Article on New England 4/CAA Football future

[mainejeff]

Lots to chew on from this article...........

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story ... 3&ac=PHspt

A Dec.21 meeting with the ADs of UMass, UNH, Maine, URI, and CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager..........hmmmm.

[dbackjon]

Good article. Well written and researched

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

I'd like to know who called the meeting

[dbackjon]

I'd like to know who called the meeting

Very good question - CAA or one of the schools?

[slycat]

Another very good article

Interesting part about the future of Rhode Island

AD Thorr Bjorn said his program, which went 0-8 in 2009, is committed to staying in the CAA in 2010, but will analyze its plan beyond that.

The Rams, unlike Maine, UNH and UMass, need significant upgrades to their football infrastructure.

"Those are three programs who've had tremendous success. They're on very solid footing. We're striving to get better," said Bjorn. "I would never speculate what makes sense for another school, but there's a lot of great I-AA football teams from eastern Pennsylvania north you could put together and play a competitive schedule where you don't need to get on an airplane."

[mass fan]

Another very good article

Interesting part about the future of Rhode Island

AD Thorr Bjorn said his program, which went 0-8 in 2009, is committed to staying in the CAA in 2010, but will analyze its plan beyond that.

The Rams, unlike Maine, UNH and UMass, need significant upgrades to their football infrastructure.

"Those are three programs who've had tremendous success. They're on very solid footing. We're striving to get better," said Bjorn. "I would never speculate what makes sense for another school, but there's a lot of great I-AA football teams from eastern Pennsylvania north you could put together and play a competitive schedule where you don't need to get on an airplane."

URI = NEC, soon

[putter]

Another very good article

Interesting part about the future of Rhode Island

URI = NEC, soon

Will it stop with URI? Really, with the autobid now being given to the PL and Big South, a move by those three schools to the NEC could be a great argument for a cost cutting league and and AQ

[SUUTbird]

When is the PL getting an auto bid? And either San Diego needs to wake up and join the Great West or in 2012 we can hope that some D2 team moves up so we can finally get an Autobid!

[LastMinuteman]

Ugh, enough already URI. Here's your stupid Aviophobia Conference: Maine, UNH, URI, Bryant, CCSU, and Sacred Heart. Play each other twice per season for 10 conference games + 1 non-conference, then shut up and go away. We'll replace you 3 with the 2 SUNYs + Fordham. Those are shorter trips overall for UMass and the rest of the CAA anyway.

[andy7171]

When is the PL getting an auto bid? And either San Diego needs to wake up and join the Great West or in 2012 we can hope that some D2 team moves up so we can finally get an Autobid!

When has the PL not had an AQ?

[dbackjon]

PL=Patriot League
PFL=Pioneer Football League

[COBBLESTONE]

Another very good article

Interesting part about the future of Rhode Island

URI = NEC, soon

NOT SOON ENOUGH!

I've been a big proponent for that and I've suggested this many times to Thorr. Hopefully he is starting to listen.

[Col Hogan]

Ugh, enough already URI. Here's your stupid Aviophobia Conference: Maine, UNH, URI, Bryant, CCSU, and Sacred Heart. Play each other twice per season for 10 conference games + 1 non-conference, then shut up and go away. We'll replace you 3 with the 2 SUNYs + Fordham. Those are shorter trips overall for UMass and the rest of the CAA anyway.

I would not like to see UNH or Maine in a different league than UMass...there's lots of history and tradition in addition to they are good teams...

URI is a different story...I'd like to see them stick around too, but the financing in Rhode Island is difficult...and support for the program is waning...

This time next year we will see...

[COBBLESTONE]

Ugh, enough already URI. Here's your stupid Aviophobia Conference: Maine, UNH, URI, Bryant, CCSU, and Sacred Heart. Play each other twice per season for 10 conference games + 1 non-conference, then shut up and go away. We'll replace you 3 with the 2 SUNYs + Fordham. Those are shorter trips overall for UMass and the rest of the CAA anyway.

I would not like to see UNH or Maine in a different league than UMass...there's lots of history and tradition in addition to they are good teams...

URI is a different story...I'd like to see them stick around too, but the financing in Rhode Island is difficult...and support for the program is waning...
This time next year we will see...

Thanks for the thoughts but we cannot compete in the CAA. We haven't made the playoffs once since the CAA was formed. I think we'd do just fine in the NEC though plus travel costs would be much more economical.

[danefan]

When you think about it, a swap with Albany and URI is a pretty simple scenario for both teams.

Our NEC contract is up after next season. An announcement on a "major investment" into our facilities is coming in January (new stadium that does not need state approval) and a new "Forty for Fordie" endowment drive is underway in an effort to secure an annual endowment for 40 scholarships. All of this coincides with Coach Ford's 40th year at Albany which is next year. From what I understand the goal is fund 40 rides with the endowment and the rest out of the athletic budget. Take some pressure off the state funding.

URI in the NEC makes sense. Bryant is a natural rival and the NEC AQ will give URI a better shot at the playoffs then it has in the CAA currently. And, this is the big "And", Rhode Island's concern isn't solely on travel costs. So adding Villanova and Delaware to the North probably won't be enough to keep them in the CAA if the chance to go to the NEC appears.


So here's what I think is the easiest solution out there:

Delaware and Villanova to the North.

URI and Albany swap conferences.

2011 CAA:

North
Albany
UMass
UNH
Maine
Delaware
Villanova

South
JMU
Richmond
W&M
Towson
Old Dominion
Georgia State (2012).

Unbalanced schedule for 2011.

Stony Brook's contract in the Big South is up after the 2011 (or 12) season. Adding Stony Brook to the North gives the CAA the flexibility in 2013 to add Charlote if it wants.

Done deal. The Yankee conference isn't going to happen. There isn't one inkling of someone willing or able to run it.

[putter]

Sorry for the confusion guys, forgot the F for the PFL....

[mainejeff]

Ugh, enough already URI. Here's your stupid Aviophobia Conference: Maine, UNH, URI, Bryant, CCSU, and Sacred Heart. Play each other twice per season for 10 conference games + 1 non-conference, then shut up and go away. We'll replace you 3 with the 2 SUNYs + Fordham. Those are shorter trips overall for UMass and the rest of the CAA anyway.

Stop grouping Maine and UNH with URI!

If I remember right......UMass has discussed dropping their program over the past decade while Maine and UNH haven't!

[SUUTbird]

PL=Patriot League
PFL=Pioneer Football League

Ah thanks DB thats what i was confused on, also with putter saying they were getting one, my bad

[LastMinuteman]

I would not like to see UNH or Maine in a different league than UMass...there's lots of history and tradition in addition to they are good teams...

URI is a different story...I'd like to see them stick around too, but the financing in Rhode Island is difficult...and support for the program is waning...

This time next year we will see...

I've got nothing against UNH and Maine. If they want to stay, awesome. If they want to go, that's their choice and they have a right to make it.

I am becoming furious with URI, because they are full of crap. Their travel costs are exactly the same as UMass's, probably even less due to having a better airport. This isn't about travel costs, it's about them wanting an easier conference to compete in, but they don't want to downgrade without dragging the rest of us down with them. So they're throwing all this smoke up about travel to paint us all with the same brush. Maine, bless them, has got the gears grinding in their bear brains well enough to figure out that they can't put together a realistic conference that keeps them off an airplane, so they may as well stay in the CAA. And UNH has to know that a conference without Maine and UMass is no good for them.

URI can shut up. We are not taking the risk to form a new conference with them when we can't trust them to keep playing football anyway. Imagine how stupid we'd look right now if we'd broken away and made that proposed conference with Northeastern and Hofstra. You could have fed a starving third world nation with all the egg on our faces. We'd be screwed.

If URI wants to leave, leave. There's a line of teams waiting outside the door ready to take their place, though Albany is kidding themselves about their chances if they don't have at least a shovel in the ground for a new stadium when they make their sales pitch. This does not work. If URI keeps throwing the rest of us under the bus, we need to return the favor. Put some quotes in the paper about how we're all concerned about URI's ability to continue playing football and how they're likely going to fold. See what kind of players they can recruit after their reputation becomes Dead Team Walking.

[danefan]

I would not like to see UNH or Maine in a different league than UMass...there's lots of history and tradition in addition to they are good teams...

URI is a different story...I'd like to see them stick around too, but the financing in Rhode Island is difficult...and support for the program is waning...

This time next year we will see...

I've got nothing against UNH and Maine. If they want to stay, awesome. If they want to go, that's their choice and they have a right to make it.

I am becoming furious with URI, because they are full of crap. Their travel costs are exactly the same as UMass's, probably even less due to having a better airport. This isn't about travel costs, it's about them wanting an easier conference to compete in, but they don't want to downgrade without dragging the rest of us down with them. So they're throwing all this smoke up about travel to paint us all with the same brush. Maine, bless them, has got the gears grinding in their bear brains well enough to figure out that they can't put together a realistic conference that keeps them off an airplane, so they may as well stay in the CAA. And UNH has to know that a conference without Maine and UMass is no good for them.

URI can shut up. We are not taking the risk to form a new conference with them when we can't trust them to keep playing football anyway. Imagine how stupid we'd look right now if we'd broken away and made that proposed conference with Northeastern and Hofstra. You could have fed a starving third world nation with all the egg on our faces. We'd be screwed.

If URI wants to leave, leave. There's a line of teams waiting outside the door ready to take their place, though Albany is kidding themselves about their chances if they don't have at least a shovel in the ground for a new stadium when they make their sales pitch. This does not work. If URI keeps throwing the rest of us under the bus, we need to return the favor. Put some quotes in the paper about how we're all concerned about URI's ability to continue playing football and how they're likely going to fold. See what kind of players they can recruit after their reputation becomes Dead Team Walking.

And you will not find one single Albany fan, administrative or alumn that will disagree with you. All talk of Albany joining the CAA or any new conference for that matter is moot without a facilitiy upgrade.

Before the initial info was recently leaked on our new facility plan and timeline I always put a distant third in terms of upgrade potential, far behind Fordham and Stony Brook. The initial rumors are not official, however, and they could prove to be false or exagerated, or both. If so, I'll quickly be the one to put Albany behind the other two.

[mainejeff]

The best thing for Maine, UNH and UMass to do is stay in the CAA. The expenses are not going to be THAT much more than they are now and I believe that more changes are in store down the road.

That being said, the CAA better throw the NE teams a bone and place Villanova and Delaware in the Northern Division. If 2012 rolls around and we have a CAA North that looks like this:

Maine
UNH
UMass
URI
Towson
Georgia State

.......then I will fully support another league arrangement for Maine.

[Col Hogan]

The best thing for Maine, UNH and UMass to do is stay in the CAA. The expenses are not going to be THAT much more than they are now and I believe that more changes are in store down the road.

That being said, the CAA better throw the NE teams a bone and place Villanova and Delaware in the Northern Division. If 2012 rolls around and we have a CAA North that looks like this:

Maine
UNH
UMass
URI
Towson
Georgia State

.......then I will fully support another league arrangement for Maine.

And I'd agree that Maine, and UMass, will be getting out of a mess like that...

[danefan]

I've got nothing against UNH and Maine. If they want to stay, awesome. If they want to go, that's their choice and they have a right to make it.

I am becoming furious with URI, because they are full of crap. Their travel costs are exactly the same as UMass's, probably even less due to having a better airport. This isn't about travel costs, it's about them wanting an easier conference to compete in, but they don't want to downgrade without dragging the rest of us down with them. So they're throwing all this smoke up about travel to paint us all with the same brush. Maine, bless them, has got the gears grinding in their bear brains well enough to figure out that they can't put together a realistic conference that keeps them off an airplane, so they may as well stay in the CAA. And UNH has to know that a conference without Maine and UMass is no good for them.

URI can shut up. We are not taking the risk to form a new conference with them when we can't trust them to keep playing football anyway. Imagine how stupid we'd look right now if we'd broken away and made that proposed conference with Northeastern and Hofstra. You could have fed a starving third world nation with all the egg on our faces. We'd be screwed.

If URI wants to leave, leave. There's a line of teams waiting outside the door ready to take their place, though Albany is kidding themselves about their chances if they don't have at least a shovel in the ground for a new stadium when they make their sales pitch. This does not work. If URI keeps throwing the rest of us under the bus, we need to return the favor. Put some quotes in the paper about how we're all concerned about URI's ability to continue playing football and how they're likely going to fold. See what kind of players they can recruit after their reputation becomes Dead Team Walking.

And you will not find one single Albany fan, administrative or alumn that will disagree with you. All talk of Albany joining the CAA or any new conference for that matter is moot without a facilitiy upgrade.

Before the initial info was recently leaked on our new facility plan and timeline I always put a distant third in terms of upgrade potential, far behind Fordham and Stony Brook. The initial rumors are not official, however, and they could prove to be false or exagerated, or both. If so, I'll quickly be the one to put Albany behind the other two.

Timely quotes. Today the Draft Environmental Impact statement was released for the stadium project (among other projects). Indicates the stadium is funded and construction will start in the Sping.

This particular report indicates a 10,000 seat stadium (which may be phased in) and the location. It defers the details on phases and design to another forthcoming report.

So it looks like we'll have a shovel in the ground first thing in the spring.

[dbackjon]

Good news df

[danefan]

Good news df

Yes, we are all abuzz.

I'm planning a tailgate for the groundbreaking ceremony.

Our field hasn't had any real attention other than a paint job since 1970. Its way way way overdue.

Now we just have to hope for the design and phases timeline to come out soon.