were such a great conference that nobody would leave to join a sorry conference like the CAA? Sure looks to me like some SoCon Presidents felt the need to put a bigger fence around their schools to keep them caged in to me.

What would you say about the CAA had they just voted to do the same thing?

No fence was put around any SoCon school to "cage" them. The unanimous vote to up the exit fee is to broadcast to the public, other conferences, and student-athletes currently being recruited by all the SoCon members, that ALL SoCon schools are happy in the SoCon and not interested in lateral moves.

If a SoCon school wanted to "move up" to an FBS conference, the $2 million exit fee is a "drop in the bucket" to the costs associated with moving up from FCS to FBS, that the school would incur in a move up.

I also think today's actions by the SoCon presidents, indicates the doors are open for expansion of the conference, and interested schools can be confident that the conference they join, is the conference they will play in, unlike those that recently joined the ASUN, and possibly those that just joined the CAA.

Interesting. I'm not a fan of the CAA being so football focused and leaving our basketball schools to be pulled along at will, but I'm not naïve either. I understand that the CAA football has had some good success, which means that a SOCON school with football isn't necessarily making a "lateral" move by looking to the CAA. Similarly, their athletes would be playing in a conference that has had some solid national exposure and success at the NFL level.

As if the SoCon has not had solid national exposure and success on the NFL level?

Player, SoCon school (years in SoCon) NFL team
Younghoe Koo, Georgia Southern (2013) Atlanta Falcons
Andre Roberts, The Citadel (2006-09) Buffalo Bills
Buster Skrine, Chattanooga (2007-10) Chicago Bears
Kendall Lamm, Appalachian State (2011-13) Cleveland Browns
Tae Davis, Chattanooga (2014-17) Cleveland Browns
Sam Martin, Appalachian State (2009-12) Denver Broncos
Nick Williams, Samford (2009-10) Detroit Lions
Keion Crossen, Western Carolina (2014-17) Houston Texans
Daniel Kilgore, Appalachian State (2007-10) Kansas City Chiefs
Matt Breida, Georgia Southern (2013) Miami Dolphins
Dakota Dozier, Furman (2010-13) Minnesota Vikings
C.J. Board, Chattanooga (2013-16) New York Giants
James Bradberry, Samford (2012-15) New York Giants
Jaquiski Tartt, Samford (2011-14) San Francisco 49ers
Jerick McKinnon, Georgia Southern (2010-13) San Francisco 49ers
Isaiah Mack, Chattanooga (2015-18) Tennessee Titans

Current Southern Conference programs have been getting players into the NFL Draft for nearly 80 years, beginning with The Citadel's Andy Sabados in 1939 when he was drafted by the then Chicago Cardinals.SouthernConference-logo

Since then, hundreds more SoCon products have been drafted. College football has changed a ton in the 81 years since the first draft — and the inception of FCS/I-AA football in 1978. But the message remains the same — current FCS programs have been producing NFL-level talent for decades.