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DoctorJ · Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:45 pm Post subject:

We'll have one heck of a conference with those new teams.

Hard to call this group a mid-major conference anymore- we were a major conference in my opinion last year.

Not sure why Charlotte is supposed to want out?? Assuming it is a football issue?

I know this idea won't excite too many people, but I think an argument could be made for adding Georgia, State. First, it would expand the league footprint. Second, it adds the Atalanta media market. Fourth, doing so would extract the three largest state universities in the CAA; All three schools have over 30,000 students.

Now I hear the CAA is rumored to be considering adding BU, I guess so that teams could make one trip to Boston and play both teams. I don't think that is going to help them very much- it might be good for BU and Northeastern but the CAA conference won't get much marginal benefit as far as I can tell. BU isn't a bad patch but it was mediocre in an atrocious America East last year.
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Blutrane93 · Senior Joined: 14 Apr 2010 Posts: 1261

North-

UMass, URI, St. Bonaventure, Fordham

Central-

Duquesne, LaSalle, George Washington, St. Joe's

West-

Dayton, Xavier, Butler, St. Louis

South-

VCU, Richmond, George Mason, Charlotte/Georgia St.

I think this 4 division pod system makes sense on several levels- and this conference would likely be better than 1 or 2 of the BCS power 6 in any given year. Would love to see it happen. Like the Georgia St. idea.

lane one · Junior Joined: 17 Aug 2003 Posts: 674

ONE FREAKING "N"

just like ucon.

Refuse2Lose83 · Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:18 pm Post subject:

Why 4 divisions? No other conference has more than 2 that I know of. I think east and west would be okay I guess, but wouldn't mind seeing just one division like the big east or acc. Don't really like how the sec looks and never was a big fan when the a10 was split into 2.

With the East being: UMass, URI, St. Bonnie, Fordham, GW, La Salle, St. Joe's, and Duquense

West: St. Louis, Xavier, Dayton, GMU, VCU, Richmond, Butler and Charlotte (or Charlotte's replacement)

Definitely would have to think the west would be the stronger division most years, and would be kind of bummed to have teams like Butler, VCU, GMU, Xavier, and St. Louis over there. Would most years help our sos by playing them more often I would assume and those are the "west" teams I'd really want to see. That's why I would love a one division 18 game schedule. Play everyone once and have home/away's 4 schools.

I assume the 3 new schools will be part of our conference this upcoming season if I'm reading this correct? Would that possibly cut into our number of nonconference games because of possible more conference games (ie BC)? I know a lot of us were concerned with our strength of schedule outside the conference, but adding VCU, Butler, GMU and the PR tourny has made our schedule legit! Just need to win the games now!

So excited for the season for so many reasons!
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DoctorJ · Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 12:05 am Post subject:

It seems strange they would be adding these teams next year, even before Temple is out.

The CAA has to go through SERIOUS damage control. Having also gone to Northeastern, I feel bad their league is taking a down turn. If they do add BU it should be a good in-state rival for them, but overall the CAA is melting down. They are destined to be a one-bid conference perpetually.

It is fascinating to see how this conference realignment is playing out. It appears that the A10, a non-football conference, has put together a plan to come out of this thing stronger.

It seems like the CAA is in danger of having no chair when the music stops. Having added the likes of NC Wilmington and Towson, they appear to be unable to attract better teams. I think I read Charleston and Davidson are also possible additions. That appears to be a best-case scenario.

Imagine the fun A-10 games on any given Saturday:

Butler vs. UMass
VCU vs. Richmond
Dayton vs. Xavier
St. Louis vs. St. Joseph's
George Mason vs. George Washington

Losing Temple kind of sucks but I think we'll have more good teams and two large schools (one with a natural across-town rival) and the conference gains the Indianapolis.

Bluetrane - glad you like my Georgia State concept.

I like the four-division thing, it is a good structure IMHO. Maybe give A10 tny first-round byes to division champions. Of course someone will get mad every year about that. IDK.

We'd be fit into a weaker pod. The Bonnies and Fordham with URI.
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Blutrane93 · Senior Joined: 14 Apr 2010 Posts: 1261

xlgman · Hall of Fame Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Posts: 2752

I prefer one 16 team conference, not split up into divisions.

Play your designated "rivalry opponent" twice (URI). Play everyone else once. That gives you 16 games.

If you need to go to 18 games because you're gonna have trouble filling out your non-con, then play two more teams H-H also. But do not make the other teams into a pod where you play the same teams every year. Rotate those other opponents. The fixed pod system will create even more unbalanced schedules than ever and will screw over some programs more than others.

Butler isn't joining the A10 to cut down on travel. Neither is George Mason or VCU. Don't change the system and try to package it into a geographic fit just because it almost fits nicely.

If you do want to cut down on travel, schedule games so teams can do true road trips, playing back-to-back games in Philly or Richmond or Ohio or New England, etc. Maybe you do more Thursday and Sunday games to make that happen.

It's not like we're natural rivals with the Bonnies or Fordham or anyone else for that matter. Maybe St. Joe's or GW are the next closest things after URI but they aren't going to fit the geographic mold so neatly. The same could be said for most of the teams. We're a hodge podge conference that has evolved over time. Most traditional rivalries are long gone at this point and occur at a smaller level in the non-con portion of the schedule anyway.
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inthescoop · Junior Joined: 25 Sep 2011 Posts: 316

ktabz16 · Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:54 pm Post subject:

seriously, its a college, not a color.

DEM · Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:01 pm Post subject:

These 3 programs would be excellent additions to the A-10. I especially like the idea of adding VCU; aside from having a very good basketball program, VCU strikes me as being institutionally very similar to Temple, being a large urban public university of about the same caliber and size. Some of the same can be said of George Mason as well.

The pod idea is intriguing and may be better for travel, but I think I agree with XLGMan for the purposes of UMass's schedule. I would much rather see UMass paired up with URI and play everybody else once. For the so-called rivalries, you could have:

UMass vs URI

Dayton vs Xavier

St. Louis vs. Butler

VCU vs Richmond (or VCU vs George Mason)

George Washington vs George Mason (or George Washington vs Richmond)

St. Bonaventure vs Duquesne

Lasalle vs St. Joe's

InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:43 pm Post subject:

DoctorJ · Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:37 pm Post subject:

First I have seen on the subject in a while:

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120429/SPORTS0605/204290342/Do-dollars-make-sense-Butler-join-Atlantic-10-?odyssey=nav%7Chead
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Merlin Samuels · Freshman Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 55

I thought Georgia State is moving to the Sun Belt.

DoctorJ · Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 12:42 am Post subject:

I think this part might be new information: