Quick Conference Questions - Big South, MEAC, SWAC

[JacksFan06]

Sorry for my lack of knowledge, but do the 3 conferences I listed in the Title (Big South, MEAC, & SWAC) have football scholarships? If so, how many do they average per/team in the conference?

Thanks in advance for any info.

[JSUBison]

They all do. Average, I don't know.

[WileECoyote06]

Some MEAC schools give all 63 scholarships. I'm pretty sure not all of them do, however. Currently A & T is under NCAA sanction and can only give 30 scholarships.

[RabidRabbit]

Some MEAC schools give all 63 scholarships. I'm pretty sure not all of them do, however. Currently A & T is under NCAA sanction and can only give 30 scholarships.

xoopsxxoopsx OUCH

AT&T, you're at a "competitive disadvantage." Good luck on getting that mess straightened out, and get back to competitive #'s.

[WileECoyote06]

To be fair and accurate, I looked up the amount of reductions for A & T. I'd read on other sites that they were down to thirty full scholarships, but after thinking about it, that seemed way too harsh a penalty for APR violations.

They had a 30 point improvement in APR from the 2009-2010 cycle in 2010-2011, and can now offer 45.83 scholarships. Sorry for the misinformation.

[TexasTerror]

One good way to check is whether or not said school has played an FBS game in the last few years.

While that is not an indication of 63 scholarships, I would have to think these schools - particularly in the poorly funded SWAC and Big South - are in a position where they got to be playing FBS games to make some cash. If they are not... they are not at the 57 or however many scholarships over a two-year period that they need to...

Of course, the HBCUs also have the NCAA sanction issue which impacts a few of those schools significantly in their scholarship offerings...

[WileECoyote06]

I thought I attached the link. . sorry
http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/05/24/article/nc_at_football_academic_progress_improves

[WileECoyote06]

One good way to check is whether or not said school has played an FBS game in the last few years.

While that is not an indication of 63 scholarships, I would have to think these schools - particularly in the poorly funded SWAC and Big South - are in a position where they got to be playing FBS games to make some cash. If they are not... they are not at the 57 or however many scholarships over a two-year period that they need to...

Of course, the HBCUs also have the NCAA sanction issue which impacts a few of those schools significantly in their scholarship offerings...

APR is in direct opposition to the mission of many HBCUs plus it unfairly allows students who transfer out to count against the institutions number. It has been criticized as unfairly targeting schools which may not have the resources to provide individualized academic support (personal tutoring) or 'jock curriculum' for athletes.

Inside Higher Ed (journal) identified deficiencies in the policy as soon as it was implemented.

[tourguide]

So what is the rule regarding how many scholarships a team must have over a certain period of time to be able to play an FBS school and have that win count towards Bowl eligibility?

[DFW HOYA]

APR is in direct opposition to the mission of many HBCUs plus it unfairly allows students who transfer out to count against the institutions number.

The problem with many HBCU's is that many athletes do not maintain eligibility, whether or not they transfer. And if an athlete is eligible, a school will get credit within the APR.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/2011-05-24/resources-crux-hbcu-challenges

[UAalum72]

So what is the rule regarding how many scholarships a team must have over a certain period of time to be able to play an FBS school and have that win count towards Bowl eligibility?
It's a rolling average of 56.7 scholarships (90% of the maximum 63) over a two-year period. But I'm not sure if it's the previous two years, or the previous plus current year.

[tourguide]

It's a rolling average of 56.7 scholarships (90% of the maximum 63) over a two-year period. But I'm not sure if it's the previous two years, or the previous plus current year.

interesting, I thought the Patriot just raised their scholarships and were way below 56.7 2 years ago, yet I see Colgate playing Air Force. What am I missing?

[UAalum72]

interesting, I thought the Patriot just raised their scholarships and were way below 56.7 2 years ago, yet I see Colgate playing Air Force. What am I missing?
LFN could give a more authoritative answer, but I heard that PL athletic departments would buy out student loans, so the NCAA counted their need-based aid as athletic scholarships.

[aceinthehole]

interesting, I thought the Patriot just raised their scholarships and were way below 56.7 2 years ago, yet I see Colgate playing Air Force. What am I missing?

Or is it possible that Colgate is still a "non-counter" game and Air Force just doesn't care?

CCSU and Wagner have played FBS opponents (Western Mich & FAU), even though they were clearly "non-counters." If a FBS team plays 2 FCS teams in the same season, only one of them count.

Army will play Yale in 2014 and the NCAA hasn't yet granted the Black Knights a waiver to count the Elis as a bowl-eligile win.

So the long answer is some FBS teams will schedule a non-counter FCS opponent because they don't need or don't care about the "status" of their FCS oppponent.

[JSUBison]

Or is it possible that Colgate is still a "non-counter" game and Air Force just doesn't care?

CCSU and Wagner have played FBS opponents (Western Mich & FAU), even though they were clearly "non-counters." If a FBS team plays 2 FCS teams in the same season, only one of them count.

Army will play Yale in 2014 and the NCAA hasn't yet granted the Black Knights a waiver to count the Elis as a bowl-eligile win.

So the long answer is some FBS teams will schedule a non-counter FCS opponent because they don't need or don't care about the "status" of their FCS oppponent.

Spot on. It's the same reasoning some FCS teams schedule a non counter DII. It's a home game, and it helps the financials.

[Libertine]

How do you people not know this? The Patriot League has technically been "non-scholarship" but that never meant they didn't offer financial aid. Granted, the aid was need-based but, for accounting purposes, the NCAA doesn't draw a distinction between the amount of aid an institution gives out to players based on financial need as opposed to straight scholarships. All money counts the same to the NCAA and the equivalencies handed out by Patriot League schools have typically been at or near the FCS limit of 63 scholarships for years. As long as the institution hands out the equivalent of 56.7 scholarships to its players, it's a counter game.

[DFW HOYA]

My very unofficial understanding was that Colgate and Fordham were "counters" because of the amount of equivalency aid they were already giving over the past two seasons, whether scholarship or need. Lehigh, Lafayette, HC and (maybe) Bucknell would meet the counter definition after 2014 with a combination of scholarships plus need-based equivalencies.

Georgetown does not meet the definition under either scenario.