Author Topic: Conference Realignment Rumors  (Read 12861 times)

Chairman of the Board

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #45 on: October 08, 2018, 11:07:07 am »
on the LIU post/brooklyn merger: https://www.basketballforum.com/america-east-conference/442130-conference-expansion-explosion-coming-260.html

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LIU is positioning to be an AE school
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Seawolf97

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #46 on: October 08, 2018, 11:30:27 am »
Interesting article  but please not the MAC .  My vote and geography tells me the AAC if they call  -UConn. Temple etc .

VA_Seawolf

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #47 on: October 08, 2018, 04:16:47 pm »
I'm glad the poster mentioned LIU as a potential backfill addition for the AE, but there's no reason for the AE to expand right now. We turned down NJIT, and I don't think we really needed Lowell either.

The idea LIU, with their D2 call up program would replace us in the CAA is laughable. Monmouth, Hampton, CCSU, Kennesaw State, Youngstown State and others would be a higher priority for the CAA than LIU. The CAA would want to maintain it's spot as a top FCS football conference and LIU doesn't do that. I think the league collapsing if us, JMU, and Delaware all leave is just as likely though. Richmond, Nova, and W&M go to the Patriot, and the rest either backfill with weak teams, or join other conferences.

Interesting article  but please not the MAC .  My vote and geography tells me the AAC if they call  -UConn. Temple etc .

The AAC isn't happening right out of FCS. They're focused on being treated like a power conference and power conferences don't add FCS teams. That same reason is why JMU will never get the call from them. If the AAC is the goal, we're probably best served playing in the MAC, doing well there, and then being attractive to the AAC when they need to backfill membership.

The most likely realignment move for us in the immediate future would be an all-sports move to the CAA. All it would take is the other schools to tell Hofstra (and probably Northeastern too) to pound sand and vote us in. Albany likely comes along with us. That version of the CAA probably still isn't a multi-bid conference, but it's an attractive league for us. JMU is definitely going FBS soon, so the CAA will want to add teams on the Olympic sports side. There would be no football involved in that, so really it's something that could happen at any time. If a month from now there was a headline saying SBU and Albany accepted all-sports invites to the CAA, I wouldn't be all that shocked. Hofstra is not Texas, they can't single handedly hold a conference hostage like that.

 
« Last Edit: October 08, 2018, 04:19:35 pm by VA_Seawolf »

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Seawolf97

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #49 on: October 10, 2018, 06:47:30 pm »
Interesting article.  Vermont fans are very content staying in the America East  anything more  would not work for them .  I understand where the Albany fans are coming from  they  want the same route to FBS and better conference affiliation  as we do.    Given our advancements in facilities and seeing the teams win I could us moving up  in under 5 years along with Albany and JMU .  Not sure where we will land  but it  could be exciting .  Vermont will never budge from the AE unless the conference folds. 

VA_Seawolf

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #50 on: October 10, 2018, 09:48:01 pm »
some really interesting thoughts from newobserver: https://www.basketballforum.com/america-east-conference/442130-conference-expansion-explosion-coming-261.html

Very interesting thread. I get a good chuckle out of that Maine fan who thinks any AE program that isn't content with playing in a middle school gym in front of 100 people is being uppity and expecting too much  ;D ;D.

The move is going to happen. Our academic and institutional profile is more in line with a Big Ten or Pac-12 school than it is with the AE. It's only a matter of time. Our academics, facilities, relevance in NYC and NYS, strong athletic programs, etc. are all things we can bring to a conference. In response to the people in that thread bashing us lol.

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #51 on: October 16, 2018, 10:10:54 am »
a few more astute thoughts: https://www.basketballforum.com/america-east-conference/442130-conference-expansion-explosion-coming-263.html

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I didn't say the CAA wasn't a good conference for FCS football, it is. But it will not draw fans on Long Island or in Albany. It just won't when you are so close to the Giants and Jets. It won't. Fans in those 2 areas just won't turn out for anything less than the top level. It is what it is.

Sports snobs all around. Actually it's not just sports, it's everything. Get a mid level band and you can get tickets at show time. Get a major band and it sells out in 20 minutes. It's not like other areas that have nothing else going on.

UA and even Siena struggle for attendance. A NBA preseason game sells out the TUC quickly. UA football averages what 4k fans? The Giants preseason camp got more than that every day of the week.

Long Island is worse. Bring top level or no one cares.


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Syracuse may have lower attendance than other schools, but they can get 30k per game in market that is smaller than both Albany and Long Island.

UMBC last year and UVM in 2005 both got more exposure in their tournament wins than JMU got for winning an FCS national title. That pretty much says it all.
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VA_Seawolf

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #52 on: October 16, 2018, 11:56:50 am »
Absolutely. Excellent points that have been observed by looking at other programs in large markets. When you've got 2 NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and several other college and university teams around you, you need to play at the highest level possible to stand out. I'm not sure if FBS alone would do that (P5 in the ACC or Big Ten would), but it's better than being barely above D2 in people's thoughts and minds. This comment spelled it out perfectly I think.

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You can spend $100 for a 30 second commercial on a radio station no one listens to and get no value for your dollar, $1000 on a popular local radio station and get a little value, or $10,000 and get a national TV ad and reach the whole country.

FBS is the answer and it's coming. Question is when and with what schools. An eastern FBS league with schools like Temple, Umass, JMU, ODU, Army, etc. would be a no brainer. The MAC slightly less so perhaps, but could be a means to an end, or maybe the end itself if they really commit to having an eastern block of teams.

It's going to happen, but until we know how the Big 12 is going to shake out, it's all simply speculation. If nothing happens in the Big 12, we may not get the opening we want. There's rumors CUSA could split in half east/west, but that may not do all that much for us either. Time will tell. Regardless of what happens with football though, there's nothing stopping SBU from immediately making a move to improve basketball should a suitable invite come along. I've mentioned the CAA and A10 before as possible landing spots regardless of football.

Interesting article on what the big upset over UVA did for UMBC.

https://sports.yahoo.com/publicity-umbcs-upset-generated-worth-staggering-amount-money-054324907.html
« Last Edit: October 16, 2018, 11:59:48 am by VA_Seawolf »

Hammertime

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #53 on: October 16, 2018, 02:39:30 pm »
SH son plays JV football with my younger boy at WM, and i asked him this question yesterday at the game. I asked Shawn. When does he see SB moving up to the FBS. His answer, "Let's win our conference first before we talk about the FBS" That's a big change from the first couple of years as AD for SB, but it's the right answer. How can we talk about moving up to the FBS when SB is only a middle of the road CAA team and we cant beat the upper CAA teams. Towson destroyed SB and JMU most likely will too. Beat JMU and keep games close against the likes of NDSU, SDSU. JSU, SHU etc.. and then maybe, just maybe we can talk FBS aspirations down the road.

sbufan

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #54 on: October 16, 2018, 03:34:43 pm »
Interesting thread. Is NewObserver a poster on here? I thought they made some great points that, predictably, ruffled some jealous, new englander feathers.

I'm so bullish on Stony Brook right now. I just think there is so much momentum behind the university between the recent US News ranking, the 630 million dollars they raised during the campaign for Stony Brook, and the fact that the teams are winning. The next couple years are going to be exciting.

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #55 on: October 16, 2018, 03:37:20 pm »
bingo, agreed.

yeah even the vermonters and some danes agree that SB has the potential and the draw to move on up (it's just a question of when). a good sign.
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VA_Seawolf

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #56 on: October 16, 2018, 04:08:33 pm »
SH son plays JV football with my younger boy at WM, and i asked him this question yesterday at the game. I asked Shawn. When does he see SB moving up to the FBS. His answer, "Let's win our conference first before we talk about the FBS" That's a big change from the first couple of years as AD for SB, but it's the right answer. How can we talk about moving up to the FBS when SB is only a middle of the road CAA team and we cant beat the upper CAA teams. Towson destroyed SB and JMU most likely will too. Beat JMU and keep games close against the likes of NDSU, SDSU. JSU, SHU etc.. and then maybe, just maybe we can talk FBS aspirations down the road.

I really appreciate how accessible SH is to the community, and to the donors, I really do, but I suspect that answer is much more of a deflection than it is the truth. Realignment moves often come out of nowhere with little warning as there's lots on the line if speculation and rumor leaks to the public. If there actually is something in the works, only a few people in the athletic department along with President Stanley would be privy to it. That's the kind of information you can't afford to let out of the hat prematurely as there's literally millions of dollars on the line.

I understand your train of thought Hammertime, but it is completely irrelevant for moving up. As I've said before, success on the field is the least important thing when it comes to conference realignment. Your academics, your market, recruiting territory, relevance in your state, etc. matter much, much more. We're in the AAU for crying out loud. Harvard, Yale, UC Berkley, Princeton, Washington, etc. deemed us worthy enough to vote us into their club. That's a hell of a lot more impressive than winning a couple football games.

Both Liberty and Coastal Carolina, teams who we frequently beat up on in the Big South are FBS now. We'd have probably won four more conference titles since had we stayed there. I have zero problem with wanting to win at the FCS level and enjoying it while we can before moving on to bigger and better things, but let's not act like we need to win five national titles before moving up. That's the least of it.

A move is going to come. An AAU school in the largest market in the country is ripe for the taking. An opportunity is going to present itself shortly. My guess is by the middle of the next decade pending what happens in the Big 12.
« Last Edit: October 16, 2018, 04:11:14 pm by VA_Seawolf »

Chairman of the Board

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #57 on: October 16, 2018, 04:27:33 pm »
just to support that argument- look at why the B10 took RuTgers.  mediocre athletics for the most part, by NYC market (in their eyes at least).

same for maryland, which is 8 miles out of DC.

now for nebraska... i dunno.  tradition?  thought they'd be more competitive in football (currently 0-6 with Frost on the hot seat)

before that i believe Penn State was the most recent add- possibly early 90s or mid 90s.  but that was a different era.
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Seawolf97

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #58 on: October 16, 2018, 08:26:07 pm »
  I think Shawn is deflecting .  If an FBS offer came along we would jump at it Im sure.  As posted earlier Coastal Carolina and Liberty are both FBS now so its not impossible to see SBU moving up . With over 26k in student enrollment, AAU member, almost all brand new athletic facilities and growing and 50 miles from NYC . The next 3 years will tell us for sure.  Remember also we are a Top 15 STEM School now which is huge  in academic circles.

VA_Seawolf

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Re: Conference Realignment Rumors
« Reply #59 on: December 16, 2018, 02:43:21 am »
Some more realignment rumors churning. These moves result in other moves that trickle down (or perhaps up) the chain to other conferences.

Augustana (tiny private school in Sioux Falls SD) is rumored to be going D1. Most likely landing spot is all-sports in The Summit League, with football in either the MVFC or Pioneer. This could open the door for the Summit to split off from the MVFC and start their own FCS football conference. Augustana has a history with the four Dakota flagship schools. Personally, I question if a school their size should even sponsor varsity athletics, let alone D1 athletics. They've got a major billionaire donor behind them though who is the driving force behind it all. 

https://twitter.com/argusmattz/status/1073379510303768576

Additionally, Dixie State is rumored to be joining the WAC. The WAC has been desperate for schools for years since all the football schools left, and this is a move that's long been rumored. Dixie State is located in St. George Utah (yeah, I couldn't believe it either. With a name like that you'd expect Mississippi or Alabama).

http://dixiesunnews.com/news/articles/2018/12/06/division-i-decision-remains-undecided/

Interesting thing to note with all these moves is that they're happening on their own with no domino from the P5 causing them. There's always talks happening behind the scenes among ADs and presidents. That's why I wouldn't be surprised at all if one day seemingly out of the blue Stanley came out and announced SBU was moving to the CAA, A10, or MAC. There's always talks going on.