http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/yb/136838107
All appear to coexist well now, but questions abound about possible changes in the league alignment, or even a split into two leagues.
"I hope they don't ever feel that way, but everybody's got to make those calls," said Yeager, who explained there aren't any such changes forthcoming -- for the moment.
"There are challenges, but when you look at what are the benefits, and what would we lose going a different direction, I think at this point, with all the complications, we still believe that the benefits outweigh the tradeoff," he said.
Cosgrove and UMaine athletic director Blake James both think the university and the CAA are a good fit.
"We fully fund our football program as well as, if not better than, teams in the league as far as scholarships," said James, who pointed to UMaine's recently renovated Morse Field at d Alfond Stadium, the Mahaney Dome practice facility and the Latti Fitness Center as other key pieces of infrastructure.
"We have a very good situation. I don't see anything out there that would put us at a disadvantage," James added.
Cosgrove said UMaine utilizes its position in the powerhouse CAA as a drawing card. The number of national champions and playoff teams from the league, as well as its reputation, are attractive to recruits.
"We say those things to our student-athletes that we recruit to get them here and we promote it because if you're good in this league, you're pretty darned good," Cosgrove said.
CAA also has television deals to air 50 of its games this fall.
"I've always thought that we need to be in this league because it raises the standard of excellence that we can achieve as a football program," Cosgrove added.
The present setup, which involves two, six-team divisions based mostly on geography, seems to work well for most CAA teams,. Teams play five games against division teams and three against squads in the other division.
That leaves three nonleague games, usually including one profitable matchup against a Football Bowl Subdivision program. This season, four CAA teams beat FBS foes.
"It helps recruiting. It helps profile," Yeager said.
It has been suggested travel outside the division creates hardships for some teams. It's a sentiment that sometimes arises when South Division teams have to play in Orono.
Yeager pointed out most CAA teams, including UMaine, are near major airports and use charter flights rather than commercial arrangements.
He said teams generally are looking at a maximum of three flights to CAA games every two years, regardless of which division they're playing in.
That reality helps diffuse the misconception that a split of CAA teams into two leagues -- one in the Northeast and one in the Mid-Atlantic -- would result in a big cost savings.
"Even if you broke away, you haven't really changed the economy of who you're playing," said Yeager, who surmised teams would then likely have to charter flights for some added nonleague opponents, erasing any potential savings.
After the addition of Georgia State, there will be changes. Yeager said the league's southernmost school would be placed in the North Division. And the Panthers will play four games against teams in each division.
That was a concession to South teams that did not want to relocate to the North. It also will lead to some teams not playing a geographic or traditional rival as the schedule rotates every two years.
"Some of the alignment things that look to be in the future are a little skewed," Cosgrove said of the current plan.
What may eventually force the CAA's hand is continued expansion. There are four CAA schools that do not sponsor football, but some appear to have the means to do so.
