OK, some tweaks to my last scenario:

CAA North (Yankee Conference) (10 MBB, 9 FB)
Full (5): Albany, Delaware, Monmouth, Stony Brook, Towson
NFB (5): Binghamton, Drexel, Hofstra, Northeastern, UMBC
FB-only (4): Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Villanova

CAA South (CAA) (10 MBB, 8 FB)
Full (7): Campbell, Elon, Gardner-Webb, Hampton, Howard, NC A&T, William & Mary
NFB (3): Charleston, UNC Wilmington, Winthrop
FB-only (1): Richmond

America East (10 MBB, 6 FB)
Full (5): Bryant, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Wagner
NFB (5): Maine, New Hampshire, NJIT, UMass Lowell, Vermont
FB-only (1): Robert Morris

Big South (10 MBB, 0 FB)
NFB (10): Charleston Southern, High Point, Longwood, NC Central, Norfolk State, Presbyterian, Radford, SC State, UNC Asheville, USC Upstate

NEC (10 MBB, 9 FB)
Full (5): CCSU, Delaware State, Morgan State, St. Francis-PA, Stonehill
NFB (5): Coppin State, FDU, Le Moyne, St. Francis-NY, UMES
FB-only (4): Duquesne, NC Central, Norfolk State, SC State

OVC (10 MBB, 7 FB)
Full (6): Eastern Illinois, Indianapolis, Lindenwood, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee-Martin
NFB (4): Little Rock, Morehead State, SIU Edwardsville, Southern Indiana
FB-only (1): Charleston Southern
(Tennessee State to ASUN)

Everybody gets 10 MBB members, plus a variable number of FB members. Maine and UNH are permitted to keep their FB with the other northern ex-CAA schools. America East only starts up FB because it happens to have enough members.

IMO SoCon has passed or at least equal to the CAA overall.

(08-15-2022 05:10 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  IMO SoCon has passed or at least equal to the CAA overall.

Agreed. If they could somehow convince UNCW and William & Mary to come over, they'd look even better.

UNCG and UNCW seem like a good pair: large schools in decently sized cities without football. I imagine William & Mary would fit right in with Furman and Wofford.

If W&M and UNCW were going to be convinced to jump to the SoCon, it probably would have happened by now. W&M administration wants to have ties to the northeast, and the Campbell add probably benefits UNCW more than anyone else in the conference. They'll still leave if a higher-tier conference comes calling, but the SoCon and CAA have settled in as peer conferences where I can't really see anyone from one jumping to the other.

(08-12-2022 03:41 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(08-12-2022 03:19 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 10:01 AM)Sitting bull Wrote:  If I were in the So Con, my only concern would be the opportunities lost between Campbell and NC A&T. They both could have been decent future adds for them. As is, they have a nice, solid league that is currently stable.

SoCon is at the forefront of any CAA criticism I have, and the "wait it out" bit. Because I suspect all is not well within SoCon. I don't know about A&T or Campbell (I know another NC football program wouldn't hurt), but Hampton was a miss for them, imo. I would also love to know if the conference tried at all to pull all of Belmont over at any time before this move to MVC, instead of just offering an associate membership for soccer. And if they passed on Belmont for full membership...just ew.

So, I just can't believe SoCon is that hard of a proverbial nut to crack for CAA. But, then again, I'm sure there's some ill will from current SoCon members against its former ones who went to CAA (I'm thinking more Elon than CoC). Or, since we've heard about politics within CAA, maybe the current southern schools want no part or see little value in SoCon schools (and can hold CAA membership above them)?

As for CAA splitting...I wonder, at the point. The full-membership backfills/growth have brought football and lacrosse. It's not a conference that necessarily needs affiliate members in those sports anymore, though the associate football members do make the conference better.

The SoCon is happy with what they are.

They don't want a new large App St/Ga Southern style public school

All the schools like playing each other and its virtually a bus league.

Furman, the school the CAA wanted the most, is at the center of the conference, so why leave?

They should have tried to add Belmont if Belmont was interested, but Belmont may have wanted MVC

UNCG and Furman have both been sought after by the CAA and have rejected the Colonial

Chattanooga and East Tennessee State are those large public schools just like App State and Georgia Southern.

(08-16-2022 05:55 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(08-12-2022 03:41 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(08-12-2022 03:19 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(08-09-2022 10:01 AM)Sitting bull Wrote:  If I were in the So Con, my only concern would be the opportunities lost between Campbell and NC A&T. They both could have been decent future adds for them. As is, they have a nice, solid league that is currently stable.

SoCon is at the forefront of any CAA criticism I have, and the "wait it out" bit. Because I suspect all is not well within SoCon. I don't know about A&T or Campbell (I know another NC football program wouldn't hurt), but Hampton was a miss for them, imo. I would also love to know if the conference tried at all to pull all of Belmont over at any time before this move to MVC, instead of just offering an associate membership for soccer. And if they passed on Belmont for full membership...just ew.

So, I just can't believe SoCon is that hard of a proverbial nut to crack for CAA. But, then again, I'm sure there's some ill will from current SoCon members against its former ones who went to CAA (I'm thinking more Elon than CoC). Or, since we've heard about politics within CAA, maybe the current southern schools want no part or see little value in SoCon schools (and can hold CAA membership above them)?

As for CAA splitting...I wonder, at the point. The full-membership backfills/growth have brought football and lacrosse. It's not a conference that necessarily needs affiliate members in those sports anymore, though the associate football members do make the conference better.

The SoCon is happy with what they are.

They don't want a new large App St/Ga Southern style public school

All the schools like playing each other and its virtually a bus league.

Furman, the school the CAA wanted the most, is at the center of the conference, so why leave?

They should have tried to add Belmont if Belmont was interested, but Belmont may have wanted MVC

UNCG and Furman have both been sought after by the CAA and have rejected the Colonial

Chattanooga and East Tennessee State are those large public schools just like App State and Georgia Southern.

They're not new

(08-15-2022 05:00 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  OK, some tweaks to my last scenario:

CAA North (Yankee Conference) (10 MBB, 9 FB)
Full (5): Albany, Delaware, Monmouth, Stony Brook, Towson
NFB (5): Binghamton, Drexel, Hofstra, Northeastern, UMBC
FB-only (4): Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Villanova

CAA South (CAA) (10 MBB, 8 FB)
Full (7): Campbell, Elon, Gardner-Webb, Hampton, Howard, NC A&T, William & Mary
NFB (3): Charleston, UNC Wilmington, Winthrop
FB-only (1): Richmond

America East (10 MBB, 6 FB)
Full (5): Bryant, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Wagner
NFB (5): Maine, New Hampshire, NJIT, UMass Lowell, Vermont
FB-only (1): Robert Morris

Big South (10 MBB, 0 FB)
NFB (10): Charleston Southern, High Point, Longwood, NC Central, Norfolk State, Presbyterian, Radford, SC State, UNC Asheville, USC Upstate

NEC (10 MBB, 9 FB)
Full (5): CCSU, Delaware State, Morgan State, St. Francis-PA, Stonehill
NFB (5): Coppin State, FDU, Le Moyne, St. Francis-NY, UMES
FB-only (4): Duquesne, NC Central, Norfolk State, SC State

OVC (10 MBB, 7 FB)
Full (6): Eastern Illinois, Indianapolis, Lindenwood, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee-Martin
NFB (4): Little Rock, Morehead State, SIU Edwardsville, Southern Indiana
FB-only (1): Charleston Southern
(Tennessee State to ASUN)

Everybody gets 10 MBB members, plus a variable number of FB members. Maine and UNH are permitted to keep their FB with the other northern ex-CAA schools. America East only starts up FB because it happens to have enough members.

While implausible, here's how I would envision this scenario going down. The key is for Howard to be compelled to join the CAA somehow. So let's say that this happens, maybe for next year, bringing the CAA to 15 BB and 16 FB members. Albany gets the nod to join in full to make it 16/16. America East is now down to 8 full members, so as before they restock from the NEC, picking up LIU and newly transitioned full D1 member Merrimack. Both schools' FB programs shack up in the OVC along with Bryant and the other remaining Big South FB programs in 2023. Speaking of the OVC, in an unrelated move, Tennessee State joins the ASUN while Indianapolis is brought up from D2 to replace them.

The MEAC reels, its members scrambling to escape like never before. Fortunately, Howard, not one to completely abandon its fellow HBCUs, has greased the wheels by helping to negotiate the entry of the 4 DE/MD MEAC schools into the depleted NEC and the 3 southern MEAC schools into the Big South, with their FB programs all setting up shop in the NEC. Howard has also helped to broker a deal to have the CAA acquire the MEAC conference shell for a substantial sum, which is distributed solely amongst the 7 other final members of the MEAC.

The bloated CAA can now divide into 2 conferences, each with its own autobids. The northern CAA schools (from Towson up) are spun off as the revived Yankee Conference, while the southern CAA schools (from Howard down) retain the CAA name. The FB affiliates follow this geographic split as well, leading to the Yankee having 8 BB and 9 FB members and the CAA 8 BB and 7 FB. The Yankee quickly scoops up Binghamton and UMBC from America East, while the CAA brings Gardner-Webb and Winthrop aboard from the Big South.

Once again reduced to 8 members, America East once again taps into its NEC supply closet. Sacred Heart and Wagner make the jump, incidentally giving America East enough members to start up FB (with the help of fellow ex-NEC school Robert Morris). However, America East kindly waits until the OVC has at least 6 playoff-eligible FB programs (i.e., until Lindenwood becomes a full D1 member in 2026) before sponsoring FB themselves. Charleston Southern is the only remaining Big South member with its FB in the OVC. Finally, the NEC promotes Le Moyne from D2 to round out its BB membership to 10. Thus we arrive at the alignment above.

(08-26-2022 12:29 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(08-15-2022 05:00 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  OK, some tweaks to my last scenario:

CAA North (Yankee Conference) (10 MBB, 9 FB)
Full (5): Albany, Delaware, Monmouth, Stony Brook, Towson
NFB (5): Binghamton, Drexel, Hofstra, Northeastern, UMBC
FB-only (4): Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Villanova

CAA South (CAA) (10 MBB, 8 FB)
Full (7): Campbell, Elon, Gardner-Webb, Hampton, Howard, NC A&T, William & Mary
NFB (3): Charleston, UNC Wilmington, Winthrop
FB-only (1): Richmond

America East (10 MBB, 6 FB)
Full (5): Bryant, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Wagner
NFB (5): Maine, New Hampshire, NJIT, UMass Lowell, Vermont
FB-only (1): Robert Morris

Big South (10 MBB, 0 FB)
NFB (10): Charleston Southern, High Point, Longwood, NC Central, Norfolk State, Presbyterian, Radford, SC State, UNC Asheville, USC Upstate

NEC (10 MBB, 9 FB)
Full (5): CCSU, Delaware State, Morgan State, St. Francis-PA, Stonehill
NFB (5): Coppin State, FDU, Le Moyne, St. Francis-NY, UMES
FB-only (4): Duquesne, NC Central, Norfolk State, SC State

OVC (10 MBB, 7 FB)
Full (6): Eastern Illinois, Indianapolis, Lindenwood, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee-Martin
NFB (4): Little Rock, Morehead State, SIU Edwardsville, Southern Indiana
FB-only (1): Charleston Southern
(Tennessee State to ASUN)

Everybody gets 10 MBB members, plus a variable number of FB members. Maine and UNH are permitted to keep their FB with the other northern ex-CAA schools. America East only starts up FB because it happens to have enough members.

While implausible, here's how I would envision this scenario going down. The key is for Howard to be compelled to join the CAA somehow. So let's say that this happens, maybe for next year, bringing the CAA to 15 BB and 16 FB members. Albany gets the nod to join in full to make it 16/16. America East is now down to 8 full members, so as before they restock from the NEC, picking up LIU and newly transitioned full D1 member Merrimack. Both schools' FB programs shack up in the OVC along with Bryant and the other remaining Big South FB programs in 2023. Speaking of the OVC, in an unrelated move, Tennessee State joins the ASUN while Indianapolis is brought up from D2 to replace them.

The MEAC swoons, its members scrambling to get out like never before. Fortunately, Howard, not one to completely abandon its fellow HBCUs, has greased the wheels by helping to negotiate the entry of the 4 DE/MD MEAC schools into the depleted NEC and the 3 southern MEAC schools into the Big South, with their FB programs all setting up shop in the NEC. Howard has also brokered a deal with the CAA to acquire the MEAC conference shell for a substantial price, which is distributed solely amongst the 7 other final members of the MEAC.

The bloated CAA can now divide into 2 conferences, each with its own autobids. The northern CAA schools (from Towson and up) are spun off as the revived Yankee Conference, while the southern CAA schools (from Howard and down) retain the CAA name. The FB affiliates follow this geographic split as well, leading to the Yankee having 8 BB and 9 FB members and the CAA 8 BB and 7 FB. The Yankee quickly scoops up Binghamton and UMBC from America East, while the CAA brings Gardner-Webb and Winthrop aboard from the Big South.

Once again reduced to 8 members, America East once again taps into its NEC supply closet. Sacred Heart and Wagner make the jump, incidentally giving America East enough members to start up FB (with the help of fellow ex-NEC school Robert Morris). However, America East kindly waits until the OVC has at least 6 playoff-qualifying FB programs (i.e., until Lindenwood becomes a full D1 member in 2026) before creating their new FCS circuit. Charleston Southern is the only remaining Big South member with its FB in the OVC. Finally, the NEC promotes Le Moyne from D2 to round out its BB membership to 10. Thus we arrive at the alignment above.

Based on the bolded above for MEAC schools (2010-2019):

Big South: Norfolk St, North Carolina Central, South Carolina St
CAA: Hampton, Howard, North Carolina A&T
NEC: Coppin St, Delaware St, Maryland - Eastern Shore, Morgan St
SWAC: Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M
Division II: Savannah St