(08-07-2014 08:26 PM)24Ville Wrote: No autonomy for postseason tournaments....so can we get rid of our football divisions and still have the conference championship game or not?
The conference championship is not a postseason tournament.
17.9.5.1.2 Maximum Limitations—Student-Athlete. [FBS/FCS] In bowl subdivision football, an
individual student-athlete may participate in each academic year in not more than 12 football contests. In
championship subdivision football, an individual student-athlete may participate in each academic year in
not more than 11 football contests, except that 12 football contests shall be permissible during those years
in which there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November
(e.g., 2014, 2019). This limitation includes those contests in which the student-athlete represents
the institution in accordance with Bylaw 17.02.8, including competition as a member of the varsity, junior
varsity or freshman team of the institution. (Revised: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/92, 8/5/99 effective 8/1/02, 4/28/05
effective 8/1/06, 12/15/06)
17.9.5.2 Annual Exemptions. [FBS/FCS] The maximum number of football contests shall exclude the following:
(Revised: 10/28/10)
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(a) Spring Game. [FBS/FCS] One contest at the conclusion of the spring practice period [see Bylaw 17.9.4-(a)], provided the contest is against a team composed of bona fide alumni or students or both; (Revised: 1/10/90)
(b) Heritage Bowl. [FCS] Participation in the Heritage Bowl held between representatives of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which shall meet the reporting requirements set forth in Bylaw 18.7.2 in order to be exempt; (Adopted: 1/10/91, Revised: 1/10/92)
© Twelve-Member Conference Championship Game. [FBS/FCS] A conference championship game between division champions of a member conference of 12 or more institutions that is divided into two divisions (of six or more institutions each), each of which conducts round-robin, regular-season competition among the members of that division;
(d) Championship Subdivision Conference Tournament. [FCS] A conference-sponsored, season-ending postseason tournament (one between teams that are not identified until the end of the preceding regular season), not to exceed one contest for any member institution. This provision does not preclude an institution from participating in a conference-sponsored season-ending postseason tournament and additional postseason football opportunities (e.g., NCAA Championship, Heritage Bowl) during the same season; (Adopted: 1/16/93 effective 8/1/93, Revised: 1/13/98 effective 8/1/98, 2/16/00, 12/15/06)
(e) Bowl Games. [FBS] One postseason game that meets the requirements of Bylaw 18.7 and the NCAA postseason football handbook; (Revised: 11/1/07 effective 8/1/08, 10/27/11 effective 4/1/12)
(f) Additional Football Bowl Subdivision Postseason Game. [FBS] One postseason game between the winners of two exempted postseason bowl games per Bylaw 17.9.5.2-(e). The participants in the two postseason bowl games will be selected by Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and independent institutions. (Adopted: 8/2/12 effective 8/1/14)
(g) NCAA Championship. [FCS] Games played in the NCAA Division I Football Championship; (Revised: 12/15/06)
(h) NCAA Championship Play-In Competition. [FCS] Competition in play-in contests conducted before the NCAA championship;
(i) NAIA Championship. [FBS/FCS] Games played in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) football championship;
(j) Foreign Tour. [FBS/FCS] The football games played on a foreign tour, provided the tour occurs only once in a four-year period and is conducted by the member institution in accordance with the procedures set forth in Bylaw 17.29;
(k) Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico. [FBS/FCS] Any football games played in Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico, respectively, either against or under the sponsorship of an active member institution located in Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico, by a Division I member institution located outside the area in question; and
(l) Celebrity Sports Activity. [FBS/FCS] Competition involving a limit of two student-athletes from a member institution’s football team who participate in local celebrity football activities conducted for the purpose of raising funds for charitable organizations, provided:
(1) The student-athletes do not miss classes as a result of the participation;
(2) The involvement of the student-athletes has the approval of the institution’s athletics director; and
(3) The activity takes place within a 30-mile radius of the institution’s main campus.
If © is changed to read "a conference may conduct a conference championship football game according to the rules adopted by the conference", then you have what you need. It becomes - do what you want in the conference.
