Fresno St. Alum wrote:
s2c, you got any links on...
Francis Marion (thought I heard something) (D-II guy said small school w/ small budget)
W.Washington (nothing) (D-II message board head said no way)
Valdosta St. (nothing) (D-II head said not enough money or their own stadium for football)
S.Indiana (nothing) (D-II head said they've been saying it for 20 years)
W.Texas A&M (only rabid fan wishing)
Harding (nothing) (D-II head says they are cutting costs)
UCSD (I thought I saw something on them too)(D-II head said this could happen)
Wayne St.(MI) did a study in 04 but decided not to.
I Know about Trev Alberts and UNO but Nebraska will try and block that.
Grand Canyon has no one that would take them except the GWC (which doesn't count as a conf.)
Francis Marion: a SC newpaper suggesting ASUN interest. Here a DI reference:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/colleges/mba/1037581.htmlQuote:
FMU's Patriots are successful enough that the school plans to move its entire athletic program to Division I in the coming years; two teams already compete at that level, with the other ten currently competing in Division II.
UCSD: student newspaper article copied onto message board:
http://www.waterpoloplanet.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4889Grand Canyon and discussions with WCC:
http://www.gcu.edu/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=105&cntnt01returnid=69A Big West or even Big Sky also are possible. (It is my belief that the Big Sky will not be able to sustain it's mandatory sports lineup - non-football schools will be accepted in the upcoming decade.)
Valdosta State: studying women's soccer, women's golf, and men's soccer as step to meet DI requirements. While VSU plays in a HS stadium, the stadium quality exceeds most that of most FCS schools. If W Georgia goes DI, VSU would be so isolated in the GSC, that it would practically forced to follow.
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:OVMRzQanhUkJ:www.valdosta.edu/finadmin/bac/documents/PBCminutes03-13-2009.pdf+%22Valdosta+State%22+%22Division+I%22&hl=en&gl=us&sig=AHIEtbT43FgKrKrH3QVoz_aiTrXyW1MwrgWest Georgia
http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/game.htmlQuote:
The other thing that it lends itself to is going to Division I. Once the stadium is built and we get to Division I, I can’t imagine the total economic impact but it’s going to be huge. A stadium is much more than just a place to play football.”
Tarleton State
DI is an official strategic goal by the year 2017
http://www.tarleton.edu/policy/documents/StrategicPlans/Strategic%20Plan%202007-2011%20McCabe%20small.pdfNebraska-Omaha
What Omaha is doing in hockey and the revenue that Omaha will produce is very poorly understood, except by fans who follow hockey:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/sports/04alberts.htmlOmaha World-Herald Article cut/paste:
Quote:
Alberts does not have a timetable. The decision won’t be his to make. But he is convinced a University of Nebraska at Omaha move to Division I-AA for football and Division I-A for all other sports is inevitable.
“I do not speak on behalf of anybody but myself,’’ Alberts said. “It is my personal opinion that ultimately that will happen. When that time comes, I don’t know. But if our goal is excellence, it needs to happen.’’
Alberts said he has spoken to Chancellor John Christensen about Division I and said, “The chancellor and I are completely on the same page. We are searching for ways to make athletics not a burden but something that enhances the university.’’
What about the hurdle of getting something like that approved by the Board of Regents? Wouldn’t NU try to keep UNO from going Division I?
“I don’t sense that,’’ Alberts said. “I’ve talked with Coach (Tom) Osborne about it. I’ve talked to (Creighton Athletic Director) Bruce Rasmussen about it. What they’ve said is they just want UNO to be what UNO can be. ...
To that end, he’s laying the groundwork for a move up. Alberts has met with countless corporate leaders in Omaha, including a recent meet-and-greet with both Warren Buffett and David Sokol.
Wayne State - DI plans seem to have been dropped - no longer reference in it's strategic plan
S Indiana - most recent newspaper article states USI is fine in DII
Harding - there were references to DI shortly after UCA moved up, financial issues seem to have changed their focus
W Washington - by dropping football, WWU now has a Title IX issue (few $'s for men). At least one reference - that I can not find - suggested that WWU's president dropped football so that WWU could afford DI.
W Texas A&M - Amarillo newspaper columnist demanding a move up - referenced the AD - can't find the link - nothing official