FB: New Jersey Athletic Conference

[jmcozenlaw]

More & more schools seem to be opting out this season... of new relevance, Del State has decided not to play along with the rest of their conference. Wesley Athletics released a statement today that says they still plan on pursuing fall sports.

The MEAC will only be left with 6 teams come this time next year. It appears that the DSU-Wesley or DSU becoming DIII may be a possibility.

Delaware State is applying to the NEC, right?

I had not heard that. Hmmmmm...............

[Pat Coleman]

More & more schools seem to be opting out this season... of new relevance, Del State has decided not to play along with the rest of their conference. Wesley Athletics released a statement today that says they still plan on pursuing fall sports.

The MEAC will only be left with 6 teams come this time next year. It appears that the DSU-Wesley or DSU becoming DIII may be a possibility.

Delaware State is applying to the NEC, right?

I had not heard that. Hmmmmm...............

It might be no longer the case, I suppose. Here's news from a couple weeks ago I had not seen:

https://hbcugameday.com/2020/06/30/delaware-state-sticking-with-the-meac/

[thewaterboy]

More & more schools seem to be opting out this season... of new relevance, Del State has decided not to play along with the rest of their conference. Wesley Athletics released a statement today that says they still plan on pursuing fall sports.

The MEAC will only be left with 6 teams come this time next year. It appears that the DSU-Wesley or DSU becoming DIII may be a possibility.

Entertaining the DSU becoming DIII thing: How might that make the roster & coaching staff of that potential situation look?

[RowanPhan]

More & more schools seem to be opting out this season... of new relevance, Del State has decided not to play along with the rest of their conference. Wesley Athletics released a statement today that says they still plan on pursuing fall sports.

The MEAC will only be left with 6 teams come this time next year. It appears that the DSU-Wesley or DSU becoming DIII may be a possibility.

Entertaining the DSU becoming DIII thing: How might that make the roster & coaching staff of that potential situation look?

In regards to the roster, my assumption is that some of the guys on scholarship (if not all of them) would want to transfer to other D1 schools. That's my guess. A lot of D1 schools have cut program recently leaving those athletes scrambling to find new opportunities (and scholarships).

[Teamski]

Wow, I didn't know that the MEAC was bleeding teams like that. When you don't pay attention.....

-Ski

[jmcozenlaw]

Wow, I didn't know that the MEAC was bleeding teams like that. When you don't pay attention.....

-Ski

The MEAC has been in bad shape for a while. Cheyney is a part of the PSAC and their very existence is hanging by a thread. If not for state bailouts, they would have been forced to shut their doors years ago.

You will see a couple of MEAC schools face the same reality at some point. Regardless of what is happening in the country today, it is a model that is struggling for relevance.

[MRMIKESMITH]

I think that Division III should end fall and winter sports and delay until February 1. This allows for an effective vaccine to come into place. Also, for Division III, I think that if Spring ball was to happen, limit to 8 games and 1 optional game for championship or Bowl Game. In addition, I would limit field time for football and only have non-contact practices with only helmets and thigh pads. This will limit the effect on the Athletic department and give priority to the Spring sports that have already had their season shortened and/ended because of Covid-19. Unlike some D-I schools who have the resources to place their players in a bubble, I think Division III needs to be unified. This would ensure that every program is working with the same timeline in regards to playing and rest between the seasons.

I know there are financial issues regarding universities if players were not available for Fall. However, having some timeline in place can ensure that a good amount of players would attend in fall and prepare for Football in the Spring. I think at this point, it's very simple to delay the seasons and leave it up to individual conferences/teams if they would like to participate in the Spring. You'd have 6 months to figure our logistics and updated scheduling.

[Teamski]

It is all but academic at this point.  The best we can hope for is a robust spring ball season.....

-Ski

[jmcozenlaw]

It is all but academic at this point.  The best we can hope for is a robust spring ball season.....

-Ski

Spring football (and any other sport being proposed as a candidate to move from the fall or winter...............to the spring) needs to take a huge backseat to the actual spring sports given that they lost an entire season months ago. Football and the fall sports had a complete season in 2019 and all of the winter sports completed their regular seasons and conference playoffs. The only winter teams that were shorted were those who were advancing deeper into the NCAA Championships.

Spring sports needs to be priorities #1 through #73...................and if a couple of sports can be moved (although I'd hate to be the A.D. determining the rank order of sports..........and inadvertently letting the other sports know that they are not as important), then so be it..........and this coming from a football and basketball freak (in my Philadelphia blood since conception.......that's how we roll as diehards here )

[jknezek]

It is all but academic at this point.  The best we can hope for is a robust spring ball season.....

-Ski

Spring football (and any other sport being proposed as a candidate to move from the fall or winter...............to the spring) needs to take a huge backseat to the actual spring sports given that they lost an entire season months ago. Football and the fall sports had a complete season in 2019 and all of the winter sports completed their regular seasons and conference playoffs. The only winter teams that were shorted were those who were advancing deeper into the NCAA Championships.

Spring sports needs to be priorities #1 through #73...................and if a couple of sports can be moved (although I'd hate to be the A.D. determining the rank order of sports..........and inadvertently letting the other sports know that they are not as important), then so be it..........and this coming from a football and basketball freak (in my Philadelphia blood since conception.......that's how we roll as diehards here )

This. 100%  Spring sports need to be the priority in Spring. For the athletes sake.

[Oline89]

It is all but academic at this point.  The best we can hope for is a robust spring ball season.....

-Ski

Spring football (and any other sport being proposed as a candidate to move from the fall or winter...............to the spring) needs to take a huge backseat to the actual spring sports given that they lost an entire season months ago. Football and the fall sports had a complete season in 2019 and all of the winter sports completed their regular seasons and conference playoffs. The only winter teams that were shorted were those who were advancing deeper into the NCAA Championships.

Spring sports needs to be priorities #1 through #73...................and if a couple of sports can be moved (although I'd hate to be the A.D. determining the rank order of sports..........and inadvertently letting the other sports know that they are not as important), then so be it..........and this coming from a football and basketball freak (in my Philadelphia blood since conception.......that's how we roll as diehards here )

Sorry to disagree, but this is a football board.  If Spring football is available, I say make every effort to make it happen. 

[Pat Coleman]

If Spring football is available, I say make every effort to make it happen.

I would say that too, just not at the expense of the spring sports who have already lost a season to this.

[MRMIKESMITH]

If Spring football is available, I say make every effort to make it happen.

I would say that too, just not at the expense of the spring sports who have already lost a season to this.

I concur, I think this is going to be what DIII will have to do, be unified and move to the Spring. Have limited on-field practice time and limited contact to prevent injuries, because most injuries and hitting occurs in practice, I'd do what the Johnnies do up in Minnesota, haven't hurt them in terms of winning, maybe use this time as an experiment to see if hitting during practices is necessary (I believe it helps a tad bit). I do believe this will help smaller programs that have smaller athletic training teams. The only other issue I see is the Title IX aspect and Coaches that coach both fall and spring sports, maybe this is an opportunity for a yound staff/assistant to gain experience.

[jmcozenlaw]

It is all but academic at this point.  The best we can hope for is a robust spring ball season.....

-Ski

Spring football (and any other sport being proposed as a candidate to move from the fall or winter...............to the spring) needs to take a huge backseat to the actual spring sports given that they lost an entire season months ago. Football and the fall sports had a complete season in 2019 and all of the winter sports completed their regular seasons and conference playoffs. The only winter teams that were shorted were those who were advancing deeper into the NCAA Championships.

Spring sports needs to be priorities #1 through #73...................and if a couple of sports can be moved (although I'd hate to be the A.D. determining the rank order of sports..........and inadvertently letting the other sports know that they are not as important), then so be it..........and this coming from a football and basketball freak (in my Philadelphia blood since conception.......that's how we roll as diehards here )

Sorry to disagree, but this is a football board.  If Spring football is available, I say make every effort to make it happen.

The fact that this is a football board in inconsequential to the simple fact that the spring teams lost a complete season................while the fall teams lost squatta to date. Keeping the spring intact, without any changes whatsoever (shortened season, crazy schedules, little SID and training help........to accommodate fall and winter sports) would be wrong on MANY levels AND football can not and will not be placed above other fall teams, per several A.D.'s and administrators who are dealing with this very subject at this moment in the Centennial and the MAC (just in case). Let me add the D-II PSAC to that as well, given a conversation with a head coach, who used to be the head coach of a MAC school. There is a MASSIVE amount of consideration and trepidation in "favoring" football, especially given that it is not a revenue producer at the D-III level.

Carry on......

[jmcozenlaw]

If Spring football is available, I say make every effort to make it happen.

I would say that too, just not at the expense of the spring sports who have already lost a season to this.

Spot on Pat..............my point (and the feelings of many A.D.'s and administrators) exactly.