FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[DFWCrufan]

What the what??? so where will the last two land? any guessess?

[gordonmann]

I know the announcement is just for football, but what are the chances it follows for all sports?

[roocru]

I know the announcement is just for football, but what are the chances it follows for all sports?

It will be football only.  Also, by the way, the decision was made in consultation with all SCAC football members.  As I understand it, TLC had no problem returning to the ASC.  Not sure what Southwestern will do.

[TLU02SA]

http://tlubulldogs.com/news/2015/11/18/FB_1118150000.aspx

Here is TLU's post about the news today.  The article seems ambiguous about Southwestern's and TLU's intentions.  On the one hand, it seems to indicate that SU and TLU will seek to affiliate themselves with the ASC, but the money quote is from President Dorsey saying,

"For Southwestern University and Texas Lutheran, a football conference affiliation within Texas will serve us best by controlling travel costs, minimizing lost class time for students and building traditional local rivalries. We will be working with Southwestern University and other Texas independent universities to explore these options in the coming weeks."

Not sure what "Texas independent universities" means.  Does he mean universities not currently affiliated with a conference or DIII??? Is that a reference to a private college (thus indicating the ASC)?  Probably the later but not sure.

Anyways, interesting times.  From the statement, it appears that Trinity, AC, TLU and Southwestern came to this decision together for what that is worth.

The other interesting bit from the article is it discloses TLU's football schedule next year.  In addition to the six games against AC, Trinity, and Southwester, TLU is playing UMHB, ETBU, Hardin-Simmons, and Louisiana College.

[TLU02SA]

Remaining an independent is an option for TLU.  For scheduling purposes, TLU can continue to schedule Trinity, AC and Southwestern along with 5 - 7 ASC teams, NAIA teams, and occasionally an out of state home-and-home series.  It is not impossible and is no different from what TLU has done the past 3 years.  You don't have an AQ but that is also no different than what TLU is doing now.

[Coolrey]

Goodness. So now the SCAC is going to dump football. I remember a couple of years ago when they announced how excited they were to get TLU and how they were looking forward to the future of the conference, etc, etc. TLU and SWU will join up again w/ the ASC expanding that to a 10 team conference. Everyone finds one non-conference game and then it is "on".  UMHB, TLU and HSU will be the top 3 in that conference for the time being with the runner-up having a good shot at a playoff bid.  For the past 2 years it's been between those 3 anyway regardless of the conference they were in.  I guess going independent is an option, but securing games is always an issue.

[DFWCrufan]

I was just going to say almost the same thing Royal, for now they can find games in the ASC, but that could change if they run independent. ASC is filling up as well with the addition of Belhaven and McMurry on all schedules in 2016. not much wiggle room left

[crufootball]

Being independent is obviously an option but will be even harder once Belhaven and McMurry are fully brought on board into the ASC. At that point the ASC teams will only need 3 non-conference games and some will want to face Trinity, AC, or any other D3 team because it will work better with their schedules.

'Does anyone know if TLU and Southwestern could have left right now and just joined the ASC for the 2016 season? Especially if they are going to do it anyway, than they join an AQ conference and at least for TLU play mainly the same schedule.

[TLU02SA]

TLU and Southwestern joining the ASC does make the most sense for scheduling purposes.  My suspicion (and it is only a suspicion) is that an announcement will be made very soon that TLU and Southwestern will be football affiliates in the ASC. 

Not sure about 2016 though.  I know it seems like Trinity and AC are dropping TLU and Southwestern in the mud here but it does appear to have been a decision made by all four to seek football affiliation outside the SCAC.  If TLU and Southwestern were to join the ASC for 2016, they would have to drop, at least, one of their scheduled games against Trinity and AC next year.  Not sure how easy it would be for Trinity and AC to schedule those two games.  If TLU and Southwestern were to do that, the relations between the four schools could spiral quickly.

Certainly, an unfortunate set of circumstances.  The whole conference affiliation thing has been completely frustrating from a football perspective.  My guess is that the SCAC schools thought there was real chance for internal expansion and additional private colleges in Texas and Louisiana would be starting football programs.  Obviously, that did not turn out.  I am very interested in how this all plays out.

Then again, this seems par for the course for D3 football.  I find the conference shuffling in DIII to be surprising and mind boggling.

[Ron Boerger]

This really is a kick in the teeth to SW and TLU, and I'm sure there WILL be some hard feelings and possibly conference changes.   That said, you have to remember that schools associate with conferences for more reasons than just to play football.   I could see TLU rejoining the ASC much more easily (after all, they were members until a few years ago) than I could Southwestern, who have been members of the SCAC since 1993.   I hope they can find a football home quickly.

Due to scheduling it normally takes a couple of years for a conference afflilliation to change, which is why AC/TU don't affiliate with the SAA until 2017. 

[Ron Boerger]

I know the announcement is just for football, but what are the chances it follows for all sports?

The SAA made it plenty clear they didn't want to be sending all their sports teams to Texas when they pulled out; travel costs and the impact of travel on student-athletes were the stated reasons for leaving.  With football, they'd already agreed to take on the two UAA schools for football only with the associated travel costs, so with the UAA jumping ship immediately after affiliating this is a marriage of convenience benefiting both the SAA and AC/TU, and a partnership that is much less likely to be broken given the scarcity of other options for Trinity and Austin. 

[DFWCrufan]

If the schedule sits the way I presume it does currently for UMHB, I don't see a place for SW in 2016. OWU, TLU and Linfield will be the three non conference games. (That is if TLU is not affiliated) and then the rest are ASC members. But things could change of course. OWU would be coming to the Cruthedral, as would (as I understood) Linfield so those are two homestands for the Cru. Perhaps a 2017 season would see SW in this line up.. Or.. perhaps TLU does not get on the 2016 schedule and SW is in that spot...who knows

[@d3jason]

Not sure if this is mentioned but Pool B appears to be shrinking to below the number of teams to warrant a bid soon. With that, TLU and SW would need to join the ASC to gain access or risk Pool C.

[Ralph Turner]

Pat C can correct me, but I believe the ASC needs 2 years of membership by affiliates before the 6-full members ASC can regain the AQ.
McMurry is at least 2 years away in the most favorable scenario, 2018-19.

I feel badly for Texas D3 football.

I had wondered about this.
Two of these 3 add football to increase the student body especially male: Centenary, Schreiner, or UDallas.

Concordia-Texas leaves the ASC to start football in a more favorable environment. By about 2020,  the ASC would 8 and the AQ. The SCAC would have 7 and the AQ.

Two Pool A bids (plus a Pool C which we commonly got) helps with the playoffs and a nice assortment of local non-conference games.

[Ron Boerger]

I'm sure the SCAC office had been burning the midnight oil trying to find *some* way to get the other schools to start football, Ralph.   That football is being discontinued after 50+ years has to be an admission that nobody wanted to play.    If only the bean counters at Colorado College hadn't killed that program ...