Using the EPL to Divine the NCAA's Future

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://www.college-sports-journal.com/index.php/ncaa-division-i-sports/fcs-football/708-using-the-english-premier-league-to-divine-the-ncaa-s-future

Count 'em - 2500 words on my discussion with Carolyn Schlie Femovich on Patriot League Media day on the many, many questions "Big Five" changes might have on collegiate athletics.

Of all the things I could have talked about, I had to choose the English Premier League. (And I didn't even use the word "relegation" in there.)

[DFW HOYA]

Of all the things I could have talked about, I had to choose the English Premier League. (And I didn't even use the word "relegation" in there.)

Unlikely on many levels. These larger conferences are not in the business to help anyone but themselves.

All the media coverage seemed to be focused on Lehigh and Lafayette, given no coverage from the New York and Washington papers, and a stringer covering it for the Worcester Telegram.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Unlikely on many levels. These larger conferences are not in the business to help anyone but themselves.

All the media coverage seemed to be focused on Lehigh and Lafayette, given no coverage from the New York and Washington papers, and a stringer covering it for the Worcester Telegram.

I met the stringer, so I know from whence I speak. The trend seems to be that all the athletic department folks get together and do video spots for each of the schools to be broadcast on their websites now (and the PLN). Print media does indeed focus on Lehigh and Lafayette. There was a Bucknell guy there, too, I think.

Back to the EPL, though. I don't think the EPL stayed with the Football Association because they wanted to - I think they felt they had to to keep the integrity of their competition intact. On that score, I think the analogy with the "Big 5" conferences is very strong.

Based on that, I'd predict, based on my conversation, that whatever the "Big 5" choose to do, they won't break away from the NCAA totally because of the credibility issue. Now, what that is, nobody knows. But it will almost certainly be within the confines of the NCAA.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

An even bigger issue, though, would be that such and idea would change the fundamental nature of NCAA divisions today, where, essentially, divisions are like gated athletic communities with their own championships.

To me, the nature of divisions itself is in question. Once you need to find a solution for preserving the NCAA tournament as-is with Premier Division and Division I teams, you open up the question, "well, why shouldn't Division III teams be allowed to participate, too?" Should they still be gated championship communities? Should cross-division participation be OK for some sports, and not others?

Also, if the "Premier League" is its own, distinct league, what happens in football competition if basketball-first conferences like the Big East are included in this new league?

After all, there's no option to play a mega-tournament in football with proper access to every division. Strict competition segregation by division in football would have serious impact, more so than in other sports.

Would schools like Villanova and Georgetown, who compete at the FCS level at present, be forced to play at the FBS level or fold their programs?

"I don't think there would be an impact, but that needs to be resolved," Femovich said. "I think it's worked well to date that schools like Villanova and others that have very high quality basketball but also want to support football, but the rest of the Big East might not want to support football. For Villanova, FCS is the perfect match - I don't see that going away, at least not in the immediate future. But I think anything's possible and everything's on the table."

I think I found this statement from my interview with Ms. Femovich the most interesting.

[DFW HOYA]

I think I found this statement from my interview with Ms. Femovich the most interesting.

I don't understand the context of the statement. Maybe you had to be there.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I don't understand the context of the statement. Maybe you had to be there.

I can summarize the context as follows: The question was asked in regards to the "Big 5" making their own division. In such a scenario, a plausible course of action from the "Big 5" would be to invite the Big East. If they did and they created their own division, suddenly, Georgetown and Villanova would have a "Premier Division" athletics department but have an "Division I/FCS" football program. What happens? Would teams be forced to choose?

"I don't think there would be an impact, but that needs to be resolved," Femovich said. "I think it's worked well to date that schools like Villanova and others that have very high quality basketball but also want to support football, but the rest of the Big East might not want to support football. For Villanova, FCS is the perfect match - I don't see that going away, at least not in the immediate future. But I think anything's possible and everything's on the table."

[DFW HOYA]

Thanks for the clarification.

Just two cents, but these five conferences do not want the Big East or the AAC at the big kids' table. The ACC and their consiglieres at ESPN intend to punish the Big East at every turn and the AAC is simply UConn and Temple in a rebranded Conference USA.

[TheRevSFA]

Wait, there are other teams in the PL besides Lehigh and Lafayette?

No wonder I thought the PL didn't have any playoff representation last year

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Thanks for the clarification.

Just two cents, but these five conferences do not want the Big East or the AAC at the big kids' table. The ACC and their consiglieres at ESPN intend to punish the Big East at every turn and the AAC is simply UConn and Temple in a rebranded Conference USA.

What to do with the Big East, A-10 and AAC IMO is a key part of all of this. You can't realistically have an NCAA men's basketball tournament without them. But what if you make a brand-new division? You either need to change the rules of divisions to allow two divisions to play one another, which opens up the question: "well, if Georgetown has access to the tournament, why shouldn't Swarthmore?"

Making a brand new subdivision in football only would preserve the men's NCAA tournament. But there are other problems. Who would they play, only each other? The "small 5" won't take it sitting down, as they know it threatens their existence (and any money they would get) - matter of fact, they've already hinted they'll sue to preserve access to the plus-one playoff.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Wait, there are other teams in the PL besides Lehigh and Lafayette?

No wonder I thought the PL didn't have any playoff representation last year

A common misconception. xlolx

[DFW HOYA]

What to do with the Big East, A-10 and AAC IMO is a key part of all of this. You can't realistically have an NCAA men's basketball tournament without them.

Of course they can. None are indispensible versus the top five conferences. If Georgetown or Villanova doesn't get in, that's just another seed for an below average ACC (Georgia Tech) or Big 10 (Minnesota) team to fill. More money stays within the cartel.

In a worse case scenario, the top conferences would be given tacit control of the NCAA tournament as a tacit settlement to prevent them from breaking off, with almost everyone else relegated to a repackaged NIT. The more likely scenario is that a tweak to the strength of schedule formula begins to drive more of the 36 at-large bids to stay within the top five conferences, and only a small handful outside the conference champs below the five moving on to the brackets.

[MplsBison]

Of course they can. None are indispensible versus the top five conferences. If Georgetown or Villanova doesn't get in, that's just another seed for an below average ACC (Georgia Tech) or Big 10 (Minnesota) team to fill. More money stays within the cartel.

In a worse case scenario, the top conferences would be given tacit control of the NCAA tournament as a tacit settlement to prevent them from breaking off, with almost everyone else relegated to a repackaged NIT. The more likely scenario is that a tweak to the strength of schedule formula begins to drive more of the 36 at-large bids to stay within the top five conferences, and only a small handful outside the conference champs below the five moving on to the brackets.

Sorry but this reads analogous to one of those half dressed, 'end of the world' prophets standing on a bucket, shouting out to a passerby.

Anything that will alter the essence of March Madness as it exists today is off the table. Not a single party involved, from the big five, to the group of five, to the FCS schools, to the non-football DI schools to most certainly not the NCAA wants any significant changes to the most important college athletics event of the school year.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Of course they can. None are indispensible versus the top five conferences. If Georgetown or Villanova doesn't get in, that's just another seed for an below average ACC (Georgia Tech) or Big 10 (Minnesota) team to fill. More money stays within the cartel.

That depends. 30% of $1bn is better than 100% of $10Mn.

In any case, it seems to me like everyone wants the NCAA tournament to exist pretty much the way it does now. People seem to get that the whole is worth way, way more than the sum of its parts, and Norfolk State beating Missouri gets a lot more people excited than Ole Miss beating Missouri.

[MplsBison]

Finally something on which I agree wholeheartedly with LFN.