(07-15-2017 09:04 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(07-14-2017 06:09 PM)teamvsn Wrote:  

(07-14-2017 06:08 PM)teamvsn Wrote:  But most small schools don't have single sport tunnel vision.

And I would agree that football is where D2 has the biggest advantage over the NAIA, given the scholarship difference. Overall it's pretty even.

I actually would give the NAIA a decent advantage over D2.


However, although the NAIA has made progress in branding and marketing, the NCAA D2 still holds the 'prestige' value just because of the NCAA D1 branding.

But the bigger advantage for a non-football school in the NAIA is the need to only sponsor 6 sports (3 men's/3 women's) vs 10 for NCAA D2 (5/5 or 4/6).

This. Athletic department size and scope, and the existence of football matter. If a school can only afford to emphasize one or two sports and offer just a few others, the NAIA is a great fit, especially if there are other nearby NAIA schools. In addition, DII has a cap of 36 scholarships in football (some conferences have a smaller limit), while NAIA has a cap of 24 football scholarships (likewise, some conferences and schools do not offer the maximum).

My alma mater, Oklahoma Baptist University, was just approved for full membership in DII after a three year transition period. OBU offers 19 sports in DII (9 men's, 10 women's), and spends in the neighborhood of $8 million per year (per EADA report) on athletics. Before the transition, OBU won three consecutive Learfield Directors Cups in the NAIA. Our school was very successful in the NAIA. In addition, OBU reinstated football in 2013 after a 73 year hiatus. The Bison played 2 years at the NAIA level before assuming a DII schedule in the Great American Conference. We are currently struggling in football and men's basketball, but are doing ok in the other sports. We are back with some old rivals. With the current size and scope of our athletic program, I think DII will be a good fit. That's just one school, though.

I say that with mixed feelings, because I miss the old NAIA from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Those were good times with tough competition and great rivalries. I really do wish the NAIA well. I think its worst days are behind it.