Face wrote:

Independent would be such an L for Merrimack’s program, but who knows how much football even does for them. Probably a bigger L for SHU.

We know the Dukes have done well with buy games from a financial perspective. And without a conference, at this end of FCS, what do your players have to play for?

Maybe you hit on the point.  Maybe the NEC schools don’t want a 9 team conference.   You lose those buy games.   

Apparently the next “Stonehill” down the road is the University of New Haven.  D2 football getting ready to join the NEC.

Yes.  It was apparent last week when their men’s lacrosse team joined the NEC.   The other team that left was Bryant but they just moved to CAA. 

I think that means they will let Merrimack and Sacred Heart stay as well.  Both are going to MAAC which doesn’t have football.

The winner to face #8 seed Villanova.   Of the 8 seeded teams that received a bye that is the lowest seed.   

So if I’m reading this correctly we were one place away from receiving a home first round game.   That surprises me but congrats!

I have to give credit where credit is due.   I didn’t think for a minute they would win today after laying that egg last week.

Going on the road to win.  That’s great.

The squib kick at after we took the lead with 3 minutes set them up at the 40.  And it was intentional.  I left at that point because I knew what would happen.  Awful.  Simply awful.

scduke wrote:

PhoenixRising2 wrote:

https://theathletic.com/5017262/2023/10/31/nit-changes-ncaa-tournament/?source=user_shared_article

Dana O’Neil’s article highlights the angst over this sneaky move.

I wasn't able to retrieve this without buying a subscription to The Athletic but have read enough on the internet to say that the articles on it have ranged from neutral to negative in opinion. The neutral ones parrot the official NCAA rationalization. For a long time, I have felt that the previous AQ's kept schools like ours from the NIT. Well, the NCAA removed them and replaced them with P6 AQ's. Andy Katz said that Fox was considering holding a P6 tournament of its own and this change was meant to thwart that. Perhaps, but it's just another example of the NCAA making non-P5/6 schools irrelevant. The way the NET ranking is set up we can't get home games (or in the case of Pitt, any game) with P6 schools because we're not a Quad 1 opponent. There are more one-bid leagues for the NCAA tournament than in the past. In football, non-P5 FBS schools are only good for pay-for-play games, Tuesday and Wednesday night TV games, and minor bowls. Some changes in our favor are overdue.

I believe the changes in smaller schools favor only become possible when they really start eating their own.  Example’s Washington State and Oregon State.   There are going to be many schools that aren’t going to make the cut for when the ACC implodes and it becomes the P3.  The Big 10, SEC and the way it looks the Big 12.   There will be a long list of schools on the outside looking in like

Cal
Stanford
Pittsburgh
Duke
Syracuse
Louisville
Wake Forest
Boston College
NC State

Then the B10, SEC and Big 12 will start throwing out their dead weight
Purdue
Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Arkansas
Cincinnati
UCF
BYU   Yes I know they the latter three just joined but it they have room for schools like this.

I’m sure everyone can add schools that will be in jeopardy.    Eventually

The NEC has foolishly not allowed full sports NEC members to  leave the conference and still play NEC football.  Monmouth, RMU and Bryant all fall in that category.  Monmouth has moved up to CAA so they are good.  NEC should allow both schools to stay and invite RMU and Bryant back.  Both are in that horrible OVC/Big South merger.  And I believe would come back.

MikeR wrote:

DuqBlue wrote:

stew wrote:

I think the Dukes need to go Division3.There just is not a lot of fan interest and the 40 football scholarship
monies could be used by the other sports team competing in A10 play.

 

One more time. If you play football and are D1, FCS is the lowest classification you can play. You are not allowed to be D1 in all other sports and D2 or D3 in football.

You are correct DuqBlue. We are truly caught between a rock and a hard place. Every year I question why we are doing what we are doing and the answer is always--It's the level we're stuck with. We could make some changes on scholarship commitments, or a different conference, but we would still be in the same boat. Scheduling would still be a nightmare. It would take a huge infusion of cash to move up and be a real can of worms to drop the program.

You are correct.  Dropping football means that they  would have to establish 2 men’s teams to meet the NCAA minimum requirement of 7 men’s sports if one is not football.  And probably you would need three for title IX requirements.  Football has a lot of players.

Establishing 2 or 3 new men’s sports to take the place of football would cost more than keeping football.  Plus, nothing you would start would bring a $725k payday.

stew wrote:

I did not know these ridiculous rules for football classification set by NCAA.Harper and Duquesne need to
lobby for changes so they can be a Division 3 football team.. Pennn State was supposed to have their football
scholarships reduced until the school and media members questioned the dangers of lost scholarships
might endanger the Penn State players safety during the time PSU was being punished for the Paterno
child abuse fiasco.

It’s not a ridiculous rule.    Division 3 schools do not want a D1 program beating them up in football.   Actually the University of Dayton was one of the reasons for this rule.   Back in 80s they won two D3 championships.   And were in the title game a couple of other times.    That’s when the rule was established. 

Duquesne was D3 in football (Presidents Conference) and joined the MAAC conference with a bunch of other D1 mainly Catholic schools kicked out of D3.

levon1975 wrote:

Highmark is a Soccer Stadium, not sure that it is available for college football.  It would make sense to seek some kind of long-term solution to the stadium problem but unless they can upgrade Rooney the options seem very limited.

Central Catholic used to play select big games there.  The Riverhounds became good and they were told to find some place new.

I’m curious. Does Aunt Suzie ever come to watch her play?   When April Robinson’s number was retired she was there for that.

I watched the interaction between SMS and Burt in a photo.     I would call it chilly at best.

https://goduquesne.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster

I’m am surprised that Precious is back.  Is this wrong?   Reason in questioning it is Cherie Lea is still listed in the coaching staff.