7 SCAC teams plus Berry to form new conference

[litig8r187]

Thanks Gregory.  So does this give us any clues as to what other schools could be ask to join.  It looks like most of the schools you mentioned above are on par with Centenary.

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks Gregory.  So does this give us any clues as to what other schools could be ask to join.  It looks like most of the schools you mentioned above are on par with Centenary.

I would like to see anyone get out any reference, USN&WR, Templeton's, Phi Beta Kappa schools, etc., and designate the short list of schools on the list of candidates for SCAC membership.

In the perception realm, I think that there are no schools that are above the "old-SCAC" average in this part of the country.

I think that the prospective list of members would be from a grouping of schools which the Hendrix President may have tried to leave.

Gregory Sager has the best list that I have seen, a few posts back.

[litig8r187]

http://www.d3football.com/columns/around-the-nation/index

Intersting read.

[Ron Boerger]

Berry today announced they will start football in 2013, track/field shortly thereafter.  That'll get the SAA in line for an automatic bid in what, 2015?

http://www.berryvikings.com/GeneralNews/Articles/BerryAddingFootballExpandingTrack

[jknezek]

Excellent news for the SAA. It's a shame the two SCAC teams hold the AQ for the next two years as it seems like the SAA is much further along in being a complete conference. Oh well. I do hope the two SCAC programs can find a home especially now that it seems like the SAA group is all squared away.

[Ron Boerger]

Barring a very unusual decision from the NCAA, the SCAC loses its bid after this season.

[smedindy]

The SCAC and UAA need to hook up. Is there any reason Huntingdon hasn't been approached? Or have they been and are taking their time in thinking about a conference?

[jknezek]

Barring a very unusual decision from the NCAA, the SCAC loses its bid after this season.

Interesting. I thought they had 2 years to find members? Odds are I'm wrong on that, just something I thought I remembered. Thanks for the info.

[Ron Boerger]

The SCAC and UAA need to hook up. Is there any reason Huntingdon hasn't been approached? Or have they been and are taking their time in thinking about a conference?

The SCAC is on record saying they'd love to join forces, at least in football.  I think the UAA doesn't want to add non-research institutions to their conference.   UAA, serious Ph.D. granting institutions; SCAC, not. 

Huntingdon ... earlier discussion was that their academics weren't at the same level as the rest of the SCAC schools.  Ralph T. pointed out that Centenary's aren't either, perhaps opening that door.  The only issue *now* with the SCAC and Huntingdon is that there's no travel partner and Alabama's an awful dog darn long way from TX/CO.  Might work as a football-only affilliate but without someone else out there can't see them getting any consideration as a regular member.   And with the SAA being the same people who turned their nose up at not only Huntingdon but at least some of the SCAC schools (per comments from Hendrix' prez Cloyd, later retracted), I can't see them welcoming HC now that they've got Berry to get their seven teams required for a bid.

Jknezek, K-Mack covered the SCAC's auto bid situation in this week's ATN.  You gotta retain four football-playing core members to (temporarily) keep the bid, and the SCAC will only have the two.   The SCAC commish says they're not interesting in pressuring the other schools to start FB (or LaX) just so the conference can keep a playoff bid.

[smedindy]

I guess I assumed that the UAA cared about an auto-bid for its teams.

[jknezek]

Thanks Ron. I must have forgotten or not read very closely they needed 4. Appreciate the info!

Smedindy -- as for the UAA, I guarantee you they care less about the bid than they do about being what their mission statement says:

"The participants in this association are private, research institutions in major metropolitan areas, who are committed to the NCAA Division III philosophy. They are similar institutions in many ways. They are research universities with several undergraduate programs and divisions as well as graduate and professional programs. Their academic programs are among the best in the country. Their undergraduate populations are also similar."

That is just one part of their philosophy statement and it goes on in the same vein. There is no way they are going to go against the mission statement of the entire conference just to get an AQ for football.

[Ralph Turner]

The SCAC and UAA need to hook up. Is there any reason Huntingdon hasn't been approached? Or have they been and are taking their time in thinking about a conference?

The SCAC is on record saying they'd love to join forces, at least in football.  I think the UAA doesn't want to add non-research institutions to their conference.   UAA, serious Ph.D. granting institutions; SCAC, not. 

Huntingdon ... earlier discussion was that their academics weren't at the same level as the rest of the SCAC schools.  Ralph T. pointed out that Centenary's aren't either, perhaps opening that door.  The only issue *now* with the SCAC and Huntingdon is that there's no travel partner and Alabama's an awful dog darn long way from TX/CO.  Might work as a football-only affilliate but without someone else out there can't see them getting any consideration as a regular member.   And with the SAA being the same people who turned their nose up at not only Huntingdon but at least some of the SCAC schools (per comments from Hendrix' prez Cloyd, later retracted), I can't see them welcoming HC now that they've got Berry to get their seven teams required for a bid.

Jknezek, K-Mack covered the SCAC's auto bid situation in this week's ATN.  You gotta retain four football-playing core members to (temporarily) keep the bid, and the SCAC will only have the two.   The SCAC commish says they're not interesting in pressuring the other schools to start FB (or LaX) just so the conference can keep a playoff bid.

Centenary is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South (www.colleges.org). I think that Centenary, as a marginally competitive D-1 member in the far-flung Summit Conference, was not endearing themselves to the stature in their program that the other D-1 members, Davidson, Furman, Richmond were demonstrating.

I think that the move to D-III allows Centenary to re-align itself and "gain" its "respectability" among its peer institutions.  This is just conjecture on my part, because I am not privy to the small talk and chit-chat that occurs at dinners which those college presidents attend.

[litig8r187]

My daughter was "courted" quite heavily by Centenary.  It actually ended up being between Centenary and Southwestern as to where she would go.  In had a number of conversations with the coaches about their move from DI to DII and where the school was going.  What Ralph says is consistent with the direction the coaches indicated Centenary wanted to go.  That is why I was a little surprised they went into the ASC and was glad when I heard they were joining the SCAC.  I really liked the school and the folks there. 

Now, I realize the biggest problem for the SCAC schools (at least Trinity and AC) is football.  But I am really interested in what schools may round out sports like Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball and Lacrosse.  For example, the SCAC with Centenary is at 5 Men's and Women's Soccer schools (CC Soccer teams play DI.  I didn't even know you could "mix and match NCAA divisions with different sports).  Do y'all think Football, behind the mission statement of the SCAC, will be the determining factor in looking at new schools or do you think they will focus on the other sports (like soccer) that only need one 2-3 schools to maintain their AQ past 2012? 

Also, since I'm new to this game, I gather it is a possibility that Trinity and AC could join other conferences, like the UAA, for Football only?  However, to maintain the SCAC's AQ in football, they first must have 4 football programs from the SCAC to remain (Not happening) and then must be up to 8 (7?) by the beginning of 2013 to keep it?  If that is right, there is almost no chance the SCAC keeps their AQ in football.  So that leaves Trinity and AC either 1) waiting to rebuild an SCAC football conference to regain their AQ, 2) Moving to another conference for football ONLY (If you can do that?), or 3) leaving the SCAC altogether with all sports.  Do I have this right? 

[ADL70]

The UAA could add Trinity and Austin as football-only members (there is a lot of that in east region conferences).  But that would be one team short of an AQ.

etg posted on the SCAC football board  back in June that:

"My contacts (in Cleveland,OH) tell me that the UAA greatly desires to "expand" the conference with 3 "quality institutions" (NOTE: current UAA members play full 9 or 10 game D3 football schedules without requiring that their opponents be mega-graduate institutions). I believe both Trinity and Austin will fit this criteria, leaving a now undecided third institution to be negotiated with."

My sense is that the discussion related only to football.  My intuition though is that the UAA is not all that concerned about the AQ.  To me the scheduling agreement with the NCAC bears this out, unless they thought it might utlimately lead to three NCAC teams chosing to leave for the UAA in football only.

The possible seventh might be Macalester (St. Paul MN) they are MIAA members, but independent in football.  They have played Chicago recently and have travelled as far as Lewis & Clark.

[Ralph Turner]

My daughter was "courted" quite heavily by Centenary.  It actually ended up being between Centenary and Southwestern as to where she would go.  In had a number of conversations with the coaches about their move from DI to DII and where the school was going.  What Ralph says is consistent with the direction the coaches indicated Centenary wanted to go. That is why I was a little surprised they went into the ASC and was glad when I heard they were joining the SCAC.  I really liked the school and the folks there. 

Now, I realize the biggest problem for the SCAC schools (at least Trinity and AC) is football.  But I am really interested in what schools may round out sports like Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball and Lacrosse.  For example, the SCAC with Centenary is at 5 Men's and Women's Soccer schools (CC Soccer teams play DI.  I didn't even know you could "mix and match NCAA divisions with different sports).  Do y'all think Football, behind the mission statement of the SCAC, will be the determining factor in looking at new schools or do you think they will focus on the other sports (like soccer) that only need one 2-3 schools to maintain their AQ past 2012? 

Also, since I'm new to this game, I gather it is a possibility that Trinity and AC could join other conferences, like the UAA, for Football only?  However, to maintain the SCAC's AQ in football, they first must have 4 football programs from the SCAC to remain (Not happening) and then must be up to 8 (7?) by the beginning of 2013 to keep it?  If that is right, there is almost no chance the SCAC keeps their AQ in football.  So that leaves Trinity and AC either 1) waiting to rebuild an SCAC football conference to regain their AQ, 2) Moving to another conference for football ONLY (If you can do that?), or 3) leaving the SCAC altogether with all sports.  Do I have this right?

The ASC seemed to be the logical choice for Centenary for the near term and long term.

The ASC needed an "8th" for the East Division.  For Centenary, 7 of the 8 ASC-East foes are within 200 miles, and 4 within 2 hours.  In this part of the country, that is nothing!

Putting one's self into the shoes of the new Centenary president,  one sees the fluidity that is the SCAC.  One can see their wanting Centenary, when B David Rowe, the new President, an Emory/LaGrange guy, gets the academics to his liking!

The "ASC/SCAC" two-step fits nicely into the 5-10 year plan for Centenary. Besides, having another D-III team in this part of the country helps everyone, especially if there is good blood between everyone involved!