Latest on NEC football going into the FCS (formerly 1-AA playoffs) in 2008
Just spoke with NEC associate commissioner Ron Ratner. Here is info for part of a story we will run later this week
The other part will deal with - two schools apply for membership to the NEC. Who do you think they are....
Final NCAA approval of a 2008 automatic qualifying avenue to the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) football playoffs for a Northeast Conference football champion could take place next spring according to Ron Ratner, NEC Associate Commissioner.
Ratner, said football bracket expansion was one of the key issues tackled by the NCAA Championships/Competition Cabinet last week.
""With near unanimous support, the Cabinet voted to place football bracket expansion from 16 to 18 teams as its number one funding priority,'' said Ratner.
""This would establish an opening round of competition featuring two games the week before the first round of the playoffs.
""With additional conferences on the road to meeting AQ requirements, the door was also left open by the Cabinet for discussions on further expansion of the bracket down the line.''
He said the recommendation now will receive further study and prioritization within the full NCAA budget, and finally go to the NCAA Board of Directors for approval in its April meeting.
""If this goes though the NEC will have an automatic bid in some form in 2008, and one additional at large berth will be added,'' said Ratner.
Until now the FCS had been locked into a 16-team playoff with eight automatic bids which annually left the NEC waiting in vain for its champion to receive an at-large berth.
""The other question is how the playoff would be formatted and that's something that hasn't ever really been tackled yet,'' said Ratner.
He said the two additional games would be construed as an opening round where the winners would feed into the 16 team bracket.
"Off the top of my head, the NEC could be one of those four teams in the opening round or be placed into the (16-team) field depending on how the playoff is structured,'' Ratner said.
Ratner said three leagues - the Pioneer (San Diego's league) , IVY, and SWAC, though eligible, have not sought automatic qualification to the playoffs. He said the Big South (Stony Brook) will apply when it becomes eligible in 2010 ..
The other part will deal with - two schools apply for membership to the NEC. Who do you think they are....
Final NCAA approval of a 2008 automatic qualifying avenue to the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) football playoffs for a Northeast Conference football champion could take place next spring according to Ron Ratner, NEC Associate Commissioner.
Ratner, said football bracket expansion was one of the key issues tackled by the NCAA Championships/Competition Cabinet last week.
""With near unanimous support, the Cabinet voted to place football bracket expansion from 16 to 18 teams as its number one funding priority,'' said Ratner.
""This would establish an opening round of competition featuring two games the week before the first round of the playoffs.
""With additional conferences on the road to meeting AQ requirements, the door was also left open by the Cabinet for discussions on further expansion of the bracket down the line.''
He said the recommendation now will receive further study and prioritization within the full NCAA budget, and finally go to the NCAA Board of Directors for approval in its April meeting.
""If this goes though the NEC will have an automatic bid in some form in 2008, and one additional at large berth will be added,'' said Ratner.
Until now the FCS had been locked into a 16-team playoff with eight automatic bids which annually left the NEC waiting in vain for its champion to receive an at-large berth.
""The other question is how the playoff would be formatted and that's something that hasn't ever really been tackled yet,'' said Ratner.
He said the two additional games would be construed as an opening round where the winners would feed into the 16 team bracket.
"Off the top of my head, the NEC could be one of those four teams in the opening round or be placed into the (16-team) field depending on how the playoff is structured,'' Ratner said.
Ratner said three leagues - the Pioneer (San Diego's league) , IVY, and SWAC, though eligible, have not sought automatic qualification to the playoffs. He said the Big South (Stony Brook) will apply when it becomes eligible in 2010 ..
posted by Tony Graham at 6:37 PM
1 Comments:
NJIT and Bryant have applied to the NEC.
Does the 11-team conference need 2 more members? The football conference is back to 8 teams in 2008 with Duquesne, do we need 9?
QU has already stated it wants to "upgrade" its conference and CCSU doesn't fit, as the only public school - are they leaving?
Any chance Monmouth could join the MAAC now that they have a new hoops facility in the pipeline?
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