Automatic bids coming to D2 football in 2025, replacing Earned Access

[Purple Mav Man]

Not as bad as DIII athletics.

I guess it depends on how you measure it. They don’t have scholarship costs.

[boatcapt]

Not as bad as DIII athletics.

Probably true. But D3 operates differently than DII. D3 run athletics as more or less a method of bumping enrollment in the same way a DII might bump enrollment by starting a matching band or building a new dorm with AC and private bathrooms as a way to entice potential students to enroll.

[GorillaTeacher]

Probably true. But D3 operates differently than DII. D3 run athletics as more or less a method of bumping enrollment in the same way a DII might bump enrollment by starting a matching band or building a new dorm with AC and private bathrooms as a way to entice potential students to enroll.

D2 schools definitely offer athletics to boost enrollment.

[SW_Mustang]

Not as bad as DIII athletics.

Technically speaking yes - the revenues the football team gets from football activities is not enough to cover the cost of having the football team.

However with no roster limits and athletic scholarships, DIII schools can rake it in on tuition. They typically also have far less travel expense.

A lot of these schools are also private with big donor alumni. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison.

[SW_Mustang]

D2 schools definitely offer athletics to boost enrollment.

Absolutely, but IMO it's an apples-to-oranges comparison because the models aren't really scalable - they're just different. D2s have a higher cost to operate and will draw less tuition dollars per athlete (and less athletes overall), while getting roughly the same in ticket revenues in many cases.

I can't speak for every state but the Minnesota DIIIs also have a lot of big money donors that the D2 schools don't have since all but one of them is private.

[SW_Mustang]

Ding, ding, ding!

+1

Or any other way you have of saying a post is exactly right With very occasional exceptions, DII athletics is a money loser.

I'd go as far to say that the NCAA wants to actively mitigate losses by constricting small-division sports - which is why it's surprising that playoff games could be added. NCAA would prefer there be less of them.

I'm not sure what the cost breakdown is for participating schools vs. NCAA. nor do I know what the revenue distribution is for what little these games actually do produce, but the mothership is the one likely left holding the bag on a lot of the playoff expenses - and knowing the NCAA, they don't like that.