Future of Division III

[Pat Coleman]

When I read this, this was the first conference that came to mind:
http://www.d3sports.com/notables/2017/02/new-d3-conference-approved

[Gray Fox]

When I read this, this was the first conference that came to mind:
http://www.d3sports.com/notables/2017/02/new-d3-conference-approved

Where would Mills find a conference without this?
  The SCIAC would be the best  option, but that is problematic unless they could partner with UCSC in some way.

[jknezek]

When I read this, this was the first conference that came to mind:
http://www.d3sports.com/notables/2017/02/new-d3-conference-approved

Where would Mills find a conference without this?
  The SCIAC would be the best  option, but that is problematic unless they could partner with UCSC in some way.

Well, yeah, but that's the point isn't it? I mean, does Mills need a conference? That's what Pool B and C is for. A conference helps fill your regular season schedule, but if you aren't using it that way, and only having a post season, what point is it serving other than getting you a Pool A?

[Hawks88]

When I read this, this was the first conference that came to mind:
http://www.d3sports.com/notables/2017/02/new-d3-conference-approved

Where would Mills find a conference without this?
  The SCIAC would be the best  option, but that is problematic unless they could partner with UCSC in some way.

Well, yeah, but that's the point isn't it? I mean, does Mills need a conference? That's what Pool B and C is for. A conference helps fill your regular season schedule, but if you aren't using it that way, and only having a post season, what point is it serving other than getting you a Pool A?

A few of those were in the old Great south Athletic Conference its last year or two of existence.

[Gray Fox]

I looked at the Mills schedules for volleyball and soccer.
They have very few games with other D3 schools.  I think that there is a tournament at season end that decides a representative to the playoffs. I don't know if that would apply to all the schools.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yeah - this is clearly something they are looking at per the old women's-only GSAC who didn't play any games against each other and in it's last season didn't even have teams show up to the conference tournament. And they are looking at the ACAA who is also not playing games in conference.

I think many in the Division are rightly so looking at conferences like the old GSAC women's and now current ACAA and asking this: why do they get an automatic bid if the only thing they do is play a couple games at the end of the season and nothing the other 25 games allotted (remember, conference tournament games don't count towards the 25). There are a number of institutions who suck it up and play conference schedules even if it kills them in travel (Colorado College comes to mind).

I understand the idea of the ACAA trying to gain access to the tournament in a manner that fits best, but is that the best opportunity? It is basically stealing a bid from everyone else especially if there are not enough teams in Pool B to guarantee a bid there (which I am not sure there are, but I haven't checked the numbers of late).

I personally had a problem with the GSAC women in those last two years because basically a bid was being removed for a very good team for one who didn't have a .500 record, didn't play conference games, and basically just played whomever they could find for the fun of it until the last few games of the season meant something.

I get that it is hard for those who don't have a conference, but there is Pool B and there are certain things that have to be done to get an AQ. Throwing a conference together just in name and in post-season with no competition during the regular season (basically allowing them to also not care about who they play in the regular season) seems to fly in the face of AQs in general.

[Ralph Turner]

My first thought about the minimum requirements for a conference would be to play single round robin among the members of a division or conference (out of deference to the NESCAC ). This would apply to team sports such as volleyball, soccer, hoops and softball/baseball, etc.

For Finlandia and U Maine Presque Isle in baseball, the CUNYAC could arrange the travel expenses for the teams. Those games might occur in Florida (as the UAA has done) or with home and away in alternate years. Or the New York schools could make one out of town trip, either to Michigan or to Maine, in alternating years.

[smedindy]

No, make it at least a double round robin with 1/2 of the league! HAHAHAHAHAH!

[jknezek]

I don't think it has to he a round robin, just a certain percentage of the schedule played in conference games. Say 60% or the nearest number rounded up, and it has to be played against at least 50 % of conference members. So if you have a 20 game regular season and a 7 team conference, you need to play 12 conference games against 4 different conference members. Finally, you must play every conference member at least once every 3 years. This allows a true conference schedule but some flexibility for geographically disparate conferences. It also allows for really large conferences as well. If you have a 20 member sport you would need to play 12 conference games to meet the 20 game schedule requirement. Assuming 2 divisions of 10, you would have 3 out of division games but to meet the every 3 year rule you would need to add one more.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Honestly, I think it has to be a bit more rigid. I like the ideas, jknezek, but that is easy to beat. School comes for a year or two and then leaves, they never fullfill the idea. Conference can promise they will do it, but they are granted the AQ before they prove it (AQ in two years of existence). I feel they need to prove their worth as it where before that AQ is done. I like the one-round of playing every opponent in the conference each year. That allows each institution to have had to travel to the others at least once before the AQ is given up. That way institutions have to consider the costs of joining the conference - like most have to consider before joining a conference. It also keeps conferences from forming for convenience without any challenge that everyone else has to deal with (transportation and such).

And per your larger conference idea, I don't think that would end up being realistic. I just can't see 20 schools coming together and forming a conference like the ACAA in Division III. In Division I, of course, but not in Division III. Yes, large conferences exists, but they don't necessarily start out as 20 schools. They grow into bigger units - i.e. the ODAC and USA South.

[Gregory Sager]

There are a number of institutions who suck it up and play conference schedules even if it kills them in travel (Colorado College comes to mind).

Colorado College has an endowment of almost seven hundred million dollars. I don't think that that school is being killed by its athletics travel budget.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

There are a number of institutions who suck it up and play conference schedules even if it kills them in travel (Colorado College comes to mind).

Colorado College has an endowment of almost seven hundred million dollars. I don't think that that school is being killed by its athletics travel budget.

To be honest, that is about average. There are some on the east coast who have billions in endowments and we never talk about them in basketball (or when we do, its because they are having serious problems). Endowments can sometimes deceive.

[Gregory Sager]

Mean average, you mean. I would argue that the mean average tells you almost nothing about the typical endowment of a D3 school, because some schools (esp. those in the UAA and the NESCAC) are so insanely wealthy that they skew the mean beyond all usefulness. If you go by the mode, which is a much more accurate average in terms of representing the typical D3 endowments, the average is pretty modest -- and it's well below Colorado College's $683m.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Mean average, you mean. I would argue that the mean average tells you almost nothing about the typical endowment of a D3 school, because some schools (esp. those in the UAA and the NESCAC) are so insanely wealthy that they skew the mean beyond all usefulness. If you go by the mode, which is a much more accurate average in terms of representing the typical D3 endowments, the average is pretty modest -- and it's well below Colorado College's $683m.

Are you sure you don't want the median rather than the mode?
Sorry... math OCD

[Gregory Sager]

Yeah, you're right. I meant "median" and typed "mode". Sorry.