Rhode Island moving to the NEC?

[Seahawks]

No playoffs since 1985 either.

I'm not so sure I agree with the second point which I have underlined. We may not dominate the conference but I think there will be more balance thus giving us a better chance for (finally) some winning seasons. At least in the NEC we'll have a better chance of winning a conference championship. No way would that ever happen for us in the CAA.

Another example of logical reasoning.

[Uncle Buck]

All i know, if the option was NEC or nothing for Hofstra, shit, i would have jumped at the NEC. The alternative sucks and for us, it came like a sucker punch out of nowhere.

[SUUTbird]

All i know, if the option was NEC or nothing for Hofstra, ****, i would have jumped at the NEC. The alternative sucks and for us, it came like a sucker punch out of nowhere.

Out of curiosity Uncle are there any plans or rumors with Stony Brook? I would think that the NEC would be an attractive place for you guys just in terms of location and the fact that the NEC has some teams that are just as good as the ones found in the Big South. Ive heard alot about you guys maybe trying to get to the CAA but have you looked at the NEC?

[danefan]

All i know, if the option was NEC or nothing for Hofstra, ****, i would have jumped at the NEC. The alternative sucks and for us, it came like a sucker punch out of nowhere.

Out of curiosity Uncle are there any plans or rumors with Stony Brook? I would think that the NEC would be an attractive place for you guys just in terms of location and the fact that the NEC has some teams that are just as good as the ones found in the Big South. Ive heard alot about you guys maybe trying to get to the CAA but have you looked at the NEC?

Stony Brook left the NEC to go to Big South because they didn't like the scholarship limits the NEC was planning on implementing.

That bridge is, unfortunatley burned I think.

[SUUTbird]

Thanks for the info Dane had no idea SB used to be a member.

[Seahawks]

I understood Stony Brook's desire to go to full FCS scholarships, but I never understood the move to the Big South. Doesn't rivalries count for anything? It did in my day.

[danefan]

I understood Stony Brook's desire to go to full FCS scholarships, but I never understood the move to the Big South. Doesn't rivalries count for anything? It did in my day.

I didn't understand it at the time, but it sure does look like the right move to me now, considering where SBU is heading as compared to Albany.

[dgreco]

a lot of us have thrown the idea around, but this is the first article I have seen. I still think it would be a good move for the NEC and URI.

A man of logical reasoning.


This says it all:

Extended lack of success in the Colonial, a better geographic fit, and less resources required to compete seem to be the prime reasons the Rams are studying a CAA departure. Plus, the NEC gets an automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs starting this season.

on the surface it seems like if A then B...

success, savings, fit then NEC... So I think it could be very realistic.

And to Dane, do you really think Albany is that much worse off? Has the move improved SB? They had the stadium before the move, so what other bumps have they received?

[danefan]

A man of logical reasoning.


This says it all:

on the surface it seems like if A then B...

success, savings, fit then NEC... So I think it could be very realistic.

And to Dane, do you really think Albany is that much worse off? Has the move improved SB? They had the stadium before the move, so what other bumps have they received?

Benefits:

1. Playing at South Florida to open the season next year. Scheduled to be at Buffalo in 2012. (I know Albany is scheduled to play at Cincy in 2013, but I'll believe it when I see it. Its already been postponed once and I wouldn't be suprrised if it never happens).

2. Increased attendance which will continue to increase

3. Better recruiting classes over all.

It may not have shown just yet, but the makings are there for SBU to be a seriously good FCS school. Is that really possible with any NEC school under the current scholarship limitations?

[aceinthehole]

Benefits:

1. Playing at South Florida to open the season next year. Scheduled to be at Buffalo in 2012. (I know Albany is scheduled to play at Cincy in 2013, but I'll believe it when I see it. Its already been postponed once and I wouldn't be suprrised if it never happens).

2. Increased attendance which will continue to increase

3. Better recruiting classes over all.

It may not have shown just yet, but the makings are there for SBU to be a seriously good FCS school. Is that really possible with any NEC school under the current scholarship limitations?

My opinions:

1 - Yes, the FBS game is great for exposure and $$$. This is a very good benefit of 63 schollys (bowl counter status).

2 - their attendance is not related to the increase from 30 to 63 rides. They will draw well if the are winning and competing for a playoff spot. That can be the NEC, Big South, or CAA. Winning is the #1 factor in attendance for 99% of schools. great facility and good weather probably rank 2 and 3. But SBU isn't drawing better because they left the NEC. They have a great facility and a competative team.

3 - Certainly the extra scholarships makes them a deeper team, and it has to help their overall strength, but I don't think the extra schollys and Big South membership means they are getting much better players than UA or CCSU can. We are still recruiting against SBU and we may win some recruits and lose some.

I still think UA makes the playoffs before SBU does. I just wish they would schedule you guys so you can prove it on the field

[Seawolf97]

Benefits:

1. Playing at South Florida to open the season next year. Scheduled to be at Buffalo in 2012. (I know Albany is scheduled to play at Cincy in 2013, but I'll believe it when I see it. Its already been postponed once and I wouldn't be suprrised if it never happens).

2. Increased attendance which will continue to increase

3. Better recruiting classes over all.

It may not have shown just yet, but the makings are there for SBU to be a seriously good FCS school. Is that really possible with any NEC school under the current scholarship limitations?

My opinions:

1 - Yes, the FBS game is great for exposure and $$$. This is a very good benefit of 63 schollys (bowl counter status).

2 - their attendance is not related to the increase from 30 to 63 rides. They will draw well if the are winning and competing for a playoff spot. That can be the NEC, Big South, or CAA. Winning is the #1 factor in attendance for 99% of schools. great facility and good weather probably rank 2 and 3. But SBU isn't drawing better because they left the NEC. They have a great facility and a competative team.

3 - Certainly the extra scholarships makes them a deeper team, and it has to help their overall strength, but I don't think the extra schollys and Big South membership means they are getting much better players than UA or CCSU can. We are still recruiting against SBU and we may win some recruits and lose some.

I still think UA makes the playoffs before SBU does. I just wish they would schedule you guys so you can prove it on the field

Actually the Big South is a good place for us to develop our program. True it is not the CAA or SoCon but it isnt the NEC either. It has already been published that negotiations are underway to extend our stay in the Big South beyond 2011. This to me is a good thing and I hope we do at least another 3 or 4 more years.
As for FBS teams we open this 9/4 at South Florida, 2011 at Buffalo ans 2012 at Army. Rumor has it an ACC is in the works for 2013. This helps with recruiting and builds fan interest. We are the only game in town since Hofstra dropped their program and that helps alot as you know.
I would love to see games with NEC teams including Albany and CCSU-Wagner is only 50 miles away so that could be a good home and away series. But I also like to see us play the big boys and I think Buffalo and Army could be winnable
games. Being in the NEC with 40 schollies would make that impossible. For me the Big South is fine.

[COBBLESTONE]

All i know, if the option was NEC or nothing for Hofstra, ****, i would have jumped at the NEC. The alternative sucks and for us, it came like a sucker punch out of nowhere.

Yes it did and I feel badly for you guys. I think your program would have been a very nice fit for the NEC and it is a damn shame that it didn't happen. What is saving our program is the fact that our new president and A.D. are two very big football guys. I don't carry any pull in the URI Athletics Department but I have spoken to my A.D. and expressed my support for a move to the NEC. I fear the alternative if we don't move ASAP.

[KAUMASS]

Yes it did and I feel badly for you guys. I think your program would have been a very nice fit for the NEC and it is a damn shame that it didn't happen. What is saving our program is the fact that our new president and A.D. are two very big football guys. I don't carry any pull in the URI Athletics Department but I have spoken to my A.D. and expressed my support for a move to the NEC. I fear the alternative if we don't move ASAP.

I gotta chime in here.

I wouldn't consider Thorr a big football guy. I can see he hasn't grown any balls in the last 20 years. He never stepped on the field and was a ****y @ practice. Now with that said, Thorr is a great guy off the field, but he is going to flush URI football down the drain and be a yes man for the administration. What happens when you can't win in the NEC?. You will be at 40 schollies and competing for NEC type kids. Any CAA caliber type kids will be going out of state. There are a few NEC teams that could probably beat URI right now with 63 schollies. What then, go to D2/D3 at that point? Where does it end?

If Thorr had any balls, he would keep URI in the CAA and find a coach who can win and develop the program. URI once was a power in the Yankee conference.. How did they do it back then? Maybe ask Coach Griffen how he did it.
To me, URI has taken the EEORE approach from winnie the pooh..oh, woes me. Always rain clouds over my head. We can't compete, we don't have a good stadium, we can't get the kids to come here and play. Bullshit...look at New Hampshire.

What are the winners of the NEC going to do when the get to the first round of the playoffs? One and done. They are going to be a warmup game for a nasty CAA or SoCon playoff team. Yeah. We made the playoffs but got killed in the first round. I would compare this to a CAA team making the playoffs and having to play the first round game against a team with 85 schollies(FBS). Makes no sense to me.

I'm not saying that a NEC team can't hang with a CAA team, I just don't see it happening come playoff time.

This whole thing makes me depressed for FCS New England football. I would rather see UMass drop football than go to the NEC. (no offense to the NEC. It's a decent brand of football, but it is 40 schollies, mostly divided up among the team members, not 40 full rides)

I wish URI the best in whatever the feel is best for them, but I think going to the NEC is a mistake.

[COBBLESTONE]

Yes it did and I feel badly for you guys. I think your program would have been a very nice fit for the NEC and it is a damn shame that it didn't happen. What is saving our program is the fact that our new president and A.D. are two very big football guys. I don't carry any pull in the URI Athletics Department but I have spoken to my A.D. and expressed my support for a move to the NEC. I fear the alternative if we don't move ASAP.

I gotta chime in here.

I wouldn't consider Thorr a big football guy. I can see he hasn't grown any balls in the last 20 years. He never stepped on the field and was a ****y @ practice. Now with that said, Thorr is a great guy off the field, but he is going to flush URI football down the drain and be a yes man for the administration. What happens when you can't win in the NEC?. You will be at 40 schollies and competing for NEC type kids. Any CAA caliber type kids will be going out of state. There are a few NEC teams that could probably beat URI right now with 63 schollies. What then, go to D2/D3 at that point? Where does it end?

If Thorr had any balls, he would keep URI in the CAA and find a coach who can win and develop the program. URI once was a power in the Yankee conference.. How did they do it back then? Maybe ask Coach Griffen how he did it.
To me, URI has taken the EEORE approach from winnie the pooh..oh, woes me. Always rain clouds over my head. We can't compete, we don't have a good stadium, we can't get the kids to come here and play. Bullshit...look at New Hampshire.

What are the winners of the NEC going to do when the get to the first round of the playoffs? One and done. They are going to be a warmup game for a nasty CAA or SoCon playoff team. Yeah. We made the playoffs but got killed in the first round. I would compare this to a CAA team making the playoffs and having to play the first round game against a team with 85 schollies(FBS). Makes no sense to me.

I'm not saying that a NEC team can't hang with a CAA team, I just don't see it happening come playoff time.

This whole thing makes me depressed for FCS New England football. I would rather see UMass drop football than go to the NEC. (no offense to the NEC. It's a decent brand of football, but it is 40 schollies, mostly divided up among the team members, not 40 full rides)

I wish URI the best in whatever the feel is best for them, but I think going to the NEC is a mistake.

source: PROJO.COM

In addition to saving on scholarships, URI would reduce its travel expenses by joining the NEC.

“Our concern is about the long-term sustainability of football,” said Bjorn. “Our goal is to play football for a long time in the future. We are looking at solidifying the future of URI football. We have played for 109 years and we want to continue for another 109.”

It sounds to me like he's committed and has a pair of balls. I can assure you that this is not a popular stance here in RI. Most people in this state are knuckleheads and could care about football at ANY level. To me part of being a strong leader is to make and implement decisions that sometimes are unpopular.

As for dropping football rather than going to the NEC, you have to be kidding me. But that is your opinion and you are entitled to it.

URI once was a power in the Yankee conference.. How did they do it back then? Maybe ask Coach Griffen how he did it.

Since my old coach (Bob Griffin ) is back on the staff I could walk up and ask him that question but I think I already know the answer. Back in those days (early to mid 80's) there was much more parity in the YC. The YC schools pretty much recruited from the same pool back then and the conference was pretty evenly matched during those years. UMASS, URI, UNH, Maine, BU all had facilities that were pretty much on par with each other. The problem is that other schools moved forward and made a commitment to their football programs while URI sat on their hands.

URI also made some BIG mistakes in some of their hires. We hired Floyd Keith instead of Mark Whipple. Tim Stowers looked like a good hire on the surface and his first few seasons were an improvement over the train wreck that Floyd Keith left but things started going downhill fast and we waited too long before firing him. Hiring Darren Rizzi was a very good move and it looked like the program would really start to make a turn for the better. Then the NFL came calling and there is no way Rizzi could say no. So now we have Joe Trainer and I am very unimpressed. Granted he fell into the job at the last minute but when I see a coach insisting on running on 3rd and long in his own territory so he can get a good punting position...let's just say it is no wonder why we finished 1-10 last season. I doubt we'll do much better with him this season.

At least in the NEC, and with a coaching change, we'll have a chance at a playoff appearance (been quite some time), that is something we'd never see in the CAA. I disagree that we won't be able to compete in the NEC. Here again, I support this move.

[BDKJMU]

23 schollies is what, $600K? Which equals one FBS game. Unless they will also drop a woman's sport as well.

Not really. Thats like when the president of HU said something along the lines of the 63 football schollies costing 2.5 million. Thats only the case if the avg student was paying 40k in tuition and the 63 non athlete students that replace the 63 football players all pay 40k. In fact those 63 will likely pay on avg around 1/2 that. So those 63 football schollies didn't cost HU anywhere close to 2.5 mil. Conversely eliminating those 63 schollies won't bring in anywhere close to 2.5 million more in tuition.

URI dropping 23 schollies in fb isn't going to bring in anywhere clsoe to 600k more in tuition. Maybe not even half that, as many of those FB players not on scholly will be getting some sort of financial aid/tuition assistance.

[bluehenbillk]

The writing is on the wall for UNH, UMass & Maine now, that's half of the old CAA North that's gone. With ODU & GSU coming on board the league footprint has clearly moved south.

[danefan]

The writing is on the wall for UNH, UMass & Maine now, that's half of the old CAA North that's gone. With ODU & GSU coming on board the league footprint has clearly moved south.

Agreed.

There's really 3 potential outcomes:

1. The CAA adds one or more northern teams.
2. The CAA does nothing and UNH, Maine and UMass remain the sole northern members; or
3. UNH, UMass and Maine move on to either (i) a new conference, (ii) FBS, or (iii) dropping their programs.


I think Option 1 is the least likely scenario. The CAA does not need anyone else. I think Option 2 is the likely scenario for the time being, but the question really is how long they can sustain it.

[bluehenbillk]

IF the CAA decides to add anybody, I'd think the most likely addition would be Charlotte.

[danefan]

IF the CAA decides to add anybody, I'd think the most likely addition would be Charlotte.

Agreed, but even if they do, that will likely be a temporary addition. The same goes for ODU and GSU. I'm not sure either of those 3 teams or JMU will be FCS in 7-10 years.

[mainejeff]

The writing is on the wall for UNH, UMass & Maine now, that's half of the old CAA North that's gone. With ODU & GSU coming on board the league footprint has clearly moved south.

What "writing" is that?

The same could be said for Delaware with JMU, ODU, and Georgia State clearly on their way out of FCS.

[mainejeff]

With URI moving out, Maine, UNH, and UMass moving on, JMU, ODU, and Georgia State leaving for FBS.........what happens to:

Villanova?
Delaware?
Towson?
Richmond?
William & Mary?

I don't think that 5 teams make for a good football league.

[Tribe4SF]

With URI moving out, Maine, UNH, and UMass moving on, JMU, ODU, and Georgia State leaving for FBS.........what happens to:

Villanova?
Delaware?
Towson?
Richmond?
William & Mary?

I don't think that 5 teams make for a good football league.

Where are Maine, UNH and UMass going?

[mainejeff]

With URI moving out, Maine, UNH, and UMass moving on, JMU, ODU, and Georgia State leaving for FBS.........what happens to:

Villanova?
Delaware?
Towson?
Richmond?
William & Mary?

I don't think that 5 teams make for a good football league.

Where are Maine, UNH and UMass going?

I don't know......ask bluehenbillk and danefan.

[bluehenbillk]

Where are Maine, UNH and UMass going?

I don't know......ask bluehenbillk and danefan.

Maine will either drop the sport or goto the NEC. UNH/UMass may stick in the CAA or look to the NEC as well. If Stony Brook plays in the Big South, would either of these schools. UMass to the MAC has been bounced around as well.

[mainejeff]

I don't know......ask bluehenbillk and danefan.

Maine will either drop the sport or goto the NEC. UNH/UMass may stick in the CAA or look to the NEC as well. If Stony Brook plays in the Big South, would either of these schools. UMass to the MAC has been bounced around as well.

You really know what you are talking about.

What will happen to Delaware?