FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity's schedule is also up.  http://www.trinitytigers.com/sports/fball/2011-12/schedule

Non-conference matchups are @Howard Payne, home to Texas Lutheran (week 1-2), then Huntingdon (home) and LaGrange (away) in mid-Oct.   Three of the first four games are away, with trips to Rhodes and Millsaps also on the agenda. 

[Tex]

TU has another rough start to the season.  Boys, I'm sad to say that my son is too beat up to keep going.  His senior year is not going to happen. Facing another surgery or two.  Gotta say, I've had a lot of fun conversing with you guys over the last three years.  I'll try to pop in from time to time to say hi. 

In all sincerity, the boys has landed a great internship this summer and will have a very successful life after a FANTASTIC Trinity education.  He's busted his ass on the field, he's played hurt for the last two years.  Played his senior High School year with a freaking broken fractured ankle.  So, like I told him, his toughness has never been questioned.  TU Coaches have been 100% supportive of his decision and I cannot compliment them more.

Future Trinity recruit parents?  Great program, great university, great coaches.  Best place I can think of to play D3 ball (in my very humble opinion)

Good luck Tigers.  (funny to say that in the SCAC)

Good Luck Trinity Tigers...  now that's more like it.  Kick ass and make it to the Final Championship.  I'll be tailgating and cheering loudly. 

[Ron Boerger]

From The DePauw:  Centre, Sewanee, Rhodes, Hendrix considering leaving the SCAC after 2012:  http://bit.ly/iDFiVn

[Ralph Turner]

FTA...

While the reasons behind the four schools' considerations may not become clear until after the June 7 presidents' meeting, geographic distance and the cost of travel could be factors in the discussions.

"I know that as the conference talks about expanding, we have concerns about a sprawling conference," Saxton said. "So a lot of travel and time out of class, cost of travel, a lot of concerns comes from that."

Danny Powell, executive director of athletics at Hendrix, conveyed similar sentiments.

"As an athletic director, you are just looking for a schedule to play and if it's cost effective and a good experience for your students," Powell said. "People are just looking at what's best long-term for their school, and I think that's what we're doing."

Factors such as the cost of transportation also played into DePauw's decision to leave the SCAC for the NCAC.

"There isn't a school in the country that isn't looking at how they can cut the travel cost in the interest of sustainability and also just from a financial standpoint," said Page Cotton, director of athletics.

A main reason why the four schools might leave, according to Powell, is the SCAC's discussions about splitting the conference into divisions.

"We have different relations with those schools in the west, in Texas, and the East," Powell said. "We want to keep playing those folks, if you think about a league, you think about if the schools who have similar philosophies and similar size. I've been here nine-and-a-half years, and I have enjoyed dealing with a lot of the folks in the league."

Creating divisions would eliminate match ups in the regular season and, according to Cotton, some schools favor divisional competition while others want to play everyone in the conference.

No matter the reasons, if the four schools do decide to leave the conference, it will put a halt on the splitting of the conference into two divisions. If the decision is made final, the conference will have lost five teams in two years. After gaining the Dallas, the conference will be left with eight teams.

Brian Chafin, director of athletics and recreation at Centre, said other current member institutions of the conference are evaluating their role and membership.

"There has been discussion throughout the entire conference of looking at other options for all schools for the year of 2012-2013," he said.

[cush]

Earthquake time...that really makes no sense to me. Where would those 4 go? Now i could understand an east/ west split but why wouldn't those 4 include milsaps, birmingham-southern, and oglethorpe to get a base of 7 in which to form a new league? Who the heck are they teaming up with? Geography would seem to have  hendrix sticking with the 4 texas school's rather than whatever they a planning. Now I do think the scac is not really workable in its present form given its travel but i have no idea what those 4 school's have in mind. I think the scac should expand by 2 with berry and centenary  ASAP. From that setup, each division could possibly split off at some point with hendrix going in either direction and forming two leagues. Very confusing at this point for the scac.

[Ron Boerger]

Pat had an interesting theory on his FB wall:

Take these four
Add Huntingdon
Add Maryville
Add Berry

Bang, you have a new conference with a lot fewer travel headaches.  And if you throw in provisional Georgetown (Ky) you might even be able to get Pool A bids in many sports down the road ... 

What I remember (vaguely,  it's been years since I looked) was that Huntingdon and MV's academics weren't quite up to SCAC standards.   If this is still the case, does travel hassle trump potential academic/athletic issues?

What blows my mind is "well, travel is a huge concern" followed by "but we don't want to do divisional play."  That's a giant WTF.

[peaster68]

Pat had an interesting theory on his FB wall:

Take these four
Add Huntingdon
Add Maryville
Add Berry

Bang, you have a new conference with a lot fewer travel headaches.  And if you throw in provisional Georgetown (Ky) you might even be able to get Pool A bids in many sports down the road ... 

What I remember (vaguely,  it's been years since I looked) was that Huntingdon and MV's academics weren't quite up to SCAC standards.   If this is still the case, does travel hassle trump potential academic/athletic issues?

What blows my mind is "well, travel is a huge concern" followed by "but we don't want to do divisional play."  That's a giant WTF.

Could Mississippi College possibly be added to that list? It would make perfect geographical sense.

[Ron Boerger]

It all depends on what the new conference's foci are.  From a geographic perspective, you are correct, but you'll note Millsaps isn't on the list, nor is Birmingham-Southern, two schools that would also benefit from a more centrally-located conference if that indeed is the primary concern. 

If this does come to pass the SCAC will be in a world of hurt to find enough football-playing schools to keep their auto bid  ... or just may be in a world of hurt, period.    This is what would be left:

CC

AC *
UDallas
SW
TU  *

Millsaps *

BSC *
OU

* play football

Now, depending on the sport, you could end up with two schools (CC and MC) without travel partners. 

[cush]

Yes, the concept of not liking divisions but complaining about the travel is strange. Maybe these 4 school's prefer a 8-10 team league which is more geographic friendly, no texas travel. Yet, the lack of football programs could be a problem, maybe they cut a deal with the uaa someday. I also think this might be more of a bluff given it makes no sense not to include milsaps, BSC, and oglethorpe if  these 4 do break away. Those 3 leftovers might not want to currently leave the scac but if the 4 others did, those 3 leftovers really have no choice but to follow. I guess they have to be invited to form the new league, why wouldn't they be?, which cost money, but if goes down, they have to follow. Thus, you would have nice base of 7 breakaway school's to add 2-3 form berry, maryville and huntingdon and you have a 9-10 team new league. As for the scac leftovers at that point, the 4 texas school's + colorado college could look at neb W, centenary or other texas school's to get up to 10 or so. It makes more sense to me, for the scac to just expand up to 16 and have more of an alliance among divisions, than maybe each division could break away someday or not.

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks for your comments, cush.

I really think that the NCAA should look a permitting at more arrangments like the Middle Atlantic Corporation, the MAC with its 3 conferences.  They have the Freedom and the Commonwealth which are stand alone coferences, and MAC for several sports like TF, CC, Swimming, and sports that don't get up to 7 teams in each. That would really help the SCAC and the ASC, where geography is a real problem.  The impact might be on Pool C bids, but access would be evenly distributed.  If you are the best team among your 7 peer institutions, then you get to the playoffs.

It might mean less missed class time and saner travel budgets.

[etbu27]

I think its safe to say that the ASC is a pretty tight bond. As a participant my ONLY problem with the conference is the Sul Ross games. Its an 11-12 hour bus ride every other year for a game that isnt even close (in my memory, and that goes for all sports). That being said they are a founding member and they dont really have anywhere else to go? Most teams west of the mississippi and south of Iowa are going to have problems currently with conference affiliations. I can only count 22 schools in that area and that IS counting the 9 in California. If TU, Rhodes, Millsaps and Austin are going to stay away from the ASC (8 schools west of mississippi) they who are they going to play with?? I mean they are on a different level academically but there is not many options.

Strictly football speaking of course....
Id like to see Austin and Trinity come play in the ASC. Millsaps could be fun as well.

Maybe the other 4 join USA South?

But ya I agree with the crowds here its going to be tough to complain about Academic equality and travel in the same conversation.

[Hawks88]

Pat had an interesting theory on his FB wall:

Take these four
Add Huntingdon
Add Maryville
Add Berry

Bang, you have a new conference with a lot fewer travel headaches.  And if you throw in provisional Georgetown (Ky) you might even be able to get Pool A bids in many sports down the road ... 

What I remember (vaguely,  it's been years since I looked) was that Huntingdon and MV's academics weren't quite up to SCAC standards.   If this is still the case, does travel hassle trump potential academic/athletic issues?

What blows my mind is "well, travel is a huge concern" followed by "but we don't want to do divisional play."  That's a giant WTF.

There's also Covenant who could be added to that list.

[Ralph Turner]

Strictly football speaking of course....
I'd like to see Austin and Trinity come play in the ASC.

Until  few years ago, Austin College was a member of the ASC. As to Trinity, I can't see them wanting to be part of the ASC, perhaps mostly for "academic" reasons.

Trinity left the "ASC" back in the old TIAA days about 1980.

[Ron Boerger]

Why, heck, WT, in 1978 Trinity tied then-#2 Tarleton State 6-6 for Homecoming.    So there.   

[Hawks88]

Earthquake time...that really makes no sense to me. Where would those 4 go? Now i could understand an east/ west split but why wouldn't those 4 include milsaps, birmingham-southern, and oglethorpe to get a base of 7 in which to form a new league? Who the heck are they teaming up with? Geography would seem to have  hendrix sticking with the 4 texas school's rather than whatever they a planning. Now I do think the scac is not really workable in its present form given its travel but i have no idea what those 4 school's have in mind. I think the scac should expand by 2 with berry and centenary  ASAP. From that setup, each division could possibly split off at some point with hendrix going in either direction and forming two leagues. Very confusing at this point for the scac.

Here's a random thought, just for fun, of where these four might go. Could the SLIAC be looking at expanding and making another try at football? These four plus Georgetown would give them 8 for football and 14 overall that could be split into divisions in other sports. As it would be a couple of years before going into effect, it would give the UMAC several years from now to find a seventh to keep their AQ.
I don't know what made this silliness pop into my head and I don't think it will happen, but just wanted to put it out here just in case so I could take credit for calling it.