July 1 - Moving Day 2024

[TheBigCat2192]

Given this statement from the UNH website:

New Haven will be integrated into NEC athletic schedules beginning with the 2025-26 academic year, with the exception of football. The timing of New Haven football’s addition to the conference schedule is still to be determined.

I’m curious what New Haven is going to do for football this season. Are they going to bolt and play as an FCS independent for one year? Play as a D2 independent? Ask the NE-10 for a farewell tour?

[cwfenn]

Given this statement from the UNH website:



I’m curious what New Haven is going to do for football this season. Are they going to bolt and play as an FCS independent for one year? Play as a D2 independent? Ask the NE-10 for a farewell tour?

That's a great question - I was looking forward to the Slippery Rock game, but now if it goes on I guess Slippery Rock can claim a "D1" win if they win it!

My guess is that New Haven either plays out their schedule as is or they scramble to play a split schedule this year. The NEC has had a habit of pulling teams out the NE10 really, really late in the cycle and I'm not so sure the NE10 is going to be happy about it and let New Haven stick around. The NEC will (most likely?) slot New Haven into St Francis U's spot since they go down to D3 next year, but the wording on the statement about football for New Haven is a bit vague.

This is the NE10's statement:

https://northeast10.org/news/2025/5/...new-haven.aspx

[ctrabs74]

That's a great question - I was looking forward to the Slippery Rock game, but now if it goes on I guess Slippery Rock can claim a "D1" win if they win it!

My guess is that New Haven either plays out their schedule as is or they scramble to play a split schedule this year. The NEC has had a habit of pulling teams out the NE10 really, really late in the cycle and I'm not so sure the NE10 is going to be happy about it and let New Haven stick around. The NEC will (most likely?) slot New Haven into St Francis U's spot since they go down to D3 next year, but the wording on the statement about football for New Haven is a bit vague.

This is the NE10's statement:

https://northeast10.org/news/2025/5/...new-haven.aspx

The NEC did the same thing to the PSAC last year when Mercyhurst jumped on very short notice. Suffice to say that there are still a lot of hard feelings from the PSAC over that stunt.

[TheBigCat2192]

That's a great question - I was looking forward to the Slippery Rock game, but now if it goes on I guess Slippery Rock can claim a "D1" win if they win it!

My guess is that New Haven either plays out their schedule as is or they scramble to play a split schedule this year. The NEC has had a habit of pulling teams out the NE10 really, really late in the cycle and I'm not so sure the NE10 is going to be happy about it and let New Haven stick around. The NEC will (most likely?) slot New Haven into St Francis U's spot since they go down to D3 next year, but the wording on the statement about football for New Haven is a bit vague.

This is the NE10's statement:

https://northeast10.org/news/2025/5/...new-haven.aspx

I could absolutely understand the NE10 telling UNH to pound sand over the surprise departure. I could also see good reasons to let them play out one last year including:

1. The league would only have 8 football playing teams without UNH and there’s not an easy option to fill those schedule slots given the PSAC & MEC (easiest in-region travel) are basically already matched up. I suppose the NE10 could try and fill the spots of SAC members who lost Limestone on their schedule but that’s a lot of travel money.
2. New Haven has been the best program in the NE10 for the last 5-6 years and might be the best chance for the league to get a regional win
3. Finding another football-playing member on short notice is likely not going to be easy

[Bballfan]

I don't get this fascination with moving to D1 and then joining one of the worst conferences out there. But then there are a lot of D1 schools in the Northeast that have a joke of a D1 athletic program, so this is pretty much par for the course. Saint Francis got it.

[SW_Mustang]

I don't get this fascination with moving to D1 and then joining one of the worst conferences out there. But then there are a lot of D1 schools in the Northeast that have a joke of a D1 athletic program, so this is pretty much par for the course. Saint Francis got it.

It's a money thing for the school and an ego thing for the stakeholders. New Haven will be a non-factor as a DI. They weren't that great in DII either though, so not much will change.

[Inkblot]

I could absolutely understand the NE10 telling UNH to pound sand over the surprise departure. I could also see good reasons to let them play out one last year including:

1. The league would only have 8 football playing teams without UNH and there’s not an easy option to fill those schedule slots given the PSAC & MEC (easiest in-region travel) are basically already matched up. I suppose the NE10 could try and fill the spots of SAC members who lost Limestone on their schedule but that’s a lot of travel money.
2. New Haven has been the best program in the NE10 for the last 5-6 years and might be the best chance for the league to get a regional win
3. Finding another football-playing member on short notice is likely not going to be easy

Keeping New Haven on the NE10 schedules would not make New Haven eligible for the D2 playoffs.

[cwfenn]

It's a money thing for the school and an ego thing for the stakeholders. New Haven will be a non-factor as a DI. They weren't that great in DII either though, so not much will change.

This is one of my main concerns. New Haven had a few big moments in the past, but I fear they will end up in the low-major meat grinder like so many other schools that moved up.

[Bballfan]

It's definitely an ego thing. But your athletics will accomplish nothing in the grand scheme of things.

IDK. Maybe its time for the NCAA to require a minimum spending amount on athletics to remain at a D1 level. Just tired of all these D1 pretenders calling themselves "D1" when they couldn't even compete at a D2 level.

[laker]

NAIA school dropping sports.

https://seabeggars.com/general/2024-...20250502pdxj94

[Bballfan]

Props up for having one of the best mascot names though.

Cutting sports means the school is just one step from closing. Once you lose the athletes, there goes a bunch of your students.

[D2Rover]

I don't get this fascination with moving to D1 and then joining one of the worst conferences out there. But then there are a lot of D1 schools in the Northeast that have a joke of a D1 athletic program, so this is pretty much par for the course. Saint Francis got it.

I've come to assume that in the Northeast, you're generally going to lose on a national level whether you're D1 or D2, so there's not that much to lose by moving up. The positives of D1 (brand, money games, chance at the basketball tournament) are all still there, but your season still ends the same way every year that it did in D2. Even more true for the teams that lose in their D2 conference anyway, they really have nothing to lose.

[SW_Mustang]

It's definitely an ego thing. But your athletics will accomplish nothing in the grand scheme of things.

IDK. Maybe its time for the NCAA to require a minimum spending amount on athletics to remain at a D1 level. Just tired of all these D1 pretenders calling themselves "D1" when they couldn't even compete at a D2 level.

I've been chastised on this board before for thinking the same - DI is a promised land to people who care more about labels than athletics and competition.

But I agree - it's time for the NCAA to do something. DI doesn't need to be larger than 150 schools IMO. How we get there is beyond me, but I do know one thing - it's an unsustainable method.

[SW_Mustang]

I've come to assume that in the Northeast, you're generally going to lose on a national level whether you're D1 or D2, so there's not that much to lose by moving up. The positives of D1 (brand, money games, chance at the basketball tournament) are all still there, but your season still ends the same way every year that it did in D2. Even more true for the teams that lose in their D2 conference anyway, they really have nothing to lose.

The big difference between the two is they're going to spend a lot more money to reach the same outcome. In an era were overspent private schools are being dropped like a bad habit, it's a pretty interesting gamble.

[D2Rover]

I've been chastised on this board before for thinking the same - DI is a promised land to people who care more about labels than athletics and competition.

But I agree - it's time for the NCAA to do something. DI doesn't need to be larger than 150 schools IMO. How we get there is beyond me, but I do know one thing - it's an unsustainable method.

Step one - rename D2 and D3 so it isn't so blatantly evident which is one step up from the other. I don't know what to call it - Premier division or something like that - but I think it would be a good first step to encouraging teams to stay D2 and maybe even help encourage some bottom-dwelling D1s to consider D2 as a cost-saving move.