Nobody can really be surprised Northeastern dropped football.

It's been rumored for the past several years. Given the program's poor record and extremely substandard facilities, this move will surprise no one.

It'll be interesting to see how the Colonial Athletic Association reacts.

Since the CAA has taken over, Georgia State and Old Dominion have both added a football program and will be joining the CAA. The CAA North teams have long been at least concerned about the league's power base moving south. The demise of the Huskies leaves the CAA with one fewer northern team.

In the short term the CAA will have to figure out scheduling for next season. My understanding from a couple of league sources is that Old Dominion, which is joining the CAA in 2011 will not join a year early. So more than likely every one will play eight of the 10 teams, while missing two.  So UMass which was scheduled to play Villanova, Towson and William & Mary as its CAA South opponents next year would now face one of James Madison, Richmond or Delaware as well, the league tries to keep its interdivision schedule pattern as intact as possible.

Teams all over the FCS, including UMass, and lower divisions will
likely try to recruit Northeastern players, who are all more or less
free agents now. Because the program has been dropped, the players will
not have to sit out a season after transferring. Any players, who'd
given Northeastern a verbal committment are now up for grabs as well.

Nate Thellen, Northeastern's talented defensive back, whose
brother Darren plays at UMass, would be a likely target for the
Minutemen if Thellen chooses to continue his football career. But enough of his credits would have to transfer for him to be eligible.

John
Griffin, who rushed for a 1,000 yards this year a junior, will also
likely be looking for a place to play one more season. He's from
Westminster, Mass.

In the long term, when the league expands, it will eventually have 13 teams. Does it add another to reach 14? Or does the rumors of the league splitting eventually become a reality?

A split could be the nightmare scenario for UMass.  The CAA would have to include: Delaware, James Madison, William & Mary Towson, Hofstra, Old Dominion and Georgia State, which are all full members of the conference.

It could add two more teams and play a full eight-game league schedule.  Villanova would likely be the next most logical team to stay with that group. The Wildcats make sense geographically as are certainly a quality program.

Before joining the Atlantic 10 in all sports, Richmond was originally an member of the CAA in all sports. Geographically keeping Richmond and its rivalries with W&M and JMU makes the most sense. But whether any bad blood exists from the all-sports departure remains to be seen.

If Richmond goes that leaves UMass with New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island to start or join a new league with Central Connecticut? Albany? Stony Brook? Fordham? Bryant?

And whose to say for certain that any of them will still have football in three years. None of those schools are flush with money and football isn't cheap.

Check back for more on this later. I'll have reaction from former UMass and Northeastern head coach Don Brown, CAA commisioner Tom Yeager, UMass athletic director John McCutcheon and hopefully Kevin Morris.