Clarkson Alumni license plate frame in Dallas. Not a football school, but they are D3.

Quote from: Trin9-0 on November 04, 2026, 09:25:20 AM

Quote from: AmherstStudent05 on November 03, 2026, 01:38:37 PMJust so we are clear as I understood it, you wouldn't be claiming a share of a title and a 33% chance of an automatic bid. In a world where point differential can be determinative, you could know you needed to lose by a certain number of points on the last week of the season to ensure sole possession of the conference championship and the bid that goes with it.

I'm not sure how much that would impact team behavior but it's hard to say it would be zero. If Wesleyan is up 7 against Trinity with 2 minutes to play and knows that if they don't win by at least 9 points Trinity will be declared conference champs rather than them of course they try to drive down the field for a field goal rather than take a knee. These are obviously corner cases but I don't like the incentive structure of point differential tiebreakers.

Got it. I misunderstood your point. I think we all agree a three-way tie stinks. It sounds like some of us would prefer an imperfect criteria and others side with a random chance. The league has chosen randomness.

It's worth repeating that it's overwhelmingly likely that (at least for this season) all three would qualify for the postseason if they finish the year with 1 loss. We are certainly all looking forward discussing the games and not tie-breaking scenarios!

If you were in Nevada, they would deal poker hands.  Still random, but way more fun.

Quote from: Kuiper on November 03, 2026, 07:59:13 PMIn the play-in game in the SCIAC:

FINAL:  Whittier 2 (5) - Pomona-Pitzer 2 (4)

Pomona-Pitzer came back to tie Whittier 2-2 in the 84th minute and the two teams played to a stalemate over the two OT periods.  Whittier, however, was just a little better than Pomona-Pitzer in the shootout.  P-P's GK got his hand on one ball in the shootout that would have kept them in it, but couldn't keep it out of the net.

Whittier advances to play at Redlands on Thursday.

Similar to the Oxy/Chapman womens game on Monday.

2026-27 SCIAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 77 points (six first-place votes)
2. Redlands, 71 pts (2)
3. Whittier, 55 pts (1)
4. Chapman, 53 pts
5. California Lutheran, 49 pts
6. Pomona-Pitzer, 45 pts
7. Occidental, 23 pts
8. La Verne, 21 pts
9. Caltech, 11 pts
Azusa Pacific*
* - Ineligible for SCIAC Championship as school transitions from Division II

2026-27 SCIAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 77 points (six first-place votes)
2. Redlands, 71 pts (2)
3. Whittier, 55 pts (1)
4. Chapman, 53 pts
5. California Lutheran, 49 pts
6. Pomona-Pitzer, 45 pts
7. Occidental, 23 pts
8. La Verne, 21 pts
9. Caltech, 11 pts
Azusa Pacific*
* - Ineligible for SCIAC Championship as school transitions from Division II

2026-27 SCIAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Redlands, 72 points (five first-place votes)
2. California Lutheran, 67 pts (2)
3. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 63 pts (1)
4. Chapman, 62 pts (1)
5. Pomona-Pitzer, 42 pts
6. Occidental, 35 pts
7. Whittier, 29 pts
8. La Verne, 25 pts
9. Caltech, 10 pts
Azusa Pacific*
* - Ineligible for SCIAC Championship as school transitions from Division II

Quote from: Patrick Coleman on October 29, 2026, 06:45:30 PMThere are no good ways to break a three-way tie in football when everyone has one loss and has split with the other two.

"Rose Bowl Rule" eventually.

Quote from: y_jack_lok on October 26, 2026, 10:23:41 PMOpinion piece in Inside Higher Ed,  written by the president of Misericordia, opposing the proposed five-year eligibility rule in D3: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2026/10/26/division-iii-should-reject-5-year-eligibility-opinion

Excellent

Quote from: timfusina on October 26, 2026, 02:37:27 PMWaynesburg University is in need of one game in December.  Dates available are December 1, 14, 15, or 16.  Willing to start a home and home. 

Please contact Tim Fusina (tim.fusina@waynesburg.edu) if interested. 

This season?

Quote from: Ron Boerger on October 10, 2026, 11:42:36 AMFirst off, for a student newspaper this article is immaculate.  Kudos to their journalism department (assuming they have one)

Lest anyone be concerned about the immediate future of CC, they have over $1.2B in their endowment and trusts.  But it is shocking to see a quality school have three straight years of declining enrollment, resulting in a reset to a lower student body target despite substantially increasing their acceptance rate; you know their financial aid packages have to be generous and it is a lovely campus in an appealing part of the world.  But it's far away from most of the country, and you have to get athletes (for that part of the population) that are willing to hop on a plane basically every other week.  Not such a big deal for the D1 part of the program but if you're focused on your studies that kind of regular disruption makes studies a challenge. 

Their goals of becoming recognized as a top 25 college (#34 in the most recent US News' National Liberal Arts ranking), 90% graduation (86% now), and 20% acceptance rate will not be an easy path to travel.  They increased the latter to 26% and still failed to meet enrollment goals this year.  And you're not going to save a lot of money or make a lot of positive impressions cutting back on the occasional free snack for students.

Maybe they should reconsider the one course at a time concept.

Quote from: Ralph Turner on October 02, 2026, 11:05:20 PMhttps://lailluminator.com/2026/10/01/consultant-to-evaluate-ul-system-teams-leaving-division-i-to-save-money/


Consultant to evaluate UL System teams leaving Division I to save money

The University of Louisiana System has hired a consulting firm to examine its athletics budget problems and recommend solutions, including whether its member schools should leave the NCAA Division I ranks.

UL System President Rick Gallot said the accounting and consulting firm Deloitte has been hired to study athletics financing at its eight schools, which compete at the Division I level, the highest of the three NCAA tiers, and recommend solutions to ensure fiscal stability.

Gallot said nothing has been taken off the table, including whether the schools should retain their current NCAA status, move to a lower Division I subdivision or even drop to Division II or III. ...

Hat tip to D3playbook.com

Lame Kiffin will not approve.

Quote from: Mount Union SID on September 15, 2026, 01:29:38 PMMount Union football is looking for an opponent for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. Thank you.

I think there is a site for this on the main D3Football page

https://www.d3football.com/opendates/index

Quote from: The Big 200 Rankings on September 24, 2026, 07:27:28 AM

Quote from: Gray Fox on September 23, 2026, 04:29:50 PMHow are you able to rank the various NESCAC teams since they haven't played outside their conference in years?

I have no special way. I simply based them on the 2025 D3 average. The reason most teams in the conference have a positive rating is because of new programs in the rest of D3 that automatically got slotted into the bottom of the rankings at the start of the season, plus 2026 interdivisional results affecting other teams. Once a NESCAC team has played a postseason game, you may see the whole conference move up or down the rankings as a group.

Thanks.  That explains Azusa Pacific and Whittier.

How are you able to rank the various NESCAC teams since they haven't played outside their conference in years?

Another side to the story.
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2026/0811/small-college-closing-vermont-education?cmpid=kwcpc&kwp_0=2654066&kwp_4=7251283&kwp_1=3066821&utm_medium=paid&utm_source=fb&utm_id=52614016552347&utm_content=52614017588147&utm_term=52614017463147&utm_campaign=52614016552347&fbclid=IwY2xjawUVUV5wZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtATAAYWRpZAAAL9on2qLLc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHnHzpa20HNFKezNPnxXVZfz7VRM8faJBMhozNOILD3jGIVau0MRpuu4QqN-u_aem__3bCL-JUrA61K0NVJQKctg