Or does anyone think the UMass -> MAC (FB only) move might be aborted ?

My undestanding is that the MAC signed a 2-year deal with UMass, and has the prerogative to kick them out, now that #13 Temple is gone.

I'm sure the MAC isn't crazy about 13 teams, which causes scheduling issues.
I remember reading that the NCAA ignored some "scheduling violation" (the teams did not play a full round-robin within their division).
With Delaware, JMU, W&M staying in the FCS (CAA FB), and with ODU finding a new home in FBS (CUSA), what candidates are there for a 14th team ?

I see Army. Or they could invite Idaho and / or NMSU (ugly!) That's about it !

Not sure UMass will experience a very high attendance vs. all these Ohio schools.
I think they plan to play one game vs. UConn at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Will the kids travel to watch that ?

Their best hope would be a FB only membership in the Big East. Then they could have rivals UConn, Temple, Rutgers, Navy....

Now that the CAA FB league is at 11 and needs one more northern member, do they invite a CCSU, or first ask UMass if would reconsider their move ?

If the CAA can get App St., CoC and Davidson bump Nova to the north and you also have a good setup too.

UMass is actually playing all games at Gillette (if I understand correctly). Also, on local sports radio the Krafts have said that UMass has sold nearly 30k tickets (again, if I understand correctly that is season tickets).

FCS MB thread discussing yesterday's announcement that URI was staying in the CAA for FB at http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthr ... ing-in-CAA

Things have worked out nicely for the CAA. The fear was that with a pure southern expansion with just schools like Elon and Furman that have football, that it would push UNH and Maine into seeing alternatives, such as the NEC. Instead, you now have UNH, Maine, URI, Albany and Stony Brook together in the north, Nova in the middle with a quick trip to Delaware and Towson, and then JMU, Richmond and W&M in the south.

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things have worked out nicely for CAA football. Really need the SoCon schools to bite

Although, I meant for football. In adding Albany and SBU, they kept UNH and Maine happy, and locked up the region as CAA football, despite having only 2 New England schools. URI back in makes 3.

On the all-sports side, I think the CAA is a mess. The football decisions (adding Northeastern in order to secure football sponsorship) was a misstep, when they had a much better overall program and school in BU to chose from in the same city. Fast forward, and 2 of the top 2 CAA programs , ODU and VCU are gone. Sure, JMU and UD are solid all around and very respectable. But the CAA is an FCS football conference, so basketball is the primary sport. Losing VCU and ODU is a huge blow. Is adding 2012 Charleston (versus 1995 CofC) and Davidson going to help? A bit, yes. But the CAA had the strength of a focused core in VA (5 schools)...that is no-more. Now, the hope is that a mid-major conference stretching from Boston to South Carolina can produce at-large bids, which haven't been plentiful for the CAA. Acchawk, you just need to cross your fingers that Elon and Furman don't get invites and the CAA realizes they have a very, very good football conference right now and that they don't NEED to add Elon and/or Furman for all-sports to get to 6 members for full sponsorship.

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If the CAA can get App St, CoC, and Davidson they will be ok. 12 for football, 12 for basketball. It's definiately not as regional as the old CAA but it from my UNCW perspective it would be suitable.

we will just have to see

Yeah, would be solid. Only issue with App St. is that they'd be coming in with all the members expecting them to leave for an fBS conference...like a rental school to fill a spot and give CAA football an edge until they leave. Still a positive though!

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I still look at W&M as a jumper, with the scholarship issue settled in the Patriot as a sign that the PL is open for business to prestigious schools who implement them. That opens the door for the likes of Villanova and Richmond, as well.

To me, the loss of ODU and VCU hurt the CAA from an operational standpoint more than an athletic one. These were two of the schools in the geographic heart of the conference. Putting a north-south rift with an all-sports chasm in north-central VA. That this conference now has to move its basketball tournament out of VA in favor of a smaller Philly arena (and one that's so close to public transit that it begs to ask if the CAA is just pleading with the northern schools to tell its fans to travel), which is and will always be A-10 and Big East territory, it's...not very good.

The CAA is at such an unusual crossroads. The 2005 expansion was designed to bring big television markets and secure the status of the league as an elite FCS league. That plan has failed miserably because the league did not have the foresight to predict the cancellation of the Hofstra and Northeastern football programs or the defections of the upwardly mobile ODU, VCU, and GSU programs. The CAA is now left with 9 schools with radically different agendas and a geographic footprint spanning from Boston to Wilmington:

Northeastern and Hofstra--these schools were the ones who jeopardized the football league. They are an odd geographic fit and their primary, if not only, concern is basketball. They want to expand in the north. It's too bad the CAA can't ask them to go back to America East.

Drexel--Drexel is a Philadelphia basketball school that longs for the Big 5 to be the Big 6. They'd probably prefer a northern school but ultimately they want the best basketball school willing to join irregardless of their location because Drexel needs the CAA to be a league that can gain At-Large bids to the NCAA Men's BB Tourney.

Delaware and James Madison--Both of these schools would love to find a league willing to let them play FBS football as an affiliate. They need CAA football at the moment but would defect if they had the opportunity. However its doubtful that both will get that chance so at least one of them will be left wedded to the CAA

William and Mary and Towson--These schools were comfortable in the old CAA line up but I think the recent shake up has them both concerned. I have to think that the Patriot League is eyeing them and they are also eyeing the Patriot. As for their view on CAA expansion, they no doubt want to drag the footprint South.

George Mason--Another school that only cares about basketball. I don't think they are too picky about where future members come from so long as they bring a good RPI. George Mason would probably vote NO on any expansion candidate with a football program.

UNC Wilmington--This school's agenda is clear--we want Southern schools who play good basketball; they'll veto any expansion school North of the Mason Dixon

This inability to reach a consensus is surely what has caused expansion to stall. All of the potential candidates have to be wondering if they really want to join a conference with such a large footprint and such a lack of unity. The conference almost needs to lose a few schools in order to move forward and figure out what its identity will be beyond 2013.

I think the CAA's idea is pretty solid post VCU and ODU but if they can't get the SoCon Schools to bite they are in trouble. Ga St was a marriage of convience, plan B after Charleston rejected the CAA last go round so there loss is not as damaging. Losing VCU and ODU does sting a lot and could really divide the conference. However it does not look like that will be the case. We lost 3 southern schools so replacing them with 3 southern schools is fair. The football side has their northern flank strengthened once again which is a great benefit to those schools.

It sounds like Charleston is sold from what they are reporting. Davidson sounded super hesitant but would likely go with Charleston. App is the holdup b/c they have to decide where the want to be until the FBS door finally opens for them. They would be fine in either so the CAA has a tougher sell job on them. Again, I think it will work out. The UNCW chancellor (the head of CAA president committee) stated it would take some time. No panic from me yet because I think their plan is solid and that it will benefit all parties involved once they can seal the deal

I'm not sure if CAA expansion requires unanimous vote approval, Im pretty sure it's a 3/4 rule. So UNCW can't veto anything that being the case.

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This was an idea on another board.

Have the CAA take Hartford from AE (the last AE private) to be the northern flank with other privates Hofstra and Northeastern and then have CCSU join AE for all sports and CAA for football allowing it to join other public schools in the region.

This will let the CAA go to North/South Divisions, will allow 12 for football with North/South Divisions (not splitting Delaware and Nova), and assuming CoC and Davidson join maintain a healthy balance of public/privates, 6 Public, 5 Private, and 1 William and Mary

I guess I never saw Richmond and Norfolk as being all that "south" considering you had Wilmington and Atlanta, and those are so much further of a stroll from Norfolk than, say, Richmond (VCU) was from the Beltway and Philly (covering Drexel, Delaware, GM, and Towson), with ODU, W&M, and JMU right nearby. It, in essence, made the "outliers" Hofstra, and Northeastern in the north, and UNCW and GSU in the south. Virginia was the heart.

I hate the so say it, but if they couldn't give Albany and Stony Brook the all-sports invite, the conference deserves death. When your football conference only has four full members (with two studying the idea of bolting to FBS-land and another the likely target of the fallback Ivies) and seven associates...how does that not raise red flags?