Spider football to the Patriot League in 2025

[mr.spider]

Too bad we couldn't just create a league that looks something like:
UR
W&M
Villanova
Wofford
Citadel
Elon
Furman
Lafayette
Lehigh
Fordham
Towson

Is that more exciting? Doesn't do much for me. Not many options left. Villanova is the only interesting team left.

 

[mr.spider]

I agree with this.

Not a popular move right now - I get it - but we might be among the "winners" in this shakeup, if there are any.

The CAA as it currently stands is a bad league with worse leadership.

Yeah, CAA is terrible now. Seems like a terrible move to go Patriot, but we are trying to escape a sinking ship. No good options. But does it really matter? Football at our level, while actually decent football, doesn't mean much to most everyone.

 

[mr.spider]

That would take proactive, aggressive and creative leadership in the AD. That seems to have been in short supply for football in recent years.

I have no idea if we even tried to fix the CAA.

This proposed conference reminds me of the mythical “Magnolia League” from rumors years ago. It would rock!

It remains to be seen how this move affects the program long term. I’m going to give it a chance and see what happens. When we dropped to I-AA in the early 80’s I felt like the world had ended. Then a similar feeling when we joined the Yankee v. Southern in mid 80’s. Obviously a lot has changed since those days, but Spiders football is still alive and I’ll support it.

Ha. Somewhere there is a JMU fan saying “I told you so.” They predicted the Spiders to the Patriot League in 2006.

Go Spiders!

When we switched to I-AA, our football world did end.

 

[Spiders4ever]

I could see Villanova joining a watered down ACC if Clemson, FSU, UNC and others bolt.

 

[DTSpider]

I don't see WM going anywhere...Nova is a different atory

W&M friends all seem to think they are moving

 

[Wood Hall]

The CAA as a football conference will not exist for much longer after we leave.

Interesting discussion on the Holy Cross football message board. It gets bogged down with academic minutia about halfway through but they are very glad we are joining their league.

Richmond joining the PL in 2025 | Crossports

BIG NEWS! I've been beating this drum for a whi

crossports.freeforums.net

 

[SFspidur]

JOC Q&A with Russ about impacts of the announcement so far.

Nothing earth-shattering...the response assistants have been getting on the recruiting trail has been fine, hasn't really been able to gauge the reaction of the players since most haven't been back to campus yet, thinks there may be a bit of a shift in the type of prospects UR recruits, and he hopes this is the last interview he has to do about the topic.

What's Russ Huesman been hearing about Spiders' shift to Patriot League?

Friday marks one month since the University of Richmond announced that its football program would move from the CAA to the Patriot League for the 2025 season.

richmond.com

 

[SFspidur]

JOC talked to Haley about the move. He was a bit surprised, but acknowledged that the Patriot League has been improving and that UR has to have done its due diligence. Thinks it opens the door to an easier path to the playoffs and that W&M and Villanova are certainly possible further additions.

Haley projects that Richmond, which has made the FCS playoffs and won a postseason game each of the last two years, will be viewed as a Patriot League title contender immediately after switching conferences.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to dispute that,” said Haley. “I think this is a move that will put them into the (playoff) mix year-in and year-out, not that they aren’t already.”

“Once one makes a move, others are going to look a little closer themselves,” he said. “Especially William & Mary, having a rivalry with the University of Richmond. There’s hardly anything off the table these days in college athletics, so …”

League shift may offer less congested path to FCS playoffs for Spiders

“I think this is a move that will put them into the (playoff) mix year-in and year-out, not that they aren’t already.”

richmond.com