College Football - Division III - the real games are just starting.

[tzor]

You might have thought college football season was comming to a close, but the real "game" is comming up in January. There is a push by the NCAA (proposal 65) to have colleges with division III teams not grant scholarships to their players in division I sports. Eight colleges who have division III teams have one or more division I teams in very rare or local sports. My own alma-mater RPI has a division I hockey team that would be severely handicapped because we are several other teams in division III (football, basketball).

http://www.stopprop65.com/

 

[Welverin]

What's their reasoning for that?

Seems pretty ridiculous.

 

[pogre]

What's their reasoning for that?

Seems pretty ridiculous.

The reasoning is all about recruiting. The problem historically was a University that competed in Division I in some sports had an unfair advantage in recruiting over pure Div 3 schools. For example, a school with National exposure for its Div 1 basketball team might have an easier time recruiting football players for its Div 3 football team than say Augustana or Mount Union.

This gap was closed in the early 80's with the one division rule.

Prop 65 would close the gap for those colleges previously exempted or waived from the one division sports only rule.

 

[tzor]

The reasoning is all about recruiting. The problem historically was a University that competed in Division I in some sports had an unfair advantage in recruiting over pure Div 3 schools.

That was certanly not the case for R.P.I.. When I was there in the 80's we had a very good division I hockey team. (And we still have one!) The college chant of "One two three ... we want more" was common in the hocky rink.

And we also had a division III football team as well. The same chant was used for them as well. (Think of that for a moment, in a game where a touchdown counts for six points, you don't count from 1 to your current score unless your current score is exceptionally low.)

In the twenty years since then the Institute has upgraded the football area that is in the middle of campus, with new shiny seats. The field now looks like a decent High School football area, and the teams still only have a single bench to sit on.

The notion that the division III teams of colleges with a division I team are better than those who do not have a division I team is a false one especially in the cases sited by the colleges that are seeking exceptions to the rule.