A-10 football is sacked

R.I.P. Atlantic 10 football. At least that will be the case following the 2006 season, when all 12 members of the A-10 football conference become part of the Colonial Athletic Association.

The A-10, which has produced three Division 1-AA national football champions, had wanted to create a 1-AA super conference in football, as well as a big-time basketball league.

But in this case, the CAA had more juice. "Basically a hostile takeover," said one A-10 official, who watched the battle between the leagues unfold.

The new CAA football conference will include Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Rhode Island, Richmond, Towson, Villanova, and William & Mary. The teams will compete in the A-10 in 2005 and 2006, and become the CAA in 2007. Five A-10 football schools already compete in the CAA in other sports.

"We have thoroughly enjoyed our association with the institutions which comprise the Atlantic 10 Football Conference," said A-10 commissioner Linda Bruno in a statement. "We are proud of our institutions and the fact that the greatest success in the history of the Yankee Conference/Atlantic 10 football conference has occurred in the last eight years with three national champions. We look forward to two more seasons of the Atlantic 10 football conference being the best in the nation."

Northeastern already had announced it is leaving the America East Conference for the CAA in basketball, starting with the 2006-07 season. The move in football gives more continuity to the school's athletic programs. "Having most of our teams in one conference makes things much easier," said NU athletic director Dave O'Brien. "It will be a lot easier on everyone."

. . .

As part of the Atlantic Coast Conference-Big East settlement, nine football games have been scheduled between teams in each conference from 2008-12, including a visit by Miami to Pittsburgh. Other games are home-and-home series between Florida State and West Virginia, North Carolina and Rutgers, North Carolina State and Pittsburgh, and Virginia and Connecticut . . . Boston University's men's basketball team will play a Preseason NIT game next season at Duke, which could very well be the preseason No. 1 team in the nation . . . Boston College's proposal to host the ACC baseball tournament at Fenway Park will be discussed this weekend at the conference's spring meetings in Amelia Island, Fla., and will likely be approved for the 2007 tournament.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.