NCAA talking about creating a new division

[Bubbler]

From my own personal perspective, many NAIA schools would beat up on NCAA Division III schools.

As a previous poster mentioned, the NAIA has different rules than the NCAA in regards to some eligibility matters, including amateur status and academics. So the NAIA often times becomes a route for, shall we say, academically-challenged athletes who are good enough to play at a higher NCAA level.

To add, if I'm not mistaken, some NAIA schools can offer scholarships, no?

I know that the Wisconsin schools (LaCrosse, Whitewater, Platteville, etc) can offer athletic scholarships because they are state schools, which makes them unique because they are D-III.

Frankly, most of the Wisconsin schools should be Division II. Enrollment-wise, some should even be Division I. There's several over 10,000 enrollment. Including the fighting UW-Eau Claire Blugolds.

 

[Football_Bat]

I thought there was some kind of separation, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the info D-3 Fan.

Where would you place the level of competition in NAIA compared to the NCAA divisions?

Back in the day (the mid-80s), the NAIA was probably on par with D-II — going from one to the other was considered a lateral move.

But in the late 80s, most of the football-playing schools jumped ship for the more prestigious NCAA. The Oklahoma and Arkansas schools were among the last holdouts — they got sick of playing each other for the NAIA national championship and finally bailed sometime in the early 90s.

The creation of a D-IV would probably kill the NAIA once and for all. If the NAIA doesn't voluntarily merge, which is always a possibility.

 

[Armchair_QB]

I take it by instituting D-IV, they're preparing to welcome our university football teams into the fold.

Actually Flasher, as of next season Canadian schools can compete in the NCAA but they have to do so at the Division II level.

And to whoever mentioned the Wisconsin schools, they do not offer athletic scholarships at the Division III level.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I'll bet this new division gets a football playoff...

 

[D-3 Fan]

I take it by instituting D-IV, they're preparing to welcome our university football teams into the fold.

Actually Flasher, as of next season Canadian schools can compete in the NCAA but they have to do so at the Division II level.

And to whoever mentioned the Wisconsin schools, they do not offer athletic scholarships at the Division III level.

They've always told us that the Wisconsin schools offer schollies because they are state schools and they fall under the UW system. They're the only exception to the rule. I'll give my college AD a call to see if that's still true.

Including the Blugolds, Eagles, and the Pointers.

Heck, D-III and NAIA has a playoff system, to which it has been successful and it has worked. Maybe 1-A need to check it out once in a while. ;D

 

[crimsonace]

I thought there was some kind of separation, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the info D-3 Fan.

Where would you place the level of competition in NAIA compared to the NCAA divisions?

NAIA is probably somewhere between Div. II and Div. III.

The good NAIA teams are D-2 level. In our area, Top 25 D3 teams struggle with mediocre NAIA teams, because of the lack of academic restrictions and the ability to give schollies.

 

[OnTheRiver]

National Association of Ineligible Athletes.

Love the NAIA. It's like the Wild West of collegiate sports.

 

[Football_Bat]

National Association of Ineligible Athletes.

Love the NAIA. It's like the Wild West of collegiate sports.

Juco is pretty close to it, too.

 

[apeman33]

National Association of Ineligible Athletes.

Love the NAIA. It's like the Wild West of collegiate sports.

Juco is pretty close to it, too.

Oh, there's nothing quite like playing in jucoland. Roster requirements and quality of play varying from state to state and conference to conference. Euros who play for two years, try to go NCAA and find out the NCAA considers them professional because they got per-diem from their club team when they were 16.

Heck, Division I and Division II teams play in the same conference in Kansas because no one in the conference ever anticipated that anyone would ever want to drop down and never bothered to make Division I membership a requirement. And the number of teams playing in each division in each sport varies. All the baseball teams are D-I, but only five softball teams and five volleyball teams are. And two of the men's and women's basketball programs are D-II and they're in the same division (the east). Games the D-I east schools play against Johnson County and Highland count in conference play but not for seeding in post-season play.

The basketball situation results in the following:
The Division II teams not only have to play their conference games, they also have to play two games against each of the state's two D-II independents, Brown Mackie and Hesston. They play in a four-team post-season tournament. The winner has to play the D-II Missouri champ for the right to go to nationals.

Because the D-II state tournament begins earlier, Johnson and Highland usually have to rearrange the last week to week and a half of their schedules. The conference can't ever seem to make sure Johnson and Highland play each other during that time, so D-I schools find themselves playing Monday-Wednesday -Saturday one week and then only once the next week because of it.

Meanwhile, the Region VI Division I tournament takes 16 teams, eight from each division. Since Johnson County and Highland both play in the east, all of the other eight teams automatically qualify. The west side has nine teams, so one gets left out.

Yeah, 17 teams play for 16 berths. Basically, all any school in Kansas needs to do to qualify for the post-season is either avoid finishing last in the West or make sure they don't get on probation.

Because they play mostly a Division I schedule, Johnson County's teams go after Division I-type players. I'm honestly amazed that Johnson County hasn't won more than one national championship for each of its teams since going D-II.

[/rant]

 

[Armchair_QB]

I take it by instituting D-IV, they're preparing to welcome our university football teams into the fold.

Actually Flasher, as of next season Canadian schools can compete in the NCAA but they have to do so at the Division II level.

And to whoever mentioned the Wisconsin schools, they do not offer athletic scholarships at the Division III level.

They've always told us that the Wisconsin schools offer schollies because they are state schools and they fall under the UW system. They're the only exception to the rule. I'll give my college AD a call to see if that's still true.

Including the Blugolds, Eagles, and the Pointers.

Heck, D-III and NAIA has a playoff system, to which it has been successful and it has worked. Maybe 1-A need to check it out once in a while. ;D

WIAC schools do not offer athletic scholarships. No Division III school can offer athletic scholarships. There is no such thing as a waiver. If you offer them you aren't Division III.

But because they are state schools they're a hell of a lot cheaper than most other DIII schools though.

 

[pressmurphy]

NCAA sent out feelers to D-III schools on the feasibility of creating a D-IV. D-III is expected to grow to 480 members in the next ten years.

http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=190102

So what would differentiate D-3 and D-4 schools for purposes of separating them?

D-1: Scholarships, sponsor a certain number of sports
D-2: Some scholarships
D-3: Enrollment over 2,500 full-time students ???????
D-4: Enrollment under 2,500 full-time students ???????

Basketball and football would definitely benefit from a split.

It would be nice to see the football tournament split into a pair of 16-team brackets -- more manageable than the current setup.

 

[Second Thoughts]

Hmmm. D-3 is non-scholarship. What would D-4 be? Players pay the school to play there?