7 SCAC teams plus Berry to form new conference

[108 Stitches]

You simply can not ignore football....particularly in Texas!!!! If you listen to the TLU president and AD they talk about the conference w/o football and look forward to the time that they have enough teams. This will happen I am sure, and also Colo College does not have baseball and their womens soccer is D1, so they may drift away to another conference long term. (or not, I don't know) I really don't know, but the way it is shaping up I think they will look for a school or two to add football and to pick up a few more regional schools. In any case the SCAC is set. I really feel sorry for BSC as they have not been in post season play for three years, they get this year and then have to wait again. (at large bid aside)

[Gregory Sager]

The overwhelming majority of schools cannot (or choose not to) schedule distant opponents anyway, but it sets up such anomalies as no one in the MIAA (except Hope) can schedule in-region games against Chicago-land schools, despite them being closer than nearly all their 'in-region' potential opponents.

You're overstating the matter, Chuck. North Park, Concordia (IL), Dominican, Chicago, and Elmhurst are within 200 miles of Calvin, and all of them except for Elmhurst are also within 200 miles of Albion.

[Ralph Turner]

I would agree with you Ron other than the extra demands it puts on the students because of the travel requirements. My son was not playing back then, but he heard about some of the brutal 12-hour bus rides. I am hoping that some of the schools add in a home/away series for OOC games in the future with some of the southern schools. Trinity is doing a home/away with Chapman and it would add some interest to their schedule to do this with Millsaps, BSC or another school in the former SCAC South conference. The East/West break of the conference seemed like it would have worked, except for football I guess. I do like the addition of Centenary to give it a more diverse feel and I would think they would be looking for other schools in the Louisiana area. The southern teams broke away so the SCAC Texas teams really had no choice but to go the direction they are going, but I get what you are saying. I would also think that the focus now will now be to get enough football teams in the conference as the other sports will maintain their AQ's. The critical additions are now in place so I am guessing football will be a focus for them.

And the SAA had to seek affiliates (Chicago and Wash StL) to earn the AQ in football.

Respectfully, there are no other schools in Louisiana for the SCAC.  For D-III it is LaCollege and Centenary.

LSU-Shreveport?  LSU-Alexandria?  They don't even sponsor all of the SCAC sports.

The NAIA schools in New Orleans (Dillard, Loyola, Southern, Xavier) don't fit the SCAC model.

Everyone else in Louisiana is D1 or D-II.

NAIA schools in LA

[smedindy]

The SCAC I think would want colleges similar to those that left.

[Mr. Ypsi]

The overwhelming majority of schools cannot (or choose not to) schedule distant opponents anyway, but it sets up such anomalies as no one in the MIAA (except Hope) can schedule in-region games against Chicago-land schools, despite them being closer than nearly all their 'in-region' potential opponents.

You're overstating the matter, Chuck. North Park, Concordia (IL), Dominican, Chicago, and Elmhurst are within 200 miles of Calvin, and all of them except for Elmhurst are also within 200 miles of Albion.

Yeah, I didn't check the mileage and suspected I might be overstating the case.  The point remains that many teams MUCH closer than MOST Great Lakes region teams are 'unavailable' to MOST MIAA teams.

[Ron Boerger]

The SCAC I think would want colleges similar to those that left.

There aren't many out there that aren't happily affiliated with other conferences (or don't want to pay the travel piper).   They're probably doing the best they can by cherry-picking the most suitable schools from the ASC; perhaps after they re-establish themselves as an AQ conference (done or close for most sports except FB) some schools that might be on the fence given the SCAC's somewhat uncertain viability will reconsider.

[Ralph Turner]

Berea (Ky) College announced exploratory candidacy for D-III.

Are they a candidate for the SAA?

[Bmo]

Berea (Ky) College announced exploratory candidacy for D-III.

Are they a candidate for the SAA?

That would be another 10+ hour bus ride for Millsaps.  Maybe them and say Mississippi College could be persuaded to join a conference with a much tighter geographical footprint. 

[smedindy]

I think Millsaps probably would be more interested in colleges that are similar in mission and not just distance related. Berea looks like a good fit for the SAA programatically. Plus it's only about 45 minutes away from Centre and closer to I-75 than Centre is.

[Ron Boerger]

If that was truly the case, Smed, they wouldn't have kicked the western SCAC schools out of their little puddle, would they?

And with financial means being the key qualifier for admission, I don't know that they fit the SAA model.  They would appear to be at the bottom of the range from a test score perspective:   

Berea :  Average SAT (M+V):  1100; Average ACT:  24

Millsaps:  NA /  26
Centre:  1230 / 28
Oglethorpe:   1120 / 25
Rhodes:  NA / 28
Hendrix:  NA / 29
BSC:  NA / 26
Berry:  1130 / 26
Sewanee:  1250 / 28

[Austin 1220 / 26
Colorado 1320 / 29
Southwestern NA / 27
Trinity NA / 29
U Dallas 1190 / 27 ]

Source:  US News & World Reports

There's also no ΦΒΚ chapter at Berea. 

[smedindy]

Mission, Ron, is more than test scores. Berea's mission, while unique, I believe is a good fit for the SAA. The emphasis on financial means and service means more rigor and a well-rounded college experience for their students compared to some other institutions.

When I've met kids from Berea (and alums) they understand the gift they are given and really plow themselves into their studies.

[Ron Boerger]

Update from the SCAC:  http://www.scacsports.com/news/scac_stabilizes

Excerpt:

"Just eight short months ago, our conference was down to five members and the future was a great unknown," said commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. "I am proud to say today that the state of the SCAC is strong and based on the inquiries we continue to receive from interested parties, possibilities exist for the league to become even stronger."

"We achieved our initial goal of shoring up league membership," said Hanberry, "but we will continue to seek out partners – both as core members and for sport-specific affiliate membership – where it makes sense philosophically and geographically."

The addition of Texas Lutheran on February 16 insures that the SCAC will retain its automatic bids in nine of its 14 AQ sports, including baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, softball, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis and volleyball.

The SCAC will continue to explore its options in other AQ sports such as football, men's golf, women's golf, men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse.

[sbparent]

Very new to this board but now have 2 daughters who play D3 softball. 

In my thinking a big concern is the travel time between schools for all sports.  Given the location of the new SCAC schools, I would think that Sul Ross might be a good candidate.  Seems like I read that the new SCAC all had the same common thoughts so SR might not fit that.  Not sure. 

Anyway, with the forming of the new SAA conference, I would think the Ozarks and Mississippi College would be prime candidates to join that conference.

Again, I am just looking at things from a geographic prospective.

[Pat Coleman]

Very new to this board but now have 2 daughters who play D3 softball. 

In my thinking a big concern is the travel time between schools for all sports.  Given the location of the new SCAC schools, I would think that Sul Ross might be a good candidate.  Seems like I read that the new SCAC all had the same common thoughts so SR might not fit that.  Not sure. 

Anyway, with the forming of the new SAA conference, I would think the Ozarks and Mississippi College would be prime candidates to join that conference.

Again, I am just looking at things from a geographic prospective.

They do fit the geography but they definitely do not fit the philosophy. If those schools couldn't compete with Trinity, they won't even think of adding two ASC schools.

[sbparent]

Its odd that University of Ozarks and Hendrix are 70 miles apart and Mississippi College and Milshaps are 10 miles apart yet they are both in seperate conferences.

When you say "couldn't compete with Trinity" are you referring to a specific sport or overall athletic program?