(04-12-2017 06:17 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  I could see Southern Nazarene and Northwest Oklahoma State moving back down to NAIA. They have not been doing so well in D2 getting their behinds to them in football and all that. I am surprise that GAC invited Southern Nazarene instead of Oklahoma City University. OKCU have done a great job at the D1 level in basketball, and was ranked as one of the top 100 men's basketball at D1 with the likes of Duke and all of them for making many NCAA tournaments. I think the link I posted in this thread for Northeast Oklahoma State could be moving to GAC to take the place of one of those 2 schools. I could see Central Oklahoma move in to replace one of the others.
I think Oklahoma Baptist had some success of the three that moved up from NAIA in the GAC in recent years. Their women's LAX is an affiliate in RMAC, and I think one of their sports have been listed as D1 since D2 do not sponsor that sport. They are getting a little more exposure for sure than the other 2 I mention.
I would like to see the Canadian schools to move up from the NAIA. They have the biggest enrollments. University of British Columbia is up there in academics with the PAC 12.

Northwestern Oklahoma State has completed all of ONE year as a full D2 member and Southern Nazarene has TWO years as a full member. Basing their success on the performance of one or two sports in a very short span of time is narrow-minded, it may not seem like it now but both schools will see more success. Oklahoma Baptist is still in transition and could dominate the conference soon. There is no Great American Conference member with a sport competing in D1, not even close.

What Oklahoma City University accomplished when they were previously D1 means absolutely nothing to today. What happened in college sports ten years ago means nothing to today primarily because the students that were there then are long gone now. History is just that, history. The Great American Conference did not and will not invite the OCU Stars because football is a required sport in the GAC.

No other Canadian school is interested in moving to NCAA D2, which is the only option they have since it is not allowed in D1 or D3. My perception of Simon Fraser is that they are a U.S. school that just happens to be located in Canada.

Quote:I think it's too soon to approach Southern Naz, NWOSU or OBU. Or any of the other former Sooner Conference teams. The ones suffering are still holding out hope for success, and the successful ones are still riding the coattails of their NAIA success (Lubbock) to know how they'll REALLY do in D2.

I don't think Lubbock Christian is riding any coattails of NAIA success after winning a D2 national title in their first year. Most of the players on that team were recruited after LCU began the reclassifying.