NCAA Might Weed Out D-IA Football SmallFrys

[Dr. Mac]

From USAToday

Up to 20 schools could be relegated to I-AA

The NCAA is expected to move closer next week toward new guidelines that one official estimates could pare as many as 20 schools from college football's big-time Division I-A.

The association's Management Council, meeting in Indianapolis on Monday and Tuesday, will weigh proposed scheduling, attendance, scholarship and other requirements designed to weed out I-A pretenders and discourage lower-division wannabes. Further votes are scheduled for the spring and, if ultimately approved, the measures could go into effect in 2004.

They would require I-A schools to hand out at least 90% (or 76.5) of the 85 football scholarships allotted to major-college programs in a given season and offer a minimum of 16 sports (including at least four men's and six women's) and 200 scholarships overall.

More problematic for some schools, however, could be additional stipulations that football programs play at least five regular-season home games vs. I-A opponents each season and average no less than 15,000 in attendance. Twenty-eight of the 115 I-A programs failed to meet one of those criteria over the past two seasons, and several schools ? including many in the Mid-American Conference and the Sun Belt ? fell short of both.

MAC member Kent State, for example, met four I-A opponents at home a year ago and will play only four again this season, and the Golden Flashes averaged a division-low 8,473 for home games vs. major-college opponents the past two seasons. They drew just 2,973 for last week's victory over Northern Illinois.

"The track it's on right now, I would see maybe 20" schools falling out of Division I-A, Management Council chairman Charles Harris, commissioner of the I-AA Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Among other things, if the NCAA approves proposed new criteria for membership in Division I-A, schools will have to play at least five home games vs. I-A opponents every year and average at least 15,000 in attendance ? probably over a rolling two-year period.

In danger of falling from I-A

Averaged less than 15,000 in home attendance:
School - Average
Kent State - 8,473
Eastern Michigan - 9,421
Akron - 9,874
Bowling Green - 10,173
Northern Illinois - 11,881
Arkansas State - 12,152
Louisiana-Monroe - 12,376
San Jose State - 13,588
Buffalo - 13,831

Averaged fewer than five home games vs. I-A:

? Mid-American Conference (9): Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Ohio U., Western Michigan.

? Sun Belt (7): Arkansas State, Idaho, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee State, New Mexico State, North Texas.

? Western Athletic (5): Boise State, Louisiana Tech, Rice, San Jose State, Texas-El Paso.

? Conference USA (3): Houston, Southern Mississippi, UAB.

? Independents (2): Central Florida, Utah State

At this point I think there is no real reason for the NCAA to be hung up on the I-A or I-AA designation since the BCS criteria will determine who gets to compete for the big revenue bowl games anyway. Only a certain number of schools will have the means to compete and qualify per the BCS criteria. I'm beginning to think that Roy Krammer had it right; designate all of the schools division I and let them field the the level of program each is capable of. Competing or not competing for the BCS will determine the amount of scholarships a school will have; the NCAA does not need another criteria.

I also believe that all of this is a move on the NCAA's part to save the DI-AA football tourney. This could be because many smaller conferences are looking at the SWAC's championship game's success and might be considering staging their own championship game and/or mini-bowls with other conference champions.

But any way it turns out, the NCAA's rich will get richer with this proposal.

Regards.

 

[Jag Voice]

I agree Mac.. Have one division and let the individual programs decide how competitive they want to be. Most major conferences have their own minimum standards anyway.

 

[EB]

This move does not surprise me. It is not the first time that smaller division 1-A schools were purge from 1-A. UMass was division one before the formation of 1-AA. The Citadel use to play a lot of 1-A schools regularly.

 

[TSU Tiger Fan in DC]

EB. there were HBCU's that were D-1 as well.

Tennessee State was the first D-1 HBCU followed by FAMU. I may be wrong but I think Southern, Grambling and J-State were as well. But it was all short lived anyway when the formation of D1-AA came about. Designated them D1-AA kept them at D1 but it also brought into the fold a bunch of DII schools that were above the DII criterion that was created as a result the formation of D1-AA. Realistically they probably should have D1, D2, D3, etc. and call it a day. D1-A fans and the media treats D1-AA like second class schools anyway. And, more than likely probably always will.

One thing that I noticed is that the NCAA changed a couple of things with the proposal that safeguards some ACC teams. The original attendance requirement for D1-A proposed to be 20,000. If it had remained at the level Duke and possibly UNC might have found themselves in some trouble because they were below 20,000 per game. But we all know that the NCAA was not going to allow that to happen to Duke. So, they effectively lowered the requirement which allows Duke to stay in D1-A.

Go figure.....

 

[EB]

I remember TSU being a 1-A team. I do not remember any SWAC team being in 1-A. I did not know that FAMU was ever 1-A but do remember them winning the 1-AA title.

 

[Bengal E]

Where does this leave us??

If they bump those schools back down, IMO that leaves us out. As we try to attempt to schedule 1-A and 1-AA PWC's, if they're more in the fold, they may figure it's better to play them and neglect us. Just when they may be beginning to see they need us and try to figure out a way to pimp us, someone else may come along. How ironic....

If they classify everyone as D1, that could possibly work in our favor. I think it could level the recruiting field. Everyone would be D1, so they couldn't undercut our programs and slander us, well they could, but you know what I mean. Also it may help with conference realignment. If the financially stronger HBCU's gave more scholarships than other HBCU's perhaps they could realign or form new conferences, similar to the superconference talk. But definitely, the rich would get way more richer and everyone else would be left behind.

 

[BayouClassic]

Numbers for ULM

That isht is a joke! They barely have 100 people at their games. I went to their homecoming game (after halftime, dayum sure wasn't going to pay to get in!!!!) and there may have been 200 people there! LOL!

On the real, 12,000, that is a bit of an extreme for them!!!! That I can't believe. They never should have moved up. They didn't have the resources to do it nor the fan or alumni support! It was a bad move for them and they should have been put back in D I-AA.

Just my $19.01!