FB: Presidents' Athletic Conference

[WRMUalum13]

Per a source who knows a kicker at St. Francis "Almost the entire team is gonna transfer."

Pretty obvious there.

Ya know, I can only assume that their current 65 scholarship football players will all have to attrit, with non-scholarship level jocks recruited in their place.

I am guessing they'll still be awfully strong in their first season before their talent (non-scholarship) begins to even out.

At only about 1600 undergrads, they must be among the smallest schools in all D1-FCS football.  I am guessing Wofford would be one of the few schools that is smaller.

Where did you see that they have 65 scholarship players?  FCS programs can offer 63 scholarships, but they are allowed to split scholarships among multiple players.

Through the 2024 season St Francis' conference NEC only allowed 45 scholarship equivalents
https://fearthefcs.com/2024/11/14/northeast-conference-removing-football-scholarship-limit/

Yeah I'm guessing a more financial limited school like SFU was probably splitting those up

Per a source who knows a kicker at St. Francis "Almost the entire team is gonna transfer."

Pretty obvious there.

OR "Almost the entire team thinks they are good enough to land a scholarship spot with playing time somewhere else" which judging by their loss to Dayton is likely not the case.

[DagarmanSpartan]

Ah, my mistake.  I was operating under the assumption that they were not like Ivy League I-FCS, which is, officially anyway, non-scholarship, and were more like I-FCS teams in the Southland Conference (Stephen F. Austin, , Lamar, etc) which offer 60+ football scholarships, and actually play a rather high-level game.

[ADL70]

BTW, their 2024 roster listed 122 players.

[The Third Division]

It's frustrating to see a lot of people upset at the school for moving down to D3 when really they should be upset at the system D1 athletics has created has made it apparently impossible for small D1 schools like St. Francis to operate under.

[WashJeff68]

How is all this likely to effect scheduling? Is the PAC hedging it's bet that one or more PAC schools will fold? How will schools, particularly CWRU react to a closed conference schedule if that is what happens? It is looking more and more likely that CWRU will be in the PAC for the foreseeable future. I really see no other viable option for them. That is not all bad. CWRU will certainly be competitive, the  travel schedule will be manageable, and they have a long history in the PAC.

[DagarmanSpartan]

Based on a conversation I had recently with someone pretty high up in CWRU athletics, it appears that the PAC is CWRU's football home for now.

I just hope we can get CMU back on the schedule as an annual non-conference rival.

In my mind, an eight game PAC conference schedule, combined with annual OOC matchups with CMU (Academic Bowl Trophy), and Wooster (Baird Brothers Trophy) would be ideal.

[DagarmanSpartan]

Ya know, I am surprised that Saint Francis didn't consider joining the D1-FCS non-scholarship Pioneer Football Conference, which includes Butler, Drake, Stetson, etc.

[Pat Coleman]

Ya know, I am surprised that Saint Francis didn't consider joining the D1-FCS non-scholarship Pioneer Football Conference, which includes Butler, Drake, Stetson, etc.

To do that, you have to be in D-I for everything else.

[ADL70]

How is all this likely to effect scheduling? Is the PAC hedging it's bet that one or more PAC schools will fold? How will schools, particularly CWRU react to a closed conference schedule if that is what happens? It is looking more and more likely that CWRU will be in the PAC for the foreseeable future. I really see no other viable option for them. That is not all bad. CWRU will certainly be competitive, the  travel schedule will be manageable, and they have a long history in the PAC.

I doubt there will be a closed schedule. After Hiram was accepted and before CMU left, the plan was for two divisions with a crossover game in week 11. Once CMU was leaving, the 2025 schedule was for 8 conference games and 2 OOC.

The only mention of St Francis' future with PAC football after leaving NEC after 2025-26 school year is a second hand report that Frank Rossi stated that they won't be eligible for conference title until 2029. St Francis' timeline for all sports states in 2026 they will compete "primarily" against DIII schools. PAC's release states: "As Saint Francis transitions to Division III, a process which will take three years to complete, the Red Flash will have full schedules in all applicable PAC sports."

[DagarmanSpartan]

Ya know, I am surprised that Saint Francis didn't consider joining the D1-FCS non-scholarship Pioneer Football Conference, which includes Butler, Drake, Stetson, etc.

To do that, you have to be in D-I for everything else.

Oh yeah, my whole point is that given how they just made the NCAA tourney at the D1 level in men's basketball, that would be a way that they could continue to build on that, while cutting scholarship expenses for things like football. 

I guess, in the end, any D1 sport competition proved to be a luxury they couldn't afford.

That said.............LONG LIVE THE PAC-12!!!!!

 

[ccd494]

Think their president summed it up nicely:

"It was the liberalization of the transfer portal a few years ago," Van Tassell said. "It was our inability to compete with the name, image and likeness scheme. That's just out of our reach. Plus the uncertainties that go along with being a small Division I institution. In a perfect world, we would have stayed in the Northeast Conference. There were a lot of factors that were really stacked against us that kind of forced us into this position."

"We were looking at it from a student welfare point of view," he said. "We don't want to be a farm team for larger conferences. We want to attract students who will be here for four years, who we can develop into really fine professionals and into fine athletes. Unfortunately, because of the transfer portal, that environment, sadly, doesn't exist anymore or the way it once did."

[WRMUalum13]

Ya know, I am surprised that Saint Francis didn't consider joining the D1-FCS non-scholarship Pioneer Football Conference, which includes Butler, Drake, Stetson, etc.

To do that, you have to be in D-I for everything else.

Oh yeah, my whole point is that given how they just made the NCAA tourney at the D1 level in men's basketball, that would be a way that they could continue to build on that, while cutting scholarship expenses for things like football. 

I guess, in the end, any D1 sport competition proved to be a luxury they couldn't afford.

That said.............LONG LIVE THE PAC-12!!!!!

 

It's easy for us in d3 to overlook the fact that the scholarships really aren't the biggest costs associated with being D1, especially considering it's not a hard cost. The bigger costs come with bigger staffs required to field D1 teams that have a higher market rate salary as well as needing to keep up with D1 facilities etc.

Also D1 teams have more practice time allowed which is also more demanding on coaches and can strain resources of a smaller institution like SFU.

[Pat Coleman]

Also comes with bigger travel expenses.

[ADL70]

NEC travel from Chicago to near Boston PFL travel CA MN NY FL