UCA's move gets attention; Fighting Transition Rules

[TexasTerror]

This article suggests that UCA could do a home-and-home with a I-A using Little Rock as the home. Very intriguing.

And more interesting is the continued talk of UCA fighting the transition regulations. I've brought this up before, both on this board and on I-AA Waves when I called into Ralph. As the SLC commish says, "I don't know what the odds are," Burnett said. "Some folks out there are not as enthusiastic as we are."
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UCA's move gets attention
Saturday, Jul 15, 2006

By Harry King

LITTLE ROCK - No thanks was all Darrell Walsh could say to the wad of money offered from Lawrence, Kan.

The Kansas representative was trying to buy the Jayhawks a victory over the University of Central Arkansas, the same M.O. as Arkansas signing up Missouri State. Walsh, senior assistant athletic director at UCA, explained to the Kansas people that the Conway school is not yet a full-fledged member of Division I-AA and, therefore, would not count toward the six-victory bowl minimum.

Before long, UCA folks will mull and cull other offers. To be I-AA eligible for the cash, UCA must average 58 1-2 football scholarships per year for the next two years. That should be no problem. The Bears are moving from Division II to Division I-AA in style, going from 36 scholarships to 63 without those small steps in between.

Even when all the pieces are in place, the powers that be aren't inclined to play more than one "money" game per year and that's the correct approach, particularly when it comes to being fair to football coach Clint Conque. He was at Louisiana Tech the year the Bulldogs opened at Tennessee, South Carolina, and Alabama. For the fourth game of the year, six starters were in dress clothes.

UCA folks have their eye on Arkansas State University. Played in Little Rock, such a game should do 30,000 or more.

http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2006/07/15/HarryKing/336884.html

[89rabbit]

My question is how much of this talk about getting exempted from all the hardships of the transition is coming from the folks at UCA and how much of it is coming from this newspaper? In the story the author seems to think that a home and home with a I-A is some sort of easy deal and UCA will have choices to make on who they set up. Is all this some sort of wishful think on the authors part? :confused: xidiotx :confused:

http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2006/07/15/HarryKing/336884.html

A home (Little Rock) and home with Missouri or Oklahoma State or Memphis also should do well at the gate.


Is it me or does it strike anyone else as a tad presumptuous to expect the NCAA to change its own rules simply to suit the Southland and UCA? :twocents:

Best of luck to the Bears, I think you will need it as far as the home and home and exemption thing goes. See you in Brookings this fall.

[TexasTerror]

My question is how much of this talk about getting exempted from all the hardships of the transition is coming from the folks at UCA and how much of it is coming from this newspaper? In the story the author seems to think that a home and home with a I-A is some sort of easy deal and UCA will have choices to make on who they set up. Is all this some sort of wishful think on the authors part? :confused: xidiotx :confused:


The guy who is cover them from the Log Cabin Democrat of Conway is doing an awful job. He needs to have a nice long convo with Ralph and catch up on the intricacies of I-AA or do something...I don't think the UCA fans have been that thrilled with him either...

Granted this guy is a different writer, but still...seems there is some cluelessness about I-AA football by the Arkansas media...

[NoCoDanny]

Very impressive, they went straight to 63 scholarships. Well done, I wish we would of done that.

[BEAR]

First to all my I-AA brothers- UCA doesn't think it is "powerful" enough to jump full fledge its' first year in this division. Most of all the fans realize that playing you guys will bring their share of whippings. 99% of UCA fans are realistic. Please take that as a truth.
Second, I was amazed at the scholly level jumping so quickly when talk around campus was how are we going to come up with the money. But private donors came out of the woodwork.
Third, the writer I believe works out of Little Rock. So he has L.R. interests in mind. War memorial stadium is getting a facelift but it is an old and crumbling piece of crap. I would rather see Estes Stadium in Conway built up to hold around 30k. It holds 11k and horseshoeing it would fill out the rest of the needed spots.
As for the cash...yeah every school needs that green lifeblood to flow their way But Conque has never been a patient man and he will persist on moving things forward to advance UCA...that is his job...

The simple fact is UCA has gone from an NAIA to a D2 to a D1 school in about 15 years and that is amazing to me to see. I think the transition period of 2 years is good with me. It will give the university some time to raise some cash. But what do I know, I'm just a fan.:smiley_wi

But a UCA vs ASU game......War Memorial would be sold out from day one...but according to ASU fans UCA hasn't earned enough respect to play them in LR..I mean we are only I-AA and they are I-A...that is the reasoning by some of their fans..(which I said..let's play in Jonesboro-it wouldn't matter we'd beat them there too!)....maybe...they did go to a bowl game last year...and had a pretty decent team...

[smallcollegefbfan]

First to all my I-AA brothers- UCA doesn't think it is "powerful" enough to jump full fledge its' first year in this division. Most of all the fans realize that playing you guys will bring their share of whippings. 99% of UCA fans are realistic. Please take that as a truth.
Second, I was amazed at the scholly level jumping so quickly when talk around campus was how are we going to come up with the money. But private donors came out of the woodwork.
Third, the writer I believe works out of Little Rock. So he has L.R. interests in mind. War memorial stadium is getting a facelift but it is an old and crumbling piece of crap. I would rather see Estes Stadium in Conway built up to hold around 30k. It holds 11k and horseshoeing it would fill out the rest of the needed spots.
As for the cash...yeah every school needs that green lifeblood to flow their way But Conque has never been a patient man and he will persist on moving things forward to advance UCA...that is his job...

The simple fact is UCA has gone from an NAIA to a D2 to a D1 school in about 15 years and that is amazing to me to see. I think the transition period of 2 years is good with me. It will give the university some time to raise some cash. But what do I know, I'm just a fan.:smiley_wi

But a UCA vs ASU game......War Memorial would be sold out from day one...but according to ASU fans UCA hasn't earned enough respect to play them in LR..I mean we are only I-AA and they are I-A...that is the reasoning by some of their fans..(which I said..let's play in Jonesboro-it wouldn't matter we'd beat them there too!)....maybe...they did go to a bowl game last year...and had a pretty decent team...

You brought up a good point. Many believe that money will always be so hard to get when you move up a level. "private donors came out of the woodwork." This will happen for most schools. Some will get enough to give the limit and some won't, but, donors will come out of nowhere quickly. You will also see attendance increase as well. If a school wants to move up from D2 to I-AA or I-AA to I-A I am all for it. I just hope they are able to compete and if not then the move will be the wrong one to me.

I think UCA is going to be a playoff team in 4-5 years easy. I would love to see your 6'6 WR go up against Courtney Brown, Graham from UNH, and even Dominic Dixon lol. Congrats on your accomplishments! Nothing wrong with any school wanting to move up and better themselves! You guys are certainly doing that.

[Cat79]

You guys at UCA are definitely aggressive going directly to 63 schollies!!:D

[*****]

... But a UCA vs ASU game......War Memorial would be sold out from day one...but according to ASU fans UCA hasn't earned enough respect to play them...Who in the heck are you talking about... ASU? Do you mean Alcorn State, Alabama State, Appalachian State... who?

[golionsgo]

You guys at UCA are definitely aggressive going directly to 63 schollies!!:D

We pretty much did the same thing as I recall. I don't know about 63 in 2003 but I think we were there or close to it in 2004. We were supposed to start out with a limited number and play a shortened schedule for a couple of years but Mumme wanted to go full throttle right out of the chute to get ready for the Southland in '05. Everybody thought he was crazy at the time but now he looks like a genius. :read: xcoffeex

[UCABearfan]

Who in the heck are you talking about... ASU? Do you mean Alcorn State, Alabama State, Appalachian State... who?


Arkansas State University.

[*****]

Arkansas State University.Do they sponsor football still (they used to in 1982-91)? :confused: They sure aren't at the top NCAA level of championship football. Too bad for them.

[blukeys]

Very impressive, they went straight to 63 scholarships. Well done, I wish we would of done that.


I'm not convinced that this is the best way. The only way that it makes sense to go from the D-II maximum to the I-AA maximum in one year is if you get the top quality athletes you need in that first recruiting class.

Typically in a class of 15 recruits in one year the typical I-AA team gets 5 to 6 quality players.

When going from 36 to 63 recruits in one year, UCA is expecting 27 recruits to be at I-AA level immediately. Was UCA's recruiting class vastly superior to the rest of I-AA???? Quantiity does not equal quality. :nod:

In addition if these recruits are really great they will ALL have to be replaced in 4 years with an equally good class. :confused: :confused:

Typically, a I-AA class will give you 2 to 3 impact players. Adding more players just adds more to the bottom and not the top of the class. Most I-AA teams add 5 to 7 top notch players per year regardless of how many players are brought in as they go hard for the great players.

If handing out scholarships is the key to winning then let's just give Jackson State the NC right now as they have dropped more players and offered more scollies then anyone else.

[*****]

... If handing out scholarships is the key to winning then let's just give Jackson State the NC right now as they have dropped more players and offered more scollies then anyone else.Don't sell Rick Comegy short at JSU...

[UAalum72]

In addition if these recruits are really great they will ALL have to be replaced in 4 years with an equally good class. :confused: :confused:

They could start with a dozen or so junior college transfers (juniors) and 18 freshmen to go with the 27 returning D-II scholarship players, then 9 JUCOs and 15 freshmen the second year.

[Ronbo]

There must be a mix of JC's and Transfers in there because 15-17 scholarships a year is ideal to keep the team balanced with quality athletes at all grade levels.

[walliver]

Another way to get to 63 scholarships immediately is to give scholarships to current walk-ons and expand partial scholarships to full scholarships.

[TheBisonator]

First to all my I-AA brothers- UCA doesn't think it is "powerful" enough to jump full fledge its' first year in this division. Most of all the fans realize that playing you guys will bring their share of whippings. 99% of UCA fans are realistic. Please take that as a truth.
Second, I was amazed at the scholly level jumping so quickly when talk around campus was how are we going to come up with the money. But private donors came out of the woodwork.
Third, the writer I believe works out of Little Rock. So he has L.R. interests in mind. War memorial stadium is getting a facelift but it is an old and crumbling piece of crap. I would rather see Estes Stadium in Conway built up to hold around 30k. It holds 11k and horseshoeing it would fill out the rest of the needed spots.
As for the cash...yeah every school needs that green lifeblood to flow their way But Conque has never been a patient man and he will persist on moving things forward to advance UCA...that is his job...

The simple fact is UCA has gone from an NAIA to a D2 to a D1 school in about 15 years and that is amazing to me to see. I think the transition period of 2 years is good with me. It will give the university some time to raise some cash. But what do I know, I'm just a fan.:smiley_wi

But a UCA vs ASU game......War Memorial would be sold out from day one...but according to ASU fans UCA hasn't earned enough respect to play them in LR..I mean we are only I-AA and they are I-A...that is the reasoning by some of their fans..(which I said..let's play in Jonesboro-it wouldn't matter we'd beat them there too!)....maybe...they did go to a bowl game last year...and had a pretty decent team...

TWO YEARS??? I thought you had to go through a five year transition like the rest of us??? Did I miss something here???

[UAalum72]

Another way to get to 63 scholarships immediately is to give scholarships to current walk-ons and expand partial scholarships to full scholarships.
But in that case the extra scholarships wouldn't do anything to increase your talent level - the ONLY benefit would be getting yourself to count toward a bowl for a I-A team (meaning you could get that game sooner).

[TexasTerror]

UCA's class...my counting may be off slightly...

25 HS
6 transfers/JUCO

[JoshUCA]

Do they sponsor football still (they used to in 1982-91)? :confused: They sure aren't at the top NCAA level of championship football. Too bad for them.
Yeah, they play in Division I-A football in the Sunbelt Conference.

[walliver]

Yeah, they play in Division I-A football in the Sunbelt Conference.

Aren't "Sunbelt" and "I-A" mutually exclusive terms.:D

[slostang]

I think the five year transition period is to long for teams that step up and have the facilities and offer the full amount of scholarships in the first few years. Two or three years for teams like UCA and NDSU that stepped up to I-AA in terms of schollies and facilities sounds about right to me. They are way ahead of a Division I school like Savanah State.

I am surprised that we have not heard from any UC Davis fans. First they were called Cal-Davis in the article and secondly they said they had no conference tie in. UC Davis is a member of the Great West for football and while they are not an official member of the Big West until they complete their transition period, they play a full Big West schedule in all other sports.

[MplsBison]

I don't understand why it eats at Davis fans so badly that their school used to be an extention campus of Cal and thusly Cal Davis is an apropriate nickname for them?

NDSU used to be known as NDAC for North Dakota Ag College. I wouldn't and don't care if other school's fans called us that. It's not an insult. It's an important part of our history.

History is important.

[BEAR]

I don't know about UALR fans, but I would hate to be called the University of Arkansas-Central..no affiliation whatsoever with that money infested, overhyped USC whipped piece of work.:0

[ucdtim17]

I don't understand why it eats at Davis fans so badly that their school used to be an extention campus of Cal and thusly Cal Davis is an apropriate nickname for them?

NDSU used to be known as NDAC for North Dakota Ag College. I wouldn't and don't care if other school's fans called us that. It's not an insult. It's an important part of our history.

History is important.


here we go again :rolleyes:

[SactoHornetFan]

here we go again :rolleyes:

Relax Farm Boy xcoffeex ...I heard Bessie needs to be milked again xlolx

[MplsBison]

I don't know about UALR fans, but I would hate to be called the University of Arkansas-Central..no affiliation whatsoever with that money infested, overhyped USC whipped piece of work.:0

And you've never been associated with the U of AR system. Thus, that nickname would be inappropriate.

[TexasTerror]

Harry King has fired up the computer again after recieving e-mails calling him delirious and much more...


Without the specifics of e-mails in front of me, I remember one used the word "delirious" in reference to UCA being able to persuade a Big 12 team to play in Little Rock. Another said something about 1 billion-to-1.

Both are probably right, although it is not too far-fetched to think that Memphis or some other Conference USA team could be convinced to play in Little Rock in exchange for two home games. For the previous optimism, we can blame Hardin or the heat.

http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2006/07/22/HarryKing/336960.html

[Keeper]

Ralph is funny about those bowl division teams, aint he?
For his sake (at least until the season starts) try to avoid
mention of them in your posts. Trust me, he knew y'all were
talking about the ASU who appeared in the Stepchild-of-the-
Wannabea Bowl.

And Also: will someone please tell me the reasoning behind
the NCAA transition inelligible until ???? thing? What are they
afraid of? New conference member UNC is inelligible for Big Sky
Champ but play a full schedule? Whatsup with that? If UCA
can play in SLC next year, make it count. If you're good enough
to win, you're deserving of the prize. Nobody's cheating, why
punish them? Who is being protected from whom? It's like
telling a kid he can play baseball but not allowed to bat. If
the NCAA is afraid of transition too much too soon, then
simply put restraints on the scheduling for a few years, but
don't tell the kids they can't play for a championship!
It's Un-American! Somebody should sue! Why am I yelling?

[Bear Fan 101]

just to clear up a misconception, what we learned Saturday night from UCA's President Lu Hardin was that the SLC is helping UCA to get the probationary/transitional period changed/reduced for ALL schools current and into the future, and not just a one time only case with UCA. President Hardin and the SLC are going to bat for everyone who is going through the process, or who will go through the process in the future. This is not a UCA only situation.

[McNeese72]

just to clear up a misconception, what we learned Saturday night from UCA's President Lu Hardin was that the SLC is helping UCA to get the probationary/transitional period changed/reduced for ALL schools current and into the future, and not just a one time only case with UCA. President Hardin and the SLC are going to bat for everyone who is going through the process, or who will go through the process in the future. This is not a UCA only situation.

After reading the second message in this string, I was about to make the same point. They are trying to get the rules changed for everyone not trying to get a special exemption for UCA. Big difference.

Doc