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DIII Athletics Promote Academic Excellence and Competitive Athletics. How Many Schools Do Both Really Well?

Who represents that highest blend of quality academics and competitive athletics?

Author

Steve Ulrich
October 07, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

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OCTOBER 7, 2024 | written by STEVE ULRICH

News and notes on the largest and best Division in the NCAA. #whyD3
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TOP STORY
1. DIII Athletics Promote Academic Excellence and Competitive Athletics. How Many Schools Do Both Really Well?

by Steve Dittmore

“When Carnegie Mellon University announced its football team would no longer compete as an affiliate in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) after this season, it did not generate the headlines that came with Texas and Oklahoma switching conferences. Nor did it surprise that CMU chose to compete in the Centennial Conference. If Division III conferences were truly regional in their missions, CMU would be better served staying in the PAC with western Pennsylvania schools Grove City, Washington & Jefferson, Westminster, Thiel, Allegheny, etc.

But CMU has relatively little in common with those PAC institutions from an academic, endowment, and reputation standpoint. The Centennial Conference, however, provides that association. CMU’s news release notes “The Centennial Conference is renowned for its strong academic and athletic programs, making it a fitting home for CMU's football team.” The implication being the PAC wasn’t a fitting home.”

» Field Awareness. “In today’s era of cross-country Division I athletic conferences, Division III conferences remain largely regional. Some - such as the Ohio Athletic Conference - do not extend outside a state’s borders. But that emphasis on regionality might be changing. When we study the priorities of NCAA Division III on the association website, we find an emphasis on “rigorous academics” and “competitive athletics.””

» Why It Matters. “From an institutional perspective, wanting to align with institutions similar in academic rigor and athletic competitiveness makes sense for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that we all strive to surround ourselves with individuals who share our interests and values. Carnegie Mellon is already in a highly selective conference, the University Athletic Association (UAA), with seven other schools that share its interests and values. The problem, however, is that only five of those schools field football teams, not enough to warrant the UAA sponsoring the sport.”

» Worth Noting. “Forty-one Division III schools, hailing from 14 conferences, represent that highest blend of quality academics and competitive athletics. A total of 436 schools competed in Division III last year, meaning just under 1 in 10 Division III schools can boast of having the highest quality academics (according to U.S. News World and Report) and highly competitive athletics.”

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NCAA

2. School Presidents in College Student Football League Predict 'Implosion of FBS'

by Pete Nakos, On3.com

“Earlier this week executives and college athletics administrators unveiled their proposal for a national league called the College Student Football League (CSFL). The “Super League” idea was first introduced by the group last spring but Tuesday marked the full rollout.

West Virginia University president Gordon Gee and Syracuse University chancellor Kent Syverud, supportive ambassadors of the CSFL, released a letter Friday in the Chronicle of Higher Ed predicting the “implosion of the FBS” and calling out the possibility of the SEC and Big Ten “creating their own 36-school ‘Super League.'”

» What Is It. “The CSFL, which was put together by the College Sports Tomorrow advisory group, would call for reorganizing the 136 FBS schools into two conferences. The top 72 programs, mostly Power 5 schools, would be in the Power 12 Conference consisting of a dozen six-team divisions based on geography. The remaining 64 FBS schools would play in the Group of 8 conference, according to the CSFL proposal. Promotion would be available for the top Group of 8 schools, but no relegation for the Power 12.”

» Quotable. “As university presidents, we need to get back in the game and take responsibility for our future,” the Syracuse and West Virginia presidents wrote. “We can’t rely on commissioners or Congress to do this. More engagement, urgency, and leadership are needed from all of us to breathe new life into college sports and create a sustainable new model that is steeped in the cherished traditions we all want to preserve.”

LEGAL

3. Pioneers Stun Eagles to Shake Up Rankings

photo by Jim Lund

  1. North Central (18), 4-0 - d. #18 Wheaton, 55-27

  2. Cortland (7), 4-0 - d. Morrisville, 41-0

  3. Saint John’s, 4-0 - d. Augsburg, 45-20

  4. UW-River Falls, 4-0, d. UW-Eau Claire, 71-14

  5. Mount Union, 4-0 - d. Otterbein, 21-0

  6. Hardin-Simmons, 4-0 - d. #12 Endicott, 35-27

  7. Grove City, 4-0 - d. Bethany, 62-22

  8. Susquehanna, 4-1 - d. Catholic, 48-14

  9. Salisbury, 4-0 - d. Christopher Newport, 42-38

  10. UW-Whitewater, 3-1 - d. #17 UW-Oshkosh, 21-14

» Hello. John Carroll

» Bye-Bye. Randolph-Macon

ROUNDUP
4. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

📺️ Streaming. HUDL has been selected as the new webstreaming platform for the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC). All MASCAC hosted non-conference games and league contests will be broadcast with Blueframe on mascac.tv. Along with our channel, MASCAC games can be viewed via streaming applications, including Apple TV, Roku (TV), iOS, Android TV, Android (mobile), Amazon Fire and Amazon Fire Tablet.

🗞️ News. “Elizabethtown College announced that it will cut 13 full-time faculty positions and three majors. Faculty will finish out the academic year before leaving their positions.”

🏈 News. The football game between UW-Whitewater and UW-Platteville attracted 21,233 to Perkins Stadium, setting a DIII on-campus record.

🏗️ Facilities. “More than 100 people gathered on Bedford Avenue to celebrate the opening of Randolph's new wrestling facility. The 4,700-square-foot building will house the women's and men's wrestling programs, which are currently in their first year. The facility's renovation was led by Penny Lane Properties, and the new space includes a practice facility, locker rooms, changing rooms, and offices.”

TRANSACTIONS
5. Comings and Goings

HIGHLIGHTS
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