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Post by elonlax01 on Jan 17, 2022 19:52:20 GMT -5
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Post by elonfirefighter on Jan 18, 2022 19:32:51 GMT -5
I have heard it discussed haven't seen more then a possibility
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Post by euphoenix99 on Jan 18, 2022 21:31:48 GMT -5
From what I've seen on the various boards, Hampton, Monmouth and Stony Brook look to be a done deal. I've even seen mention of Hampton and Monmouth joining this summer. I'm assuming Stony Brook would as well if possible. If true, I don't think it's the ideal add for us, but I also don't think it's terrible. Nothing has been formally announced.
Go Phoenix!
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Post by elonlax01 on Jan 19, 2022 12:44:00 GMT -5
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Post by euphoenix99 on Jan 25, 2022 10:07:39 GMT -5
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Post by elon_phan on Jan 25, 2022 13:25:32 GMT -5
What is the likelihood that another southern addition will be made? Are there any candidates being considered?
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Post by euphoenix99 on Jan 25, 2022 15:47:19 GMT -5
I don't have any real insight other than what I've read and what I'd like to see happen. The commissioner was asked similar questions today about future membership and he basically answered without really saying anything.
With CAA football being at 13, I'm assuming they'd need to add one more if they don't lose one. The problem is the southern options seem really limited.
Howard has been mentioned the most, but I don't think they need the CAA and know they probably have a ton of options. Honestly, other than academic prestige and location, they don't really offer much on the athletics front.
VMI, Furman or Wofford would prob be the best options, but I doubt any of them would be interested. So it really leaves Campbell and A&T as the next best options in the south and may be a harder sell for the northern schools.
One other option would be luring away an affiliate football member (i.e. Fordham, Duquesne, etc.) and then adding non-football schools or staying put. Not even sure that's being explored since the 3 new members also play football.
Of the non-football schools, UNCG is the obvious choice in the south, but there is some question whether they are interested. If UNCW and CofC aren't happy I doubt UNCG jumps. However, I think UNCG would potentially appease those 2 schools. Fairfield was also mentioned in the north, but doesn't address the southern needs.
Go Phoenix!
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Post by elon_phan on Jan 26, 2022 11:03:00 GMT -5
Thanks for the thorough response. I always value your well-informed comments.
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Post by epx on Jan 26, 2022 15:18:02 GMT -5
I don't have any real insight other than what I've read and what I'd like to see happen. The commissioner was asked similar questions today about future membership and he basically answered without really saying anything. With CAA football being at 13, I'm assuming they'd need to add one more if they don't lose one. The problem is the southern options seem really limited. Howard has been mentioned the most, but I don't think they need the CAA and know they probably have a ton of options. Honestly, other than academic prestige and location, they don't really offer much on the athletics front. VMI, Furman or Wofford would prob be the best options, but I doubt any of them would be interested. So it really leaves Campbell and A&T as the next best options in the south and may be a harder sell for the northern schools. One other option would be luring away an affiliate football member (i.e. Fordham, Duquesne, etc.) and then adding non-football schools or staying put. Not even sure that's being explored since the 3 new members also play football. Of the non-football schools, UNCG is the obvious choice in the south, but there is some question whether they are interested. If UNCW and CofC aren't happy I doubt UNCG jumps. However, I think UNCG would potentially appease those 2 schools. Fairfield was also mentioned in the north, but doesn't address the southern needs. Go Phoenix! Of all the schools mentioned, the one that looks most doable is Campbell. Campbell similar to Liberty, Christian school with a TON of money, only smaller. They stack scholarships, unlike Elon, so if you're a decent student and a decent athlete, it's highly likely that you'll get a full scholarship, or close to it, with athletic & academic money. They have a medical school, (osteopathy is the same as medicine). They also have doctorate programs in Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, Divinity and Law. They have masters programs in too many disciplines to mention here. They have excellent sports facilities and support 21 varsity sports, (more than Elon). They will compete well in every sport except football, but it won't take long for them to catch up. Academically, they are reasonably selective; less than Elon & W&M, more than UNCW & Towson. The big question is: if they are going to move from the Big South, why would they want to come to the CAA over the SoCon? The SoCon supports 22 sports - all of Campbell's. The CAA only supports 17 sports. I'd say in the money sports, the CAA is a little bit better overall. Geography is a wash. CU would be on the Northeast edge of the SoCon and near the center of a CAA Southern division. Furman won't move without Wofford & vice versa, plus now they are each in the middle of their conference geographically. They would be at the extreme southern end of the CAA. Furman is already having difficulty supporting their varsity sports offerings, (they just dumped baseball), so I highly doubt they would be in favor of any move that costs more money. UNCG's marquis sport is basketball, (no football). The CAA would be a step up in the quality of basketball but a step down in baseball. Geography, like Campbell, I think is a wash if the CAA is split into north and south divisions. So, I'm not sure the CAA has anything great to offer UNCG. UNCG does have a number of graduate programs, but undergraduate academics would be on the bottom of the selectivity scale for the CAA. If they are going to move, I'd think they'd look more to a conference like the A10. I actually think VMI could be a viable addition to the CAA. Their football would probably be a perennial cellar dweller in the CAA, but they'd probably do ok in other sports. Geographically, they fit perfectly. They moved from the SoCon to the Big South then back to the SoCon, so they may not be up for another move. All this is purely speculation. I have absolutely no inside information.
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Post by mtdewslushie on Jan 27, 2022 9:38:54 GMT -5
Biggest question for me - what is the CAA doing for Elon at this point? Or schools like W&M and Charleston? It's northeast based and a mess of basketball vs football schools. If SoCon got aggressive (a few CAA adds, a few Big South adds), I think it could put together a more competitive conference for football, basketball, and baseball, and it would certainly make more geographic sense.
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Post by epx on Jan 27, 2022 18:39:11 GMT -5
As one who originally supported the move to the CAA, I now feel that if the SoCon could poach Elon, W&M & UR from the CAA & Kennesaw St. and maybe Campbell from the Big South, They would have a Southern SuperConference that could easily compete with the Big Sky and MVC and leave the CAA in the dust!
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Post by mtdewslushie on Jan 27, 2022 21:30:53 GMT -5
As one who originally supported the move to the CAA, I now feel that if the SoCon could poach Elon, W&M & UR from the CAA & Kennesaw St. and maybe Campbell from the Big South, They would have a Southern SuperConference that could easily compete with the Big Sky and MVC and leave the CAA in the dust! Yes, agreed, that’s what I was driving at. I too initially supported the CAA move but I don’t think it makes sense anymore.
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Post by euphoenix99 on Jan 27, 2022 23:30:10 GMT -5
I think a SoCon with W&M, Richmond (football) and Elon would be appealing, but I've gotten to the point that without them in the SoCon with us, I'd prefer the CAA. Honestly, not a lot has changed since we joined the conference. Everyone knew JMU had one foot out the door. Having UNCW and CofC in the league helps too. If they left, I might feel different.
The SoCon is clearly the better hoops conference right now, but who knows where things will be in 5 years. CAA football is still better and we probably would not have received our 2 at-large bids in football with the same W/L record in the SoCon.
I do miss sharing a conference with Furman, Wofford and UNCG, but we've still been playing them OOC. I don't feel like Elon ever really had much in common with the Tennessee schools or Samford. Western and Citadel were always a lot of bravado while being terrible in just about everything.
I agree with Campbell being a good fit. I'd like to see them in the CAA and they make perfect sense geography wise. My comment above was more about the northern schools potentially looking down their nose at Campbell. They bring a lot to the table imo.
Go Phoenix!
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bjiyf
New Member
Posts: 130
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Post by bjiyf on Jan 28, 2022 16:09:09 GMT -5
Yes, everyone knew JMU was on their way out, but regardless, their leaving will drop the conference RPI and the CAA will be a 1 or 2 bid league annually. Monmouth is an up & comer and probably a decent add, but Howard adds nothing. New Hampshire is a shadow of its former self and Villanova has off years here and there. Without JMU the CAA is very similar to the SoCon. If the southern CAA schools would break off & join the SoCon, The FCS would have another power conference, without that, there are the MVC & the Big Sky and that’s pretty much it.
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Post by elonlax01 on Feb 18, 2022 9:55:55 GMT -5
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