Division IV

SEC Commissioner Mike Silve says he wants a division IV for the five power conferences. Silve says that this would enable these schools to improve benefits to the athletes, which I would applaud. But then what would happen at other Division I schools that play football. How many would have the money to offer additional benefits? And what of basketball? What does a UConn do if Kentucky offers higher stipends and better health care for it's recruits?


http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11008001/sec-ponders-potential-move-division-iv-ncaa-provide-autonomy

 

It wouldn't be "Division IV," it would be "Division A."

And everybody in the current BCS conferences would have to decide if they wanted to go all-in on the arms race, or retrench to a lower level.

 

I think it might be more accurate to call it Division TWPGASA* ...

*That Which People Give A Shit About

 

While I think that is generally true in football I think there are a lot of people care about the basketball teams at non Big Five schools. UConn being one example.

I think that in some cases it will lead to schools with good basketball programs outside the Big Five to drop football. UConn and Cinncinati are two schools that would come to mind.

 

I agree with you, but no matter how they gussy it up this proposal is about football.

 

Why couldn't UConn and Cincinnati just join the ACC. They definitely can compete with the lower half of the ACC in football.

 

Yeah, that's the problem. When the big boys decide to make their own rules, it's a different world. The other schools should just welcome it and have their own championship the way FCS does.

 

Why doesn't Silva just do what he wants and just pull the SEC from the NCAA structure and make it a stand-alone football entity? Then two conference schools could play for "their" national championship every year, and SEC fans would all be happy. They could admit maybe 8 other schools and have two 10 team divisions.

 

It's a bluff designed to pressure the vote.

The power conferences don't want a Division A. It wouldn't threaten to remove the veneer that power conference teams actually play 12 real football games a year.

 

Why do you have to have the NCAA to have a "national" championship? Some other consortium can host it.

In lacrosse, the USILA ran the bracket for years just fine. The NCAA didn't take over lacrosse until 1973.

Funny how bracket rhymes with racket. Maybe the NCAA can get hit with racketeering charges some day.

 

ACC doesn't want them. I do think there will be room for one of them at some point to fill that 16th spot, but not both. UConn would be my guess

 

That may well happen, if we reach a point where the regulations outweigh the benefits (monetary and otherwise) of NCAA membership.