Quote from: jmcozenlaw on August 06, 2026, 05:28:54 PM

Quote from: MCScots2013 on July 31, 2026, 10:40:56 AMI've always known there were a lot of D3 schools in the Northeast, but the number in some states is eye-popping.  I thought growing up in Virginia we had a lot (20), but NY and PA both have 60 and MA has 39. That's 37% of all D3 schools.

Those 3 states have more schools than the following 12 states, combined: VA, WV, KY, OH, IN, MI, IL, MO, MD, IA, WI, and MN (150 total).

The comment about being in the 3rd inning and going into extras hits a little different after looking at the numbers...


EDIT to add context to D2:  NY, PA and MA have 37 total schools.  22 of those are in PA alone.
302 D2 schools and the Southeast has over a third of those at 123 (if your definition of Southeast mirrors the SEC plus VA and NC...)

The D2 schools in PA (most in the PSAC) bought some time with playing a shell game of sorts over the past 12-24 months, but for a handful of them, the grim reaper is also approaching their doorsteps. I have a lot of friends who coach football and men's basketball in the PSAC and to a person, they are starting to get a little worried. I thought the closings of the private schools, along with their tuition and fee advantage would help them, and it has on the fringes, but the cliff of college aged students now and looking out into the near, mid and far term, might doom as many as half of them. Scary times indeed!

I posted something similar to this a while back, but there are some strong rumors coming out of the PSAC (PA DII Conference) that most of the schools (vs. the conference as a whole at this point) are looking at what St. Anselm's just did (and it's sounding like Bentley and SNHU to follow) of dropping down from DII to DIII.

Having been to many PSAC games and seen all of each school's facilities, I've always looked at the PSAC as DII's WIAC (or DIII's WIAC as DII's PSAC). If the Penn State system continues to whittle down satellite campuses, with the plan of growing 7-8 of them into larger campuses and offering a full compliment of athletics (i.e. football and wrestling as two examples), THIS would be more in line with the WIAC. 

This has been addressed here before, but would it be possible for the PSAC to have discussions with whomever would make the call, to pick up the conference as a whole and plug it into DIII? I am hearing that the majority of the PA "state schools" would like to look into dropping down a level and the non-state schools such as Gannon, Seton Hill, Pitt-Johnstown and Shepherd (not even in PA), looking to make a Mercyhurst type of move or find another DII conference.

The wheels on the conference roulette bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on the..........

Quote from: Ron Boerger on August 05, 2026, 06:19:07 PM

Quote from: y_jack_lok on August 05, 2026, 06:05:04 PM^^^It's basically a very condensed version of the WSJ article. The NY Post journalist appears to have read the WSJ article and written a shorter version. Questionable journalistic standards at work there.

Well, we *are* talking about the Post, not exactly known for its journalistic (or any other kind of) integrity.

Sort of like the New York Times? .  New York, New York, big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain't always what it seems.......especially these days, or not. Let's grab some free groceries for our opening game tailgate

Quote from: MCScots2013 on July 31, 2026, 10:40:56 AMI've always known there were a lot of D3 schools in the Northeast, but the number in some states is eye-popping.  I thought growing up in Virginia we had a lot (20), but NY and PA both have 60 and MA has 39. That's 37% of all D3 schools.

Those 3 states have more schools than the following 12 states, combined: VA, WV, KY, OH, IN, MI, IL, MO, MD, IA, WI, and MN (150 total).

The comment about being in the 3rd inning and going into extras hits a little different after looking at the numbers...


EDIT to add context to D2:  NY, PA and MA have 37 total schools.  22 of those are in PA alone.
302 D2 schools and the Southeast has over a third of those at 123 (if your definition of Southeast mirrors the SEC plus VA and NC...)

The D2 schools in PA (most in the PSAC) bought some time with playing a shell game of sorts over the past 12-24 months, but for a handful of them, the grim reaper is also approaching their doorsteps. I have a lot of friends who coach football and men's basketball in the PSAC and to a person, they are starting to get a little worried. I thought the closings of the private schools, along with their tuition and fee advantage would help them, and it has on the fringes, but the cliff of college aged students now and looking out into the near, mid and far term, might doom as many as half of them. Scary times indeed!

Quote from: Ron Boerger on July 30, 2026, 08:09:29 AMValley Forge students have teachout opportunities at Messiah, Eastern, and Southeastern, though the details of each differ (Messiah will match UVF net tuition costs, Southeastern offers only a 25% discount, etc.).

I don't know why it's not listed, but Lancaster Bible College also has the teachout opportunity with UVF as well. Sneaky good men's hoops teams over the years!

I'm hearing from very good sources in the city of Reading and in Berks County that at least one out of Albright and Alvernia is closed within the next 12-24 months. I'm not sure which one is in more trouble.

Also, from a very credible source up in Northeast PA/Luzerne County, King's is in some trouble and the general belief is that one, or possibly two, out of the 4-5 schools in NEPA is a goner on the same timeline as above (I'm doubting Wilkes or Misericordia), so that leaves King's, Keystone and the former JUCO (name is escaping me as I type this) that will be playing in the PSAC (still trying to figure that one out).

A President and an Athletic Director at a MAC school told me that they believe we are only in the 2nd or 3rd inning of the school closure cycle..............in what might not be the last cycle looking way down the road, unless parents start pumping them out again, which will probably never happen again.

Quote from: KnightSlappy on May 15, 2026, 10:57:51 AM

Quote from: Jake Feldman on May 14, 2026, 02:11:07 PMIF we had most of the D2 schools move down to D3, that may necessitate a split to maintain competitive balance in the division.

My baseline assumption is programs coming to D3 from 'higher' levels will struggle for a while as they adjust to turning over their roster and recruiting without scholarships to offer.

For the average student-athlete (those not going to highly selective nor selective schools), in the case of the PSAC in PA, maybe the differential could be tuition/room & board/fees coming in at about half the cost of many D3 schools in PA. I know many PSAC grads who have done extremely well for themselves in a variety of fields and if I was a coach at any of the PSAC schools (after the move to D3), I am selling the student-athlete (again, the non-selective, non-highly selective school student athlete) on a variety of factors......facilities (if and where applicable), academics and cost. Add in decent financial aid packages and the all-in cost factor of a PSAC school will be much more reasonable than the all-in cost of your average, garden variety, tuition dependent, D3 school.

Quote from: BaboNation on April 23, 2026, 04:03:31 PM

Quote from: Ralph Turner on April 23, 2026, 02:09:11 PM

Quote from: Gray Fox on April 22, 2026, 03:49:50 PMSt. Anselm stated that NIL was one of the driving forces due to the instability it causes.

Looks like a smart move.
Quesyion for any NEWMAC lurkers on this board to speculate/prognosticate...

Who else in the northeast has this mindset and mission/vision to follow St Anselm?

If you're asking about a school that could follow the exact same path to the NEWMAC it wouldn't shock me to see Bentley do that.  Their educational profile would fit, the geography would fit, the mix of athletics would fit.
But in my ideal scenario I'd prefer a D3 university from the same city.  If Brandeis ever gets tired of the travel required by the UAA I'd roll out the welcome mat.

Bentley is currently assessing this very issue with the news (vs. speculation) of the departure of St. Anselm. I've also heard that Assumption is considering making a St. Anselm type of move as well. St. Michael's is in some very serious financial trouble. All of this could very well spell the end of the NE 10 Conference.

My friends at SNHU are quite nervous about the future of the conference (and D2 as a whole), as is Franklin Pierce. I don't think that there would be room for all of these schools if they decide to make the move to D3, unless to form a separate conference.

I'm not sure if anybody here follows the PSAC in PA (Kutztown has built a national football powerhouse) but there are very quiet conversations taking place about most, if not all of the schools, making the D2 to D3 move. This would be very interesting........PA's version of the WIAC (where many of the schools have larger enrollments and larger/nice facilities than most schools in the PSAC).

Quote from: lefty2 on October 20, 2025, 11:27:08 AMI am pretty sure that this season doesn't have anything to do with financial aid or faith.

Never said that it did

Quote from: lefty2 on October 20, 2025, 11:27:08 AMI am pretty sure that this season doesn't have anything to do with financial aid or faith.

Never said that it did, Lefty. I'm just happy in general.......as you should be given the horse that you back and what they stand for. As far as Financial Aid packages, you are speaking about something in which you know very little about. The wrestling coach at Eastern is the former coach at DelVal and he has discussed how the football team's packages, especially for "target players" eclipses anything that (in speaking with folks on the DelVal side) they have done in the past or have the capability of doing in the current. So yes, there are about 13 players (9 impact) on the current Eastern roster who wanted to play at DelVal, but the Aggies package couldn't compete. So yes Lefty, nothing to do with Faith (again, although loving it on a macro level) and much to do about packages........and a practice bubble.

Quote from: kate on October 19, 2025, 09:51:27 AMjm, I really like you, especially since you love Del Val and Doylestown, but how about we leave 'faith' off the boards.  It's a truly personal aspect of a person's life here on earth - unless of course you're a pastor, priest, you get the idea.  Nothing wrong with a quick prayer for the safety & health of our favorite teams, but this does need to be personal.  I remember years ago, on here, somebody from Messiah was saying 'this is God and please save a seat for me' (for a basketball game obviously )!  A poster from our dearly departed Wilkes (now scooped up by that landmark league), said something like God has far more important things to take care of than determining the outcome of a sport's contest!  How true!  Heck, I am FAR from a non-believer, but I do get annoyed even when I see the 'He gets Us' commercials while I'm watching certain baseball games!

Kate,
I really like you as well and respect you a lot, but couldn't disagree more. As "FAR from a non-believer", you absolutely know what each and every one of us are called to do, not suggested to do, not asked to do, but told to do.......and not in a closed environment with other believers, like in Church. What good does that do? Nothing that I stated has anything to do with "God determining the outcome in sports". It was a general comment about the renaissance in sports (and admissions) at Misericordia......and I could add Eastern (a third year football program) as well as many similar schools across the country. As a believer, I love the 'He Gets Us" commercials because if everybody believed and lived accordingly, it would be a MUCH different country and a MUCH different world than the one we live in today.

Rant over, no more comments on the subject, so "Let's Go Sports"!!!!

Quote from: lefty2 on October 15, 2025, 06:02:58 PMMisericordia football featured on front page of d3football.com in a story by Brian Lester:  https://d3football.com/columns/features/2025/misericordia-not-satisfied-at-4-1

Lefty on the football board? Now I've seen it all Misericordia had nowhere to go but up and they are putting together really nice financial aid packages, especially to impact players. Who said that all non-elite, small schools are hurting financially? With the way the world is headed, it's great to see Christian schools thriving as more and more younger people are leaning back into Faith!

Quote from: jmcozenlaw on September 12, 2025, 04:25:25 PM2025 MAC Predictions (without records):

1. Eastern - Youngest team in the conference last year, lost just about nobody and crushed the portal
2. Stevenson - Very young team last year with some impact transfers
3. King's - Lost a ton but did a great job with incoming impact players
4. Widener - Brought a lot back and grabbed a few impact portal players
5. LebVal - Lost a few key pieces but bring a lot back
6. DelVal - Lost a motherlode and did a brutal job reloading everywhere except for WR. Defense is a sieve
7. Misericordia - Second youngest team in the conference last year but still missing players in key areas
8. FDU - Lost a lot, bring back a few key players, but will fall back from last year
9. Alvernia - I don't get it. They built a wrestling national powerhouse quickly but can't get this right
10. Albright - School almost closed last year and not out of the woods. Can't help with recruiting

In an above post, I cited how many players (33 out of 44) that DelVal lost from their two deep roster to open the season last year. More discouraging, most of the starters on both sides of the ball this year are seniors so this might be a multi-year rebuild.

If they can come out of the box and beat King's tomorrow, maybe the season isn't nearly as bad as I think it might be. If they lose, they might have the worst season on record in the last 20+ years and the next recruiting cycle will be paramount.

This game is 90% recruiting (as Jimmy Johnson once famously said, "it's the Jimmy's and the Joe's......not the X's and the O's) and 10% coaching. The program has had coaches who were recruiting masters over many years. This staff might get one more chance this offseason. Nobody wants to be at the helm when a 20+ year powerhouse hits the crapper!

Hmmmmmm.......the Aggies at 6th looks just about right at this point. The program is bereft of talent. They need their best recruiting class in more than 20+ years this offseason!

Quote from: jmcozenlaw on September 12, 2025, 04:25:25 PM2025 MAC Predictions (without records):

1. Eastern - Youngest team in the conference last year, lost just about nobody and crushed the portal
2. Stevenson - Very young team last year with some impact transfers
3. King's - Lost a ton but did a great job with incoming impact players
4. Widener - Brought a lot back and grabbed a few impact portal players
5. LebVal - Lost a few key pieces but bring a lot back
6. DelVal - Lost a motherlode and did a brutal job reloading everywhere except for WR. Defense is a sieve
7. Misericordia - Second youngest team in the conference last year but still missing players in key areas
8. FDU - Lost a lot, bring back a few key players, but will fall back from last year
9. Alvernia - I don't get it. They built a wrestling national powerhouse quickly but can't get this right
10. Albright - School almost closed last year and not out of the woods. Can't help with recruiting

In an above post, I cited how many players (33 out of 44) that DelVal lost from their two deep roster to open the season last year. More discouraging, most of the starters on both sides of the ball this year are seniors so this might be a multi-year rebuild.

If they can come out of the box and beat King's tomorrow, maybe the season isn't nearly as bad as I think it might be. If they lose, they might have the worst season on record in the last 20+ years and the next recruiting cycle will be paramount.

This game is 90% recruiting (as Jimmy Johnson once famously said, "it's the Jimmy's and the Joe's......not the X's and the O's) and 10% coaching. The program has had coaches who were recruiting masters over many years. This staff might get one more chance this offseason. Nobody wants to be at the helm when a 20+ year powerhouse hits the crapper!

I had Eastern a smidge too high, Misericordia way low, Albright way low........and the Aggies just about spot on. This IS the worst Aggies roster since about 2001-2002 and the cupboard is pretty bare. We'll always have that 20+ year run of dominance, but that feels like light years away from this roster and the current state of this program!

Great point Gordon. You know what they say about predictions/opinions. They are like you-know-what's......everybody has got one and everybody is entitled to them. I would say after yesterday that DelVal might be somewhere in the Top 3 of the MAC. I would make Stevenson the favorite. I've heard a lot from the inside of the program and I mean the very inside. I based my predictions in large part due to what I'm hearing. The coaches across the MAC, who should know a lot more and a lot better than me picked King's to win the MAC. Unless yesterday was a one off, bad day......I don't see that happening with their QB play and that porous pass defense. I yearn for the days of the Aggies scary defenses and not one that has to be as insane as 2022. I don't see the studs, the playmakers on the DL, at LB and in the secondary that the Aggies have had over the past 20 years. Think about the killer safeties since you have been covering the team. I don't see anybody on this team who would start on not just the 2022 team, but on most teams over the past 20 years. The Aggies best bet this year is a weak MAC, getting playing time for some underclassmen and crushing recruiting going into 2026. The bar is too high for this program to fall back to mediocrity. I don't think it happens this year as I don't see any unbeatable teams in the MAC, including the Aggies.

2025 MAC Predictions (without records):

1. Eastern - Youngest team in the conference last year, lost just about nobody and crushed the portal
2. Stevenson - Very young team last year with some impact transfers
3. King's - Lost a ton but did a great job with incoming impact players
4. Widener - Brought a lot back and grabbed a few impact portal players
5. LebVal - Lost a few key pieces but bring a lot back
6. DelVal - Lost a motherlode and did a brutal job reloading everywhere except for WR. Defense is a sieve
7. Misericordia - Second youngest team in the conference last year but still missing players in key areas
8. FDU - Lost a lot, bring back a few key players, but will fall back from last year
9. Alvernia - I don't get it. They built a wrestling national powerhouse quickly but can't get this right
10. Albright - School almost closed last year and not out of the woods. Can't help with recruiting

In an above post, I cited how many players (33 out of 44) that DelVal lost from their two deep roster to open the season last year. More discouraging, most of the starters on both sides of the ball this year are seniors so this might be a multi-year rebuild.

If they can come out of the box and beat King's tomorrow, maybe the season isn't nearly as bad as I think it might be. If they lose, they might have the worst season on record in the last 20+ years and the next recruiting cycle will be paramount.

This game is 90% recruiting (as Jimmy Johnson once famously said, "it's the Jimmy's and the Joe's......not the X's and the O's) and 10% coaching. The program has had coaches who were recruiting masters over many years. This staff might get one more chance this offseason. Nobody wants to be at the helm when a 20+ year powerhouse hits the crapper!

Quote from: jmcozenlaw on September 06, 2025, 11:04:34 AMI looked at the two deep from the DelVal vs. Hampden-Sydney game this weekend last year and the Aggies have lost 33 out of that top 44 (HS has about 72% of their top 44 back). This should be an interesting game as a result.

As far as the MAC is concerned, the Aggies lost their top 2 QB's, top 3 RB's, 5 out of their six top WR's and 2 of their starting OL. On the defensive side, they lost all of their defensive line, their two stud LB's (one moved up to D2 Assumption) and both safeties.

As I predicted the Aggies MAC streak to end last season, this is another year for a handful of teams to be able to pick them off. I think the Aggies will always be in the hunt, but the days of undefeated MAC seasons for a handful of consecutive years is over in my opinion, for many reasons.

I'm looking forward to a great year and hope to see a few people on the board in addition to Kate.

I'd say that I had a good call above regarding the HS game...........but quite a bit of the information has come to me from the inside of the program. From those who have been around for close to 20 years, this might be the worst Aggies roster since before the turnaround under G.A. Mangus in 2003. The scariest part is that most of the Aggies starting 22 yesterday are seniors. While this is a young team overall, it's not young with offensive and defensive starters. If you are going to be average or worse, play the young guys and see what you've got heading into the recruiting season and dominate the portal.

I'll make my MAC prediction during the week, but suffice it to say, it will be the lowest I've predicted the Aggies to finish since 2003.