(09-11-2023 11:34 AM)Tribester Wrote:  Bottom line…IF Delaware joins the MAC, and Charleston joins the A10, if we stand pat and do nothing then W&M athletics has become a joke.

What would you have us do? Go to a worse FCS conference just so we can say we're doing something? Go to a FBS conference? Which one and how will we pay for it? Please don't say we will make more money in FBS because that simply isn't true. Once the facility upgrades, coaches salaries, additional scholarships, travel, etc are taken into account, any increase in conference money will be more than offset by those costs. The only way to stay with peers like ODU, JMU, UD (if they move) is become a much bigger school and I don't see that happening in the near future.

The timing is rough, but the conference realignments will keep going on as the new media rights deals are renewed. I think A10 is within reach. We're a good geographic fit and I think they would like to add us as much as we would like to be added, but they know there's no justifying adding a sad 3 member. Fortunately, in today's age basketball rebuilds can be done quickly. It's honestly pretty simple, step 1 is fire Dane which we are already 2 years too late in doing but at least it will arrive in March. Step 2 is hire Grif Aldrich. Step 3 is raid the transfer portal with an actual plan. Step 4 is win the 24-25 conference tournament and hope that the Big East expands and sets off a domino effect.

Again, just back to reality, Charleston and Delaware aren’t going anywhere.

Bookmarking this for when they both leave next year

Moving up in football and everything else staying the same means cutting several men's sports programs.

(09-11-2023 03:27 PM)Tribester Wrote:  Bookmarking this for when they both leave next year

I think you bookmarked it 5 years ago. Back when the sky was falling.

Isn't the Patriot at least stable? Those schools seem to be a better match for W&M versus the everchanging CAA.

For what it's worth, I don't think the Sunbelt would be willing to admit W&M. I think their targets are more in the ECU direction. I don't think JMU had to pay to join the Sunbelt. "I think' it was more of a package deal with Marshall & ODU. They did not want the three of us to go to CUSA.

VCU will not play us in Basketball because we might beat them, and how would that benefit VCU? UVA has not played us in Football for 40 years because we can beat them. Do they really want to pay us 500k to host a loss to JMU?

I'm not so sure JMU would see the benefit in playing & paying W&M who could beat us. It's a backhanded compliment, but it's likely the case. The way we played versus Bucknell week one, or perhaps even UVA week 2 W&M might have beat us.

(09-11-2023 02:06 PM)Blow Gym rat Wrote:  …Sun Belt-East looks like the most attractive option -- but unless they lose some members (hopefully not the same ones who make them attractive), I don't see why they would have any interest in W&M.

Incidentally, is stadium capacity still a factor in whether we could go G5, or did those rules go out the window at some point?

Sun Belt East has only 7 members (named above) so going to 8 sounds good…in fact, SB-E could split off and form their own league…except that they would lose their right to participate in FBS playoffs and payouts.

I think, officially, the attendance requirements are still on the books…but they seemingly have been ignored for years (i think I read that most MAC schools don’t even meet the requirement). The whole NCAA has been the “Wild West” ever since Covid, what with transfer waivers, then the Portal, massive realignments, and, let’s face it, the P4 are going to break away in a bare-naked money grab in just a few years. It remains to be seen whether being in the Sun Belt or being in the CAA would be the better positioning for W&M.

(09-11-2023 09:50 AM)tribefootballfan Wrote:  

(09-11-2023 09:35 AM)Sitting bull Wrote:  

(09-11-2023 09:33 AM)A Quest Called Tribe Wrote:  

(09-11-2023 09:11 AM)Sitting bull Wrote:  UMass pulled in 9,200 for their home opener against Miami OH (people here complaining we had 8,600 for Wofford) and that’s supposed to be an upgrade? Foolish.

UMass has not had a winning season since 2010. Whatever your view of FBS football, “almost as good as UMass attendance” is nothing to hang our hat on.

That’s my point. Of all the decisions a school could make, why on earth would you want to follow the example of UMass ( which is what the Delaware article proposes).

Yeah no idea why people are trying to throw UMass into all of this. They suck, and honestly would probably be a mid tier FCS team if they weren't so stubborn on staying FBS.

I also don't really understand the logic behind Deleware in the MAC, but also just am concerned that we could lose that rivalry permanently if they move there.

The UD-WM and UD-UR rivalries will now be played each, once every four years.

(09-11-2023 09:46 AM)Tribe32 Wrote:  We have no money in our reserve funds. We have several sports that are only hanging on based on donor support including parents of the athletes. We have a big Title IX issue.

The vision that we must have going forward includes what sports we want to have and which geographies do we want to play and recruit. Anything farther away or more expensive makes no sense at all in the short run. Maybe Mann is discussing a new conference with other peer schools, but unless there is traction there, moving from the CAA does nothing right now.

Words of wisdom.

(09-11-2023 09:46 AM)Tribe32 Wrote:  We have no money in our reserve funds. We have several sports that are only hanging on based on donor support including parents of the athletes. We have a big Title IX issue.

The vision that we must have going forward includes what sports we want to have and which geographies do we want to play and recruit. Anything farther away or more expensive makes no sense at all in the short run. Maybe Mann is discussing a new conference with other peer schools, but unless there is traction there, moving from the CAA does nothing right now.

https://news.wm.edu/2022/07/21/william-m...ni-giving/

We have the money. We just choose not to spend it on sports because the school doesn't think sports are important. You get what you fight for.

(09-11-2023 10:02 PM)Rocco Wrote:  

(09-11-2023 09:46 AM)Tribe32 Wrote:  We have no money in our reserve funds. We have several sports that are only hanging on based on donor support including parents of the athletes. We have a big Title IX issue.

The vision that we must have going forward includes what sports we want to have and which geographies do we want to play and recruit. Anything farther away or more expensive makes no sense at all in the short run. Maybe Mann is discussing a new conference with other peer schools, but unless there is traction there, moving from the CAA does nothing right now.

https://news.wm.edu/2022/07/21/william-m...ni-giving/

We have the money. We just choose not to spend it on sports because the school doesn't think sports are important. You get what you fight for.

The fundraising for the College is doing great but most gifts are restricted and our Athletic fundraising has been hurt by constant turnover since Bobby retired. Look no further than the All In campaign that was intended to fund the Kaplan renovations that still cannot raise the stated goal of 55M that is now totally inadequate to pay for the advertised Kap II phase.


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Seems like nobody is willing to directly confirm or this, but the CoC AD didn't directly deny it either.

https://twitter.com/MattBrownEP/status/1...1124670858

Makes me think they have talked to the A10, but it's far from a done deal.

Losing CoC would suck, but I do think it would eventually be best for the conference to have a unified all sports membership - 10-12 schools that all sponsor football. The basketball only members can dedicate all their athletic resources to basketball.

Over the past 9 years, all but one of the tournament winners have been a non-football school. There have been 13 conference regular season champs/co champs over that same span, only 4 have played football.

(09-12-2023 09:57 AM)TDenverFan Wrote:  Losing CoC would suck, but I do think it would eventually be best for the conference to have a unified all sports membership - 10-12 schools that all sponsor football. The basketball only members can dedicate all their athletic resources to basketball.

Over the past 9 years, all but one of the tournament winners have been a non-football school. There have been 13 conference regular season champs/co champs over that same span, only 4 have played football.

Agreed. Not only can they dedicate their resources to basketball, BUT they also do not have nearly as big of a Title IX challenge.

The only conference realignment move that makes any sense is to take an SMU caliber deal, get shafted in media rights for a decade and then join the A10.

That’s where our rival and peer schools are… A move to any other conference is just moving for the sake of moving.

As for football, either stay in the CAA like Richmond or level up as an FBS Independent and prepare for the next major realignment move which is when the ACC inevitably crumbles in 2036.

(09-13-2023 02:52 AM)qwimbo94 Wrote:  The only conference realignment move that makes any sense is to take an SMU caliber deal, get shafted in media rights for a decade and then join the A10.

That’s where our rival and peer schools are… A move to any other conference is just moving for the sake of moving.

As for football, either stay in the CAA like Richmond or level up as an FBS Independent and prepare for the next major realignment move which is when the ACC inevitably crumbles in 2036.

I wonder if the A10 would go for it, maybe if they start losing teams. I see CofC and Murray State as likely targets. Kind of depends on who leaves. If SLU/Dayton leave, Murray State is a probable replacement. If VCU leaves we are probably at least a part of the conversation, especially if we did offer to forego media rights (which are not that significant in the CAA or A10).

Take a quick peek at any A10 addition announcements and you will see two prominent factors.

1. Basketball success including NCAA appearances
2. Location in a large media markets or a large fan base
That's it. A school is either located in a large media market or it isn't, if it isn't the A10 is not sending an invite regardless of basketball success.

Every CAA school has an A10 dream scenario for some reason, but there really aren't any great candidates although Charleston is pretty close.

(09-13-2023 03:36 PM)82hawk Wrote:  Take a quick peek at any A10 addition announcements and you will see two prominent factors.

1. Basketball success including NCAA appearances
2. Location in a large media markets or a large fan base
That's it. A school is either located in a large media market or it isn't, if it isn't the A10 is not sending an invite regardless of basketball success.

Every CAA school has an A10 dream scenario for some reason, but there really aren't any great candidates although Charleston is pretty close.

Agreed. The A-10 takes teams that frequently win their former league and have won games in the big Dance.

(09-11-2023 03:08 PM)Sitting bull Wrote:  Again, just back to reality, Charleston and Delaware aren’t going anywhere.

If you click your heals and say this a few more times...maybe they won't leave.