(07-12-2019 07:48 PM)Johnny Crunch Wrote:  Found this on a unt board:

That was later followed by UTPA being booted (excuse me voluntarily withdrawing once they saw what the vote was) after their second round of major NCAA violations made them death eligible (they even asked for it so they could get out of a contract with the coach who they suspected of being behind the violations but they couldn't prove it).

Got a link to that UNT board?

https://www.gomeangreen.com/forums/topic...-sun-belt/

The GNAC schools might go into scramble that the possibility of both Alaska schools to drop sports from the Governor's deep cuts of funds to the universities. Over $145 million being cut from higher ed. All three 4 year schools would be consolidated into 1.

Some of the GNAC privates are broke or in heavy debt. This could be the good time for the public schools like W. Washington, C. Washington, Colorado Mesa and the CALIFORNIA schools to move up. W. Oregon and Simon Fraser could join. NW Nazarene and Seattle Pacific are more stable.

There seems to be a lot of private D2 schools in the WAC's footprint could downgrade to NAIA because the cost is too much.

(07-13-2019 01:10 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  The GNAC schools might go into scramble that the possibility of both Alaska schools to drop sports from the Governor's deep cuts of funds to the universities. Over $145 million being cut from higher ed. All three 4 year schools would be consolidated into 1.

Some of the GNAC privates are broke or in heavy debt. This could be the good time for the public schools like W. Washington, C. Washington, Colorado Mesa and the CALIFORNIA schools to move up. W. Oregon and Simon Fraser could join. NW Nazarene and Seattle Pacific are more stable.

There seems to be a lot of private D2 schools in the WAC's footprint could downgrade to NAIA because the cost is too much.

In CA, many private NAIA schools moved up to NCAA D2- Biola, APU, Pt. Loma, Notre Dame of Belmont or whatever they call themselves. Fresno Pacific, Holy Names all made the move within the past decade. I wonder if any will move back down.

(07-13-2019 05:54 PM)Hilldog Wrote:  

(07-13-2019 01:10 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  The GNAC schools might go into scramble that the possibility of both Alaska schools to drop sports from the Governor's deep cuts of funds to the universities. Over $145 million being cut from higher ed. All three 4 year schools would be consolidated into 1.

Some of the GNAC privates are broke or in heavy debt. This could be the good time for the public schools like W. Washington, C. Washington, Colorado Mesa and the CALIFORNIA schools to move up. W. Oregon and Simon Fraser could join. NW Nazarene and Seattle Pacific are more stable.

There seems to be a lot of private D2 schools in the WAC's footprint could downgrade to NAIA because the cost is too much.

In CA, many private NAIA schools moved up to NCAA D2- Biola, APU, Pt. Loma, Notre Dame of Belmont or whatever they call themselves. Fresno Pacific, Holy Names all made the move within the past decade. I wonder if any will move back down.

Biola and Azusa Pacific seemed they are more stable cash wise, but the others seemed to be in debt. With St. Joseph's, Indiana at one time shared a conference with some of the big names of D1 schools in the all Indiana conference, shut down, ahd University of Wheeling could close? You do wonder how many D2 schools private schools survive being in debt. Many could lose accreditation, there could be not many D2 schools left, but the ones with the cash.

Metro State got a golden ticket to survive when a lot of schools fail or down grade. WAC, Summit, Horizon, Big South, AEC, NEC, MVC, Southern, WCC, Big West, WAC, OVC and other lower level conferences might make some musical chairs to take the top D2 public and private schools to go D1 while others close down or down grade to D3 or NAIA. There might be a couple of the big conferences that could upgrade as a whole like the Lone Star, RMAC, PSAC, MIAA, and the likes. It might work that RMAC, WAC, the public California D2 + Hawaii-Hilo, GNAC schools that could afford the move, WCC, Big West, Summit, Southland and the western MIAA schools and the Kansas D2 could trade schools around. I think there might be around 100 D2 schools left, and not many schools enough to make post season in all the sports including football, baseball, wrestling, LAX both and softball. Since many of them are already D1 in some sports. They might be able to move up and fill in spots like in the WAC, Big West, Southland and Summit with sports to have more of like baseball, wrestling, softball, LAX, men and women's soccer and so forth.

(07-12-2019 08:22 PM)Hilldog Wrote:  

(07-12-2019 07:48 PM)Johnny Crunch Wrote:  Found this on a unt board:

That was later followed by UTPA being booted (excuse me voluntarily withdrawing once they saw what the vote was) after their second round of major NCAA violations made them death eligible (they even asked for it so they could get out of a contract with the coach who they suspected of being behind the violations but they couldn't prove it).

Got a link to that UNT board?

In addition to the Delray Brooks scandal, at one point so many players were in academic trouble that we had to play part of a game with 4 players after a few fouled out.

Don't get excited about the GNAC.

Western Washington dropped football some years ago and renovated their "arena." It's still really a gym. Heck, the one at St. Martin's looks better.

Western Oregon has had rising fortunes in basketball the last few years, but they're not on a full number of football scholarships and the school is by absolutely no means in position to make improvements.

Central Washington has rumors from a few directions... and I still don't see it. Someone at the D2 message board drops a rumor and gets pretty much shot down. Plus people who talk about the growth in Ellensburg? The demographics of the region don't scream D-1 to me.

Point: any general statement that (engage sarcastic air quotes) the publics are doing better than the privates and thus there is a chance/likelihood they'll want to move up (disengage sarcastic air quotes despite reasons to keep using them) isn't seeing the trees OR the forest. A school moving one way or another, maybe. A group action? There's no money or will for it.

Saint Martin's gym is by far worse than what WWU has. But this is besides the points being made.

I just don't see the WAC forming an FCS football conference in the near future. There are just not enough D2 programs that can make the move up. And, I don't think any of the Big Sky schools would be interested in being involve in new FCS startup.

Therefore, I think Dixie State will be left hanging as an FCS independent for quite a few years. With Metro State stepping aside, I think the WAC's best hope for expansion will be by courting some of the non-football D2 schools in California and/or Washington.

(07-12-2019 11:14 AM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

(07-12-2019 05:02 AM)Hilldog Wrote:  Just found this page, so I know I'm late to this conversation. But, interesting that this thread stated no football, yet the WAC added Dixie St. a football school! Though not sure if you started this thread before or after Dixie accepted the invitation!

It's pretty clear that the WAC is hanging it's hat on D2 schools moving up. They were hoping and praying Metro St. moved up. But, they decided to stay D2. So, are they hoping a Washington D2 school will make the move?

But, the WAC is still worried that every school would leave if they got an invitation to a more stable, regional conference. Seattle would jump at a WCC invite, as would CBU and GCU. Utah Valley would accept a Big Sky. UTRGV a Southland invite. While, would take those conferences losing a member and/or changing their by-laws, it can happen.

I wonder what the American conference does next, and if the domino effect of that move will effect the WAC? Say for example, the American takes Charlotte from C-USA. C-USA takes Texas St. from the Sun Belt. What does the Sun Belt do? What if UTEP wants to leaves C-USA and goes to a conference that is more geographically friendly like the Mt. West? Yes, they are in Texas, but West Texas, and in the only C-USA school in the Mountain Time Zone. Texas St. would create four Texas schools-all within maybe 250 miles radius of each other. Houston to El Paso is about 700.

Also, is Bakersfield getting a waiver in regards to that CA law that restricts travel to Texas?

If they are getting a waiver, its never been made public knowledge. It's probably one of the reasons they are going to the BW.

I think any contracts inked prior to the law would not be impacted, so Bako would be exempt. I've heard nothing of that law impacting our trips to Texas for baseball because we were in the WAC before the law was passed.