LFN: Georgetown's Options

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://lehighfootballnation.blogspot.com/2012/02/decision-presidential-view-georgetowns.html

I spell out all of Georgetown's "options". No holds barred.

[RichH2]

Will read but Iimagine will be a very short blog

[danefan]

Pretty good read LFN.

The only gripe I have is that Duquesne has no intention of dropping scholarships. They are steadily increasing scholarships and even dropping other men's sports to divert funding to football scholarships. If anything they are one of the more committed NEC teams (along with Albany, CCSU and Monmouth) to the full scholarship model.

[401ks]

Pretty good read LFN.

The only gripe I have is that Duquesne has no intention of dropping scholarships. They are steadily increasing scholarships and even dropping other men's sports to divert funding to football scholarships. If anything they are one of the more committed NEC teams (along with Albany, CCSU and Monmouth) to the full scholarship model.

What he said...

[DFW HOYA]

I think it was well done and offers some perspective as to why Georgetown wasn't right in line with the other PL presidents. Every school has different institutional issues that need to be addressed, and the opportunity to examine these issues for the only NCAA sport Georgetown competes outside the Big East is part of that discernment.

No one is looking to pull a West Virginia and leave the PL short. A measured review will serve all parties well and that's all I've been saying.

[aceinthehole]

What he said...

Agreed. The Dukes are very happy and committed to their associate membership with the NEC.

On the other hand, St. Francis PA is the smallest FCS school by enrollment and certainly has struggled competitively in the the NEC (and throughout its history). It is a possibility (but a long shot), that the Red Flash would choose to play football in the PFL if, and when, the full NEC memebr schools vote to go full scholarship. SFPA certainly like games with PFL opponents, but they are a full, charter member of the NEC. I just can't see them playing a sport outside of the league for financial or competitive reasons. If that really was the case, I would suspect they would be more likely to drop the sport than play somewhere else.

[DFW HOYA]

It is a possibility (but a long shot), that the Red Flash would choose to play football in the PFL if, and when, the full NEC memebr schools vote to go full scholarship. SFPA certainly like games with PFL opponents, but they are a full, charter member of the NEC. I just can't see them playing a sport outside of the league for financial or competitive reasons.

Many leagues do not allow schools to play in another conferences for a sport at the same level, e.g., Bucknell can't choose to play basketball in the Atlantic East.

Villanova and Georgetown catch a break in this regard because Big East football is at a different level (and ND has an outright waiver). By that same standard, however, I'm not sure Villanova would be allowed to play outside the Big East should it try to go I-A.

[aceinthehole]

Many leagues do not allow schools to play in another conferences for a sport at the same level, e.g., Bucknell can't choose to play basketball in the Atlantic East.

Yes, but if SFPA wanted to continue playing the sport at a lower scholarship level than what the NEC might approve (allowing 63 scholarships), the league certainly could make an exception for them. It wouldn't be unheard of. For example:

Fairield and Loyola both play men's lacrosse outside of the MAAC in the ECAC. I think MAAC Lax is non-scholarship.

Campbell (Big South), Davidson (SoCon), and Morehead State (OVC) all play football in the Pioneer League - oustide of their home conferences which sponsor full-scholasrhip football.

[hebmskebm]

Good article, but you forgot one option: sprint football. It's (barely) one step above dropping the sport altogether, but it does give the students a game of tackle football to go to on Saturday afternoons. Plus the Georgetown AD can still hobnob with the Ivies, well, at least Penn, Princeton & Cornell.

The service academies also field sprint teams.

[van]

Good article, but you forgot one option: sprint football. It's (barely) one step above dropping the sport altogether, but it does give the students a game of tackle football to go to on Saturday afternoons. Plus the Georgetown AD can still hobnob with the Ivies, well, at least Penn, Princeton & Cornell.

The service academies also field sprint teams.

Guess we should also mention Madden.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Guess we should also mention Madden.

"Create-a-team" xlolx

[EB59]

RePost from another thread: Honestly, I don't think that as long as the PL continues their AI requirement, the schollies will significanly imporve the quality of the players in the league, nor will it eliminate Gtown's ability to compete in this league. PL schools will still be prohibited from recruiting the vast majority of the top FCS players / bottom FBS players that currently go to the MAC, SunBelt, CAA, SoCon, Etc. LH and Gate already gave nearly 100% aide through grants to FB players and the same is true of the top Ivy's. Georgetown will however, need to increase their financial support of football and make more grant / aide money available to the football team to remain competitive over the long run of the next 10 years. Schollies to AI qualified players will not in my opinon change the caliber of the player in the next 5 - 10 years, they will still all for the most part be PL and IL candidates - NOT CAA or Conf USA for that matter.

[van]

RePost from another thread: Honestly, I don't think that as long as the PL continues their AI requirement, the schollies will significanly imporve the quality of the players in the league, nor will it eliminate Gtown's ability to compete in this league. PL schools will still be prohibited from recruiting the vast majority of the top FCS players / bottom FBS players that currently go to the MAC, SunBelt, CAA, SoCon, Etc. LH and Gate already gave nearly 100% aide through grants to FB players and the same is true of the top Ivy's. Georgetown will however, need to increase their financial support of football and make more grant / aide money available to the football team to remain competitive over the long run of the next 10 years. Schollies to AI qualified players will not in my opinon change the caliber of the player in the next 5 - 10 years, they will still all for the most part be PL and IL candidates - NOT CAA or Conf USA for that matter.

Don't know where you got the idea that any of us thought merit aid would make a "significant" difference. The difference will be 3 - 5 recruits per year that we now lose, more depth on the rosters and maybe one difference maker. Gives our coaches much more flexibility when recruiting, don't need to always defer to financial aid office.

[Go...gate]

RePost from another thread: Honestly, I don't think that as long as the PL continues their AI requirement, the schollies will significanly imporve the quality of the players in the league, nor will it eliminate Gtown's ability to compete in this league. PL schools will still be prohibited from recruiting the vast majority of the top FCS players / bottom FBS players that currently go to the MAC, SunBelt, CAA, SoCon, Etc. LH and Gate already gave nearly 100% aide through grants to FB players and the same is true of the top Ivy's. Georgetown will however, need to increase their financial support of football and make more grant / aide money available to the football team to remain competitive over the long run of the next 10 years. Schollies to AI qualified players will not in my opinon change the caliber of the player in the next 5 - 10 years, they will still all for the most part be PL and IL candidates - NOT CAA or Conf USA for that matter.

Agree with this. In fact, recruiting may have to be more careful than ever, because it is likely that fewer admission "slots" will be left open for football. I understand that is what happened at Colgate with those sports in which they went scholarship.

[RichH2]

Gate,
One hopes that with scholarships and good talent appraisal by staff, teams will not need as many admission slots