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Post by midwestsader05 on Apr 9, 2024 10:45:05 GMT -5
I don’t think any RVs. If 1 or 2 likely cause there’s a Curran advocate or two on the committee that don’t think the cupboard is as bare as almost every other voting member.
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Post by midwestsader05 on Apr 9, 2024 10:48:22 GMT -5
Most FCS rankings pre-season heavily go off of years prior finishes. Laffy should open in the Top 25. We MIGHT get a couple votes and will likely be Patriot Leage #2 in most projections. Ny early bird projections: 1) Colgate 2) Lafayette 3) Holy Cross 4) Fordham 5) Georgetown 6) Lehigh 7) Bucknell I think Colgate is dangerous this year as well. Not my preseason fav (it’s Laffy) but wouldn’t be surprised in the least if they win the league.
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hc69
Crusader Century Club
Posts: 221
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Post by hc69 on Apr 9, 2024 10:53:36 GMT -5
My point is that any realignment will be complicated, but the status quo might be equally problematic. In the long run, perhaps the status quo will be equally problematic. But in the short run, no. Remember the principle of social entropy: that that natural state of the social world is not order, but disorder, and order inevitably disintegrates into disorder. We're seeing social entropy at work in FBS football, which will impact the rest of college sports. Until a new order emerges, the best thing we can do is stand pat. The IL and PL are stable. Until we know where this is all headed, now is not the time to be seeking new alignments.
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 9, 2024 11:32:21 GMT -5
Most FCS rankings pre-season heavily go off of years prior finishes. Laffy should open in the Top 25. We MIGHT get a couple votes and will likely be Patriot Leage #2 in most projections. Ny early bird projections: 1) Colgate 2) Lafayette 3) Holy Cross 4) Fordham 5) Georgetown 6) Lehigh 7) Bucknell Nice not to worry about needing to beat PL foes by four touchdowns so we don't fall out of a seed. Great competitive games against Laffy, Colgate and Fordham coming this season. No pressure, just the joy of rooting for the Purple and seeing a new coaching era develop.
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Post by cruskater31 on Apr 9, 2024 13:11:30 GMT -5
Are we really going to be in the same subdivision as Mercyhurst? From a pure "feels" perspective, it feels like we belong with Harvard and Yale, AWP, Navy, the Dakotas and Montanas of the world, but Mercyhurst and RMU? At least we are not in the same conference as them. If they tried to get in the PL (which calm down guys it wouldn't happen with academic indexes and the like) I'd rather be an affiliate of the mvfc. Robert Morris has been D-1 since 1976. They have played in EIGHT NCAA Tournaments in Men's Basketball since joining. Holy Cross has only played in seven in that same time period. Just specifically talking about football. They've been in our hockey conference as well for quite some time now.
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Post by Xmassader on Apr 9, 2024 23:50:41 GMT -5
Did anyone like the eight team PL BB league better than the ten team BB (and many other sports) league? Yes. No issue with BU and Loyola Md. as fine schools but I’m not sure that their addition added enough benefit to overcome increasing the number of opponents vying for NCAA bids in a number of sports in a one-bid league.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Apr 10, 2024 8:32:38 GMT -5
Did anyone like the eight team PL BB league better than the ten team BB (and many other sports) league? Yes. No issue with BU and Loyola Md. as fine schools but I’m not sure that their addition added enough benefit to overcome increasing the number of opponents vying for NCAA bids in a number of sports in a one-bid league. OOC scheduling is increasingly difficult with 8 schools. Reason being: more conference games in the Big conferences due to the multiple rounds of expansion that have taken place since the mid-2000s. I don't mind BU in Loyola. Both added zilch for men's hoops but they are both very strong in minor sports, so they fit the league well IMO.
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Post by efg72 on Apr 11, 2024 7:17:19 GMT -5
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Post by trimster on May 10, 2024 8:29:41 GMT -5
There is a very recent article in the Richmond Times Dispatch about the Spiders considering a football move out of the CAA. It is by John O’Connor, the reporter who covers the Spiders. Unfortunately, it is behind a paywall.
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Post by matunuck on May 10, 2024 8:35:27 GMT -5
If the University of Richmond chose to separate from Coastal Athletic Association Football, where could the Spiders land? Potentially in the Patriot League or the Southern Conference, just for football in either case.
Both of those leagues have expressed interest in UR over the years. The Spiders would keep other sports in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The question arises as Richmond decision-makers and supporters have grown "unhappy with the competitive direction" of CAA Football, according to one non-UR administrator familiar with exploratory discussions regarding a possible Richmond football shift. Conference spring meetings invariably involve membership conversations.
On Thursday, when asked about Richmond's status, CAA Commissioner Joe D'Antonio said, "What decisions schools might be making for their own interests, those are questions you'd have to ask those schools.
"We're going to continue to make decisions as a conference that are in the best interest of the conference to move the conference forward in creating both a sustainable and a competitive model, just as we've been making decisions over the last eight years since I've been commissioner."
The Spiders' concern with CAA Football affiliation stems from the conference's new look. CAA Football will include 16 teams this season for the first time in conference history with the addition of Bryant, then 15 in 2025 when Delaware departs for the FBS and Conference USA. James Madison departed the FBS for the Sun Belt Conference in 2021.
In addition to Bryant, CAA Football in recent years brought in Campbell, Hampton, Bryant, North Carolina A&T, and Monmouth. The new lineup, which also includes several schools in the Northeast (Albany, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Stony Brook), holds less appeal for UR as the school aims to promote program interest. Nor does the league offer the same competitive level it once did.
John Hardt, UR's vice president and director of athletics, in a December interview with The Times-Dispatch said regarding the relationship between the Spiders and CAA Football, "To say that it's business as usual would not be an accurate statement right now." He added, "These days in college athletics, institutions really must be prepared for, and embrace, change. That's just the reality of (current) intercollegiate athletics at the D-I level."
Regarding CAA Football and the Spiders, Hardt has publicly kept his own counsel since those comments. He indicated in December that UR would be examining the situation in greater detail.
At William & Mary, a CAA member for all sports, Athletic Director Brian Mann in January told The Times-Dispatch that his school remains committed to the CAA and added, "we believe that it's our job to do everything we can to strengthen that conference as much as possible now … and to me there's a great opportunity there for us as a conference to evolve into something new and something different. And I don't think we're quite there yet."
The league began as the Yankee Conference (1947-96) and became Atlantic 10 Football (1997-06) before the CAA assumed operational control in 2007. The Spiders joined in 1986. W&M joined in 1993.
UR and W&M were previously Southern Conference rivals 1936-75. Southern Conference football includes VMI, Furman, Mercer, Chattanooga, Western Carolina, Samford, East Tennessee State, Wofford and The Citadel.
The Patriot League for football includes Lafayette, Holy Cross, Colgate, Georgetown, Fordham, Lehigh and Bucknell. Patriot League members began awarding football scholarships in 2013.
"There are no Patriot League limitations that would prevent any of our programs from awarding the FCS maximum of 63 equivalencies in athletics scholarship support," Ryan Sakamoto, the Patriot League's assistant commissioner for communications, wrote in an email response to an inquiry from The Times-Dispatch.
Richmond women's golf plays as a Patriot League member.
About 20 years ago, UR, W&M and Villanova explored the possibility of affiliation with the football wing of the Patriot League. That didn't happen because the Spiders, Tribe and Wildcats (Big East for other sports) were not unanimous about leaving CAA Football. They felt moving together would be the best approach.
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Post by lou on May 10, 2024 8:54:53 GMT -5
$3B endowment in '22, 3000 undergrads, liberal arts, and best of all the "spiders"
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Post by trimster on May 10, 2024 8:59:11 GMT -5
If Richmond does make a football move, my guess is several other CAA members go with them.
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Post by purplehaze on May 10, 2024 9:03:39 GMT -5
I think the big stumbling block for Richmond to get closer to embracing the PL would be the whole redshirt policy. The CAA has a flexible one and the PL has a restrictive one. I hope there can be a compromise that helps the Spiders make the move
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Post by midwestsader05 on May 10, 2024 9:10:47 GMT -5
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Post by midwestsader05 on May 10, 2024 9:12:53 GMT -5
Heard from a reliable source this week that the PL and Villanova are dating for football. Would be the most likely addition.
Richmond and W&M not as likely right now but also open to discussions.
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Post by chicago77 on May 10, 2024 9:24:03 GMT -5
Coach Curran was at the Chicago Alumni dinner earlier this week. He predicted that the Patriot League will be expanding (perhaps adding 2 schools) in the next few years. This was presented as an opinion and not fact, but presumably a well-educated opinion. He also mentioned that UNC will be on the schedule in the future, no specific year stated. I haven't seen that mentioned on this board before.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on May 10, 2024 9:47:07 GMT -5
Heard from a reliable source this week that the PL and Villanova are dating for football. Would be the most likely addition. Richmond and W&M not as likely right now but also open to discussions. Richmond currently being connected to possible interest in SoCon for football only. It's my understanding that W&M remains committed to the CAA in all sports. I think they like being the "flagship" school in the league and are at this point pretty centrally located geographically.
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Post by nhteamer on May 10, 2024 10:22:23 GMT -5
As most of you know W&M was an original member with us in the Colonial League, now known as the Patriot League.
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Post by hchoops on May 10, 2024 10:38:39 GMT -5
Heard from a reliable source this week that the PL and Villanova are dating for football. Would be the most likely addition. Richmond and W&M not as likely right now but also open to discussions. I presume that this move would be for football only. I cannot see Nova leaving the Big East, especially for hoops.
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Post by midwestsader05 on May 10, 2024 10:49:44 GMT -5
Heard from a reliable source this week that the PL and Villanova are dating for football. Would be the most likely addition. Richmond and W&M not as likely right now but also open to discussions. I presume that this move would be for football only. I cannot see Nova leaving the Big East, especially for hoops. of course.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on May 10, 2024 11:01:28 GMT -5
Heard from a reliable source this week that the PL and Villanova are dating for football. Would be the most likely addition. Richmond and W&M not as likely right now but also open to discussions. I presume that this move would be for football only. I cannot see Nova leaving the Big East, especially for hoops. I actually heard Kyle Neptune wants to return to his PL roots and bring Nova into the league in hoops as well.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on May 10, 2024 11:03:29 GMT -5
I presume that this move would be for football only. I cannot see Nova leaving the Big East, especially for hoops. I actually heard Kyle Neptune wants to return to his PL roots and bring Nova into the league in hoops as well. Might be a better level for him.
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Post by hcpride on May 10, 2024 11:38:27 GMT -5
I think the big stumbling block for Richmond to get closer to embracing the PL would be the whole redshirt policy. The CAA has a flexible one and the PL has a restrictive one. I hope there can be a compromise that helps the Spiders make the move Would be an issue for Villanova football too (especially if they retain national FCS aspirations). Or PL might ditch their current self-defeating restrictions and adopt some flexibility in this regard.
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Post by purplehaze on May 10, 2024 11:43:49 GMT -5
Someone is taking this thread for a ride - please do not lend any credence to Nova leaving the BE - just silly talk
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hc69
Crusader Century Club
Posts: 221
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Post by hc69 on May 10, 2024 11:57:36 GMT -5
I presume that this move would be for football only. I cannot see Nova leaving the Big East, especially for hoops. I actually heard Kyle Neptune wants to return to his PL roots and bring Nova into the league in hoops as well. It would still probably be a one-bid league and 'Nova would get that bid. To put it in perspective, 'Nova has as many players currently in the NBA as the whole PL has had in its entire history (11). They're not leaving the BE.
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