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The announcement last week by the National Collegiate Athletic Association that its Division I Board of Directors had approved a four-year moratorium on accepting new members into the group’s ever-growing top competitive level left more questions than it answered.

The NCAA plans to discuss possible changes in the criteria for evaluating and admitting new member colleges to Division I. Could the intention be to cap membership, or perhaps shrink the current list of colleges to appease athletics directors in major conferences who might see the newly admitted — and often smaller — colleges as offering little prestige and taking prized automatic spots in the NCAA basketball tournament? Or is this more a case of Division II, the NCAA’s often forgotten membership division, raising a concern as it tries to stem outmigration?

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/08/15/ncaa

I have a feeling it's more BCS-BS than anything else.

Too many NON-BCS-BS members than BCS-BS members may cause a few problems for the cartel when it comes to issues that require a vote.

Agreed. Anyone hear the status of the anti trust litegation that was being brought against the BCS?

The BCS conferences currently maintain a razor thin majority in Division 1. And there are some BCS schools that want a playoff (such as some of the newer BE schools which spent many years outside looking in). Adding a couple more schools could tip and balance and suddenly a vote on a playoff might reach the floor and win. So, the moratorium is clearly the BCS schools protecting their flank. The really want CUSA, MWC, WAC, MAC and SBC to leave and go to 1-AA and they figure if they keep them on second class status long enough they'll win that war of attrition.

EastStang wrote:The BCS conferences currently maintain a razor thin majority in Division 1. And there are some BCS schools that want a playoff (such as some of the newer BE schools which spent many years outside looking in). Adding a couple more schools could tip and balance and suddenly a vote on a playoff might reach the floor and win. So, the moratorium is clearly the BCS schools protecting their flank. The really want CUSA, MWC, WAC, MAC and SBC to leave and go to 1-AA and they figure if they keep them on second class status long enough they'll win that war of attrition.

That's not correct. This is about all Division 1, not just Division 1-A. There are over 300 Division 1 schools total. It's more about the basketball and other sports. Division 1-A has already made it's own rules to make it harder for 1-AA schools to move up (the attendance requirements for example).

... The really want CUSA, MWC, WAC, MAC and SBC to leave and go to 1-AA and they figure if they keep them on second class status long enough they'll win that war of attrition.

You're exactly 'correct' Eaststang.

Don't see how you can miss that one - Mustangstealth
If it was a snake you'd be in ER right now.

I'm not denying that the BCS conferences may want that, but that's not what the article was about. The article was referencing all of Division 1 (1-A and 1-AA) restricting new entries. This does not affect schools moving between 1-A and 1-AA, as evidenced by Western Kentucky, which is starting the reclassification process.

MustangStealth wrote:I'm not denying that the BCS conferences may want that, but that's not what the article was about. The article was referencing all of Division 1 (1-A and 1-AA) restricting new entries. This does not affect schools moving between 1-A and 1-AA, as evidenced by Western Kentucky, which is starting the reclassification process.

Western Kentucky sent in their reclassification notification long before this moratorium began.

You'll never see this "truth" printed in the newspapers or on TV.

It's simply a smoke screen because the BCS-BS & TV control Div 1 & they want to keep it that way. They look at it as a 'finite' world (or zero-sum game) when it's quite the opposite. The pie isn't chopped up in more pieces but it grows. That's the great thing about capitalism.

FYI: I-AA no longer exists. It was done away with at the beginning of the 2006 season. The correct terminology is Division I-A FCS (Football Championship Subdivision). Officially the NCAA only recognizes 1-A FCS as a "true" National Champion since those member schools utilize a playoff system. The other division is a poll/media champion.

1-AA is the now the Championship Division and 1-A is the Bowl Division. They were trying to change the name in order to make 1-AA teams feel better about being relegated to second class status and making less $$$$.