NCAA Imposes 4-year Moratorium on DI Move-ups

[star2city]

Division I Board enacts four-year moratorium on accepting new members

The Division I Board of Directors has enacted a four-year moratorium on permitting institutions to begin the process of joining the division

[GeauxSioux]

Wow, that was a close call.

[SiouxMD]

We were the last ones through the door but we are still in...GO SIOUX.

[Diggler]

Will this make it so the GWC Champ won't get an automatic playoff?

[SiouxMD]

Will this make it so the GWC Champ won't get an automatic playoff?

I believe all 8 autobids are already spoken for so even if the GWFC were eligible for an autobid there are none available.

It will certainly make it more difficult for the GWFC to pick additional members given the moratorium...USD (San Diego) may be the only one.

[star2city]

The NCAA has been under pressure to stop the run of schools moving up to DI. These are the 20 schools that will be allowed to complete their transition.

Exploratory year 2007-8

SIU-E

UND

USD

Seattle

Houston Baptist

Bryant

New Haven

4 more years:

Florida Gulf Coast

South Carolina- Upstate

NC Central

Presbyterian

3 more years:

Cal State-Bakersfield

Central Arkansas

Winston-Salem St

Two more years:

Kennesaw St

N Florida

Utah Valley

NJIT

One more year:

NDSU

SDSU

Already full members (but not core members):

UC-Davis

UNC

Longwood

[star2city]

These schools, which were all rumored or planning a move up, will now have to wait:

W Georgia

Valdosta St

Tarleton St

N Kentucky

Bellarmine (Ky)

Indiana Pa

Wayne St (Mich)

Harding (Ark)

The moratorium also seems to prevent DI move from schools outside the NCAA, so these schools may also be affected:

Oklahoma City U (NAIA)

British Columbia

It also prevents specific sport reclassification to DI, in sports such as hockey or lacrosse. This could spell doom for the CHA. It also prevents Texas State or Jacksonville State from moving to IA football.

[Hammersmith]

<snip>

It also prevents Texas State or Jacksonville State from moving to IA football.

I don't see that. This legislation prevents schools from joining DI, those schools you mention are already DI. I don't think this will have any bearing on schools moving between FCS and FBS, or even non-football DI schools adding it(i.e. Wichita St.).

In any case, you could see this coming a mile away. I really thought Kupchela blew it last year when the paperwork didn't get filed, because I thought this legislation was coming a year ago. Honestly, I don't know if this is good or bad for UND. I guess time will tell.

Regarding GWFC autobid:

If the GWFC were to get six active members and keep them together or two years or more, there are three possible outcomes.

1. The tournament remains at 16 teams and the autobids stay where they are. Result: no GWFC autobid.

2. The tournament remains at 16 teams and an autobid is stripped away from a current holder. Result: probable GWFC autobid(the NEC also wants one).

3. The tournament expands to 20, 24 or 32 teams. Result: GWFC autobid.

[dakotadan]

So much for the CHA hoping to at least get a DIII move up in hockey to join. This really limits the CHA's future. With Merceyhurst moving out of the GLIAC, it might be the CHA's best hope of romancing a school to join. Their future looks pretty slim.

[andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!!]

So am I understanding this correctly, that it is basically a 4 year ban on schools moving to DI? Thanks.

[Hammersmith]

So am I understanding this correctly, that it is basically a 4 year ban on schools moving to DI? Thanks.

You are correct, that is the biggest portion of it.

[dakotadan]

If the rumors of USD getting a new basketball arena in place of their trailer court between the Dakotadome and the University are really true, the CHA (and if the WCHA is helpful) should really be trying to convince them to make it ice capable. (Just like the FargoDome). HEHE.

[Coyote Fan]

Lets count our blessings as fans of the Sioux and Coyotes that we made it through the Division 1 door just in the knick of time. It would have been torturous to have to wait that long to reclassify and by then it might be even tougher to make the transition. Now USD and UND have truley seperately from the NCC because even if those schools had a change of heart they would be well behind the UXD's in their transition.

As far as conference affiliation I really don't know what to expect but it does make it alot more desirable to get into the Summit League as fast as possible to avoid being left in the cold. There won't be any more D2's to move up to create a possible conference alternative in the next four years.

[Coyote Fan]

If the rumors of USD getting a new basketball arena in place of their trailer court between the Dakotadome and the University are really true, the CHA (and if the WCHA is helpful) should really be trying to convince them to make it ice capable. (Just like the FargoDome). HEHE.

Last I heard from Joel Nielson himself was that USD had no immediate plans to build a new arena for basketball/volleyball/possible hockey (but I doubt it for some time). He did say something like that would be in the mid to long term plans. I wouldn't expect anything in the next 3 years at least. I hope I am wrong though.

[dakotadan]

Last I heard from Joel Nielson himself was that USD had no immediate plans to build a new arena for basketball/volleyball/possible hockey (but I doubt it for some time). He did say something like that would be in the mid to long term plans. I wouldn't expect anything in the next 3 years at least. I hope I am wrong though.

I understand that the "arena" rumors are nothing but rumors. They have been chatted about for a couple of years. The trailer court just seemed to bring them closer to reality. That also made Coyote fans chat a bit more too. As an everything sports fan, I just hope that if the day comes up that USD does consider building a second arena seperate of the Dakotadome, they consider making it Ice capable!

[tony]

Hehe, shouldn't you guys be thanking NDSU and SDSU for forcing your hand in this matter? After all, one of the things President Chapman said when NDSU was considering the move was that DI could bring the moratorium back or impose even harsher penalties on "move ups" at any time. In contrast, President Kupchella was busy composing open letters about the evils of Division I.

Hehe. Yes, I'm evil. However, in this case the truth is that NDSU saved UND from itself. Of course, there's a remote possibility that DI won't be kind to UND, in which case you can add NDSU forcing you into DI as another of its many sins.

Anyway, sincere congratulations on dodging the bullet.

[GeauxSioux]

UND, like NDSU, has been a Division I school for years and just didn't realize it. I was skeptical when NDSU made the jump and if you go back in my past posts you can probably see a comment regarding that. Whether it was NSDU or the possibility of global warming that made UND move doesn't matter to me at this point. I'm just thankful that the move was made before the door closed.

[Shawn-O]

I don't see that. This legislation prevents schools from joining DI, those schools you mention are already DI. I don't think this will have any bearing on schools moving between FCS and FBS, or even non-football DI schools adding it(i.e. Wichita St.).

In any case, you could see this coming a mile away. I really thought Kupchela blew it last year when the paperwork didn't get filed, because I thought this legislation was coming a year ago. Honestly, I don't know if this is good or bad for UND. I guess time will tell.

Regarding GWFC autobid:

If the GWFC were to get six active members and keep them together or two years or more, there are three possible outcomes.

1. The tournament remains at 16 teams and the autobids stay where they are. Result: no GWFC autobid.

2. The tournament remains at 16 teams and an autobid is stripped away from a current holder. Result: probable GWFC autobid(the NEC also wants one).

3. The tournament expands to 20, 24 or 32 teams. Result: GWFC autobid.

I read it the same way as S2C, no movement between subdivisions means no moving between FCS and FBS. I'm not sure what affect this has on UND's conference aspirations, if any. I still tend to think the picture will be driven from the top down, i.e. the expansion of the Big Ten or Pac-10 sets the dominos in motion.

[GeauxSioux]

If it does prevent movement from FCS to FBS, then the talk of Montana and/or Sacramento St. moving up will die. It also mean that there will be more stability within the conferences which doesn't help UND.

[bisonguy]

I don't see that. This legislation prevents schools from joining DI, those schools you mention are already DI. I don't think this will have any bearing on schools moving between FCS and FBS, or even non-football DI schools adding it(i.e. Wichita St.).

In any case, you could see this coming a mile away. I really thought Kupchela blew it last year when the paperwork didn't get filed, because I thought this legislation was coming a year ago. Honestly, I don't know if this is good or bad for UND. I guess time will tell.

Regarding GWFC autobid:

If the GWFC were to get six active members and keep them together or two years or more, there are three possible outcomes.

1. The tournament remains at 16 teams and the autobids stay where they are. Result: no GWFC autobid.

2. The tournament remains at 16 teams and an autobid is stripped away from a current holder. Result: probable GWFC autobid(the NEC also wants one).

3. The tournament expands to 20, 24 or 32 teams. Result: GWFC autobid.

Autobids are assigned before the start of each season. If the GWFC qualifies, I don't see why they wouldn't receive one, even if the field stays at 16 (max 8 autobids). There's currently two autobid conferences that are much, much weaker than the GWFC.

[bincitysioux]

If it does prevent movement from FCS to FBS, then the talk of Montana and/or Sacramento St. moving up will die. It also mean that there will be more stability within the conferences which doesn't help UND.

It does stabilze the Big Sky, but there was really only a very slim chance that they would have looked to add UND at any point anyways, if a western school moved to FBS. On the other hand, it does also stabilize the GWFC a little more. Many think UC Davis has FBS aspirations, although I don't know what time frame they were considering. The effect will be less substantial to the Summit (no football). If/when something does occur with the major conferences like the Big East, Big 10, etc., I would look for movement to trickle down to leagues like the Horizon and Summit.

[Hammersmith]

I don't see that. This legislation prevents schools from joining DI, those schools you mention are already DI. I don't think this will have any bearing on schools moving between FCS and FBS, or even non-football DI schools adding it(i.e. Wichita St.).

Never mind. Apparently I went blind last night while I was reading the press release. It clearly says there will be no movement between subdivisions.

[The Sicatoka]

Boise State must have cost someone a lot of money.

[GeauxSioux]

UND makes leap in time

UND made its move just in the nick of time. The Sioux are in their exploratory year in their five-year transition to NCAA Division I.

The NCAA this week announced an immediate four-year moratorium on accepting new Division I members.

The moratorium was enacted by the NCAA's board of directors and was endorsed by the NCAA Executive Committee Membership Working Group, a panel that is studying the association's three-division structure and its growth.

[NDSUguy]

I am interested to see how this effects UND/USD and it's conference aspirations. I'm mostly interested in what happens to the GWFC as any admission to the Summit League will largely be dependent upon movement which with the new "Summit Plan" will likely not happen soon. This will certainly make the GWFC more stable but I still do not believe that there will not be an autobid waiting if and when the conference is eligible. There has been talk about stripping autobids from other conferences.... I just don't see that happening. While the primary argument to granting the GWFC an autobid seems to be based on the idea that the conference is very strong, I doubt that they would strip from another conference just because at this present moment their conference is not as strong. I believe that the only way that the GWFC gets an autobid is if they expand the playoffs.

Has anyone seen/heard anything about that happening or is this just speculation from a previous post...