Yeager: CAA realignment, expansion in next couple of weeks

[danefan]

CAA expansion is going to be very very very interesting in the next few days and/or weeks.

When all is said and done, I'll be very interested to see who exactly it was that Fiore was tossing his used feminine hygiene product at with that tweet on the 5th.

Agreed. As the world turns.

[Seawolf97]

Not sure what to make of the tweet from the 5th. Were we blocked from the CAA or is there more deception in the AE than we suspect? Comments out of UNH in the last 10 days or so didnt sound like everyhting was a love fest in the AE right now. Of course that may have been directed at Boston U. for their mid night split. So we will see and hear what is the final outcome of all this.

[clenz]

Y-S-U!

Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!

[henfan]

Of course, Fiore's non sequitur brain fart could have something to do with the greater greed being displayed by the Big Six BCS conferences. His tweet came on the heals of their announcement about the post-season cash grab deal, which all but locks out those not in the exclusive club.

[danefan]

So lets talk for real about what the face of CAA football could look like in two weeks.

How many do you think the CAA adds in the football conference? Which are the "sure shots", "good shots", and "long shots"

For me, I think the CAA adds 4 teams, one being a full-sport member.


Sure Shot
1. Stony Brook - the CAA would be remiss to not give a football only spot to SBU and SBU would take it in a heart beat.

Good Shot
1. Rhode Island - I think adding at least one Northern team will be enough to keep URI around.

2. Coastal Carolina - I think Coastal gets a full-sport invite after all. Certainly not the CAA's first choice for southern expansion, but I think the SoCon raid ends up being a failure.

Long Shot
1. App State - I'm sure the CAA wants App State, but App can only make a full-sport move and with their intention of going to FBS, why in the world would they subject themselves to a $1m buyout fee?

2. Liberty - Same as App State, except I don't think the CAA has as much interest.

3. Albany - a lot of questions needs to be answered and commitments made for the CAA to accept Albany. Everything else fits though and adding Albany pushes URI into a Sure Shot to stay, IMO.

4. Youngstown State - an easy football-only switch for them (Horizon League all-sports). Not really in the geographic football of the CAA, but history is there. Is it really an institutional fit though?

What say you well reasoned CAA fans? Who do you think will end up playing in the CAA in 2013? Who do you want in the CAA?

[clenz]

Y-S-U!

Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!


Y-S-U!

[State Line Liquors]

Well done clenz! You single-handedly have made YSU a candidate for CAA expansion amongst the uninformed message board masses. Why should I even bother trying to fight this momentum??! Youngstown State is IN!

I'd add Gardner Webb to the list of likelies. Everyone knows Bulldogs are a great animal, but the fabled 'Runnin' variety (not yet recognized by the AKC) are such a rarety to behold that I don't see how the CAA Presidents could possibly look past them. Plus Boiling Springs is well known for its mineral baths. And who doesn't love a good soak?

[henfan]

Danefan, I agree with much of your analysis regarding CAA FB expansion. Davidson's and/or Charleston's decision to join the CAA might have the biggest impact of all on CAA FB.

1. Stony Brook - They would make a nice add for at least FB, restoring CAA FB's presence in metro NYC. Arguably, they'd make an even better add as a member of the CAA.

2. Rhode Island - There's a reasonable chance Rhody reconsiders the NEC move with SBU in CAA FB and an even better chance if the deal also included UA for FB.

3. Elon - IMO, maybe the leading candidate to move to the CAA and CAA FB of the schools in the south.

4. Furman - Though a little further afoot, they could also enter the picture for all sports, assuming Davidson and Elon make the move as well. The CAA provides a nice landing spot for the new FU MLAX program.

5. Albany - Again, an academic fit and potential all sport member. Would need to upgrade FB commitment. A possible FB only add, though that wouldn't make much strategic sense for the CAA.

6. Coastal Carolina - Not sure that they are a perfect fit in terms of academics but they could be an all sport add that would help UNCW with travel.

7. Appalachian St. - Seems like a very long shot. Way outside of the footprint but could be a good all sport add if coupled with Davidson and/or Elon. Obviously a great FB program with top notch facilities & strong Olympic sports. They seem like a longer shot because of their immediate interest in FBS FB. Perhaps ASU's FBS plans are more long-term than many of us believe and they would be receptive to change in conferences until another conference slot can realized.

I'm not handicapping Liberty, Hampton, Norfolk St., YSU or others because I haven't heard or read that they're a part of the discussions. But what do I know?

[clenz]

Well done clenz! You single-handedly have made YSU a candidate for CAA expansion amongst the uninformed message board masses. Why should I even bother trying to fight this momentum??! Youngstown State is IN!

Momentum has to start somewhere!


It is funny that there has been no talk of them heading to the CAA by anyone but me for the last 2 or 3 years on CS (and to a lesser extent AGS) but now all of a sudden a couple more posters are starting to use their name as possibilities....even BleacherReport has thrown them around in the last year.



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[93henfan]

YSU does have a little history, albeit 33 years ago and a different named subdivision, with Delaware. But that's about it.

[andy7171]

YSU does have a little history, albeit 33 years ago and a different named subdivision, with Delaware. But that's about it.

Towson had a 4 game series with the Penguins in the late 80's early 90's. They beat us in a down pour in 1991 27-17 the year they won the NC. Adding YSU would make sense when the CAA assimilates into the MAC in 2-3 years.

[Purple Reign]

The New CAA, Say goodbye to URI, Add Coll of Charleston, Davidson, Stony Brook, Elon , Furman, Coastal Carolina, and Boston as full time members. This creates a 16 team basketball league and a 12 team football league !

[Purple Reign]

North Football : UNH , Maine, Stony Brook, Villanova, Delaware, Towson.
South Football : JMU, W&M, Richmond, Elon, Furman , Coastal Carolina.

[danefan]

The New CAA, Say goodbye to URI, Add Coll of Charleston, Davidson, Stony Brook, Elon , Furman, Coastal Carolina, and Boston as full time members. This creates a 16 team basketball league and a 12 team football league !

BU is out if the equation. They're joining the Patriot League in 2013.

The rest might make sense, but I'm pretty sure it won't turn out that way.

[Seawolf97]

Given a vote I would want StonyBrook to go all sports in the CAA. We have the academic profile and several sports other than football that we would be competitive in right away -lax and baseball for starters. It would do us no good to go just football since I see the AE as a very stable conference down the road.

Others I vote would for are Albany if they can commit to build their football program up to 60-63 scholarships quickly. Their lax and basketball would also be competitive and dont overlook their new stadium which will be ready by next fall. They too also have a good academic profile and give the new look CAA four football programs in the Northeast.
Of course if SBU and Albany leave as all sports teams the AE would collapse rather quickly.
Others would be Davidson and Cof C for basketball and C. of C. has an outstanding baseball program and they usally make an NCAA regional every year.
Add Elon and Furman and we would be set. I dont think Coastal Carolina or Youngstown St get a nod but who knows. I even read that Cleveland St was in the running. Good basket ball school but dont know much about anything else . Liberty is openly shopping for an FBS invite so they may be considered a short term member at best and not a good candidate for a conference looking for long term commits.
That would be a solid conference in multiple sports and schools with strong academic credentials. But like everyone else it is wait and see .

[Purple Reign]

The New CAA, Say goodbye to URI, Add Coll of Charleston, Davidson, Stony Brook, Elon , Furman, Coastal Carolina, and Boston as full time members. This creates a 16 team basketball league and a 12 team football league !

BU is out if the equation. They're joining the Patriot League in 2013.

The rest might make sense, but I'm pretty sure it won't turn out that way.

Thanks for the info on Boston U. There are other schools without football to maybe take Boston`s place such as UNCG or UNCA.

[Ibanez]

The New CAA, Say goodbye to URI, Add Coll of Charleston, Davidson, Stony Brook, Elon , Furman, Coastal Carolina, and Boston as full time members. This creates a 16 team basketball league and a 12 team football league !

Ha. Good one.

[89Hen]

Others would be Davidson and Cof C for basketball and C. of C. has an outstanding baseball program and they usally make an NCAA regional every year.

I don't wany any non-football members.

[89Hen]

North Football : UNH , Maine, Stony Brook, Villanova, Delaware, Towson.

NFW

[danefan]

North Football : UNH , Maine, Stony Brook, Villanova, Delaware, Towson.

NFW

89 - what will the Delaware fans think if Delaware ends up in the South and Villanova in the North?

[danefan]

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports/sp ... r-2053536/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Colonial Athletic Association commissioner Tom Yeager said there is no question the league is going to add new members for the 2013-14 year, and he hopes to introduce them by the end of the summer.

"I think there are some attractive institutions out there that are interested in the CAA and vice versa," he said.

The CAA needs to fortify with the departure of Virginia Commonwealth and the impending departures of Old Dominion and Georgia State. VCU will begin playing in the Atlantic 10 this year. In 2013, ODU will join Conference USA, and Georgia State will join the Sun Belt.

That will drop the CAA to nine members in all sports.

Yeager won't discuss candidates, but ESPN.com reported in May he had talked with Southern Conference commissioner John Iamarino about approaching some SoCon schools. Iamarino said Thursday he won't comment on membership issues.

Big South Conference commissioner Kyle Kallander wouldn't comment on any members, but said he has had "good dialogue with a number of commissioners that have been involved in the ongoing realignment story, including Tom Yeager. We've had good conversations about a number of things."

"There is still a lot of fluidity and a lot of issues involved in the decision-making process of institutions," Kallander said. "We'll see where things are going. I feel pretty good about where the conference is and where we're going to be moving forward."

The America East Conference also could have candidates.

...

[93henfan]

NFW

89 - what will the Delaware fans think if Delaware ends up in the South and Villanova in the North?

I'm not 89, but I don't think many of us would care. I don't think either school considers the other much of a rival. Hell, Villanova doesn't even care about their own team, let alone some sort of manufactured rivalry in a division they consider to be substandard.

[89Hen]

NFW

89 - what will the Delaware fans think if Delaware ends up in the South and Villanova in the North?

I could be in the minority, but I've NEVER thought of Villanova as a rival in any way. Honestly, I've always been puzzled as to how that became "the" game. Temple and Lehigh were always much more hated than Nova and when the Hens stopped playing both, I guess it just became Nova because of geography. I'd MUCH rather see JMU, W&M, Richmond and Towson on the schedule every year before Nova.

[danefan]

89 - what will the Delaware fans think if Delaware ends up in the South and Villanova in the North?

I could be in the minority, but I've NEVER thought of Villanova as a rival in any way. Honestly, I've always been puzzled as to how that became "the" game. Temple and Lehigh were always much more hated than Nova and when the Hens stopped playing both, I guess it just became Nova because of geography. I'd MUCH rather see JMU, W&M, Richmond and Towson on the schedule every year before Nova.

Interesting - I always thought you guy saw Nova as the CAA rivalry.

I think either way you'll probably end up with JMU, W&M, Richmond and Towson on the schedule, with or without Nova.

[GannonFan]

89 - what will the Delaware fans think if Delaware ends up in the South and Villanova in the North?

I could be in the minority, but I've NEVER thought of Villanova as a rival in any way. Honestly, I've always been puzzled as to how that became "the" game. Temple and Lehigh were always much more hated than Nova and when the Hens stopped playing both, I guess it just became Nova because of geography. I'd MUCH rather see JMU, W&M, Richmond and Towson on the schedule every year before Nova.

Come on, granted Temple was always THE game and was by far the bigger rival (not sure how you're mentioning Lehigh in the same breath as Temple) but nova was still a big game, even back before they dropped football, just because they were IA football. And then even when they came back, the Tubby/Talley rivalry, and the fact that nova came back right when Temple quit playing us, put nova into that role almost by default. Certainly through the 90's when the games were epics and you'd have an overflow crowd at nova for the games there was no denying it was a huge game. Geography plays a big part in that as you can get 5-6k UD fans up to Radnor and plenty of nova fans already live close enough to Newark to go there. While JMU is a big game, JMU fans don't travel well outside of VA - Richmond is tiny in comparison yet they bring a bigger contingent - and you can't have a rivalry game with Towson just because, well, they're Towson. Other than andy, name me another Towson fan/poster that andy doesn't secretly pose as to inflate their numbers.

As for danefan's comment, the question should really be posed for nova fans, wherever they are. If they don't play UD every year, now you've taken away their biggest gate every other year (the UD game) and you have to wonder if nova would allow that. It doesn't hurt UD's bottom line, and like '93 said, I don't think there'd be a huge outcry from UD's end (it's still the rivalry game, but lowercase rivalry, not like uppercase Temple Rivalry), but nova already bleeds money playing football - having a UD game at home go from once every other year to once every 4 years could be too much for them.