SAC Expansion

[Eagle74]

E&H would be a nice addition. Even though they are a D-3 program, their average football home attendance numbers are larger than most of the SAC schools. Also, with the SAC's leniency on football scholarships, with no minimums, E&H can go from D-3 to D-2 with only an investment of a scholarship or two.

[SACDADx3]

[cneagle99]

This article from "The Wake Weekly" in June might be what you are looking for but it's behind a paywall now. Bulldogs commence barking for Conference Carolinas football

Yup, that's it. I knew it had "barking" in the title, but couldn't find it. Thanks.

[Tech Boys]

There was an article in the local paper for Barton quoting the AD (it is several month's old and I can't put my finger on it now). It indicated that they needed 6 schools for the conference to add football and they were currently at 5 (UNCP, Chowan, North Greenville, Barton and Erskine). It indicated the conference was looking to add football, but gave no indication how they were getting to 6 schools.

This article from "The Wake Weekly" in June might be what you are looking for but it's behind a paywall now. Bulldogs commence barking for Conference Carolinas football

[cneagle99]

Is the Carolinas Conference actually planning to start sponsoring football, or is this just speculation? Is there any verifying source or official documentation of this anywhere? Just curious.

There was an article in the local paper for Barton quoting the AD (it is several month's old and I can't put my finger on it now). It indicated that they needed 6 schools for the conference to add football and they were currently at 5 (UNCP, Chowan, North Greenville, Barton and Erskine). It indicated the conference was looking to add football, but gave no indication how they were getting to 6 schools.

[Mule]

Is the Carolinas Conference actually planning to start sponsoring football, or is this just speculation? Is there any verifying source or official documentation of this anywhere? Just curious.

[ctrabs74]

Not necessarily. Frostburg State played a full MEC schedule in their first year of provisional D2 membership.

I guess it depends on the conference, because other transitioning D2 football programs didn't play a full league slate during their respective Year One seasons. I seem to recall Davenport being in that scenario when they moved from NAIA to D2; Davenport played a mixed NAIA/NCAA football schedule in Year One (2016), then began playing a full GLIAC slate in Year Two (2017). Mind you, the membership process has changed over the past few years, so I'm just going by my recollections.

[Eagle74]

Conference Carolinas requires it's members to be more in line with the NCAA's suggested recommendations for D-2 athletic scholarships, so as compared to the SAC (with no required minimums), it cost on average the Conference Carolinas members more per sport. This is one major reason those schools left Conference Carolinas, so I'm pretty confident that they will not be going back.

[RedFromMI]

I don't think that either Anderson or Limestone (or Queens or Coker for that matter) who are former Conference Carolinas members are likely to jump back to their former conference at all.

Exactly how would the existence of a _minimum_ scholarship requirement make that more likely? Exactly what would make them want to go back anyway?

[Eagle74]

At this time, the SAC's conference's 'no minimum scholarships' requirements is much more attractive to D-3 programs that are considering moving up to D-2, (they can actually transition one scholarship at a time). On the other hand, Conference Carolinas has implemented recommended NCAA Division -2 scholarship standards in the past to their sports, which was around the same time Anderson, Queens, and Coker jumped ship to the SAC where no requirements were / are in place. Chances are, and history has proven that when Conference Carolinas starts football, some minimum scholarship requirements will more than likely be put in place. The good news is that depending on Conference Carolina's level of scholarship requirements, Limestone and Anderson will probably opt to not make any moves, and remain with the SAC.

In today's times with schools dropping sports and even closing completely makes it so much harder to provide future movement. In Division 1, the Atlantic Sun and the CCSA were going to merge and form an extra conference. They were able to do because of the number of schools in the ASUN for a specific amount of time. When New Jersey IT jumped to a conference that was more their footprint with schools in the northeast, it has thrown the ASUN's plans into the fire. At the current rate even the large schools are uncertain about the place sports play in the school experience. Hopefully this vision is not for too much longer because what would we have nothing to discuss.

[cneagle99]

Article from June:

https://heraldcourier.com/sports/e-h...2d940397d.html


"The Emory & Henry board of trustees is scheduled to meet this weekend to discuss plans for the opening of classes this fall. According to multiple sources, one subject that might be brought up involves a study for E&H to move from the non-scholarship world of NCAA Division III athletics to NCAA Division II where scholarships are offered.

Newsome declined comment on the NCAA Division II subject."

[Dirty Harry]

I am in know way providing any news, but I have a question. Right now Division 1's MEAC is bailing water out of their conference quite a bit. Schools in Division 1 only move one or 2 at a time since 2014. Would any of these schools be candidates for the MEAC expansion or even to replace Robert Morris in the Northeast Conference?

The MEAC ought to drop down and be part of the CIAA or SIAC. They don't really have a legit conference anymore. Hampton, NC A@T, FAMU gone, down to about 6 teams.

I am in know way providing any news, but I have a question. Right now Division 1's MEAC is bailing water out of their conference quite a bit. Schools in Division 1 only move one or 2 at a time since 2014. Would any of these schools be candidates for the MEAC expansion or even to replace Robert Morris in the Northeast Conference?

[Tech Boys]

Yep. I think there's more incentive for a D3 team than for an NAIA team, since NAIA teams can still be eligible for NAIA championships in Year 1 whereas D3 teams are ineligible even if they play a D3 schedule (thanks to the McMurry rule).

True. But even with that rule Staten Island played, D'Youville will play, and Benedictine (IL) would have played D3 schedules in their respective Year 1s.