I think that Detroit and Oakland would make great travel partners. It would be sad to see this move killed because of something that really has nothing to do with the vitality of Oakland or Detroit.
In the words of Lee Corso...Not so fast my freind! http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...eorge-mason-will-stay-in-caa-not-going-to-a10
Virginia Commonwealth (aka VCU) is moving to the Atlantic 10 starting this year. Their men's soccer team was 11-9 last year in the CAA. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/coll...cle_d3150cba-9eb0-11e1-82ef-0019bb30f31a.html
ODU to the CUSA effective 1 July 2013. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/old-do...8--spt.html;_ylt=AhKDYzAUjVJdht_.Me97fQMcvrYF
The body count surrounding the Big East realignment is really starting to mount. Memphis' football coach fired, UCF AD fired, the Big East Commissioner ousted. Now this... http://espn.go.com/dallas/story/_/i...gs-fire-ad-steve-orsini-says-change-necessary
I didn't see Old Dominion leaving their CAA brothers in Virginia or looking to go to D-I football so soon. Shows what I know.
It's to bad VCU just can't take Temple spot in A10 schedule. This might allow Temple to take WVU games in Big East this year, if offered. Looking at Georgetown schedule they are playing Seton Hall twice at end of season. I guess others in that division will do the same, play someone twice.
Old Dominion has not announced any plans to add new women's sports, so how do they plan to add the 20-ish scholarships they need to move into FBS football? uh oh Some of the teams rumored to be in talks with the CAA are Stony Brook, Boston University, College of Charleston and Coastal Carolina.
All 4 make grographic sense. The two Carolina schools are within a close drive to UNC-W, and Stony Brook and Boston U are replacements for UMass in football. NSR but is Stony Brook ready to move its football up to the big boys of FCS? As a Delaware alum, all 4 look good.
Interesting article. http://www.soccer365.com/news/u_s__news/college_soccer/17096/college_conference_shakeups_continue
No mention of where Georgia St. will end up in men's soccer as the school has gone to the Sun Belt starting in 2013. Word on the street is Conference USA but I'm not sure if that is just wishful thinking on their part. With all of the shakeups, how many teams does Conference USA currently have in men's soccer? It would be too bad if a program that has started to improve recently is cut, but who knows with that AD.
Thanks to the Big East taking western schools for football, San Diego State and Boise State are tied at the hip. What they ultimately decide to do with regards to their olympic sports will affect men's soccer in the Big West. To a lesser extent, the Mountain West as well. Seattle and Denver should be paying full attention to this. As it stands right now four Mountain West members play men's soccer: New Mexico, Air Force and UNLV in the MPSF and San Diego State in the Pac-12. San Jose State also plays in the MPSF but was just accepted into the Mountain West for all sports starting in 2013-2014. If it decides to take Denver as a non-football member and San Diego State stays, then the Mountain West will have six men's teams - enough to sponsor men's soccer as a sport. Not an unrealistic scenario especially when you consider SDSU fans are begging their AD to do everything in his power to avoid playing one basketball game in the Big West.
cont. for those who have not followed - SDSU decided to join the Big East for football only and put everything else in the Big West starting 2013-2014. Boise did the same for football and their other sports returned to the WAC effective 2013-2014, but that conference is falling apart due to massive defections. If nothing else happens the WAC will be reduced to two football schools and five all-sport members by summer 2013: Idaho*, New Mexico State*, Boise, Seattle, and Denver. We know Seattle is waiting on the WCC and I think Denver wants into either the Mountain West or Summit League. Boise is now trying to buy (and bully?) their way into the Big West with San Diego State acting as a hired muscle to get them in; rumors are that it wants to expand to 12 members should Boise be accepted (maybe they bring Denver or Seattle with them?) San Diego State is threatening to go back to the MWC if the Big West does not take Boise State. Odds are that they get into the Big West though. We will see.
If the Big 12 expands by adding Clemson (and FSU) then it will have only two soccer playing schools. West Virginia and Clemson. With their premature plan to move to the Big East, TCU was planning to add Men's soccer but now they are in the Big 12, and I am sure those plans are on hold. Not sure what is going to happen to the programs at West Virginia and Clemson.
West Virginia joined the MAC for men's soccer - a four year commitment with a conditional clause that states they can leave early and without penalty if the Big 12 were to somehow sponsor men's soccer within said time period. Clemson would have options too. But first things first, they have to leave the ACC which is far from a slam dunk
Butler is joining the Atlantic 10 one year early. This affects basketball more than soccer but still... http://www.butlersports.com/releases/052912aaa Even though Temple and Charlotte are on their way out by 2013, for one season the A-10 is going to be ridiculously top-heavy in basketball. Butler, VCU, Xavier, and Temple? You gotta be kidding me! Then we have the second level teams in UMass, Dayton, and St. Louis. It's gonna be one crazy conference to watch. A-10 could be a three bid league + for men's soccer as well depending on how well Charlotte recovers from the hangover of losing their coach and a national title game
I think this is the one soccer fans need to watch. The ACC, as we know it, is on tenuous ground. Several schools from the conference are very real possibilities to defect to the Big 12 or SEC. It won't kill the soccer programs, but it will break up the strongest soccer conference in the country.
This doesn't impact soccer, directly, but both Florida State and Miami are thought to be flirting with the Big 12. Maryland has also had Big 12 rumors and Virginia Tech is an SEC target if - when? - the conference goes to 16. The existing SEC schools don't want to share their states (besides the ones that already do) so Georgia Tech, FSU, Miami and Clemson are out. Va. Tech fits for football and it gives the SEC a northern-ish presence that stretches to the DC market. Finally, the SEC would love to add a school in North Carolina but few see any of the four ACC schools breaking up their rivalries, though the whispers I've heard are if any school was to do it it would be NC State. Keep an eye on the Florida schools. If they start talking about leaving the ACC then all the other schools will be scrambling to make the best deals for themselves.
Louisville also wants out of the Big East. Their soccer team will be fine regardless. If they go to the ACC, it is a safe landing spot. If they join the Big 12? Then soccer probably goes to the MAC just like West Virginia.
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin' Eye don't know where I'll be tomorrow. This time the spinning wheel stops on America East, which is losing Boston University to the Patriot League. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...ton.U.America.East.ap/index.html?sct=cb_t2_a3