(04-17-2017 07:10 PM)teamvsn Wrote:  

(04-16-2017 08:25 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  http://newsok.com/article/5545610


An al D2 Oklahoma conference could be forming in D2 with these schools.

SW Oklahoma State
SE Oklahoma State
NW Oklahoma State
Central Oklahoma
NE Oklahoma State
Rogers State
Cameron
Oklahoma Baptist
Oklahoma Christian
Southern Nazarene
East Central Oklahoma

Would Oklahoma Panhandle State step on the brakes and stay in D2 to join this all Oklahoma conference?

This would put the Great American Conference's Arkansas schools for having enough members. This might be the point we could see Arkansas Tech and maybe Central Oklahoma to make the move to D1?

GAC members left:
Arkansas Tech
UAM
Henderson State
Harding
Southern Arkansas
Ouachita Baptist

Could they get UAFS, Hendrix, University of the Ozarks and Lyon to join as an all Arkansas conference?

The paragraph comparing D2 and NAIA is utter nonsense. The points are:

* Each active Division II member gets a revenue distribution check each year of $8-9,000. (that's all? The average d2 school spends at LEAST $1m more per year than the average NAIA school, and getting a revenue check for $9k is supposed to be an enticement? C'mon, man!)
* full travel expenses paid for national competition (which matters squat when you aren't good enough to make national tournaments. Forget the averages, NAIA migrants will need to spend an additional $2m to maintain their NAIA scholarship levels and be competitive enough to collect these expense checks)
* and the opportunity to apply for various grants (yeah, for what? Turns out these are mostly for NCAA specific education, training and programs. In other words, there's a whole bunch of NCAA related training and compliance requirements/opportunities that aren't relevant to the NAIA. Essentially what he's saying is "you need to spend $1m per year or you're going to lose out on saving $10k per year on stuff you won't need if you don't go". Pass.)

It's mentioned by others above that this info came to the write via a consultant. I have no info on that. But the arguments above are identical to the arguments we heard 5-10 years ago from consultants that enticed a whole bunch of clueless ADs with stars in their eyes, and are now D2 doormats. The migration from NAIA to D2 has dried up. Although there might be some applicants this year, I haven't heard of any. The consultant's business has dried up. They are trying to kick start it here.

What I am talking about is the cost of traveling.

Oklahoma Panhandle closest opponents. D2
NW Oklahoma State
West Texas A&M
Colorado State-pueblo
Adams State
Colorado-Colorado Springs
Colorado Christian
Lubbock Christian
SW Oklahoma State

NAIA:
Southwestern Kansas
???????
Northern New Mexico?

If Western Oklahoma in Altus goes from a JC to a 4 year into NAIA? They could be a close opponent. This is what I look at a budget. You may wind up spending more money on travel for your football team in NAIA than you do at D2. I would weight on what is the cheapest route to do for the school. If you do go back to NAIA? I would drop the football program to do that.