Way OT: CAA Football

[Sean Miller Fan]

Stupid FCS post, I know, but this never made much sense to me. FCS conferences get auto bids with just 6 teams. Why does CAA football need any more than that? Why not kick out some members to help the real CAA teams and break into 2 separate leagues:

CAA
Stony Brook
Monmouth
Towson
William & Mary
Hampton
Elon
Campbell
North Carolina A&T

America East (new league)
Maine
New Hampshire
Bryant
Albany
Rhode Island (A10)
Villanova (Big East)
Richmond (A10)

I know Villanova/Delaware was a pretty big FCS rivalry but now that Delaware is moving to CUSA, it seems like it would be easier to split these groups of teams into 2 leagues with 2 auto bids. I dont know why these guys think 1 15 team league is a good idea.

 

[Upg bobcat]

I believe CAA has always been a multibid league, and that it doesn't even declare a conference champion (in other words, I'm not sure the conference even selects someone to be its autobid). For example, this year they had 4 teams make the playoffs. So two autobids wouldn't have really mattered.

With Delaware now leaving, on top of past departures like JMU and UMass, the conference might be losing some of its luster and it might not be getting 4 teams in a year. But they'd probably still get 2 or 3 without needing the autobids.

Personally, I'd say 7 or 8 teams ideal (so you play 6 or 7 conference games, one against each opponent so you can declare a true conference champ).

 

[Pitt79]

If I was a fan of JMU, Delaware and especially UMass, who's getting demolished in FBS, I'd be pissed about going to FBS and not playing for National Championships in FCS, but instead playing to get invited to a minor bowl game vs. a 6-6 AAC team.

 

[Upg bobcat]

If I was a fan of JMU, Delaware and especially UMass, who's getting demolished in FBS, I'd be pissed about going to FBS and not playing for National Championships in FCS, but instead playing to get invited to a minor bowl game vs. a 6-6 AAC team.

I completely agree. NDSU's program is still excellent, although it is a step behind where it was, so maybe some of their fans wish they would have made the move at the peak -- but I think they were smart to remain at FCS.

Of course, I've heard some rumblings about the lower level of FBS (group of five) getting its own FCS-like tourney, so maybe that is where the JMUs and Delawares of the world are thinking they will end up.

 

[Mikefln]

If I was a fan of JMU, Delaware and especially UMass, who's getting demolished in FBS, I'd be pissed about going to FBS and not playing for National Championships in FCS, but instead playing to get invited to a minor bowl game vs. a 6-6 AAC team.

Agree. The problem is no one cares about the fans, it's about money. Somehow there is more money being an "also ran" in the CUSA than it is being the top dog in FCS. Look at the attendance at some of those C-USA/MAC schools. They look like Pitt games, but Pitt is in a 70K NFL stadium, so there is still 45K there. These schools are in 25-35K stadiums, so they only have 10-15K in attendance. I know TV revenue is where the money is but those G5 conferences do not have good contracts. I would love to see the finances between the G5 schools and FCS schools. Especially Old Dominion, Appalachian St, Coastal Carolina, and the others that recently made the jump. I can't see them raking in big money compared to being the top dog in FCS.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Stony Brook really should be in the FBS right now; they had aspirations for it and a stadium expansion was ready to go before the State of New York blocked it. If they moved up, you could create a half-decent G6 conference in the northeast:

Army
Buffalo
Delaware
Navy
Stony Brook
Temple
UConn
UMass