CAA take over of A10

[jbweb7]

There is a stron chance that the CAA is going to try a hostile take over of the A10 football conference. Teams like Hofstra, WM, Delaware, Towson and JMU already are in the CAA for everything else. Odds are all of the A10 teams would not be invited to join or would refuse to go along. That would leave Richmond, UMass and Rhode Island looking for people to fill out a league. I have seen rumors that the Patriot League as been considering moving to ship football to simplify things for them. I know many Fordham fans think that in the long run they will be attempting to move up to ship 1AA. What are the odds of Gtown joining a new A10? I believe that Nova would stay too if the league was Richmond, Gtown, Nova, UMass, Fordham, and Rhody. I would imagine an official arrangement could then be made with the original six Patriot schools to schedule yearly cross over games, but having seperate leagues would allow for two bids to still be given. Do you think Gtown would make the commitment?

[thebin]

whoa. That is some bombshell... Do you have any links? Is this pure rumor?

[DFW HOYA]

Sounds like wishful thinking.

I do think the CAA will eventually go its own way with UDel, Hofstra, W&M, JMU, Towson) and hope to add one or two A-10 teams or look to a VMI or Liberty. The old Yankee Conference conference schools like UMass, URI, Northeastern, Maine, and New Hampshire could add an Albany and a Stony Brook for a nice compact conference of its own.

Which leaves two swing votes in Richmond and Villanova. Richmond burned many, many bridges by jumping from the CAA to A-10 in all sports, and there's no guarantee they would be invited back. Villanova would like to maintain a high level of I-AA football if they can afford it, and that's an issue that won't go away.

The PL would do well to stay in touch with these two schools.

[ralph]

thebin said:

whoa. That is some bombshell... Do you have any links? Is this pure rumor?

CAA: growing concern?
Conference presidents will consider expansion and addition of football

BY JOHN O'CONNOR
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 4, 2004

Presidents of Colonial Athletic Association schools will hold their annual meeting here Saturday in conjunction with the league's basketball tournament. The addition of football as a league sport and related expansion lead the agenda, according to sources.

Five of the Colonial's 10 member schools - William and Mary, James Madison, Delaware, Towson and Hofstra - play football in the Division I-AA Atlantic 10 Conference.

Also, the CAA is examining Northeastern, New Hampshire, Georgia State, UNC Greensboro, the College of Charleston and Boston University as expansion candidates. CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said, "We're looking at a lot of different folks. Some may have mutual interest. Some may not."

read more...