FB: American Southwest Conference

[SW1]

Well Trinity and Linfield sure aren't getting rewarded for winning their conference with that scenario. I know the Cru aren't playing like they are capable but they weren't playing up to par until the playoffs last year either. They seem to play better on the road in the playoffs anyways.

[HSUCowboy2015]

A great game on Saturday in Abilene. HPU has vastly improved and they took it to a sluggish HSU in the first half. I was very impressed with HPU's ability to stop the run, although HSU telegraphed their offensive play calling in the first half. The second half was the HSU that I was used to seeing, with the defense leading the charge.

HPU did a great job of taking away the run and trying to make Glynn beat them with his arm, which came alive in the second half. Definitely showed us some weaknesses which we corrected in the second half.

With Platteville laying an egg, I have an increased concern that we will be sitting on the outside looking in for the playoffs. Either way a road game in San Antonio or maybe even McMinnville is going to be tough. I just don't know if we have the offense to win a playoff game this year.

[Ron Boerger]

With Platteville laying an egg, I have an increased concern that we will be sitting on the outside looking in for the playoffs. Either way a road game in San Antonio or maybe even McMinnville is going to be tough. I just don't know if we have the offense to win a playoff game this year.

Not only did they lose, but they still have to finish up at conference leader UW-La Crosse so it's pretty likely they'll finish with at best a 5-4 (vs. D3) record.  Yeah the WIAC is great but I don't see anyone with four D3 losses getting regionally ranked.  We'll see when the initial rankings come out this week, maybe if they upset UWLC they can get ranked (and deservedly so). 

[jekelish]

McMurry headed out of the ASC and into the SCAC in two years: https://scacsports.com/news/2022-2023/scac_adds_mcmurry

[Ron Boerger]

Whoa, now that puts a different spin on the SCAC possibly resuming football ...

[jknezek]

McMurry headed out of the ASC and into the SCAC in two years: https://scacsports.com/news/2022-2023/scac_adds_mcmurry

Who is #6 for football? You have to figure there's a plan...

[Cowboy2]

McMurry headed out of the ASC and into the SCAC in two years: https://scacsports.com/news/2022-2023/scac_adds_mcmurry

Interesting...

Personally, I don't see SCAC being able to restart football though. Only 5 of the 10 members currently have football. Austin, McMurry, and TLU are in ASC. Southwestern will join Trinity in the SAA. I could be wrong, it may take a few years to get members to leave the conferences they have joined as an affiliate to break commitments. They would need other members to start football programs. Plus it would be hard to fill out the rest of the schedule for OOC games before having to revert back to a the round robin or the double matchups they experienced when the other members left to the SAA years back. If it did happen, I'm sure the ASC and SCAC would end up playing more games for budget and proximity....but football is only one sport and athletic departments make the best judgement for overall athletics and not solely on one sport.

[Ron Boerger]

WHOA - Schreiner too?  I think this is news to everyone including the d3football.com staff.  Pat?

That article (dated Oct 11) says "Schreiner University President Charlie McCormick told the Kerrville City Council on Tuesday afternoon that the university's board of trustees could greenlight re-establishing a football program next week" - but did they?  Don't see anything on the Mountaineer web site.

Question in my mind is whether Trinity (may be others) would want to compete in the SCAC.  TLU, SW, AC are all struggling, the new programs will be new programs, and I think Trinity likes what they have in the SAA.  Urban talks about the travel being a huge draw and the level of competition in the SAA has really made strides.

[jknezek]

WHOA - Schreiner too?  I think this is news to everyone including the d3football.com staff.  Pat?

Question in my mind is whether Trinity (may be others) would want to compete in the SCAC.  TLU, SW, AC are all struggling, the new programs will be new programs, and I think Trinity likes what they have in the SAA.  Urban talks about the travel being a huge draw and the level of competition in the SAA has really made strides.

Once a conference can sponsor a sport, the pressure usually cranks up until a) they sponsor it and b) all the schools buy in. It's hard to be an affiliate somewhere else when your conference sponsors the sport. That's considered very bad form and is not going to have your main conference ADs looking kindly at you. And if you can sponsor the sport, there is usually good reason to do so. With TLU, SW and AC struggling to succeed, I think they are more likely to want to have football under the SCAC umbrella.

I think if SCAC has enough teams, Trinity will not have much of a choice. Unless the SAA changes it's mind about them as a full member.

[Ron Boerger]

WHOA - Schreiner too?  I think this is news to everyone including the d3football.com staff.  Pat?

That article (dated Oct 11) says "Schreiner University President Charlie McCormick told the Kerrville City Council on Tuesday afternoon that the university's board of trustees could greenlight re-establishing a football program next week" - but did they?  Don't see anything on the Mountaineer web site.

Question in my mind is whether Trinity (may be others) would want to compete in the SCAC.  TLU, SW, AC are all struggling, the new programs will be new programs, and I think Trinity likes what they have in the SAA.  Urban talks about the travel being a huge draw and the level of competition in the SAA has really made strides.

Here's an article from last week, saying the trustees approved continued study of the idea:  https://kerrcountylead.bulletin.com/292277279434096/

And there's this:

"The conference is leaning toward turning the conference into a football conference," [Schreiner University Marketing and Communications Manager] Appleton said in a previous interview. "So, they reached out to all of the conference schools to ask if the schools wanted to start a football program. They asked to do a feasibility study and give an intent of what we wanted to do by the end of the year. By December."

I can't imagine the SCAC would go down this route without everyone buying in, so disregard my Trinity comment above.

[Cowboy2]

 

[Pat Coleman]

The SCAC can football without Schreiner but it wouldn't hurt.

[crufootball]

The SCAC can football without Schreiner but it wouldn't hurt.

I know these contracts are usually not ironclad but would it help the SAA to let Southwestern leave when they hadn't even really join yet?

[jknezek]

The SCAC can football without Schreiner but it wouldn't hurt.

I know these contracts are usually not ironclad but would it help the SAA to let Southwestern leave when they hadn't even really join yet?

The SAA won't have a use for Southwestern if Trinity is also leaving. I doubt they will worry much about it. Sure it was better to need fewer non-conf games, but really, there will be more teams looking for more non-conf games once this happens anyway. If you were willing to go to Southwestern/Trinity every year for a conf game, travelling to any of the SCAC schools once a year for non-conf game is the same thing.

[Ron Boerger]

If memory serves the SAA had something similar happen when WashU and UChicago joined them for a year before bolting.  SW will still need a home next year and I imagine everyone has their schedule set. 

Maybe we need to move this conversation to the dormant SCAC board, our friends in the ASC probably could care less.