Quote from: LG67 on October 15, 2024, 04:41:35 PMRe:  WC - OBE "game".

Question 2:  What is the future of D3 institutions given the current financial struggles for a great number of them (evident in the NCAC and other conferences), which may well reduce both athletic and academic funds? (More college closures in the near future?)

Many small colleges and universities highlight the opportunity to participate in intercollegiate athletics and other extracurricular activities as part of their recruitment pitch.  It certainly was one of the things that attracted me and my wife to our undergraduate institutions.

Nonetheless, numerous small colleges and universities face significant financial challenges that will undoubtedly result in a loss of D3 institutions or specific teams at institutions that remain in D3.  It will also undoubtedly result in budget cuts in these institutions' athletic departments.  One of the manifestations will be conference realignment and increased numbers of affiliate conference memberships for single sports.  I think fans of D3 sports have to be ready for a more dynamic landscape.

Quote from: Flying Dutch Fan on October 15, 2024, 08:11:19 AMThought this should be shared here as it appears WashU will become a football only member of the NCAC:

https://x.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1845206890243846488?t=qFJdBTOKj2GD8c68SGXHoA&s=19

Great news for the NCAC.  I wonder why WashU is leaving the CCIW (for football).  It is still a member of the UAA for other sports.

Quote from: LG67 on October 14, 2024, 07:18:35 PMIs forcing Wabash players not to play their best fair to them and reducing play time fair to football?

I think that Wabash's choice to give second- and third-stringers playing time was appropriate and I hope that I did not suggest otherwise.

Given the extreme circumstances, I think it was appropriate to reduce the duration of the game in order to protect the Oberlin players. I think a 50-plus margin of victory was sufficient to demonstrate the relative strengths of the two football programs. I might think differently if, for example, my son was a seldom-used Wabash senior RB or WR who might have scored if the margin of victory was higher.

I agree with the two previous posters - the dire state of the Oberlin football program appears to be putting the welfare of its players at risk. Am I wrong?

I realize that I previously argued that a successful football program is not necessary for the successful recruitment of students to Oberlin.  Nonetheless, I would hope that the Oberlin leadership would be willing to commit the resources to make the football program more competitive.  Isn't the well-being of the football players at risk?

The score of the Wabash-Oberlin does not tell the entire story.  Oberlin had 13 drives and 40 plays on offense.  They recorded 1 first down and 17 yards of total offense. Wabash forced 5 turnovers and 7 punts.  Thirty-three (33) Oberlin players saw action, whereas 73 Little Giants played today.

Won't be attending the Wabash-Oberlin clash - headed to Lambeau for the Packers-Cardinals matchup.  However, we will be making a pilgrimage to Mud Hollow for the Wabash-Hiram game on the 19th.  Looking forward to sharing some fellowship, Alabama pulled pork, and apple pie moonshine with my Wabash brethren.

I worry that the ongoing events in Springfield are going to exacerbate Wittenberg's enrollment woes, making Wittenberg's financial position even more precarious.

I particularly enjoyed the fact that the Wabash defense played very aggressively in high-leverage situations.  The team blitzed more than I recall them doing in the recent past. I may be biased by the fact that Jake Gilbert did a wonderful job rejuvenating the football program at my alma mater (Westfield, IN High School).  On the other hand, I attended the game with a long-time high school football coach who raved about Gilbert's coaching skills and how he thought they would translate well to Wabash.

Sunny and 84 at kickoff for the OWU-Wabash game.  Wabash held a 10-0 lead at the end of the first Q, but turned the ball over on a deflected pass to begin the second Q.  OWU now in the red zone.

https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/wittenberg-faculty-votes-no-confidence-in-university-board-as-cutbacks-loom/CBTW3JGMMRHUJPJSW3XGZVXEBY/

So, I used public data to calculate endowment-per-student for the institutions in question:

Oberlin: $418K
Wabash: $469K
Denison: $431K
DePauw: $411K

While collecting these data, I was surprised that Oberlin (2986 students) is bigger than Denison (2400 students) and DePauw (1749 students).  So, it appears that Oberlin's student recruitment strategy is working.  I bet that their music conservatory program provides them with a recruiting hook that sports provides Wabash, Denison, and DePauw.

I was also surprised that Wabash's enrollment (822 students) has shrunk by more than 10% from its peak in 2014-15 (926 students).  In contrast, Oberlin's enrollment is close to its decade-long peak (2992 in 2022-23) and significantly larger than its recent nadir (2812 in 2018-19).  Note that I have ignored enrollment in 2020-21 because of COVID effects.

Links:
Endowments at NCAC Schools
Oberlin enrollment
Wabash enrollment
Denison enrollment
DePauw enrollment
Enrollment trend at Wabash
Enrollment trend at Oberlin

Oberlin's endowment is $1.2 billion.  They can afford a different student recruitment strategy than Wabash.

Of course, my second-favorite school is in a conference that just grew to 16 members, after many years at 14. So, perhaps I am desensitized!

Sigma One, I agree that travel has to be a consideration during conference realignment.  However, it is not as big a deal as I once thought it was.  For example, Wabash's Swimming and Diving team has only one dual meet against an NCAC opponent.  I am guessing that several of the Wabash teams that participate in a dedicated NCAC tournament don't face every NCAC opponent in one-on-one action.

What about members of the Great Lakes College Association?  Those are pretty prestigious liberal-arts colleges.  Members of the GLCA that do not belong to the NCAC include Albion, Allegheny, Antioch, Earlham, Hope, and Kalamazoo. Allegheny and Antioch are non-starters, for obvious reasons.  But what about the others?

And what about merging the NCAC with another small conference?  Might have to organize some of the sports teams (e.g., football) into divisions for the purpose of scheduling.  But would a conference championship game in those sports be exciting?