OT: D1

[Fightingscot82]

Since you formerly worked at a NEC school what other schools in the conference can you see dropping down?

Just told a former PSAC head coach that if Andy Toole leaves, I could see RMU dropping to D2. Yes, they're now in the Horizon, but the school funded its expansion on enrollment growth that didn't stick around.

In reality, nearly all of the current NEC members should be D2, especially the one in Erie. Some and maybe most of the MAAC - several who were D2 schools not long ago - would be better off in D2. Most of these schools have lost enrollment and will continue to do so and generally aren't good at fundraising with the exception of a handful of gonzo donors. Reinvest in D2 football in the Northeast!

All but one of the NEC members are private schools so they're just budgeting the discounting to cover the athletic scholarships and paying the operational costs of the programs. If they didn't factor in the discounts, I bet several spend less than the top PSAC schools. A lot jumped up to D1 before the rules changed 40 years ago. RMU went straight from junior college sports to D1. The schools with stronger finances like the MAAC and America East should consolidate, too, and force the "D1 in name only" to pony up or drop down.

[TheBigCat2192]

First school drops out of D1 and surprise it's a PA school. NEC Member St. Francis leaving the NEC and dropping down to D3 in 2026.

https://x.com/SamHerderFCS/status/1904568094921482681

I guess this puts the idea that SFU is one of the mystery schools the PSAC might be looking to add to rest. I wonder how many of their players will be hitting the portal ASAP.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I guess this puts the idea that SFU is one of the mystery schools the PSAC might be looking to add to rest. I wonder how many of their players will be hitting the portal ASAP.

A ton of them. Imagine how bad their teams will be next year.

I'd have to think the PSAC would have taken them. Interesting going to D3.

[TheBigCat2192]

A ton of them. Imagine how bad their teams will be next year.

I'd have to think the PSAC would have taken them. Interesting going to D3.

They must have wanted to get out of the scholarship game entirely. I still don’t know if dropping to D3 is going to be enough to dodge paying players if (when?) they’re deemed employees.

[IUP24]

They must have wanted to get out of the scholarship game entirely. I still don’t know if dropping to D3 is going to be enough to dodge paying players if (when?) they’re deemed employees.

That's a good point related to if they ever straight up get to that point. A lot of people seem to forget that the $20.5 million which will be codified through the House settlement is not necessarily a "requirement." Nobody mandates that a particular HAS to spend to that level for revenue sharing dollars.

I still think it will be interesting to see the distribution and how some schools allocate that money. I also am intrigued to see some basketball schools handle this and how that will all shake out. For example, a school like Creighton or Drake could conceivably become a D1 basketball power. They can now pay up to $20.5 million to field a basketball team. Nearby B1G schools like Iowa or Nebraska are concerned with football first. Drake has atrocious FCS football. I don't even think Creighton has a team. Schools like that can really make hey with this. They don't have to spend 20.5 million, but if they really invested heavily into basketball, look out.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

They must have wanted to get out of the scholarship game entirely. I still don’t know if dropping to D3 is going to be enough to dodge paying players if (when?) they’re deemed employees.

A lot of the privates think they have a big disadvantage when it comes to recruiting against the lowly state schools. One of Seton Hill's biggest concerns when it joined was them having 'actual academic standards'. I'd assume that notion at least entered the conversation in Loretto.

Seton Hill felt it had a huge disadvantage because the other league members will pretty much admit anybody with a pulse. That part, by the way, is pretty accurate.

[IUP24]

A lot of the privates think they have a big disadvantage when it comes to recruiting against the lowly state schools. One of Seton Hill's biggest concerns when it joined was them having 'actual academic standards'. I'd assume that notion at least entered the conversation in Loretto.

Seton Hill felt it had a huge disadvantage because the other league members will pretty much admit anybody with a pulse. That part, by the way, is pretty accurate.

I'm pretty certain that's every university out there right now. Lol

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Well, as of this moment, St. Francis doesn't really have a basketball team. It has a program, but no players. As expected about the entire roster is in the portal.

I'd have to guess the same thing is happening within the football program.

If I was a PSAC coach, I'd already be on the way up there.

[EastStroud13]

If SFU felt like they don't need to offer scholarships to attract athletes to their institution, then D3 makes sense as it saves the most money. I am curious how they fare, because they will have good facilities for the D3 level. But there is a lot of D3 competition in the Northeast. It is difficult to stand out at that level if your institution cannot stand out on its own.

[Fightingscot82]

I'm pretty certain that's every university out there right now. Lol

Slippery Rock with the lowest acceptance rate in PASSHE at 71%, but in general for colleges that's a horse sh*t statistic anymore now that 75% of high school graduates have a 3.5 GPA and if they even take the SAT they've spent a lifetime taking standardized tests designed to align with the SAT. The schools with 90%+ are indeed taking most, but I have to think there's nothing wrong with that. The rigor of the classes won't change. Professors can be as stubborn as a 3 year old. Providing opportunity is fine - but those students likely don't have the personal discipline to focus on school when they suddenly are overwhelmed with new freedom.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If SFU felt like they don't need to offer scholarships to attract athletes to their institution, then D3 makes sense as it saves the most money. I am curious how they fare, because they will have good facilities for the D3 level. But there is a lot of D3 competition in the Northeast. It is difficult to stand out at that level if your institution cannot stand out on its own.

I don't know ... Loretto has the feeling of being on Pluto. Good luck to them.

[Fightingscot82]

If SFU felt like they don't need to offer scholarships to attract athletes to their institution, then D3 makes sense as it saves the most money. I am curious how they fare, because they will have good facilities for the D3 level. But there is a lot of D3 competition in the Northeast. It is difficult to stand out at that level if your institution cannot stand out on its own.

I don't think this will fare well for them. There's WAY too much competition for private schools with D3 sports in this region. There's way too much competition for Catholic private schools in this region. There's not a single standout degree program at SFU - they're fine academically as most of us - but there isn't a magnet program to get kids there. A good bit of enrollment was enticed by "an offer to play Division 1"

[iupgroundhog]

I think St. Francis (PA) is a perfect fit for D3 athletics.

[IUPNation]

First school drops out of D1 and surprise it's a PA school. NEC Member St. Francis leaving the NEC and dropping down to D3 in 2026.

https://x.com/SamHerderFCS/status/1904568094921482681

Most of this schools that moved up were foolish. I saw the 16 seeds get hammered. What is the benefit in that?

[TheBigCat2192]

That's a good point related to if they ever straight up get to that point. A lot of people seem to forget that the $20.5 million which will be codified through the House settlement is not necessarily a "requirement." Nobody mandates that a particular HAS to spend to that level for revenue sharing dollars.

I still think it will be interesting to see the distribution and how some schools allocate that money. I also am intrigued to see some basketball schools handle this and how that will all shake out. For example, a school like Creighton or Drake could conceivably become a D1 basketball power. They can now pay up to $20.5 million to field a basketball team. Nearby B1G schools like Iowa or Nebraska are concerned with football first. Drake has atrocious FCS football. I don't even think Creighton has a team. Schools like that can really make hey with this. They don't have to spend 20.5 million, but if they really invested heavily into basketball, look out.

It’s also worth remembering that the money in question isn’t actually revenue sharing. Schools can get to that so-called cap (or their target number if they’re aiming lower) any way they’d like. So even schools that bring in little revenue could spend $20m if they can find the money. A quote from this article seems like a decent primer (and the rest of the article touches on your point about selection in spending):

First, a note which probably seems pedantic, but I’m gonna share it anyway. The payments that are going out from school to athlete via the settlement aren’t technically revenue sharing agreements, even though that is, by far, the easiest shorthand way to describe them.

The “salary cap” number of $20ish million might have been calculated using various formulas based on earned athletic revenue from major programs (TV money, ticket sales, etc). But any school is permitted to share up to the cap, regardless of how much revenue they actually earn.

Here’s an example. Wright State reported total athletic revenues in FY24 of $11,656,973. But even most of that money came from direct institutional support…more than $8 million. The school reported less than $4 million of what you and I might commonly consider to be revenue…stuff they earned from media rights, sponsorship sales, parking passes, tickets, etc.

I agree that there’s potential for mid-majors to make strides in certain sports compared to their neighbors who are weighed down by football commitments. Of course there is still going to be NIL money and that might offset whatever gains are made by mid-majors allocating their “House” money in basketball or niche sports. We have yet to see how the so-called “Clearinghouse” will work or how long it will last before another group of athletes who weren’t part of this lawsuit sue over it.