FB: Southern Athletic Association

[HSCTiger74]

This is the money paragraph for me in the blog.

...Speaking of SAA schools and the pandemic, there are a number of stories out on the Internet about how Birmingham-Southern (BSC) is struggling with finances. Could the SAA be making a move for Trinity/Southwestern because of the fear of losing BSC? If they are looking west then they are probably looking north, too. It just feels like the SAA is going to shake things up whether they get Trinity and/or Southwestern and maybe that's the genesis of this rumor.

As for looking north, the ODAC schools like the "ODAC-ness" of their conference. I get the impression that none of the old ODAC schools, whom the SAA would like to have, would want to leave.

I have to second what Ralph said. The ODAC is a fairly compact conference (longest football trip is 277 miles) of more or less like-minded schools.  Even if they split the SAA into divisions you'd be looking at a minimum of over 500 miles for most of the ex-ODAC schools, and when you factor in every sport they sponsor the travel budgets would skyrocket. There really wouldn't be any advantage.

[jknezek]

Ok... so some thoughts on this. Birmingham Southern is in deep, deep trouble. I give them less than 50% odds of making it at this point, just from the little bit I can gather around here and a recent look at the campus. The SAA has a football problem, and it's turning to Trinity. A school that has had some... interesting... history with the SAA and it's former SCAC member schools. It seems whenever the SAA is in a spot of trouble, Trinity helps bail them out. But when the SAA is healthy, they seem quite happy to let those long trips to San Antonio be someone else's problem. I get the Mission and Values cache of the SAA versus the SCAC schools, but you've played this game before. Why do it again?

I liken this to W&L and the ODAC. It's a bit of an odd fit by academic reputation and endowment, but a great fit geographically and by school type (private, liberal arts, mostly on the smaller side). I know W&L has had a roving eye at times, but it seems like it's always come down to putting those student-athletes on the bus and planes less, and in the classrooms more. Though I have no doubt it's also come down an inability to get an invite to where they really want to be, mainly because they'd be the geographic outlier (and maybe an attitude issue as well).

While Trinity aligning with the more well-known SAA schools might tickle an administrator's fancy, does it really matter to the student-athletes? I'm not so sure it does. So who are those schools really serving by moving to the SAA? It would help the SAA, but I'm not sure Trinity's players, especially those with seasons that are more than 10 games, are getting the better end of the deal.

[jekelish]

Ok... so some thoughts on this. Birmingham Southern is in deep, deep trouble. I give them less than 50% odds of making it at this point, just from the little bit I can gather around here and a recent look at the campus. The SAA has a football problem, and it's turning to Trinity. A school that has had some... interesting... history with the SAA and it's former SCAC member schools. It seems whenever the SAA is in a spot of trouble, Trinity helps bail them out. But when the SAA is healthy, they seem quite happy to let those long trips to San Antonio be someone else's problem. I get the Mission and Values cache of the SAA versus the SCAC schools, but you've played this game before. Why do it again?

I liken this to W&L and the ODAC. It's a bit of an odd fit by academic reputation and endowment, but a great fit geographically and by school type (private, liberal arts, mostly on the smaller side). I know W&L has had a roving eye at times, but it seems like it's always come down to putting those student-athletes on the bus and planes less, and in the classrooms more. Though I have no doubt it's also come down an inability to get an invite to where they really want to be, mainly because they'd be the geographic outlier (and maybe an attitude issue as well).

While Trinity aligning with the more well-known SAA schools might tickle an administrator's fancy, does it really matter to the student-athletes? I'm not so sure it does. So who are those schools really serving by moving to the SAA? It would help the SAA, but I'm not sure Trinity's players, especially those with seasons that are more than 10 games, are getting the better end of the deal.

I would be curious to know what the coaches in the SAA would think about bringing in Trinity - and not just in football. Trinity is a behemoth in most sports, so while the presidents no doubt like the way they fit from an academic and national recognition standpoint, it wouldn't surprise me if the coaches are a little more hesitant (not that they have any say in the matter) to bring in a school that's going to come in and probably win 50% of the championships pretty much every year.

[Pat Coleman]

The SAA's formation was basically to get away from Trinity ...

[Ron Boerger]

The SAA's formation was basically to get away from Trinity ...

Nah, or at least not just Trinity.  Remember that DePauw, not Trinity, won the SCAC Presidents' Trophy six straight years including the year the SAA was announced.   I truly think the straw that broke the camel's back was when the SCAC announced UDallas as an incoming member early in the 2010-11 school year.  That meant there would be five teams east of Arkansas (Austin, Colorado, Dallas, SW, TU) further complicating travel in most sports.   

[jekelish]

The SAA's formation was basically to get away from Trinity ...

Nah, or at least not just Trinity.  Remember that DePauw, not Trinity, won the SCAC Presidents' Trophy six straight years including the year the SAA was announced.   I truly think the straw that broke the camel's back was when the SCAC announced UDallas as an incoming member early in the 2010-11 school year.  That meant there would be five teams east of Arkansas (Austin, Colorado, Dallas, SW, TU) further complicating travel in most sports.

Colorado College is the straw the broke the original SCAC's back. Especially once they dropped softball and, more importantly, football.

[Pat Coleman]

The SAA's formation was basically to get away from Trinity ...

Nah, or at least not just Trinity.  Remember that DePauw, not Trinity, won the SCAC Presidents' Trophy six straight years including the year the SAA was announced.   I truly think the straw that broke the camel's back was when the SCAC announced UDallas as an incoming member early in the 2010-11 school year.  That meant there would be five teams east of Arkansas (Austin, Colorado, Dallas, SW, TU) further complicating travel in most sports.

Whether competitively or travelwise, I still stick with my reading of it. Here's how I wrote it up in our story on D3sports.com a year ago -- slightly less simplified than I made it sound above:

Before the split, Trinity (Texas) had won the conference's Presidents Cup 11 times in a 12-year span, followed by DePauw winning six in a row. (Trinity has won every Presidents Cup since the split, as well.) The SAA's equivalent award has not been awarded annually over its brief history, but getting away from Trinity has only been a benefit for everyone in the SAA in terms of championship access. DePauw left the SCAC/SAA for the North Coast Athletic Conference around the same time as the split.

[awadelewis]

Sewanee hires former MTSU head coach and GT defensive coach Andy McCollum as our next head coach.

Press release:
https://sewaneetigers.com/news/2023/2/3/andy-mccollum-selected-to-lead-the-university-of-the-south-football-program.aspx

[BSCpanthers]

Sewanee hires former MTSU head coach and GT defensive coach Andy McCollum as our next head coach.

Press release:
https://sewaneetigers.com/news/2023/2/3/andy-mccollum-selected-to-lead-the-university-of-the-south-football-program.aspx

Be interesting to see if Sewanee can finally get it right and start winning some games. 

Went to the BSC-Sewanee game last season, could have a great atmosphere up the mountain, but you guys have to start winning some games. 

[awadelewis]

Be interesting to see if Sewanee can finally get it right and start winning some games. 

Went to the BSC-Sewanee game last season, could have a great atmosphere up the mountain, but you guys have to start winning some games.

Hope springs eternal, I guess.  Our last two hires have been to bring in assistant coaches from stronger D3 programs to be our head coach.  I think we're seeing the difference in mindset between our new AD and his predecessor.   

Here's a question for those who follow the national scene in D3 closer than I do: Can anyone think of an instance where a former D1 coach like Coach McCollum became a head coach at a D3 school?   

[jknezek]

Hal Mummw coached at both McMurry and at Belhaven after several D1 stops.

[awadelewis]

Hal Mummw coached at both McMurry and at Belhaven after several D1 stops.

Thanks!   I knew it had happened before but simply could not remember.   

Our athletic department does a "Coffee with a Coach" broadcast each week.    I'll post a link when they bring Coach McCollum in as a guest.

[D3Navy]

Be interesting to see if Sewanee can finally get it right and start winning some games. 

Went to the BSC-Sewanee game last season, could have a great atmosphere up the mountain, but you guys have to start winning some games.

Hope springs eternal, I guess.  Our last two hires have been to bring in assistant coaches from stronger D3 programs to be our head coach.  I think we're seeing the difference in mindset between our new AD and his predecessor.   

Here's a question for those who follow the national scene in D3 closer than I do: Can anyone think of an instance where a former D1 coach like Coach McCollum became a head coach at a D3 school?

Mike DuBose went to Millsaps in 2006 following four years as head coach at Alabama.  He definitely turned the Millsaps program around.

[Ralph Turner]

Hal Mummw coached at both McMurry and at Belhaven after several D1 stops.

Coach Mumme led McMurry to its only D3 post-season appearances, in 2011.
They won at Trinity and then lost at UMHB. The Air Raid was exciting, especially when you had a good QB like Jake Mullin.

[jknezek]

Saw a local article saying that B-SC is talking with students about what they need to transfer "just in case". They claim to have a sizeable incoming first year class if they get the money to keep the doors open, but this looks more grim by the day.

https://www.wvtm13.com/article/birmingham-southern-college-meeting-with-students-to-discuss-options/42782235