When Boston College decided in 2003 to make a clean break from the Big East and head for the greener (in every sense of the word) pastures of the ACC, many wondered if the impact of that move would trickle down Commonwealth Avenue.
And while Boston University did not join in the dizzying conference carousel that eventually caused more than 20 schools to switch leagues, it wasn’t because no one asked.
According to Director of Athletics Mike Lynch, the Colonial Athletic Association came calling earlier this year and presented President ad interim Aram Chobanian with a “nice professional presentation,” if not a formal offer. While fellow America East member and neighbor Northeastern University jumped at the CAA’s offer, Lynch said the time was not right for a move.
“The Colonial certainly enticed Northeastern to leave the league, and they were interested in having Boston University join that league as well,” Lynch said. “But we decided that at the present time, the Colonial was not the best place for BU. We’re happy in the league that we’re in now, although we would like to see the league get stronger.”
While Lynch claims that the CAA was interested in both Boston schools, the circumstances surrounding the decision could not have been more different for the two universities.
Northeastern has a strong football program that started the season ranked in the Top 20 of the Division I-AA poll and currently plays in the Atlantic 10 football conference. With Northeastern now in the mix, there is talk that the football-playing schools in the CAA will form one division that plays football while the other half will stay off the gridiron.
On the other side of the coin, BU’s biggest moneymaker – men’s ice hockey – does not even play in the America East. Without football to worry about, the Terriers seem to have a little more room to wait it out for a better offer.
“We’re also trying to strengthen the athletic department to the point where if opportunities arrive in more high profile conferences, we could be prepared to make a change if it was something that was in the best interest of the university at the time,” Lynch said.
“We still have a number of strong teams in the conference, and part of our job is to try to make that league as strong as it can be regardless of who is in it. So I wouldn’t say that there’s a heck of a lot of alarm out there about Northeastern leaving.”
Northeastern’s departure puts a damper on what has developed into an interesting rivalry with BU. In both men’s and women’s basketball, the Huskies and Terriers have been in the top half of the league in recent years. Last season’s home men’s basketball game against the Huskies drew a lot of attention on campus and a sellout crowd of almost 1,800 at “The Roof” for the 82-68 BU win.
Lynch said that while “you obviously never want to see anyone leave your league,” he has been in contact with Northeastern coaches and Athletic Director Dave O’Brien and has been assured that the teams will continue to square off in most sports.
One new development in the move came late in the summer, when the three parties involved in the move – the CAA, the America East and Northeastern – decided it was best to allow Northeastern to leave after this season instead of waiting for 2006-2007. Unlike when BC left the Big East, Northeastern will not have to pay an exit fee to the America East.
“We do have a withdrawal policy in our bylaws,” said America East Commissioner Chris Monasch, who added that the conference was not actively seeking a school to replace Northeastern. “But all three parties agreed that it was best to expedite the situation, and they’ll leave after this year.”
CAA Commissioner Thomas Yeager was out of the office Thursday and unable to be reached.
If nothing else, Northeastern’s move will drastically change the Huskies’ travel plans. Instead of long bus rides to places like Orono, Maine and Burlington, Vt., the Huskies will cruise down to Logan Airport for flights to places like Richmond, Va. (Virginia Commonwealth University) and Wilmington, N.C. (UNC-Wilmington).
For BU, the status quo will just have to do for now. Unless something drastic changes in the next few years, the Terriers will remain in a league that sends just one team to the NCAA Tournament in men’s basketball and struggles to find respect across the board. According to Lynch, the Terriers will try to improve their program and keep an eye out for a league that better fits their needs.
“Realistically speaking, there is probably not going to be another major shift in conferences in the next five years,” Lynch said. “But if there are more changes in the big leagues, then there’s going to be more changes in leagues like the Atlantic 10, which I think would be a situation that BU would strongly consider.”
The Atlantic 10 has already added UNC-Charlotte and Saint Louis University, both of whom will begin play in 2005.
“I’ve talked to a number of my colleagues around the country,” Lynch said. “We’d like to consider ourselves a good option for some of these bigger more nationally known conferences, particularly since we have this beautiful new building [Agganis Arena] on campus and we’re the sixth largest media market in the nation.”
Needless to say, Lynch will be waiting by his phone for the next few years. And if the right voice is at the other end, the Terriers could be setting up shop in a brand new house.