districtballer
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RRR said:
Why would they come to the CAA again?
Hofstra is thinking about leaving the CAA.
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Why would they come to the CAA again?
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Is ODU's plan for football to transition to real DI? Are JMU or Delaware ever going to transition to full DI? If so, are their plans at all concrete?
Has there really been any conference other than the CAA clamoring to get lower level football?
Has there really been any conference other than the CAA clamoring to get lower level football?
districtballer
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artRAMinMN said:
ODU's master plan is to go 1-A, as is JMU's. If you haven't seen their stadium expansion project you should. It's going to be impressive. I believe 45,000 seats when it's done. No way they are staying 1-AA with that kind of investment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxibToE1S7A
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districtballer said:
I didn't say it would happen
buckwheat
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you would be crazy to think the atlantic 10 would not be a TREMENDOUS upgrade for vcu over the caa. not that it really matters because there are already 14 teams in that conference, and i don't see any major changes in the near future.
sure mason's at-large and FF run, vcu's win over duke, and odu's at-large were all nice recent accomplishments for the conference, but the a-10 routinely get at-large bids and typically has at least one ranked team at any given time. xavier, dayton, temple, umass, st. joe's, and arguably GW (to name a few) have all had better recent postseason accomplishments than the rams have. reality check: mason's run and vcu's win over duke were great, but there has not been consistency with at-large bids and wins in the tourney.
the fact of the matter is that as good as vcu was last season, we would have struggled to have even been in the top 6 of the a-10.
btw, i hope aiming for xavier or temple in the caa was a joke. i will take it as that.
sure mason's at-large and FF run, vcu's win over duke, and odu's at-large were all nice recent accomplishments for the conference, but the a-10 routinely get at-large bids and typically has at least one ranked team at any given time. xavier, dayton, temple, umass, st. joe's, and arguably GW (to name a few) have all had better recent postseason accomplishments than the rams have. reality check: mason's run and vcu's win over duke were great, but there has not been consistency with at-large bids and wins in the tourney.
the fact of the matter is that as good as vcu was last season, we would have struggled to have even been in the top 6 of the a-10.
btw, i hope aiming for xavier or temple in the caa was a joke. i will take it as that.
districtballer
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Very true.
Xavier
Dayton
UMass
Temple
Rhode Island
George Washington
Charlotte
St. Joes
All of those programs are very good basketball teams with a lot of basketball history over the past 10-15 years. We have VCU, GMU, ODU, and UNCW. You could even add Richmond to that list as they got an at-large in 2004 before the coaching fiasco tore down their program. No comparison between the 2 leagues.
Xavier
Dayton
UMass
Temple
Rhode Island
George Washington
Charlotte
St. Joes
All of those programs are very good basketball teams with a lot of basketball history over the past 10-15 years. We have VCU, GMU, ODU, and UNCW. You could even add Richmond to that list as they got an at-large in 2004 before the coaching fiasco tore down their program. No comparison between the 2 leagues.
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hofstra was aware of the southern bias before they joined.
BradRamFan
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If the A10 offered a spot for us I would bolt the CAA in a second just like UR did.....albeit in a more professional manner. And while I enjoy playing the teams we play and the competitiveness, we have been ranked the 12-14th ranked conference for longer than a decade and I don't see that significantly changing (going up)....EVER.
In fact, if Hofstra leaves and/or takes NE with it....or UNCW ever decides to bolt (a good possibility)...or ODU moves up and out due to football, I see our conference dropping....and dropping big!
I am a bit disappointed because if you look on the internet for team looking, willing, or working to move up and out of the CAA, there are a number of our teams that want to make a move. Everything I've read about VCU says that we are "comfortable" right where we are. Perhaps there are behind the scenes type things going on but I think we would have at least heard a rumor or two.
But if Hofstra leaves and we want to remain the same size then 1) we screw UNCW again by finding someone to partner with NE; or 2) we screw NE by finding a partner for UNCW....and GSU. But what teams in NC, SC, or GA could we add who would benefit the CAA....coastal carolina? (I don't even know what they have ever done), CoC (we asked before and they said no), Davidson (Curry gave them status but can they maintain it?), Winthrop (didn't they just lose their coach that got them to the level that gave them some recognition?). Someone here mentioned Longwood....you have got to be kidding me! Someone else mentioned Radford on the old board some time ago....WTF?!?!
And if you pick another VA team to add if Hofstra, NE, UNCW, or GaSt leave then to me that says: "We are small time because every other decent conference, mid or major, is NOT a one state league."
In fact, if Hofstra leaves and/or takes NE with it....or UNCW ever decides to bolt (a good possibility)...or ODU moves up and out due to football, I see our conference dropping....and dropping big!
I am a bit disappointed because if you look on the internet for team looking, willing, or working to move up and out of the CAA, there are a number of our teams that want to make a move. Everything I've read about VCU says that we are "comfortable" right where we are. Perhaps there are behind the scenes type things going on but I think we would have at least heard a rumor or two.
But if Hofstra leaves and we want to remain the same size then 1) we screw UNCW again by finding someone to partner with NE; or 2) we screw NE by finding a partner for UNCW....and GSU. But what teams in NC, SC, or GA could we add who would benefit the CAA....coastal carolina? (I don't even know what they have ever done), CoC (we asked before and they said no), Davidson (Curry gave them status but can they maintain it?), Winthrop (didn't they just lose their coach that got them to the level that gave them some recognition?). Someone here mentioned Longwood....you have got to be kidding me! Someone else mentioned Radford on the old board some time ago....WTF?!?!
And if you pick another VA team to add if Hofstra, NE, UNCW, or GaSt leave then to me that says: "We are small time because every other decent conference, mid or major, is NOT a one state league."
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Peace Hofstra.
As for who replaces them, going down the list...
Appy St - Solid all around sports...but once again... attendance last season, 2346 per. Pass.
Winthrop - Again, miserable attendance. 2465 a game, and they aren't going to be the old Winthrop without their old coach who got them there. Pass.
Liberty - For starters...the place was founded by Jerry Falwell, that alone should be enough. But they also will have a new coach next season, and lost Seth Curry to Duke. Also, attendance in 08-09...just over 3,300. Pass.
Davidson - Not sure, maybe. Great hoops profile over the last couple of years...but it's still a tiny school. Averaged 5253 last year WITH Steph Curry an. ???
Western Kentucky - Miss playing the Hilltoppers. They've made some noise the last couple of years while playing in a pretty weak Sunbelt Conference. Averaged 5138 folks/game this past season. ???
Siena - Doesn't make sense geographically, but love the 7,026 home attendance average this past season. That's about 4,600 more than the MAAC average. Love what they've done the last few years, but once again, doesn't really make much sense picking up a team near Albany.
I don't see anyone leaving the A-14 for the CAA anytime soon... although I do imagine UofR would love a home game with VCU, ODU, Mason, and JMU every season.
As for who replaces them, going down the list...
Appy St - Solid all around sports...but once again... attendance last season, 2346 per. Pass.
Winthrop - Again, miserable attendance. 2465 a game, and they aren't going to be the old Winthrop without their old coach who got them there. Pass.
Liberty - For starters...the place was founded by Jerry Falwell, that alone should be enough. But they also will have a new coach next season, and lost Seth Curry to Duke. Also, attendance in 08-09...just over 3,300. Pass.
Davidson - Not sure, maybe. Great hoops profile over the last couple of years...but it's still a tiny school. Averaged 5253 last year WITH Steph Curry an. ???
Western Kentucky - Miss playing the Hilltoppers. They've made some noise the last couple of years while playing in a pretty weak Sunbelt Conference. Averaged 5138 folks/game this past season. ???
Siena - Doesn't make sense geographically, but love the 7,026 home attendance average this past season. That's about 4,600 more than the MAAC average. Love what they've done the last few years, but once again, doesn't really make much sense picking up a team near Albany.
I don't see anyone leaving the A-14 for the CAA anytime soon... although I do imagine UofR would love a home game with VCU, ODU, Mason, and JMU every season.
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BigE said:
No way Davidson leaves the SoCon. They have too much history in the conference. Davidson has been a part of the SoCon since the days when ACC schools were a part of the league. Davidson removed from the SoCon is like the ACC without Duke or North Carolina. It would be tough to sell C of C to the CAA also. They just don't seem to fit with CAA schools. Not sure that UNCG or Winthrop would be good fits either. I think Liberty, Radford, or VMI would be good fits.
Whatever some of you guys are smoking must be some good stuff. There's a lot of history that must be considered when discussing conference affiliation.
VCU has too much of a hand in the CAA for us to leave now. I mean, we would never be able to have the influence we have here in another conference this soon. It's only been around 13 years and we are definitely one of the leaders at the table. The only thing that would change that is the shrinking number of non-football schools in the league. If Mason starts football, we should definitely look elsewhere, but with our new president who knows? It may only make us look more seriously into starting a program vs leaving the CAA.
Also, someone said that Hofstra knew what they were getting into when they joined (the "Southern Bias"). That's not necessarily true - HU, TU, Drexel joined basically because of Delaware. At the time, it was 4 vs. 6 - not a bad mix if you look at UNCW as the step-child of the VA schools. Adding GSU and NU was such a compromise - NU for the northern schools and GSU for everyone else (from what I recall, we only wanted GSU). Even though the CAA's power is southern, the league's balance is still 5 North, 7 South - which is as close to 50/50 as you'll get.
I agree that if HU leaves, NU would leave as well. There would be no reason at all that they'd stay, other than football. However, HU will have to find a home for their football program, so NU could just tag along with that affiliation.
As for the A-10, years ago we had a great debate about which conference was better for basketball because we were in a position to argue. After the last few years of no at-larges, it's pretty obvious that the A-10 has us beat. And if you think the imminent split of the Big East will help matters, it probably won't but there's one chance:
Conference A (Big East) - 10 teams:
*Louisville
*Connecticut
*Pittsburgh
*Syracuse
*West Virginia
*Notre Dame (may opt to accept full membership to this conference)
*Cincinnati
*St. John's
*South Florida
*Rutgers
Conference B (Big East Split-Off) - 10 teams:
*Villanova
*Marquette
*Providence
*Georgetown
*Seton Hall
*DePaul
+Xavier
+St. Joseph's (hard sell to separate from A-10, but they'd do it!)
+Dayton
+St. Louis
That leaves a less powerful A-10, rivaling the CAA - 10 teams:
*Rhode Island
*Duquesne (if conference B wants 12, Duquesne
*Temple
*La Salle
*Richmond
*Massachusetts
*St. Bonaventure
*Charlotte
*George Washington
*Fordham
The A-10 will be 50/50 private-public (or "public" in Temple's case). Richmond would be the only non-religious based school of the privates. La Salle, Fordham, St. Bonnie's and Duquesne all have claims to join Conference B, but have no recent success to keep that conference as strong as it will be on the court. With that said, 10-10-10 on paper works out for everyone.......however, by the time this happens Richmond and Charlotte (two of the newest members) will have more pull to add southern schools to balance. Those schools are the likely only two non-football CAA schools - UNCW and VCU. This would leave the CAA with 8 schools (if HU and NU left) and in position to accept a Hampton (who's DYING to join a non-HBCU conference) and a Liberty (LU's athletic program is TOP NOTCH, from top to bottom - don't sleep).
This A-10 IMO would be too similar in competition with the CAA, with none of the rivalry benefits. I think the CAA is our best bet for a long time to come, unless we get on the gridiron.
VCU has too much of a hand in the CAA for us to leave now. I mean, we would never be able to have the influence we have here in another conference this soon. It's only been around 13 years and we are definitely one of the leaders at the table. The only thing that would change that is the shrinking number of non-football schools in the league. If Mason starts football, we should definitely look elsewhere, but with our new president who knows? It may only make us look more seriously into starting a program vs leaving the CAA.
Also, someone said that Hofstra knew what they were getting into when they joined (the "Southern Bias"). That's not necessarily true - HU, TU, Drexel joined basically because of Delaware. At the time, it was 4 vs. 6 - not a bad mix if you look at UNCW as the step-child of the VA schools. Adding GSU and NU was such a compromise - NU for the northern schools and GSU for everyone else (from what I recall, we only wanted GSU). Even though the CAA's power is southern, the league's balance is still 5 North, 7 South - which is as close to 50/50 as you'll get.
I agree that if HU leaves, NU would leave as well. There would be no reason at all that they'd stay, other than football. However, HU will have to find a home for their football program, so NU could just tag along with that affiliation.
As for the A-10, years ago we had a great debate about which conference was better for basketball because we were in a position to argue. After the last few years of no at-larges, it's pretty obvious that the A-10 has us beat. And if you think the imminent split of the Big East will help matters, it probably won't but there's one chance:
Conference A (Big East) - 10 teams:
*Louisville
*Connecticut
*Pittsburgh
*Syracuse
*West Virginia
*Notre Dame (may opt to accept full membership to this conference)
*Cincinnati
*St. John's
*South Florida
*Rutgers
Conference B (Big East Split-Off) - 10 teams:
*Villanova
*Marquette
*Providence
*Georgetown
*Seton Hall
*DePaul
+Xavier
+St. Joseph's (hard sell to separate from A-10, but they'd do it!)
+Dayton
+St. Louis
That leaves a less powerful A-10, rivaling the CAA - 10 teams:
*Rhode Island
*Duquesne (if conference B wants 12, Duquesne
*Temple
*La Salle
*Richmond
*Massachusetts
*St. Bonaventure
*Charlotte
*George Washington
*Fordham
The A-10 will be 50/50 private-public (or "public" in Temple's case). Richmond would be the only non-religious based school of the privates. La Salle, Fordham, St. Bonnie's and Duquesne all have claims to join Conference B, but have no recent success to keep that conference as strong as it will be on the court. With that said, 10-10-10 on paper works out for everyone.......however, by the time this happens Richmond and Charlotte (two of the newest members) will have more pull to add southern schools to balance. Those schools are the likely only two non-football CAA schools - UNCW and VCU. This would leave the CAA with 8 schools (if HU and NU left) and in position to accept a Hampton (who's DYING to join a non-HBCU conference) and a Liberty (LU's athletic program is TOP NOTCH, from top to bottom - don't sleep).
This A-10 IMO would be too similar in competition with the CAA, with none of the rivalry benefits. I think the CAA is our best bet for a long time to come, unless we get on the gridiron.
