FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[OzJohnnie]

Here's a good article about the potential impacts of the recent 7 team --> 6 team AQ decision:

New rule for all NCAA D-III sports likely to eventually affect John Carroll football and others' playoff hopes

I think there's some good foresight in that article.  I wouldn't be surprised to see conferences breaking up, or at least football breaking up, or a football-specific D3 category gets created.  But maybe too much good talent is going to D3 and the NCAA needs to nueter it so that D2 gains some relevance.

[BDB]

Took 2 years to come up with Commando's?   

Washington Football Team > Washington Commando's

They had generic greatness. Should have kept it.   

[SagatagSam]

Here's a good article about the potential impacts of the recent 7 team --> 6 team AQ decision:

New rule for all NCAA D-III sports likely to eventually affect John Carroll football and others' playoff hopes

I think there's some good foresight in that article.  I wouldn't be surprised to see conferences breaking up, or at least football breaking up, or a football-specific D3 category gets created.  But maybe too much good talent is going to D3 and the NCAA needs to nueter it so that D2 gains some relevance.

Interesting article. The author points to no changes that would immediately effect football. I'm doubtful that a bunch of D3 college presidents and conference commissioners are going to want to take the time and effort to chop up their respective leagues for football only just to get an at large bid. I suppose its possible, but not likely. Either way, I seriously doubt we would see pool C bids evaporate in the span of a few years. I can acknowledge it presents a danger, but the risk is pretty minimal at this point.

If it did cause significant changes, I would propose bringing back some kind of pool B for conferences with 7 or fewer teams. So, if there are ten conferences with seven or fewer teams, those conference's champions are up for eight spots, and the bottom two are out. Or maybe it's seven spots and the bottom three are out.

Heck, I wouldn't be opposed to a pool B like I just described right now if it meant a couple more pool C bids. But, that's coming from a guy who is in a "power" league with ten teams and a conference championship game (at least for now anyway).

[SagatagSam]

Took 2 years to come up with Commando's?   

Washington Football Team > Washington Commando's

They had generic greatness. Should have kept it.   

I was prepared for any replacement name to be pretty lame.

This is like when UND came up with the Fighting Hawks to replace the Fighting Sioux.

[jknezek]

Took 2 years to come up with Commando's?   

Washington Football Team > Washington Commando's

They had generic greatness. Should have kept it.   

Just a point of clarification. It's Washington Commanders not Commando's.

[Pat Coleman]

Here's a good article about the potential impacts of the recent 7 team --> 6 team AQ decision:

New rule for all NCAA D-III sports likely to eventually affect John Carroll football and others' playoff hopes

I think there's some good foresight in that article.  I wouldn't be surprised to see conferences breaking up, or at least football breaking up, or a football-specific D3 category gets created.  But maybe too much good talent is going to D3 and the NCAA needs to nueter it so that D2 gains some relevance.

Interesting article. The author points to no changes that would immediately effect football. I'm doubtful that a bunch of D3 college presidents and conference commissioners are going to want to take the time and effort to chop up their respective leagues for football only just to get an at large bid. I suppose its possible, but not likely. Either way, I seriously doubt we would see pool C bids evaporate in the span of a few years. I can acknowledge it presents a danger, but the risk is pretty minimal at this point.

I think this will happen. There is one conference actively trying to make it happen already.

[BDB]

Took 2 years to come up with Commando's?   

Washington Football Team > Washington Commando's

They had generic greatness. Should have kept it.   

Just a point of clarification. It's Washington Commanders not Commando's.

Even worse. Lol

Sag, good take on the UND comparison. Another swing and miss.

[Ice Bear]

Took 2 years to come up with Commando's?   

Washington Football Team > Washington Commando's

They had generic greatness. Should have kept it.   

Ice Bear figures there must be a plethora of ****ing chafing in the D.C. area for this team to stop wearing underwear...

[OzJohnnie]

Took 2 years to come up with Commando's?   

Washington Football Team > Washington Commando's

They had generic greatness. Should have kept it.   

Heh.  They had Google running an Alpha Go instance for two years trying to find the one word that sounded remotely aggressive while having no traceable history to race, gender, ethnicity or other offense categories.  After burning more electrons than a basement Bitcoin miner there was just this one saccarine word that worked... Commanders.  Rumour is that "Team Members" was also considered but was too beta.


I wish it had been Commandos.  The memeing would have been legendary.

[SagatagSam]

I think this will happen. There is one conference actively trying to make it happen already.

Care to say which conference?

[OzJohnnie]

Judging by the votes I'd say the MAC or USASAC are prime candidates to split and set up two conferences, divvying up the sports to get enough members for those with limited participation, but splitting the larger sports. I suspect it would make sense for the ODAC as well, which has 14 or so women's basketball teams as an example. But the ODAC was almost unanimously opposed to this vote.

I'm not surprised they voted against it.  If you're a large conference with broad alignment on a scholastic/sports profile where national sports participation is a secondary part of the school experience then this move undermines that mission.  This arrangement incentivizes small conferences organised to maximise national participation which is antithetical to the mission of many DIII conferences - particularly the large and stable ones like ODAC and the MIAC.

I wonder how MIAC schools voted.  This could have been a huge problem for the WIAC as well but I suspect with a ready-made, state-supported conference structure the challenge of sports investment in dead-end competition (like UWW football dominance) the urge to fragment is not strong.  The NCAA arrangements would be to get pretty ugly before the WIAC conference were really hurt by them.

[jknezek]

Judging by the votes I'd say the MAC or USASAC are prime candidates to split and set up two conferences, divvying up the sports to get enough members for those with limited participation, but splitting the larger sports. I suspect it would make sense for the ODAC as well, which has 14 or so women's basketball teams as an example. But the ODAC was almost unanimously opposed to this vote.

I'm not surprised they voted against it.  If you're a large conference with broad alignment on a scholastic/sports profile where national sports participation is a secondary part of the school experience then this move undermines that mission.  This arrangement incentivizes small conferences organised to maximise national participation which is antithetical to the mission of many DIII conferences - particularly the large and stable ones like ODAC and the MIAC.

I wonder how MIAC schools voted.  This could have been a huge problem for the WIAC as well but I suspect with a ready-made, state-supported conference structure the challenge of sports investment in dead-end competition (like UWW football dominance) the urge to fragment is not strong.  The NCAA arrangements would be to get pretty ugly before the WIAC conference were really hurt by them.

I pulled the post down because it didn't really answer the question of who might do it for an extra football AQ. As for who voted for what, the link is here: https://www.d3playbook.com/2022/02/ncaa-earns-115-billion.html  just scroll down a bit.

But the MIAC voted like this:
Minnesota: Yes (5): Hamline, Macalester, Saint Benedict, St. Catherine, Saint Mary's. No (9): Augsburg, Bethel, Carleton, Concordia, Gustavus Adolphus, MIAC, Saint John's, St. Olaf, St. Scholastica.

Each member gets a vote, and the conference itself gets a vote. So mainly against, but not uniformly against.

[OzJohnnie]

Took 2 years to come up with Commando's?   

Washington Football Team > Washington Commando's

They had generic greatness. Should have kept it.   

Heh.  They had Google running an Alpha Go instance for two years trying to find the one word that sounded remotely aggressive while having no traceable history to race, gender, ethnicity or other offense categories.  After burning more electrons than a basement Bitcoin miner there was just this one saccarine word that worked... Commanders.  Rumour is that "Team Members" was also considered but was too beta.


I wish it had been Commandos.  The memeing would have been legendary.

Ha!   Artificial intelligence algorithm fail. I've seen someone claim that Commander is derived from the French word "Comandeor" which was the title given to governors in the French colonies around the world.  Chuckle.  I'm sure it's not true but meltdown would be hilarious if it were.

[Johns Knees]

The Athletic had a story where it anonymously surveyed Pro Bowl players. One of the questions: Who's the most underrated player?

Players couldn't name a teammate.

Hunter Renfrow led the way with three votes. No one got two votes.

SJU's own Ben Bartch surprisingly received a vote.

[SagatagSam]

The Athletic had a story where it anonymously surveyed Pro Bowl players. One of the questions: Who's the most underrated player?

Players couldn't name a teammate.

Hunter Renfrow led the way with three votes. No one got two votes.

SJU's own Ben Bartch surprisingly received a vote.

Attaboy, Ben. Let's hope the head coaching change in Jacksonville is a good thing and they can turn things around.