The Bishin Cutter wrote:
I think this is an open call for Richmond, Villanova, and William & Mary to reconsider. I suspect Richmond and Villanova will follow each other. I think Richmond will be easier to court because they've already got a program in Patriot, but Villanova's the one with a program that might get the administrative runaround to downsize after the current coach leaves, pulling a Boston, where you can make cuts to your program while getting an academic rub for it.
If and when JMU bails on the CAA I think the Patriot makes a move on those schools. William & Mary as a full member and Villanova and Richmond as affiliates gives Patriot football a huge boost and the infusion of those programs along with a strong Fordham program puts them among the FCS elite.
I think all of those schools would enjoy the benefits of being associated with the academically lauded Patriot membership. They also save some money in travel with fewer trips to New England--probably just one every other year to play Holy Cross. Villanova would enjoy beating up on Georgetown in football and I imagine Georgetown would have some allure for the Virginia schools as well.
The question is, if Wm & Mary joins as the 11th full member who gets to be #12?