Texas A&M- Texarkana has announced they are going to start transitioning to D2 in time for the 2027 season.

This could possibly affect the four remaining in the ASC IMHO. 


https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2025/feb/27/am-texarkana-begins-ncaa-division-ii-transition/#:~:text=team%20in%202027.-,A%26M%2DTexarkana's%20NCAA%20Transition%3A%20Texas%20A%26M%20University%2DTexarkana%20has,membership%20by%20fall%20of%202027.

Pretty significant news coming out of Texarkana.  It has been rumored well over a decade....looks like it's official now.

They are currently in the NAIA competing in the Red River Conference.

Obviously the biggest question is WHAT CONFERENCE will they join?

Great American Conference?
Lone Star Conference?

Geographically it's a no-brainer that they would go to the GAC with almost all of the schools in the conference within 2-3 hours of Texarkana.

Would be some serious travel for them to go to the LSC.

Which leads to other questions.....

If they join the GAC.... that puts them at an odd numbers of schools...... which makes rumors of either Mary Hardin Baylor or ETBU from D3's collapsing ASC joining seem more real.

A&M- Texarkana and ETBU in Marshall are only about an hour and a half apart from one another.

Could be interesting!

I looked at their website and they currently don't sponsor football.  Is there a plan to do that as well?

Quote from: justafan12 on March 03, 2025, 09:25:47 AMI looked at their website and they currently don't sponsor football.  Is there a plan to do that as well?

Yes.  They are planning on building an on-campus stadium and having the team by 2028 from what I understand.

Quote from: Mavchamp on February 28, 2025, 03:31:49 PMTexas A&M- Texarkana has announced they are going to start transitioning to D2 in time for the 2027 season.

This could possibly affect the four remaining in the ASC IMHO. 


https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2025/feb/27/am-texarkana-begins-ncaa-division-ii-transition/#:~:text=team%20in%202027.-,A%26M%2DTexarkana's%20NCAA%20Transition%3A%20Texas%20A%26M%20University%2DTexarkana%20has,membership%20by%20fall%20of%202027.

Pretty significant news coming out of Texarkana.  It has been rumored well over a decade....looks like it's official now.

They are currently in the NAIA competing in the Red River Conference.

Obviously the biggest question is WHAT CONFERENCE will they join?

Great American Conference?
Lone Star Conference?

Geographically it's a no-brainer that they would go to the GAC with almost all of the schools in the conference within 2-3 hours of Texarkana.

Would be some serious travel for them to go to the LSC.

Which leads to other questions.....

If they join the GAC.... that puts them at an odd numbers of schools...... which makes rumors of either Mary Hardin Baylor or ETBU from D3's collapsing ASC joining seem more real.

A&M- Texarkana and ETBU in Marshall are only about an hour and a half apart from one another.

Could be interesting!

I thought to move into a new division you had an invitation from a conference?

Highly suspicious that the *only* information about this transition is in this paywalled article, which has been updated to say "[a] previous version of this story had a more detailed synopsis of the creation of the football program. TAMUT asked that information be removed for the time being while details were finalized and as a courtesy to the university we decided to remove that information."

Total internet radio silence otherwise.  Mavchamp posted to d2football.com, there's a reddit post mentioning the article with no further information, zip elsewhere.  Nothing on the A&M Texarkana athletic site or the school site. 

And yes, according to the NCAA "[a]n institution must receive a bona fide invitation for membership from an active Division II conference before applying for Division II membership."

From what I understand the transition to D2 is certain.  Goal of 2027 I believe.

Maybe Football is contingent on fundraising.  Which was also mentioned for 2028 in the article...but was taken out after the edit.

Here is an article for the new athletic facilities being built.  This article was published before the announcement to go D2....so there is no mention of football.

Red River Credit Union  Athletic Complex

Perhaps they still have money to raise to get the football up and running.

I'm not even sure this affects anyone in the ASC very much....if any at all.

If and when A&M-Tex gets football up and running.... the GAC would likely want another football school to keep numbers even.  Would they want ETBU?  UMHB?  HSU?  Would any of them want the GAC?

No clue.

But that's still 3 years away.

ETBU being only 75 miles away from A&M-Tex- Tex could be seen as a positive or a negative when it comes to recruiting/travel partners/rivals/etc.  Possibly a good rival....a pair to add to the GAC?

But maybe too close for comfort....leading ETBU in another direction (perhaps taking A&M's spot in the Sooner Conference).

https://hsuathletics.com/news/2025/3/5/cowboys-announce-2025-football-schedule.aspx

HSU dropped next years schedule. Flying to California to face chapman in the opener. Props for booking another cross country flight, but would love to see other playoff caliber teams instead of Nelson and LCU, but gotta do what you gotta do to get 10 games.

Curious what other ASC teams come up with for non conference games, would prefer to avoid the prep school scrimmages like last year, but again, can only play who agrees to schedule you.

Quote from: ASCleatus on March 05, 2025, 12:13:35 PMhttps://hsuathletics.com/news/2025/3/5/cowboys-announce-2025-football-schedule.aspx

HSU dropped next years schedule. Flying to California to face chapman in the opener. Props for booking another cross country flight, but would love to see other playoff caliber teams instead of Nelson and LCU, but gotta do what you gotta do to get 10 games.

Curious what other ASC teams come up with for non conference games, would prefer to avoid the prep school scrimmages like last year, but again, can only play who agrees to schedule you.

I see HSU found a couple regional NAIA schools to schedule in LCU and Nelson. That might be the way to go until the conference is shored up. It helps to have that built-in rivalry with McMurray to take a non-con slot.

Interestingly enough, Davonte Nephew has entered the transfer portal from Texas a&m Kingsville. He was an all region and all ASC safety at Hardin Simmons a few years back. He has offers from umhb, hpu and ETBU. He retweeted some umhb football tweets today.

Quote from: Mavchamp on March 04, 2025, 05:13:47 PMFrom what I understand the transition to D2 is certain.  Goal of 2027 I believe.

Maybe Football is contingent on fundraising.  Which was also mentioned for 2028 in the article...but was taken out after the edit.

Here is an article for the new athletic facilities being built.  This article was published before the announcement to go D2....so there is no mention of football.

Red River Credit Union  Athletic Complex

Perhaps they still have money to raise to get the football up and running.

I'm not even sure this affects anyone in the ASC very much....if any at all.

If and when A&M-Tex gets football up and running.... the GAC would likely want another football school to keep numbers even.  Would they want ETBU?  UMHB?  HSU?  Would any of them want the GAC?

No clue.

But that's still 3 years away.

ETBU being only 75 miles away from A&M-Tex- Tex could be seen as a positive or a negative when it comes to recruiting/travel partners/rivals/etc.  Possibly a good rival....a pair to add to the GAC?

But maybe too close for comfort....leading ETBU in another direction (perhaps taking A&M's spot in the Sooner Conference).

Interesting nugget being claimed over on the D2 board. ETBU and Texarkana applied but were denied entrance to the GAC. It's the posters' opinion that it's more of a Texarkana issue.

https://www.d2football.com/forum/forum/football/general-discussion-ab/general-discussion-ac/881064-texas-a-m-texarkana-transitioning-to-d2-for-2027/page2#post882451

Has anyone heard any rumors about UMHB's 2025 football schedule? I remember it being around this time last year when we started getting some intel about the non-conference lineup. Hopefully it's a lot better this year.

Any bets how many scam division 4 cheeseburger universities UMHB plays this fall?

Quote from: The Third Division on March 14, 2025, 01:45:37 PMAny bets how many scam division 4 cheeseburger universities UMHB plays this fall?

Plays, or schedules? That can be two different numbers, as we've seen.

Quote from: The Third Division on March 14, 2025, 01:45:37 PMAny bets how many scam division 4 cheeseburger universities UMHB plays this fall?

In fairness, at least those "cheeseburger universities" aren't afraid to strap on their pads and face us, unlike most of D3 outside of Whitewater. UMHB faces all comers, there just aren't many comers who have the guts to take on the challenge.

Quote from: UMHB03 on March 14, 2025, 03:11:56 PM

Quote from: The Third Division on March 14, 2025, 01:45:37 PMAny bets how many scam division 4 cheeseburger universities UMHB plays this fall?

In fairness, at least those "cheeseburger universities" aren't afraid to strap on their pads and face us, unlike most of D3 outside of Whitewater. UMHB faces all comers, there just aren't many comers who have the guts to take on the challenge.

This remains an extremely narrow view on this topic.  Plenty of teams are willing to play good teams (we see it all through the month of September) and nearly all can get an equivalent competition experience for a fraction of the cost as a game in Belton.  I'm sympathetic to the problem UMHB has here, but calling everyone a chicken isn't the way.