(01-25-2022 12:41 PM)jcohen42 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:25 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:18 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:04 PM)ibby10 Wrote:  Map of the CAA with the additions:

Colonial Atlantic Association + Elon

to me looking at the map, going to divisions the team that will be hurt the most is Towson. They're the 7th north team that would have to be in the south.

If they could "trade" Northeastern for a southern school, they'd have perfect divisions just about.

That map is why rumor that the CAA wants to go to 14 has so much traction. Adding two schools in the vicinity of the southern five would allow Towson to go north, and would give the conference two pretty compact divisions of seven teams. It's basically trading a lower share of tourney money for the chance to have a "small conference" without the instability of worrying that you might lose a member and scramble to avoid your conference falling apart completely.

Is it larger than a mid-major conference should be, yeah, probably. But in the age of raid and be raided, having that safety net is a priority.

Especially with how many FCS conferences are near or below the minimum number of football schools. The CAA is in a pretty strong position right now, all things considered.

Good news for Drexel to have some closer schools in the conference in Stony Brook (NY) and Monmouth (NJ).

(01-25-2022 01:20 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Good news for Drexel to have some closer schools in the conference in Stony Brook (NY) and Monmouth (NJ).

also with no DRR won't have to travel south anywhere near as much as they used to.

(01-25-2022 12:06 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  Elon's move to the CAA a decade ago made sense to me a decade ago. They have a whole lot of students and alumni in and from states to the north and all that.

But it has been that way going back more than 20 years. My wife went to Elon back in the early 2000's. I remember the license plates. Elon never needed the CAA to get northern students. That was a total myth. They've been successful recruiting students to their north for quite a long time. I would love to see any data on whether that has changed at all, one way or another, since joining the CAA.

Have Elon sports improved since joining the CAA? Still no NCAA Tournament appearances. Their best FCS teams were in the SoCon.

Also, which state provides more students to Elon than any other? North Carolina.

The SoCon has its games streamed on ESPN+. The CAA has its games on FloSports. The SoCon is pretty clearly the better basketball league. Its travel is better.

The SoCon would really do well to expand by four with Elon, UNCW, CofC, and Campbell. Or sub out one of those four with William & Mary.

Lastly, do students and alumni actually get more excited for their school to play FCS/mid major schools to the school's north? (Keep in mind this is a CAA that won't have easily the most appealing conference game, JMU, anymore.) Or would they enjoy playing schools right down the road like UNCG, Wofford, and Furman, continue playing nearby UNCW and CofC, and a new nearby school like Campbell.

It just seems like a no brainer. Playing Towson appeals to the folks in/from Maryland, but probably not anyone else. Similar story for the rest of the schedule. But the NC schools, Virginia-based VMI, and SC schools would appeal to its largest alumni base in North Carolina.

All that said, mich of realignment is based on emotions. The SoCon, fair or not, may still have hurt feelings from Elon's departure.

Please, anyone, give a rebuttal why Elon shouldn't go to the SoCon (if an offer were to be on the table). Please offer data that membership in the CAA has led to an increase in freshmen from the CAA footprint, where it was getting students aplenty. All due credit if this data exists because I know that was a motivating factor for Wlon's move in the first place.

^This^ Elon back to SoCon!!

(01-25-2022 12:46 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 11:30 AM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 10:28 AM)The Cats Wrote:  I can't see how CoC, Elon, & UNCW will be happy with these adds....

You got that right. As an Elon alum please have mercy on us and let us back to the SoCon!

You gotta ask first... then eat some humble pie for the way Elon departed, yeah it was ugly,

....but I don't see Elon's leadership wanting back in, they think about all those Yankee dollars...

I'll eat the humble pie for I was one that supported CAA membership. I'm sorry but I don't know the ugly details about leaving the SoCon.

(01-25-2022 12:19 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 11:30 AM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 10:28 AM)The Cats Wrote:  I can't see how CoC, Elon, & UNCW will be happy with these adds....

You got that right. As an Elon alum please have mercy on us and let us back to the SoCon!

You would know this better than me as an alum, but my understanding is that Elon gets a LOT of Northeast students (sort of the downstream version of Duke). According to the Elon website, after North Carolina (which is only 25% of enrollment), the top home states for its students are MA, NJ, NY, VA and PA. It's essentially the northern half of the CAA footprint. Considering this, Elon may be quite happy with the setup. CoC and UNCW are public schools with a lot higher in-state enrollment, so they're in a different boat.

The Administration may be happy with it but I'm not. Yes, Elon does have a large NE student population but does it translate into high attendance when they play at Northeastern or Hofstra? Heck, Elon can't even get students to attend home games now. Why would they attend a game while living in Boston or NYC? These students that come south to attend college have no passion for college sports or loyalty to their school. It's four years and out never to return except for an occasional homecoming weekend.

(01-25-2022 01:43 PM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:46 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 11:30 AM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 10:28 AM)The Cats Wrote:  I can't see how CoC, Elon, & UNCW will be happy with these adds....

You got that right. As an Elon alum please have mercy on us and let us back to the SoCon!

You gotta ask first... then eat some humble pie for the way Elon departed, yeah it was ugly,

....but I don't see Elon's leadership wanting back in, they think about all those Yankee dollars...

I'll eat the humble pie for I was one that supported CAA membership. I'm sorry but I don't know the ugly details about leaving the SoCon.

I think SoCon had worked or attempted to work closely to keep Elon’s “wish list” close to heart with expansion matters, maybe even more in mind, or with more commitment from Elon than was known from the likes of CoC and Davidson. Both of those were known “issues,” and weren’t trying to keep the conference further accountable to support their continued presence.

So, losing Davidson and CoC was anticipated. When it became known BOTH CoC AND Elon were leaving, and after that work to keep Elon “appeased” and part of expansion/replacement talks, they abandoned ship anyway.

I don’t know how much a thorn the school was with the conference and how demanding they were, but, iirc, there were some earnest good faith gestures provided to Elon by the conference, but the school still ditched them. And it wasn’t well taken.

Since then, I’ve heard Elon wouldn’t have the votes to get back to SoCon, and even some conjecture that CoC probably could come back if they wanted to, and may be wanted back, but not Elon after all of that. From what I remember, CoC kind of made no game about their intentions, and even made a public statement about looking for other options, but made no further internal stink with the conference. Elon was a backstab.

It's official, effective July 1, 2022.:

https://monmouthhawks.com/news/2022/1/25...ation.aspx

Monmouth will compete in the CAA in all sports except women's bowling, which will remain a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

https://stonybrookathletics.com/news/202...ation.aspx

All 18 Stony Brook athletic programs will compete in the CAA.

https://hamptonpirates.com/news/2022/1/2...ation.aspx

All Hampton sports except Women's triathlon and co-ed sailing will compete in the CAA.

I also think Elon was a consolation prize for the CAA when A10 “stole” Davidson from them. It was apparent the Charlotte and/or triangle area was of value to the CAA, and that was still somewhat had with Elon.

What I wonder more is, given what was said about “needing to give UNCW a travel partner” back then, who did Elon appease more: Hofstra so Stony Brook couldn’t get in that pass, or UNCW not having to “share” CAA with another UNC system school in UNCG? I have to doubt UNCG gets support because of those two now.

(01-25-2022 02:13 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  I also think Elon was a consolation prize for the CAA when A10 “stole” Davidson from them. It was apparent the Charlotte and/or triangle area was of value to the CAA, and that was still somewhat had with Elon.

What I wonder more is, given what was said about “needing to give UNCW a travel partner” back then, who did Elon appease more: Hofstra so Stony Brook couldn’t get in that pass, or UNCW not having to “share” CAA with another UNC system school in UNCG? I have to doubt UNCG gets support because of those two now.

UNCW would have no objections with UNCG

The only school that pulled a "this is my yard" was Hofstra

(01-25-2022 02:42 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:13 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  I also think Elon was a consolation prize for the CAA when A10 “stole” Davidson from them. It was apparent the Charlotte and/or triangle area was of value to the CAA, and that was still somewhat had with Elon.

What I wonder more is, given what was said about “needing to give UNCW a travel partner” back then, who did Elon appease more: Hofstra so Stony Brook couldn’t get in that pass, or UNCW not having to “share” CAA with another UNC system school in UNCG? I have to doubt UNCG gets support because of those two now.

UNCW would have no objections with UNCG

The only school that pulled a "this is my yard" was Hofstra

UNCG is missing football. At this point the CAA seems to be prioritizing overall fit.

Maybe the expansion with Stony Brook, Monmouth and Hampton allows for a second expansion...go for the pair of Howard University and Davidson. It would really help the southern wing of the conference. Elon needs to convince it's ex-conference mate that the new CAA offers a more desirable mix of privates & publics.

(01-25-2022 03:15 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:42 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:13 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  I also think Elon was a consolation prize for the CAA when A10 “stole” Davidson from them. It was apparent the Charlotte and/or triangle area was of value to the CAA, and that was still somewhat had with Elon.

What I wonder more is, given what was said about “needing to give UNCW a travel partner” back then, who did Elon appease more: Hofstra so Stony Brook couldn’t get in that pass, or UNCW not having to “share” CAA with another UNC system school in UNCG? I have to doubt UNCG gets support because of those two now.

UNCW would have no objections with UNCG

The only school that pulled a "this is my yard" was Hofstra

UNCG is missing football. At this point the CAA seems to be prioritizing overall fit.

Maybe the expansion with Stony Brook, Monmouth and Hampton allows for a second expansion...go for the pair of Howard University and Davidson. It would really help the southern wing of the conference. Elon needs to convince it's ex-conference mate that the new CAA offers a more desirable mix of privates & publics.

Why in the hell would Davidson downgrade it's program from a conference that gets teams in the tourney regularly at large to a conference that is worse than the conference they left before in the Southern?

(01-25-2022 02:04 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 01:43 PM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:46 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 11:30 AM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 10:28 AM)The Cats Wrote:  I can't see how CoC, Elon, & UNCW will be happy with these adds....

You got that right. As an Elon alum please have mercy on us and let us back to the SoCon!

You gotta ask first... then eat some humble pie for the way Elon departed, yeah it was ugly,

....but I don't see Elon's leadership wanting back in, they think about all those Yankee dollars...

I'll eat the humble pie for I was one that supported CAA membership. I'm sorry but I don't know the ugly details about leaving the SoCon.

I think SoCon had worked or attempted to work closely to keep Elon’s “wish list” close to heart with expansion matters, maybe even more in mind, or with more commitment from Elon than was known from the likes of CoC and Davidson. Both of those were known “issues,” and weren’t trying to keep the conference further accountable to support their continued presence.

So, losing Davidson and CoC was anticipated. When it became known BOTH CoC AND Elon were leaving, and after that work to keep Elon “appeased” and part of expansion/replacement talks, they abandoned ship anyway.

I don’t know how much a thorn the school was with the conference and how demanding they were, but, iirc, there were some earnest good faith gestures provided to Elon by the conference, but the school still ditched them. And it wasn’t well taken.

Since then, I’ve heard Elon wouldn’t have the votes to get back to SoCon, and even some conjecture that CoC probably could come back if they wanted to, and may be wanted back, but not Elon after all of that. From what I remember, CoC kind of made no game about their intentions, and even made a public statement about looking for other options, but made no further internal stink with the conference. Elon was a backstab.

That's right. The SoCon members and fans are pissed at Elon because of how Elon's leadership "bad-mouthed" the SoCon on the way out the door.

It didn't happen with Davidson or Charleston, and the SoCon even took ETSU back, after dropping them, when they dropped football. So, it's not the fact Elon left for the CAA, it's the fact how they left - as they say, never burn bridges, well, Elon torched the bridge back to the SoCon...

(01-25-2022 04:13 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:04 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 01:43 PM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:46 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 11:30 AM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  You got that right. As an Elon alum please have mercy on us and let us back to the SoCon!

You gotta ask first... then eat some humble pie for the way Elon departed, yeah it was ugly,

....but I don't see Elon's leadership wanting back in, they think about all those Yankee dollars...

I'll eat the humble pie for I was one that supported CAA membership. I'm sorry but I don't know the ugly details about leaving the SoCon.

I think SoCon had worked or attempted to work closely to keep Elon’s “wish list” close to heart with expansion matters, maybe even more in mind, or with more commitment from Elon than was known from the likes of CoC and Davidson. Both of those were known “issues,” and weren’t trying to keep the conference further accountable to support their continued presence.

So, losing Davidson and CoC was anticipated. When it became known BOTH CoC AND Elon were leaving, and after that work to keep Elon “appeased” and part of expansion/replacement talks, they abandoned ship anyway.

I don’t know how much a thorn the school was with the conference and how demanding they were, but, iirc, there were some earnest good faith gestures provided to Elon by the conference, but the school still ditched them. And it wasn’t well taken.

Since then, I’ve heard Elon wouldn’t have the votes to get back to SoCon, and even some conjecture that CoC probably could come back if they wanted to, and may be wanted back, but not Elon after all of that. From what I remember, CoC kind of made no game about their intentions, and even made a public statement about looking for other options, but made no further internal stink with the conference. Elon was a backstab.

That's right. The SoCon members and fans are pissed at Elon because of how Elon's leadership "bad-mouthed" the SoCon on the way out the door.

It didn't happen with Davidson or Charleston, and the SoCon even took ETSU back, after dropping them, when they dropped football. So, it's not the fact Elon left for the CAA, it's the fact how they left - as they say, never burn bridges, well, Elon torched the bridge back to the SoCon...

To be sure, if Elon wouldn't want to go back in the first place, does it matter? It would be like the current Big 12 members saying that they won't ever take Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Missouri and/or Colorado back. That's great and all, but it's strikes me as a preemptive rejection of an overture that isn't ever coming. Elon seems to have more leverage here and, as always in conference realignment, it's what the party with the leverage wants that actually matters.

(01-25-2022 02:04 PM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:19 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 11:30 AM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 10:28 AM)The Cats Wrote:  I can't see how CoC, Elon, & UNCW will be happy with these adds....

You got that right. As an Elon alum please have mercy on us and let us back to the SoCon!

You would know this better than me as an alum, but my understanding is that Elon gets a LOT of Northeast students (sort of the downstream version of Duke). According to the Elon website, after North Carolina (which is only 25% of enrollment), the top home states for its students are MA, NJ, NY, VA and PA. It's essentially the northern half of the CAA footprint. Considering this, Elon may be quite happy with the setup. CoC and UNCW are public schools with a lot higher in-state enrollment, so they're in a different boat.

The Administration may be happy with it but I'm not. Yes, Elon does have a large NE student population but does it translate into high attendance when they play at Northeastern or Hofstra? Heck, Elon can't even get students to attend home games now. Why would they attend a game while living in Boston or NYC? These students that come south to attend college have no passion for college sports or loyalty to their school. It's four years and out never to return except for an occasional homecoming weekend.

That may be true, but the administration is what matters. They're looking for students that are able to pay full freight $40,000 per year tuition at Elon without any need for scholarships or financial aid. Those students are located disproportionately in the Northeast corridor. That's simply a much bigger deal to administrators than attendance - those are real dollars (massive tuition money) compared to pennies (sports attendance) in the relative scheme of things for a school like Elon. (It might be different if you're a P5 or Big East school.)

Now, being in the CAA in and of itself isn't going to directly draw Northeast students. I don't think anyone could ever show that data. However, administrators truly do believe in additional "touch points" in the geographic regions that they target: visits by student recruiters to schools, advertisements, alumni events, etc. Whether you agree with it or not, sports are a big part of that (and frankly much more visible). Administrators are ALWAYS going to weigh that heavily in this day and age. It's honestly way more important for private schools with a national student base (such as Elon) compared to state schools in a world where overall college enrollment is declining.

(01-25-2022 03:19 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 03:15 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:42 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:13 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  I also think Elon was a consolation prize for the CAA when A10 “stole” Davidson from them. It was apparent the Charlotte and/or triangle area was of value to the CAA, and that was still somewhat had with Elon.

What I wonder more is, given what was said about “needing to give UNCW a travel partner” back then, who did Elon appease more: Hofstra so Stony Brook couldn’t get in that pass, or UNCW not having to “share” CAA with another UNC system school in UNCG? I have to doubt UNCG gets support because of those two now.

UNCW would have no objections with UNCG

The only school that pulled a "this is my yard" was Hofstra

UNCG is missing football. At this point the CAA seems to be prioritizing overall fit.

Maybe the expansion with Stony Brook, Monmouth and Hampton allows for a second expansion...go for the pair of Howard University and Davidson. It would really help the southern wing of the conference. Elon needs to convince it's ex-conference mate that the new CAA offers a more desirable mix of privates & publics.

Why in the hell would Davidson downgrade it's program from a conference that gets teams in the tourney regularly at large to a conference that is worse than the conference they left before in the Southern?

Agree, both Howard and Davidson are unlikely today. But could there be slight changes that cause these schools to look beyond their current homes. For example, if the Big East expands or the NCAA tournament rules are modified, then the A10 is a likely victim. Davidson already needs a better home for football and it's non-revenue sports would be better-off in the CAA. For Davidson, the geographic access of the CAA is now about even with the A10.

My general point was that Elon has better long-term prospects in the CAA. The CAA made the right moves to strengthen the conference with all-in members. IMO - It made itself more attractive to potential schools. UNCW and CoC have good basketball foundations. Davidson and Howard will likely decline, but Elon should be working to making the CAA attractive to those schools.

Only on this site would someone suggest Davidson moving from the A-10 to CAA as a possibility. lol

(01-25-2022 04:22 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 04:13 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:04 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 01:43 PM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:46 PM)The Cats Wrote:  You gotta ask first... then eat some humble pie for the way Elon departed, yeah it was ugly,

....but I don't see Elon's leadership wanting back in, they think about all those Yankee dollars...

I'll eat the humble pie for I was one that supported CAA membership. I'm sorry but I don't know the ugly details about leaving the SoCon.

I think SoCon had worked or attempted to work closely to keep Elon’s “wish list” close to heart with expansion matters, maybe even more in mind, or with more commitment from Elon than was known from the likes of CoC and Davidson. Both of those were known “issues,” and weren’t trying to keep the conference further accountable to support their continued presence.

So, losing Davidson and CoC was anticipated. When it became known BOTH CoC AND Elon were leaving, and after that work to keep Elon “appeased” and part of expansion/replacement talks, they abandoned ship anyway.

I don’t know how much a thorn the school was with the conference and how demanding they were, but, iirc, there were some earnest good faith gestures provided to Elon by the conference, but the school still ditched them. And it wasn’t well taken.

Since then, I’ve heard Elon wouldn’t have the votes to get back to SoCon, and even some conjecture that CoC probably could come back if they wanted to, and may be wanted back, but not Elon after all of that. From what I remember, CoC kind of made no game about their intentions, and even made a public statement about looking for other options, but made no further internal stink with the conference. Elon was a backstab.

That's right. The SoCon members and fans are pissed at Elon because of how Elon's leadership "bad-mouthed" the SoCon on the way out the door.

It didn't happen with Davidson or Charleston, and the SoCon even took ETSU back, after dropping them, when they dropped football. So, it's not the fact Elon left for the CAA, it's the fact how they left - as they say, never burn bridges, well, Elon torched the bridge back to the SoCon...

To be sure, if Elon wouldn't want to go back in the first place, does it matter? It would be like the current Big 12 members saying that they won't ever take Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Missouri and/or Colorado back. That's great and all, but it's strikes me as a preemptive rejection of an overture that isn't ever coming. Elon seems to have more leverage here and, as always in conference realignment, it's what the party with the leverage wants that actually matters.

Hey, the question was asked, and several Elon fans stated they would like to return.

That's fine, we don't want Elon back, I wish them well in all their sports, having to play in the northeast (and all the associated travel costs), where they wanted to be...

(01-25-2022 04:31 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:04 PM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:19 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 11:30 AM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 10:28 AM)The Cats Wrote:  I can't see how CoC, Elon, & UNCW will be happy with these adds....

You got that right. As an Elon alum please have mercy on us and let us back to the SoCon!

You would know this better than me as an alum, but my understanding is that Elon gets a LOT of Northeast students (sort of the downstream version of Duke). According to the Elon website, after North Carolina (which is only 25% of enrollment), the top home states for its students are MA, NJ, NY, VA and PA. It's essentially the northern half of the CAA footprint. Considering this, Elon may be quite happy with the setup. CoC and UNCW are public schools with a lot higher in-state enrollment, so they're in a different boat.

The Administration may be happy with it but I'm not. Yes, Elon does have a large NE student population but does it translate into high attendance when they play at Northeastern or Hofstra? Heck, Elon can't even get students to attend home games now. Why would they attend a game while living in Boston or NYC? These students that come south to attend college have no passion for college sports or loyalty to their school. It's four years and out never to return except for an occasional homecoming weekend.

That may be true, but the administration is what matters. They're looking for students that are able to pay full freight $40,000 per year tuition at Elon without any need for scholarships or financial aid. Those students are located disproportionately in the Northeast corridor. That's simply a much bigger deal to administrators than attendance - those are real dollars (massive tuition money) compared to pennies (sports attendance) in the relative scheme of things for a school like Elon. (It might be different if you're a P5 or Big East school.)

Now, being in the CAA in and of itself isn't going to directly draw Northeast students. I don't think anyone could ever show that data. However, administrators truly do believe in additional "touch points" in the geographic regions that they target: visits by student recruiters to schools, advertisements, alumni events, etc. Whether you agree with it or not, sports are a big part of that (and frankly much more visible). Administrators are ALWAYS going to weigh that heavily in this day and age. It's honestly way more important for private schools with a national student base (such as Elon) compared to state schools in a world where overall college enrollment is declining.

I agree with you 100%.

(01-25-2022 04:13 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 02:04 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 01:43 PM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 12:46 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 11:30 AM)ShakeNBake Wrote:  You got that right. As an Elon alum please have mercy on us and let us back to the SoCon!

You gotta ask first... then eat some humble pie for the way Elon departed, yeah it was ugly,

....but I don't see Elon's leadership wanting back in, they think about all those Yankee dollars...

I'll eat the humble pie for I was one that supported CAA membership. I'm sorry but I don't know the ugly details about leaving the SoCon.

I think SoCon had worked or attempted to work closely to keep Elon’s “wish list” close to heart with expansion matters, maybe even more in mind, or with more commitment from Elon than was known from the likes of CoC and Davidson. Both of those were known “issues,” and weren’t trying to keep the conference further accountable to support their continued presence.

So, losing Davidson and CoC was anticipated. When it became known BOTH CoC AND Elon were leaving, and after that work to keep Elon “appeased” and part of expansion/replacement talks, they abandoned ship anyway.

I don’t know how much a thorn the school was with the conference and how demanding they were, but, iirc, there were some earnest good faith gestures provided to Elon by the conference, but the school still ditched them. And it wasn’t well taken.

Since then, I’ve heard Elon wouldn’t have the votes to get back to SoCon, and even some conjecture that CoC probably could come back if they wanted to, and may be wanted back, but not Elon after all of that. From what I remember, CoC kind of made no game about their intentions, and even made a public statement about looking for other options, but made no further internal stink with the conference. Elon was a backstab.

That's right. The SoCon members and fans are pissed at Elon because of how Elon's leadership "bad-mouthed" the SoCon on the way out the door.

It didn't happen with Davidson or Charleston, and the SoCon even took ETSU back, after dropping them, when they dropped football. So, it's not the fact Elon left for the CAA, it's the fact how they left - as they say, never burn bridges, well, Elon torched the bridge back to the SoCon...

I didn't realize Elon bad-mouthed the SoCon. If true I wouldn't blame them for not taking Elon back. Oh well, I guess the Big South is an option.