FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[jknezek]

Pretty ambitious start up schedule, plan to start play in 2013. With Oglethorpe reportedly considering adding a program, wouldn't it be nice if Emory & Henry and W&L also came on board making the SAA a 10 team league.

Ralph-- I was typing this when you made your response. In short, there is no advantage for the SAA over the ODAC although I haven't done an in-depth education level analysis of the schools. From a competition point of view, the sleight of sports offered is almost identical and as far as I can tell the mission and vision issues of the ODAC schools and the SAA schools are very similar.

Take a look at the map on the bottom of this link and you'll realize why there is most likely nothing that would tempt W&L to the SAA. I can't speak for E&H as I don't know the school all that well, but I suspect the benefits would be limited as well.

http://www.odaconline.com/information/odacstory

If W&L and E&H struggled in the ODAC or had sports that were in the SAA but not the ODAC I could see a case, however neither of those things are true. Geographically the ODAC is one of the best conferences around and W&L, especially, is geographically at its center. Adding Shenandoah doesn't do much to change that and makes for a very strong 8 team football conference. Even if associate member Catholic left, the ODAC would still have the requisite 7 members for an AQ in football let alone some sports where the conference will be 10-12 teams deep. With the exception of the single-sex institutions, the schools are very similar in size and focus. Certainly W&L has ties to Sewanee and Centre, but I don't think they are going to be strong enough to ruin a dream travel and competition scenario for the Generals.

[cush]

If the SAA was interested in going to 12 with 4 VA school's and the interest was mutual, than breaking off into divisions could ease the travel concerns for everybody. I always thought VMI works as a d3 school but getting school's to leave d1 isn't easy. The same could be said of  wofford and Davidson, who also could fit into the SAA but don't think those two ever leave the southern conference. I would expect the SAA to expand to 10 someday, at most 12 if some of these school's ever showed interest. W&L sure has the $ to offset travel issues, its just a matter if the hassle is worth it. I think there is something for school's of alike to stick together and i like travel, so yes i think they should consider it. The old SCAC and now the SAA have a good marketing niche of bringing together the top liberal arts school's from contiguous southern states, one-two per state. Thus adding w&L would seem to fit that strategy as a standalone but travel issues probably require at least one more school to also join, E&H could fit the bill fine as a piggyback to w&L.

[Pat Coleman]

W&L and E&H are vastly different schools. The SAA is clearly very interested in the types of schools it aligns with.

[McM Blue Devil]

New to SCAC Boards so forgive me for the ignorant question.  If Trinity wins 2 out of the next 3 to finish 9-1, but they don't win the conference. do you think they will get an at large birth?  Or is it way too early to even be thinking about that?  Would love to see TU in the playoffs against some possible Texas opponents.

Okay McMBlue Devil...

if TU wins the SCAC Pool A bid and McMurry comes for the first round playoff game,

do you let your sons wear their Jake Mullin autographed McMurry jerseys to the TU-McM game?   

That's what I like about you Ralph, you knew exactly where I was headed with that question.  I will let my sons wear the Jake Mullin jerseys, but for job security purposes we will sit in separate sections

[Ralph Turner]

New to SCAC Boards so forgive me for the ignorant question.  If Trinity wins 2 out of the next 3 to finish 9-1, but they don't win the conference. do you think they will get an at large birth?  Or is it way too early to even be thinking about that?  Would love to see TU in the playoffs against some possible Texas opponents.

Okay McMBlue Devil...

if TU wins the SCAC Pool A bid and McMurry comes for the first round playoff game,

do you let your sons wear their Jake Mullin autographed McMurry jerseys to the TU-McM game?   

That's what I like about you Ralph, you knew exactly where I was headed with that question.  I will let my sons wear the Jake Mullin jerseys, but for job security purposes we will sit in separate sections

I'll bet that they would not turn down a Nyk McKissic autographed Trinity jersey either.

[Shoreman]

E&H is at least up to the academic standards of Birm southern & Millsaps and probably Berry.

[Ron Boerger]

I've just created an SAA board for discussion like this which pertains solely to the new conference.   

[Ron Boerger]

SAEN story on Trinity FS Tyler Barrett.

And ... believe it or not ... ESPN.com's Page 2 revisits the Mississippi Miracle. 

[Ron Boerger]

Not sure we will have an ATS this week, but that's OK, because Jason Bowen wrote a wonderful feature about the situation at Wesley last week.  If you haven't heard, the son of one of the coaches there suddenly took ill and is in the hospital with a medically induced coma, outlook uncertain.  Making the story even more poignant is Jason's connections with both the young man, Ben Knapp, and the program at Wesley.

The story is available here and is highly recommended reading.

[Ron Boerger]

HOLY MOLY -- SW IS BRINGING BACK FOOTBALL IN 2013!!!

http://www.scacsports.com/sports/fball/2011-12/releases/southwestern_adds_football

GEORGETOWN, Texas - Southwestern University will reinstate football and add women's lacrosse to its roster of NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, thanks to $6 million in gifts from two former student-athletes.

Joe Seeber, a 1963 graduate who played basketball while he was at Southwestern, has pledged $5 million to launch the new programs and San Antonio businessman Red McCombs, who also attended Southwestern and played football, has pledged $1 million. Joanne and Brent Austin of Houston also have made a gift to support the new programs.

[awadelewis]

Interesting weekend coming up

B-SC and Trinity  + Centre and Millsaps with possibility of all four teams being at 3-1 in conference if the dice falls the right way.

And Southwestern decides to add football to become the 3rd football playing school in the revamped SCAC.

Thoughts?

[Ron Boerger]

You'll excuse me if I don't think Trinity being 3-1 would be the dice falling the right way

3 SCAC teams could have a better chance of affilliating with the UAA, if they are interested, since that would bring the total number of teams to seven which would secure a Pool A bid ...

And on a personal note, Red McCombs has now donated money to the football program at UTSA, there's the McCombs Center at Incarnate Word, and now he's helping to underwrite football at Southwestern.   Would someone at Trinity PLEASE ask this guy for some money for new turf or something?   

[Ralph Turner]

HOLY MOLY -- SW IS BRINGING BACK FOOTBALL IN 2013!!!

http://www.scacsports.com/sports/fball/2011-12/releases/southwestern_adds_football

GEORGETOWN, Texas - Southwestern University will reinstate football and add women's lacrosse to its roster of NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, thanks to $6 million in gifts from two former student-athletes.

Joe Seeber, a 1963 graduate who played basketball while he was at Southwestern, has pledged $5 million to launch the new programs and San Antonio businessman Red McCombs, who also attended Southwestern and played football, has pledged $1 million. Joanne and Brent Austin of Houston also have made a gift to support the new programs.

Dave Voskuil is now VP forEnrollment Services at Southwestern, coming there after a very short stint at Centenary.

He was VP at McMurry and did an excellent job of bringing student-athletes.  He helped start the football program at NCWC before he came to McMurry.

Southwestern has felt the enrollment crunch, and needs football as a recruiting tool.  Voskuil can bring in the student-athletes.

What Centenary plans to do about football becomes interesting.

[Ralph Turner]

HOLY MOLY -- SW IS BRINGING BACK FOOTBALL IN 2013!!!

http://www.scacsports.com/sports/fball/2011-12/releases/southwestern_adds_football

GEORGETOWN, Texas - Southwestern University will reinstate football ...

Does the increase the possibility that an affiliation agreement with the UAA, to get a Pool A bid in 2015, might occur?

Is there a recruiting advantage for the UAA football schools to come to DFW, to Austin and to San Antonio on a biennial basis for this event?  If Centenary came on board, then there would be an 8-team league. The travel would mean 2 flights per year.

[Ron Boerger]

I think I said something to that effect about two messages back, Ralph (the afilliation part, anyway).     WRT recruits, you gotta think the UAAs are getting all the students they want already just based on their deserved good reputation and very tough admission requirements.   Maybe they get another couple of kids but can't see it being a big factor.

Good news - per EN story, Coach Mohr will be on the sidelines tomorrow against B-SC.  Me too if I can get down I-35 in time. 

It's going to be nice to see Trinity play in Georgetown in a couple or three years.  E-N article says they're going to play at Georgetown HS, hopefully that's only for a year or two and not 'forseeable future.'