Atlantic 10 votes for two divisions

The Atlantic 10 Football Conference will go back to a two-division alignment beginning with the 2004 season.

Atlantic 10 directors of athletics concluded their fall meetings Tuesday in Philadelphia, where they finalized the divisional makeup for 2004.

With Towson University (Md.) joining the Atlantic 10 next year, the conference membership increases to an even 12 schools. As a result, directors of athletics have split the A-10 into two divisions based largely on geographic considerations.

The University of Maine, one of the charter members of the former Yankee Conference, has been placed in the North division along with traditional rivals Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, along with Northeastern and Hofstra.

The South will consist of Delaware, James Madison, Richmond, Towson, Villanova and William & Mary.

Beginning next season, each team will play an eight-game conference schedule that includes one game against each of the division opponents plus three games against teams in the other division.

This fall, A-10 teams are playing against nine of the other 10 conference teams.

League ADs also unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to competing successfully on a national level in Division I-AA football, which includes full support of the current scholarship limit of 63. The directors also charged the A-10 with requesting the NCAA conduct a comprehensive national survey of the full I-AA membership.