(11-11-2022 05:18 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote: How is this good? Our FBS level conference dumps a men's soccer, NIU migrates that sport to an FCS level conference, and Akron doesn't come with? Not a positive development in my book.
Your book is way out of date when it comes to soccer but not a surprise since you measure everything with a football mentality.
Check the latest Division I men's soccer rankings and you'll see the following programs ARE NOT in "FBS level conferences."
8--Cornell, 9--SMU, 10--Vermont, 11--Lipscomb, 12--UNC-Greensboro, 13--Akron, 14--Tulsa, 15--Penn, 17--FIU, 18--Saint Louis, 21--New Hampshire, 24--Elon, 26--Portland, 27--Georgetown, 28--Missouri State, 30--Marshall, 31--Denver, 32--Hofstra, 36--Seton Hall, 37--Butler, 38-_South Florida, 39--Central Arkansas, 40--Western Michigan, 41--Air Force, 42--Georgia State, 43--Creighton, 44 Xavier, 45-Harvard, 46--Dayton, 47--Loyola-Chicago, 48--Yale, 49--San Diego State, 50--Oral Roberts.
The NCAA Tournament will have 48 slots so once you get beyond the top seven-ranked programs that come from "FBS conferences", the field includes quite a variety of conferences completely unlike bowl games. And when it comes to those very top programs, there are several whose "soccer stature" is greater than their football rep: i.e., Duke, Stanford, Clemson, Virginia, Kentucky, Syracuse, and Washington.
As an NCAA champion in 2010 and national runner-up in 2018, Akron clearly will be sought after as an affiliate to a number of conferences while the MAC trio have an optimal geographical affiliation with the MVC.