Lehigh Football Nation

Ok, Part I gave us a pretty good explanation of the playing field. Now we can judge the candidates. Who is a good shot for expansion? Who isn't? Let's not waste time - let's jump into Part II! Strong Contenders for All-Sports Membership JOHNS HOPKINS The Blue Jays appear to be the perfect type of school that the Patriot League could be targeting. Competing in the D-III Centennial Conference in football (and in all other sports, save lacrosse), if you look at their recently upgraded facilities and teams, they are a "D-III school in a D-I body." Facility-wise, the Jays could put some other Patriot League schools' athletic training rooms to shame. Academically, there are zero questions - they are exactly what the Patriot League wants. If you're in the Top 20 Universites nationally , you've got an open Patriot League invite. Athletically, Johns Hopkins' Men's Lacrosse team (competing as a Division I independent) captured the NCAA t...

This talk about Patriot League Expansion was so big that I ended up breaking it into two sections. Part I will be published tonight. Tune in tomorrow for Part II! A Local Piece Makes a Big Stink It's funny how a little Sunday piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, labelled "District Spotlight" , can have such a big impact on the Patriot League and expectations for expansion. This piece talks about Duquesne's prospects from moving "out of a deluded [sic] MAAC" and into another conference for football. It's clear that Duquesne is growing tired of playing in a non-scholarship conference with five schools (and the scheduling headaches that come with that) every year. Here are the quotes that affect Patriot League Football directly: "The Patriot League isn't taking any additional members just for football," [Duquense AD Greg] Amodio said. "I want to make it understood that Duquesne is not leaving the Atlantic 10 Conference... [and t]here...

Summer is basically here. Though it's hot, and you're probably thinking about bikinis on the beach, ice cream, gelati, or that long drive with your family to the beach, as a public service I'm going to be starting a new series to help you, the starving I-AA football fan, get through these hot summer months. Though Patriot League Media Day is months away, and its almost 90 days until Lehigh opens against Albany at Murray Goodman, the Get Through the Summer Series, or GTTS, will tackle some the big issues facing the Patriot League and I-AA football today. It will also include my Spring Roundup and my Patriot League Preview. It will be coming out every Wednesday night for your reading enjoyment. This Wednesday I'll talk all about Patriot League expansion. Where does it stand? Who could be a target? How likely is it to happen? It may be summer, but you'll find out - football season is just starting to heat up.