2015 D3 Season: NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

[ECSUalum]

MidAtlanticFan,
Anybody know how they conduct this poll? Is it coaches or people that run the site or a mix of both? Thanks!
The D3soccer.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of coaches, Sports Information Directors and D3soccer.com staff, and is published weekly

ECSU:

Thanks for your input! Was always curious. Explains why some teams are always in the top 25 no matter what their record may be! Happens in any pole though. I have a feeling there will be a lot of changes each week based off the start of the season. Everyone is beating up on everyone at the moment! Should be a fun year.

Yes Mid Atlantic, The early polls are more for team egos than as an indication of team strength!  The only important poll is the final poll, but they are fun to watch.

[Pat Coleman]

Does anyone know the status of the proposal by the NCAA I think last year to save $$$$. Some of the items on the table to be discussed were cutting NCAA Pool C bids to 3 instead of 19 like it was about 15 years ago, cutting max games allowed to play , cutting mid-week games, etc etc....

None of that was even close to being on the table. Cutting the max number of games wouldn't save the NCAA any money anyway -- it only costs the schools money, not the NCAA.

There is a movement to cut the number of contests but it doesn't save the NCAA any money and it wasn't proposed by the NCAA -- that's not how NCAA legislation works, even. Legislation is proposed by schools and conferences and voted on by schools. It's just the NCAA that enforces those rules. It was withdrawn at the NCAA convention in January (ill-conceived and doomed to fail, in my opinion). The schools are reconsidering the notion and will likely come back with a more targeted notion that doesn't simply cut 10% of contests from every sport (other than cross country and football, and 4% from basketball).

The problem is, there are probably a couple of sports that could withstand a cutback (looking at you, baseball) and others that don't need it at all. But nobody wants to try to make the politically unpopular decision of targeting a sport or two and instead they tried to just cut a wide range of sports.

There is no movement to cut back the size of the NCAA Tournament.

[PaulNewman]

Got a good one going between Capital and Thomas More.  Cap up 1-0 at half.  TMC scores in first 20 secs of 2nd, Cap scores another minute later to go back up 2-1, and now TMC ahead 3-2.

And now Cap down to 10 men for goal scoring denial.

[D3soccerwatcher]

Ummm this is a normal occurrence every year

Messiah losing in the first week is a normal occurrence? #2 and #3 losing on the same day happens every year? I guess I don't watch enough soccer then...

Mid-Atlantic Fan,

You are absolutely correct.  What is happening is far from "a normal occurrence every year".

[Mr.Right]

Thanks for your input! Was always curious. Explains why some teams are always in the top 25 no matter what their record may be! Happens in any pole though. I have a feeling there will be a lot of changes each week based off the start of the season. Everyone is beating up on everyone at the moment! Should be a fun year.


That was your quote. Where is there anything talking about Messiah, #2 teams,#3 teams,etc? I am responding to the fact that every year and every week there are usually ALOT of changes in the TOP 25 POLL..THIS YEAR WILL BE NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER.

[Mr.Right]

Does anyone know the status of the proposal by the NCAA I think last year to save $$$$. Some of the items on the table to be discussed were cutting NCAA Pool C bids to 3 instead of 19 like it was about 15 years ago, cutting max games allowed to play , cutting mid-week games, etc etc....

None of that was even close to being on the table. Cutting the max number of games wouldn't save the NCAA any money anyway -- it only costs the schools money, not the NCAA.

There is a movement to cut the number of contests but it doesn't save the NCAA any money and it wasn't proposed by the NCAA -- that's not how NCAA legislation works, even. Legislation is proposed by schools and conferences and voted on by schools. It's just the NCAA that enforces those rules. It was withdrawn at the NCAA convention in January (ill-conceived and doomed to fail, in my opinion). The schools are reconsidering the notion and will likely come back with a more targeted notion that doesn't simply cut 10% of contests from every sport (other than cross country and football, and 4% from basketball).

The problem is, there are probably a couple of sports that could withstand a cutback (looking at you, baseball) and others that don't need it at all. But nobody wants to try to make the politically unpopular decision of targeting a sport or two and instead they tried to just cut a wide range of sports.

There is no movement to cut back the size of the NCAA Tournament.

THERE WAS A MOVEMENT TO CUT....THIS WAS ON THE NCAA SITE..In 2014 the D3 Presidents council were endorsing FIVE recommendations from the D3 Management Council that would cut approx $2 million from the divisions championship budget. Among the changes were increased fees for D3 members and DECREASED fields for NCAA D3 tournaments.



The Division III Presidents Council endorsed five recommendations from the Division III Management Council that will cut a projected $2.17 million from the division's championships budget. All of the measures pertain to championships travel policies; four of them are effective immediately. The proposal that necessitates a three-day window between championships selections and the first date of competition will go into effect in 2015-16. 

All of the measures pertain to championships travel policies; four of them are effective immediately. The proposal that necessitates a three-day window between championships selections and the first date of competition will go into effect in 2015-16. 

The proposals were initially crafted via collaboration between the Division III Championships and Strategic Planning and Finance committees. While the cuts will help combat a projected budget shortfall of $2.5 million in the 2014-15 academic year, the council noted at its Aug. 7 meeting in Indianapolis that these are only preliminary steps in the long march to achieving a balanced budget.

The Division III Presidents Advisory Group discussed ways to balance the budget over the long term when it convened on the eve of the council meeting. The group, which is composed of representatives from each of Division III's 43 conferences, endorsed the recommended championships reductions. Some members also suggested examining cuts to non-championships spending, which is primarily composed of grant programs and accounts for 25 percent of the division's budget.

The advisory group also endorsed the concept of relying on membership funding to support championships and other programs through a dues increase or targeted championships assessment. Membership dues, currently $900 a year per school and $450 per conference, haven't been adjusted since 1985 and are far lower than schools are accustomed to paying for membership in other organizations.

The advisory group stressed that presidents would likely be amenable to providing increased annual funding, either at a flat rate or at rates that slide based on criteria such as enrollment, school budget or size of athletics program. With approximately 500 dues-paying schools and conferences in the division, a targeted rate hike could make a significant impact on the efforts to balance the budget, advisory group members argued.

The budget discussion will continue this fall, leading up to the Division III Issues Forum at the 2015 Convention. That session will include a comprehensive review of the division's budget resources, policies and process, as well as short-term and long-term budget options identified by the championships and finance committees including the benefits and drawbacks of adjusting the division's championships access ratio.

"We're going to have to make several adjustments," said Alan Cureton, president of the University of Northwestern – St. Paul, vice chair of the presidents council and chair of the strategic planning and finance committee. "So when we asked the presidents advisory group, they threw out a variety of options. ...We're going to take a really hard look at everything, but we also want feedback from the Association and the membership as to what they think we should do."

On-campus evaluations

In July, the management council opted not to sponsor a legislative recommendation from the Division III Recruiting Working Group that would permit on-campus athletic evaluations. The management council made the decision despite encouragement from the membership, via survey and straw poll results, that such a proposal be brought to the 2015 Convention floor.

The presidents council voted to sponsor the legislation, though it did not offer its full support for the rule. Those in favor argued it would make life easier for coaches, while those in opposition noted that those burdens, namely the time and money required for travel, would be passed to prospective student-athletes. Though council members didn't formally endorse the proposal, they sponsored it in order to ensure it would be added to the 2015 Convention legislative agenda, fostering discussion among members and, ultimately, giving them the opportunity to decide the rule's fate.

"The presidents council can see the pros and cons of both sides, but we're really interested in what the membership thinks," Cureton said. "And we have no idea which way it is going to go, but this is the beauty of our Association. It's membership-driven, so we want to know what they think about this."

Reduction in number of contests

The council voted to co-sponsor proposed legislation – initially sponsored by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the Centennial Conference – that would reduce the maximum number of in-season contests (or dates of competition, depending on the sport) by up to 10 percent. The reduction would apply to nearly every sport, save for those with only a handful of contests such as football (10) and cross country (9).

The conferences brought the proposal forward in hopes of limiting costs and ensuring that student-athletes can devote more time to academics and other extracurricular endeavors. The proposal wouldn't shorten the overall length of the playing season, but simply eliminate a few contests – particularly those played midweek that disrupt classes – within the current timeframes allotted for sports' regular seasons.

The presidents council debated the merits of the proposal and, ultimately, voted to co-sponsor it, arguing that it would be beneficial to student-athletes because it would ease their athletics burdens.

"Our concern as presidents was the fact that students were being drawn away during the week," Cureton said. "The idea is to protect the students' time so that they have what they need in the classroom and aren't spending it out on the road or away from campus because of athletic contests."

Other actions

The council sponsored convention legislation that would add women's sand volleyball as a sport in Division III and establish a National Collegiate Championship for the sport. The first sand volleyball championship would tentatively be scheduled to be held in 2016. The council noted that National Collegiate Championships do not have an impact on Division III's budget.

Currently, schools hoping to join Division III must take part in a five-year membership process, which includes an exploratory year and four provisional years. Last month the management council, per a recommendation by the Division III Membership Committee, endorsed legislation that would permit schools that have demonstrated a commitment to the Division III philosophy and clearly meet sports sponsorship and financial aid requirements to skip the exploratory year and take part only in the four-year provisional process. The presidents council voted to sponsor this legislation for the 2015 Convention.

The presidents advisory group discussed potential reforms to the nontraditional segment (offseason) at length given that membership-sponsored legislation calling for greater practice opportunities in spring football will be up for vote at the 2015 Convention.

A majority of the presidents in attendance voiced concern about the time demands and expenses associated with the current nontraditional segment, and expressed a willingness to consider a new nontraditional model. Those presidents felt that a new model might better preserve the benefits of the current nontraditional segment, while enhancing the ability of student-athletes to have a diverse academic, athletic and extracurricular life on campus.

Others countered, noting that the popularity of the current nontraditional model with student-athletes and coaches, and their belief that the model encourages student-athletes to flourish athletically and academically. The presidents council will tackle this topic in greater depth when it reconvenes in the fall and the membership will engage in a review of the current nontraditional season model at the 2015 Convention Division III Issues Forum.

[Midwest Soccer]

Mr. Right,

"What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

Just kidding.... good information. Couldn't help myself.

[Mr.Right]

NURSE!!!!! I am utterly confused at that response. Let's just forget I brought this up and move on.

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

Thanks for your input! Was always curious. Explains why some teams are always in the top 25 no matter what their record may be! Happens in any pole though. I have a feeling there will be a lot of changes each week based off the start of the season. Everyone is beating up on everyone at the moment! Should be a fun year.


That was your quote. Where is there anything talking about Messiah, #2 teams,#3 teams,etc? I am responding to the fact that every year and every week there are usually ALOT of changes in the TOP 25 POLL..THIS YEAR WILL BE NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER.

Fiesty. No need to get this worked up over someone's post. Especially when there was no need to be snippy from the start. Thanks for your opinions though.

[Domino1195]

Got a good one going between Capital and Thomas More.  Cap up 1-0 at half.  TMC scores in first 20 secs of 2nd, Cap scores another minute later to go back up 2-1, and now TMC ahead 3-2.

And now Cap down to 10 men for goal scoring denial.

Very poorly officiated match - zero match-control and inexplicable (non) calls.  While it was impressive to see the TM player extend his foot almost 6 feet in the air - the fact that he struck the Cap player in the face with such force to cause a concussion, no foul, says it all to me.

TM has two very good midfielders (#11 and #19 did very well last night) ; the back line is leaking goals. The 9-20 OWU game will be interesting. Cap has not started well, still missing two key starters (all-OAC players from last year).  Only 4 senior starters (when all are healthy) but total team defense has to improve.

[PaulNewman]

Domino, sorry to hear that.  I missed the play you are talking about but could hear fans on the feed yelling throughout about someone getting kicked in the face.  Was Juniet involved in that?

TMC is chippy and fans can be obnoxious.  What I like about them is that they seem to love playing, play hard, and after a 4-3 game seem like they'd love to play another one.  They are giving up a lot of goals.  The OWU game will be interesting and probably a raucous affair.  I have a feeling that TMC relished that kind of encounter.

[Mr.Right]

Lastguy,
  what's the spread on Messiah v Randolph tonight and how many bananas?

I am looking forward to watching this matchup tonight.

[Domino1195]

Domino, sorry to hear that.  I missed the play you are talking about but could hear fans on the feed yelling throughout about someone getting kicked in the face.  Was Juniet involved in that?

TMC is chippy and fans can be obnoxious.  What I like about them is that they seem to love playing, play hard, and after a 4-3 game seem like they'd love to play another one.  They are giving up a lot of goals.  The OWU game will be interesting and probably a raucous affair.  I have a feeling that TMC relished that kind of encounter.

The irony of some of the fan's comments - about getting "homered" - was the CR was from Cincinnati!  But there was one guy last night who was, ummmm, typical of what I've come to expect from southern Ohio "bully fans."  Disparaging remarks about players - nonsense trash talk, etc. There were some Cap students that were a little raucous - the Cap AD came down and directly addressed them.  But for a 40-50 year old man - no excuse.

And it really was only one guy.  The rest of their fans were well-behaved.

[Pat Coleman]

Does anyone know the status of the proposal by the NCAA I think last year to save $$$$. Some of the items on the table to be discussed were cutting NCAA Pool C bids to 3 instead of 19 like it was about 15 years ago, cutting max games allowed to play , cutting mid-week games, etc etc....

None of that was even close to being on the table. Cutting the max number of games wouldn't save the NCAA any money anyway -- it only costs the schools money, not the NCAA.

There is a movement to cut the number of contests but it doesn't save the NCAA any money and it wasn't proposed by the NCAA -- that's not how NCAA legislation works, even. Legislation is proposed by schools and conferences and voted on by schools. It's just the NCAA that enforces those rules. It was withdrawn at the NCAA convention in January (ill-conceived and doomed to fail, in my opinion). The schools are reconsidering the notion and will likely come back with a more targeted notion that doesn't simply cut 10% of contests from every sport (other than cross country and football, and 4% from basketball).

The problem is, there are probably a couple of sports that could withstand a cutback (looking at you, baseball) and others that don't need it at all. But nobody wants to try to make the politically unpopular decision of targeting a sport or two and instead they tried to just cut a wide range of sports.

There is no movement to cut back the size of the NCAA Tournament.

THERE WAS A MOVEMENT TO CUT....THIS WAS ON THE NCAA SITE..In 2014 the D3 Presidents council were endorsing FIVE recommendations from the D3 Management Council that would cut approx $2 million from the divisions championship budget. Among the changes were increased fees for D3 members and DECREASED fields for NCAA D3 tournaments.

None of that big long NCAA article you copied and pasted said anything about decreased fields for tournaments. It only speaks to cutting a couple of regular-season contests, which I discussed at length in my post.

[Mr.Right]

How about Buffalo State making a statement at 4-0-0 out of the SUNYAC...Does anyone have any info on this team?  They beat RIT which usually was a good win but they have dropped off in recent years. Upcoming games against SLU, Clarkson, and U of R should give us a better indication