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Spider football to the Patriot League in 2025

Almost every school has gone test optional, so we shouldn’t be unique in that regard. Most will probably return to requiring scores by 2026.

I’m going through the college search process with my eldest now and many of the admissions sessions note that current score data should basically be ignored and some put up the lower pre-COVID scores on the screen as a more accurate indicator.

Obviously our admin is comfortable with whatever AI requirements there are for us, but whether that’s a change from our existing policies, I too am curious.

Spider football to the Patriot League in 2025

I've sat back and gone through the 5 stages of grief, maybe twice, and have come to the conclusion that the CAA from 15-20 years ago is no longer what we remember it to be. Instead of the SEC of FCS, we're now more like Conference USA. We played nobodies last year (including a terrible MSU team) and snuck into the playoffs on conference reputation alone before we were exposed by Albany who subsequently was curb-stomped by SDSU...basically Liberty vs. Oregon only more lopsided. Perhaps this is a a fun spot for us to hang out while the dust settles on college football alignment.

One thing we haven't discussed is the Patriot League Academic Index (AI) and how that will effect us. I assume that eventually we will have to comply, but I haven't been able to find anything concrete on how that works.

What I've been able to ascertain is they look at certain admission metrics and come up with an index for the entire incoming class based on SAT scores, GPAs and class rank. The incoming recruits would then have to fall within one standard deviation of the rest of the class. I coasted through Lewis Literal's business statistics class and took QA in play term, so I'm not sure what exactly that means. This is stolen from the Holy Cross forum, so credit to them for doing a deep dive and having a more robust discussion of our move (and less shit-posting) than we do here, but not sure of the accuracy:

ValueColgate RichmondGeorgetownLehigh LafayetteHoly CrossBucknell Fordham Cornell
SAT Composite
1400-1600 - %
818678655329175295
SAT Composite
1200-1399 -%
17131633475952455
SAT Composite
1000-1199 - %
2151110292
Top quarter of the
H. S. class - %
94 8395857869867594.5

A couple of takeaways:

1) Our SATs are through the roof. We used to and presumably still do offer generous scholarships to National Merit Scholars to juice that stat.
2) Our class rank is really low considering our SAT scores...maybe the schools we draw from?
3) Are we at a disadvantage because we're only Patriot for football and other sports don't fall under the AI regime? Or maybe an advantage because they will presumably lower our overall incoming class AI

Thanks for sharing. One thing I wonder what the impact will be with athletics, is that UR has gone test optional with the SAT/ACT the past several years that was initially due to COVID. So I believe our standardize test scores may be more inflated than normal as only students who had really good scores likely shared them. What that means in terms of recruiting or this academic index, I have no idea. If other students don’t have to report scores I don’t think they’ll mandate the student athletes to do so. Also, I can’t imagine UR has been playing with the same deck of cards, so to speak, as every other CAA football team in terms of recruiting. I imagine we had our own self-imposed restrictions when it came to recruiting student athletes that other programs did not. Whether it’s as rigorous as the Patriot League AI, I’m not sure.

Roster 2023(as of 7/21/23) including Transfers added

Aamir had size ,quickness and toughness while at UR.He was injured and lost his starting role.Transferred to Albany and was a standout All American DB.The entire Great Dane defense were tough MFs including Aamir.They were men and we were boys when we met in the playoffs last season.

It reflects the very fine recruiting and developmental capabilities by our staff when players like Malik and Aamir and Kobe among others that originally enroll and flourish at UR.

Spider football to the Patriot League in 2025

I've sat back and gone through the 5 stages of grief, maybe twice, and have come to the conclusion that the CAA from 15-20 years ago is no longer what we remember it to be. Instead of the SEC of FCS, we're now more like Conference USA. We played nobodies last year (including a terrible MSU team) and snuck into the playoffs on conference reputation alone before we were exposed by Albany who subsequently was curb-stomped by SDSU...basically Liberty vs. Oregon only more lopsided. Perhaps this is a a fun spot for us to hang out while the dust settles on college football alignment.

One thing we haven't discussed is the Patriot League Academic Index (AI) and how that will effect us. I assume that eventually we will have to comply, but I haven't been able to find anything concrete on how that works.

What I've been able to ascertain is they look at certain admission metrics and come up with an index for the entire incoming class based on SAT scores, GPAs and class rank. The incoming recruits would then have to fall within one standard deviation of the rest of the class. I coasted through Lewis Literal's business statistics class and took QA in play term, so I'm not sure what exactly that means. This is stolen from the Holy Cross forum, so credit to them for doing a deep dive and having a more robust discussion of our move (and less shit-posting) than we do here, but not sure of the accuracy:

ValueColgate RichmondGeorgetownLehigh LafayetteHoly CrossBucknell Fordham Cornell
SAT Composite
1400-1600 - %
818678655329175295
SAT Composite
1200-1399 -%
17131633475952455
SAT Composite
1000-1199 - %
2151110292
Top quarter of the
H. S. class - %
94 8395857869867594.5

A couple of takeaways:

1) Our SATs are through the roof. We used to and presumably still do offer generous scholarships to National Merit Scholars to juice that stat.
2) Our class rank is really low considering our SAT scores...maybe the schools we draw from?
3) Are we at a disadvantage because we're only Patriot for football and other sports don't fall under the AI regime? Or maybe an advantage because they will presumably lower our overall incoming class AI

Spider football to the Patriot League in 2025

W&M knows what our administration doesn’t. That the CAA is one of the best FCS leagues in the country. This is the single dumbest decision made by our school administrators ever.

“We’re proud to be in the CAA. It remains one of the strongest (FCS) conferences in the country. We’ve had some great success over the last couple of years in that conference and we’re going to continue to do everything we can to build strength in it, and use it as a springboard into the (FCS) playoffs and make a deep run, as we did a couple of years ago,” said Mann.

Yeah, because W&M's athletic department has been much more successful than ours recently. NCAA men's BB berths, NIT berths, NCAA WBB berths, FCS playoff wins, NCAA lacrosse berths ... the Tribe has done it all!

Mike Walz - Player Eval

Well I hear you PA. If you recall under Tarrant, that was the norm with big men. Couple years learning the ropes then turn em loose. Shields, Wienecki, etc.
But in Mooney System he will be expected to fill a particular role. That’s just Mooney. Waltz seems to have a different skill set than some of the predecessors. Would seem to best utilize him for his strength and strengths, and there is a difference. But I have doubts that will ever happen as we are a team that uses centers as the point of running the offense through and for passing as opposed to physicality and banging.

Football to Patriot League. Should basketball and rest of sports be concerned?

Let’s see
PA State, Michigan, Maryland, Rutgers, Ohio State, Johns Hopkins all play lacrosse in the Big 10

Notre Dame, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia, North Carolina all play lacrosse
in the ACC.

Why would some of you try to belittle our lacrosse program ? Year after year we have been in the top 25.

I think some of you should learn the game and how we’re viewed nationally.

First Natty

Most would say 2008 football, but actually our second:

1982 AIAW Division II National Champion Women's Tennis Team

Led by head coach Eric O'Neill and two future UR Athletics Hall of Famers, All-Americans Martha Beddingfield and Sharon Dunsing, the 1982 women's tennis team captured the AIAW National Title.

Returning all but one player from the 1981 squad that went 27-5 and finished second nationally, the '82 Spiders went 23-5, winning State and Regional titles, and claiming victories over every Division I team in the state, including Virginia and Virginia Tech.

The team traveled to Greely, Colorado at the University of Northern Colorado for the national championships. The Spiders won the crown, outdistancing a field that included Boston College, Notre Dame, Georgetown, William & Mary, Charleston and Georgia Southern.

In addition to Coach O'Neill, Dunsing and Beddingfield, the 1982 team included Sue Claggett, Sue Eshelman, Phoebe Figland, Margie Hernandez , Anne McLean, Beth Seubert, Cathy Shields, and Lisa Tullai.

Spider football to the Patriot League in 2025

W&M knows what our administration doesn’t. That the CAA is one of the best FCS leagues in the country. This is the single dumbest decision made by our school administrators ever.

“We’re proud to be in the CAA. It remains one of the strongest (FCS) conferences in the country. We’ve had some great success over the last couple of years in that conference and we’re going to continue to do everything we can to build strength in it, and use it as a springboard into the (FCS) playoffs and make a deep run, as we did a couple of years ago,” said Mann.

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