FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

Hard to imagine a school transitioning from D1 to D3.

Fourth time in 20 years -- not super often, but I bet it will be more than four schools in the next 20.

https://d3sports.com/notables/2025/03/st-francis-coming-to-d3

[Mavchamp]

Right now these are the options the SCAC has left in the future. Remember that all options below involve no current or future asc schools leaving.

1. convince 2 football-playing schools outside the SCAC to switch all their athletics to the SCAC for 2026 to get the auto bid then.

2. have one school (core or affiliate) join in 2026, have no one else leave, so they can end their "6-team-2-year-waiting-period" in 2027.

3. convince any of its non-football playing members to add football so it can likely start varsity football and get an auto bid in 2027. (Colorado College, Concordia (TX), Dallas, Ozarks or St. Thomas (TX))

1.  As the ASC found out....there simply aren't any.  Not in this part of the country at least.  No one on the West Coast (SCIAC) or the East Coast (USA South) wants to come this far for conference games.  Belhaven is the only one that MAY consider it....but why leave a stable conference for two unstable conferences?  That leaves only Midwest schools....who really don't need trips to Arkansas and Texas when they are surrounded by D3 schools in their own backyards with minimal travel.

2.  Again...who?  There's no one in D3 to pick off.  The only answer is to lure an NAIA school from the Sooner Conference.  Wayland Baptist?  Texas Wesleyan?  Nelson?  Louisiana College? Seems unlikely any of them have any interest in moving to D3.  My guess the SCAC has no interest in Wayland for the same reason they left the Baptist Four in the ASC.  The success of Wesleyan and Nelson in the SAC makes a D3 move seem unappealing.  Louisiana College just transitioned to scholarships in the NAIA.....why go back?  As far as no other schools leaving the SCAC....this may be a tall order.  Hendrix would likely head back to the SAA without the AQ.  Centenary has to be thinking having ETBU so close as a travel partner is appealing.  Lyon is anyone's guess.  They could go North into a midwest conference.  That leaves TLU and AC dangling in the wind facing the possibility of returning to a conference they fled from.

3.  Asking a school to start up football is a huge enterprise.  Not only the start up costs with equipment and coaching staffs, but the facility costs, travel costs.  Housing?  Who has that kind of money?  Concordia?  They have one of the smallest endowments in D3.  Ozarks?  They have less than 700 students total.  St. Thomas and U of D are possibilities.  But you are talking about two markets already saturated with college football.

Somehow luring 2 teams out of the NAIA from the SAC may be their only options.  And that seems like longshots.

[Crubacker]

As Cuba Gooding Jr said in Jerry Maguire--------"Show me the money"

[AAFES]

You can take Dallas out of the consideration for a football startup.  It was considered around 2000 and roundly dismissed.  Nothing has changed to reverse that thought.

[Mavchamp]

Dallas or Houston schools are going to be tough sells.

TCU, UNT, SMU, UT, A&M Commerce, Austin College, Nelson, Texas Wesleyan...and UT Arlington is in talks.  That's a lot of football for the metroplex.

Houston is worse with U of H, Rice, Houston Christian, Texas Southern, Lamar, A&M, Sam Houston, Prarie View

complete saturation.

[Gray Fox]

You can take Dallas out of the consideration for a football startup.  It was considered around 2000 and roundly dismissed.  Nothing has changed to reverse that thought.

They made a good effort. Got guys to sign up, but those same guys didn't show when things got serious.  Maybe they start with all guys not already in school.

[crufootball]

You can take Dallas out of the consideration for a football startup.  It was considered around 2000 and roundly dismissed.  Nothing has changed to reverse that thought.

They made a good effort. Got guys to sign up, but those same guys didn't show when things got serious.  Maybe they start with all guys not already in school.

So they attempted to field a team with students already at Univ of Dallas?

[river2]

0% chance of football for UST or CC

[Mavchamp]

Corey Hogue mentioned that the SCAC might turn to Belhaven or Huntingdon for football.

What are the odds?

Geographically they are a stretch with Jackson, MS and Montgomery, AL.

But are they willing to leave a stable USA South conference for the SCAC?

[Gray Fox]

You can take Dallas out of the consideration for a football startup.  It was considered around 2000 and roundly dismissed.  Nothing has changed to reverse that thought.

They made a good effort. Got guys to sign up, but those same guys didn't show when things got serious.  Maybe they start with all guys not already in school.

So they attempted to field a team with students already at Univ of Dallas?

Yes.  I can't recall exactly.  Maybe they were going to start as a club team.
Maybe Ralph Turner will remember more.

[crufootball]

Corey Hogue mentioned that the SCAC might turn to Belhaven or Huntingdon for football.

What are the odds?

Geographically they are a stretch with Jackson, MS and Montgomery, AL.

But are they willing to leave a stable USA South conference for the SCAC?

Have to wonder if now the football part of the SCAC will be acting like the ASC had for a while. We have no reason to doubt that they have or will call every school that is willing to pick up the phone, however until one of them has a reason to say yes the SCAC won't have good news to announce so they just won't announce anything. While I believe the ASC could have periodically reaffirmed their intentions I never blamed them for not holding a press conference to announce we are still not in a great position.

[Mavchamp]

The ASC would be foolish to stand pat with what they have.  Although.... outside of raiding the SCAC further...I don't see any options unless Sul Ross returns to D3.

I don't think any of the NAIA schools have any interest in D3.

Belhaven and Huntingdon seem like long shots.

SCAC needs one....no clue where they get it.  Not finding it likely sends Hendrix packing.

Centenary or Lyon to the ASC is no big deal as neither have much history with the conference.

But TLU and AC returning....even as affiliates makes for a somewhat awkward family reunion given some of the things that have been said and done the last 2-3 years.

Makes you wonder if they would consider NAIA like HPU and ETBU were likely exploring.

[Ralph Turner]

You can take Dallas out of the consideration for a football startup.  It was considered around 2000 and roundly dismissed.  Nothing has changed to reverse that thought.

They made a good effort. Got guys to sign up, but those same guys didn't show when things got serious.  Maybe they start with all guys not already in school.

So they attempted to field a team with students already at Univ of Dallas?

Yes.  I can't recall exactly.  Maybe they were going to start as a club team.
Maybe Ralph Turner will remember more.

I believe UDallas tried about 2003 or 2004.
I believe they had left the ASC by 2003-2004 b/c they earned a Pool B bid in basketball. SRSU beat UDallas & Trinity to make the Sweet 16.

[jekelish]

The ASC would be foolish to stand pat with what they have.  Although.... outside of raiding the SCAC further...I don't see any options unless Sul Ross returns to D3.

I don't think any of the NAIA schools have any interest in D3.

Belhaven and Huntingdon seem like long shots.

SCAC needs one....no clue where they get it.  Not finding it likely sends Hendrix packing.

Centenary or Lyon to the ASC is no big deal as neither have much history with the conference.

But TLU and AC returning....even as affiliates makes for a somewhat awkward family reunion given some of the things that have been said and done the last 2-3 years.

Makes you wonder if they would consider NAIA like HPU and ETBU were likely exploring.

I can tell you with 100% certainty that Austin College, at least, will never consider returning to NAIA.

[AAFES]

Dallas had their Pool B basketball bid in 03-04.  The football discussion was prior to that.  The idea was to start a club team and if successful make it a varsity sport but it never got that far although a couple of potential players did enroll and did graduate playing rugby.