(04-12-2017 05:32 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Davenport moved to to D2 because they have over 10,000 students enrolled. I noticed the that many of the schools that went back to NAIA are small schools. I also think it have to be schools in a large populated areas that these schools that move up to D2 was more for exposure for being an NCAA member. I know a lot of people never heard of NAIA before and think all the NAIA schools belong to the NCAA.

Which large student population schools from the NAIA like Davenport could make a move to the NAIA to become successful like Arkansas Tech, UCA and so forth that moved up?

Davenport (and Purdue NW) has been a great NAIA member but they fit the profile of a school that can be successful in D2 and I wish them well. AFAIK, the only full sport NAIA member left that big is Bellevue, NE. Which is private, secular.

"Exposure" has been one of the justifications for moving to D2 in recent years, but as it turns out it adds ZERO exposure. Unless you mean that of just changing your geographic travel footprint, which moving from D2 to NAIA will do as well. Media exposure, no. Many recent D2 migrants have been sorely disappointed in the promised increased media coverage. Media doesn't care about D2 any more than NAIA. The blue disc adds nothing. If any schools did end up getting additional media exposure, it's from tangental issues such as simultaneous growth, a larger/better athletic program, or stronger local rivalries; all of which could happen in the NAIA as well.