Huskyman

Field hockey I believe. If Stony Brook also leaves you have a lot more on the chopping block (Baseball, softball, and mens and womens lacrosse)

bosiydid

At least we aren't loosing any NCAA basketball teams...

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Rally Cat

This is a big loss for the conference. That being said I guess we can now move the League Headquarters as we somehow managed to lose both Boston teams. As far as BU goes, my guess is you will have better basketball success against the Service Academies than you did over the past decade against Vermont!!!

jeffniemann99

As a BU fan I have pretty mixed feelings.

On one side I like the academic focus of the Patriot League. The older I get the more I wish BU focused on academics. You could actually convince me that the best move for BU would have been to drop down to D-3 and join the nerdy-9. Those schools fit the mold of what I think BU should strive for. I'm saying this as a die-hard basketball fan by the way.

On the other side this means the A-10 dream is dead. About 8-10 years ago it seemed very likely that BU would eventually make a move to the A-10 and every year that's gone by it's seemed less and less likely and today that dream has gone from deferred to dead.

Just to make one point clear, I'm a firm believer than the Patriot League is a much better scenario for BU than the CAA. Almost impossible (at least historically) for teams from the North to make the NCAA tournament out of the CAA. Even with the upcoming departures, there's too much travel and too many inferior academic schools. This was a much better option.

lsbal84

As I would have guessed the AE is once again in he position to be reactive rather than proactive. Credit to the Patriot League for their proactive behavior. It will be very strange not having BU in the league as it just feels like forever.

Blakely4Prez

Does anyone know if BU can play in the 2012-2013 AE Postseason?

ccd494

I don't think that's a decision that can be made without a bunch of meetings and votes.

BingGrad

Northeastern was eligible the year that they left, and I don't recall hearing of any rule changes so I assume the answer is yes.

The CAA's rule isn't helping them. Without it, I have to think that VCU stays around for one more season.

Quickdraw62

VERY interesting question, but since I'm unsure of the rule if there is one), perhaps someone can look it up? If I'm the AE Commish, the last thing I want is a lame-duck school getting my automatic bid to the tournament....

TerrierNation

This is pretty shocking. I do really like the move overall though. Better basketball than the AE typically and better academic schools. I hope the academic standards don't affect recruiting. Travel costs are essentially the same.

And Jeffnie is right about the A10. It's not likely unless the Big East implodes and then there's an excellent chance BU could still end up with the likes of Fordham, GW, St. Joes, etc. But until then it isn't likely because BU hasn't had quite enough success and the A10 power base out west will lobby for schools like Creighton and George Mason.

I'm guessing AD Lynch probably had a pulse on what the A10 will/would do if /when UMASS leaves for all sports. That probably factored into his decision.

The one question I have is whether or not BU turned down a CAA invite. The part about the CAA that was less attractive is the fact that UD, JMU and George Mason all stand a very good shot at leaving that league in the next 3-5 years. If he turned them down, I hope he did due diligence and assessed travel costs.

Anyone think Albany has a shot?

If SBU and Albany had/have a CAA invite, then Lynch absolutely made a great move. SBU alone leaving probably represents enough of a reason to bolt although QU represents an excellent replacement.

bingbearcats

I can't see why any NEC school would want to join the AE now that BU is gone and SBU might be on the way out.

Of course, by this logic, SBU shouldn't want to join the CAA now that its better programs are leaving.

TerrierNation

Can anyone with some knowledge on the subject tell me which sports (that BU sponsors) are going to experience a downgrade by moving from AE to the Patriot League? And will all of BU sports (except hockey) compete in the Patriot League?

Any word on buy in/buy out fees?

BU Fan 84

Men's and women's hockey, men's rowing and wrestling are not in the PL. I don't have conference RPI listings on hand for every sport, but I believe for the most part, every sport is an upgrade. I am not sure about track and field and swimming and diving. There are some years that the AE is stronger than the PL in soccer, but I believe overall the Patriot League is generally better. Not much better, but a bit better. I don't know that the upgrade is enough to put BU over the edge that they've been walking in field hockey, lacrosse and soccer - very good teams that win a game in the NCAA tournament but always seem to end up losing to a major conference team in the next round. If that cieling is going to be broken, it's going to have to come from BU itself rather than a new conference affiliation.

usslider

"All but four of the University’s intercollegiate teams will join the Patriot League, which played its first season in 1986. Men’s and women’s ice hockey teams will remain in Hockey East, one of the nation’s premier collegiate hockey conferences. Because the Patriot League doesn’t sponsor men’s rowing or wrestling, BU teams in those sports will remain in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges and the Colonial Athletic Association, respectively."

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TerrierNation

Sounds pretty seamless. Thanks 84 and Slider. I hope BU actually makes an effort to host a conference tournament. Looks like it's held at campus sites though. Not sure if I like that yet or not.

Now, where do we BU fans go to discuss all things Patriot league? Is there a conference forum?