Article on New England 4/CAA Football future

[AZGrizFan]

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.

What was Albany's average attendance this year?

[mainejeff]

As long as Albany is ready for 2012, they will be fine.

[danefan]

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.

What was Albany's average attendance this year?

3900 or so.
Terrible.

With that being said, there is a real valid excuse for it. I am dead serious when I say that only about 1,000 of the fans at the game can actually see the game. Between the stands and the field are (1) a road, (2) a track, and (3) the players as the stands are actually a little below the sideline.

Terrible terrible terrible



You cannot get any worse than this. And yet we still draw in the 6,000+ range for certain games (homecoming, first home game, etc...).

I have no doubt that if a new stadium is built we could be looking at 8,000+ immediately, with 10,000+ easily if we can get into a new league where we don't have play home games against teams no one has ever heard of (e.g. St. Francis).

[COBBLESTONE]

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.

I seem to recall a few years ago when there was some serious talk around UMASS that football would be dropped. How many times did you guys do a study to go (then) I-A and how many times did that get turned down? I was told one reason that study was dropped for good was because it may have resulted in your football program going away for good.

Hey, I'll be more than happy to see us leave the CAA and play in the NEC. Nobody has put a gun to your AD's head and told him to do the same.

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

The meeting between Yeager and the ADs of the NE schools was yesterday. (If it even happened)
I haven't seen anything in the papers in this area about it yet.

Anybody got anything?

[mainejeff]

The meeting between Yeager and the ADs of the NE schools was yesterday. (If it even happened)
I haven't seen anything in the papers in this area about it yet.

Anybody got anything?

I'm not so sure that they wanted people to know about the meeting.......I think that it was leaked by the reporter in the article that referenced it.

[mainejeff]

The NE4 meeting with CAA Commish Yeager took place.........at a hotel in Boston. Not much came from it (at least publicly) according to this article........

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story ... 1&ac=PHspt

[Col Hogan]

The NE4 meeting with CAA Commish Yeager took place.........at a hotel in Boston. Not much came from it (at least publicly) according to this article........

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story ... 1&ac=PHspt

At least they sound positive...but the issues still remain that travel costs for the NE 4 will go up at a time when budget pressure is forcing athletic department cuts...

I still think a split is inevitable...with URI heading towards the NEC, and Maine, UNH and UMass part of some new conference that could include the likes of Albany, Stony Brook, and CCSU among others...

Time will tell...

[danefan]

The only thing I can realistically see happening before the 2013 season is URI moving to the NEC.

URI's AD has said he isn't committed to the CAA beyond 2010. It would be an easy swap for both leagues with Albany in 2011 or SBU in 2012. Or Fordham whenever I guess.

Does anyone know how many scholarships URI is currently offering?

[LastMinuteman]

URI is using at least 56.7 scholarships, since they have obligations to their FBS opponents to remain a counter for bowl eligibility.

I see UMass remaining in the CAA so long as we're in a 6 or 7 member division that doesn't go further south than 6.5 hours. It doesn't necessarily matter who those other division members are.

[mainejeff]

I see UMass remaining in the CAA so long as we're in a 6 or 7 member division that doesn't go further south than 6.5 hours. It doesn't necessarily matter who those other division members are.

Amherst to Baltimore = 6 hours, 35 minutes.

I think that Maine feels the same way.........Baltimore is the Southerly tolerance level.

[magnolialeague]

Here is a CAA realignment suggestion:

North

Albany
Fordham
Holy Cross
Maine
New Hampshire
UMASS
URI


South

Delaware
JMU
ODU
Richmond
Towson
Villanova
William & Mary


Tell GA State to beat it. Too far away.

[Col Hogan]

Here is a CAA realignment suggestion:

North

Albany
Fordham
Holy Cross
Maine
New Hampshire
UMASS
URI


South

Delaware
JMU
ODU
Richmond
Towson
Villanova
William & Mary


Tell GA State to beat it. Too far away.

First, welcome magnolialeague...we met at the W&M/Weber tailgate...

Post early and often...we need more variety from CAA posters here...

Now, the only problem I see with your recommended alignment is that GaSt is a full member...

How do we tell them to beat it??? I agree with your sentiment, by the way...

Or am I too practical....

[mainejeff]

That 14 team line-up would be great travel wise........only 2 games vs. the other division and only 1 flight per season.

[magnolialeague]

Hogan, yes! I saw you on these boards. Why doesn't the CAA North talk about Holy Cross? They show a pretty good atendance and apparently , to some, they are a malcontent in the Patriot. Let's bring in Fordham and Holy Cross and you will see a Nova, Fordham, Holy Cross mini-rivalry emerge as hey draw several fromthe same pool of HS students. Not bad football at these schools either.

The focus needs to be on pockets of density for the conference to flourish. The W&M, JMU, UR, and soon to be ODU rivalry brings fantastic energy. Centering the North on UMASS with schools in driving distance will bolster the CAA Norh.

As for Georgia State, time tell them to join the Southern Conference.

Stoney Brook can join the NEC in place of Albany.

Hofstra to the A10, and Richmond back to the CAA.

[magnolialeague]

That 14 team line-up would be great travel wise........only 2 games vs. the other division and only 1 flight per season.

Exactly! Draw it in. If fans can drive and tailgate together, the whole conference steps up. People want to see the opposition. No one watches a shadow boxer for long.

[mainejeff]

Hogan, yes! I saw you on these boards. Why doesn't the CAA North talk about Holy Cross? They show a pretty good atendance and apparently , to some, they are a malcontent in the Patriot. Let's bring in Fordham and Holy Cross and you will see a Nova, Fordham, Holy Cross mini-rivalry emerge as hey draw several fromthe same pool of HS students. Not bad football at these schools either.

The focus needs to be on pockets of density for the conference to flourish. The W&M, JMU, UR, and soon to be ODU rivalry brings fantastic energy. Centering the North on UMASS with schools in driving distance will bolster the CAA Norh.

As for Georgia State, time tell them to join the Southern Conference.

Stoney Brook can join the NEC in place of Albany.

Hofstra to the A10, and Richmond back to the CAA.

Has Holy Cross EVER shown an interest in being associated with a bunch of large public universities???

[mainejeff]

That 14 team line-up would be great travel wise........only 2 games vs. the other division and only 1 flight per season.

Exactly! Draw it in. If fans can drive and tailgate together, the whole conference steps up. People want to see the opposition. No one watches a shadow boxer for long.

New England university presidents have really dropped the ball over the years when it comes to building rivalries in sports. Too many egos and agendas. How can you have about 20 D-1 sports programs in such a small area spread across 7 different conferences?????

[magnolialeague]

Hogan, yes! I saw you on these boards. Why doesn't the CAA North talk about Holy Cross? They show a pretty good atendance and apparently , to some, they are a malcontent in the Patriot. Let's bring in Fordham and Holy Cross and you will see a Nova, Fordham, Holy Cross mini-rivalry emerge as hey draw several fromthe same pool of HS students. Not bad football at these schools either.

The focus needs to be on pockets of density for the conference to flourish. The W&M, JMU, UR, and soon to be ODU rivalry brings fantastic energy. Centering the North on UMASS with schools in driving distance will bolster the CAA Norh.

As for Georgia State, time tell them to join the Southern Conference.

Stoney Brook can join the NEC in place of Albany.

Hofstra to the A10, and Richmond back to the CAA.

Has Holy Cross EVER shown an interest in being associated with a bunch of large public universities???

I don't know. This is where taking them in with Fordham might be key. Nova could also help nudge as they have succeeded in the CAA. Each is a natural rival as several families interwine the Catholic schools. What I have seen is that some think Holy Cross is not happy with the Patriot. Their team has slipped since discontinuing scholarships and some are not happy. Also, the fall off in travel from going down to Bucknell and sorts ought to be enticing as well.

[UNI88]

Hogan, yes! I saw you on these boards. Why doesn't the CAA North talk about Holy Cross? They show a pretty good atendance and apparently , to some, they are a malcontent in the Patriot. Let's bring in Fordham and Holy Cross and you will see a Nova, Fordham, Holy Cross mini-rivalry emerge as hey draw several fromthe same pool of HS students. Not bad football at these schools either.

The focus needs to be on pockets of density for the conference to flourish. The W&M, JMU, UR, and soon to be ODU rivalry brings fantastic energy. Centering the North on UMASS with schools in driving distance will bolster the CAA Norh.

As for Georgia State, time tell them to join the Southern Conference.

Stoney Brook can join the NEC in place of Albany.

Hofstra to the A10, and Richmond back to the CAA.

Welcome Magnolia! Good perspective but I question the last possibility. I don't know about other sports but the Hofstra/Richmond switch doesn't make a lot of sense from a men's BBall perspective. The CAA is a good BBall league but it isn't the A10. Why would Richmond consider the switch? What about UMass, should they be held to the same standard?

[mainejeff]

CAA basketball would be good without NU, Hofstra, Drexel, Delaware, Towson, and Georgia State........whoops.......that's half of the conference.

[magnolialeague]

I singled out Richmond because of the rivalries between UR and VCU, W&M, and JMU are strong through football. That's all. Has nothing to do with conference purity. All in sports will never happen in the CAA. If we ever asked Villanova to switch from the Big East, I think they would laugh, give us the finger, show us the FCS Championship trophy, and laugh again.

As for FCS football, the CAA, A10, NEC, and Nova need to place survive and thrive at the top of their priorities list. Losing programs is not be acceptable, especially a Hofstra situation.

[magnolialeague]

dupe...........

[UAalum72]

Stoney Brook can join the NEC in place of Albany.

SBU (I'll let one of their fans correct the spelling for you, if they can) just left the NEC a couple of years ago and won't be going back if there's any other league possible. Even if the Northeast starts to allow the full allotment of scholarships, the mostly small, private colleges of the NEC aren't peer institutions of large, public SBU.

[AZGrizFan]

I'm sorry to interject, but I can't help but sit here and laugh at posters who want to develop conferences in which there's NO flying and no drive longer than 6 hours.

To us in the West, that's "Inconceivable!"