If you were tasked by the NCAA to relegate 10 conferences down to D2, who would you pick?

America East is the least able to be relegated IMO, as it contains several state flagships. The Summit, for the same reason, should survive. The SWAC has the best of the HBCUs and should survive. After that, it's just a matter of evaluating your opinions on the strengths of the conferences.

The WCC is a pretty consistent multi bid league. The bottom of the conference is pretty subpar, but I don't see how a conference with Gonzaga, BYU, and St Mary's is D2 worthy.

Why was the Big Sky not on this poll?

(05-12-2021 09:54 PM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  America East is the least able to be relegated IMO, as it contains several state flagships. The Summit, for the same reason, should survive. The SWAC has the best of the HBCUs and should survive. After that, it's just a matter of evaluating your opinions on the strengths of the conferences.

But if you're basing it on strength, the MEAC and SWAC no question are among the 10 bottom feeder conferences. If you say they are safe and relegate others, the conferences out will cry bloody murder too. You can't make two separate sets of rules for two different types of colleges. If you're not willing to cut the MEAC or SWAC there's very few conferences you can fairly axe.

If you eliminate 10 of the conferences you have listed, some of them will deserve to stay in Division 1.

(05-13-2021 12:01 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  Why was the Big Sky not on this poll?

We are going to be A6 soon.

I voted for Patsy, but, really, they and the Ivy should be in D3.

(05-13-2021 06:00 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  I voted for Patsy, but, really, they and the Ivy should be in D3.

I went with NEC and MEAC

Don't know how the Colonial survived, but I'll take it! Is there a reason to relegate 10 conferences? I could see 3 or 4 at most.

(05-13-2021 12:01 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  Why was the Big Sky not on this poll?

There were only a max of 16 options.

Why do you have to relegate anyone? Based on attendance, all D-I conferences are significantly ahead of all D-II conferences. If your motive is to keep some perennial bottom feeders out of the NCAAT, just change the tournament.

For example, you could pick the bottom 20 conferences by performance over several years and require them to play into the round of 64 by replacing their conference championship week with three playin rounds. Twenty regular season champs plus 12 at large entries play down to four teams to advance to the round of 64 as #9 seeds.

Each of the 20 conferences gets one tournament unit as they do now, plus additional units only if they advance to the round of 32. The four who advance would no longer have to face the top seeds in the first round.

I could only come up with 7

(05-13-2021 10:08 AM)ken d Wrote:  Why do you have to relegate anyone? Based on attendance, all D-I conferences are significantly ahead of all D-II conferences. If your motive is to keep some perennial bottom feeders out of the NCAAT, just change the tournament.

For example, you could pick the bottom 20 conferences by performance over several years and require them to play into the round of 64 by replacing their conference championship week with three playin rounds. Twenty regular season champs plus 12 at large entries play down to four teams to advance to the round of 64 as #9 seeds.

Each of the 20 conferences gets one tournament unit as they do now, plus additional units only if they advance to the round of 32. The four who advance would no longer have to face the top seeds in the first round.

Technically the "First Four" took away automatic bids to the Round of 64 for two NCAA conference champs since 2011 (one from 2001-2010). The First Four still counts as the NCAA Tournament and teams are paid for the game (and several of the small conferences have spoken out saying they like the opportunity). But in reality they kind of are squeezing teams out of the "real" NCAA Tournament.

(05-13-2021 10:16 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(05-13-2021 10:08 AM)ken d Wrote:  Why do you have to relegate anyone? Based on attendance, all D-I conferences are significantly ahead of all D-II conferences. If your motive is to keep some perennial bottom feeders out of the NCAAT, just change the tournament.

For example, you could pick the bottom 20 conferences by performance over several years and require them to play into the round of 64 by replacing their conference championship week with three playin rounds. Twenty regular season champs plus 12 at large entries play down to four teams to advance to the round of 64 as #9 seeds.

Each of the 20 conferences gets one tournament unit as they do now, plus additional units only if they advance to the round of 32. The four who advance would no longer have to face the top seeds in the first round.

Technically the "First Four" took away automatic bids to the Round of 64 for two NCAA conference champs since 2011 (one from 2001-2010). The First Four still counts as the NCAA Tournament and teams are paid for the game (and several of the small conferences have spoken out saying they like the opportunity). But in reality they kind of are squeezing teams out of the "real" NCAA Tournament.

My suggestion just gives 60 teams a bye into the round of 64. Until relatively recently, tournament byes were commonplace, so it's not like this would be something new. As long as no conference is excluded from receiving at least one tournament unit (which is their current guarantee) no one should complain.

The MEAC, Southland, NEC, SWAC, and MAAC are your leaders for relegation.

WCC, Horizon, SoCon, Summit, Ivy, and America East are currently avoiding getting dropped down.

My apologies to anyone who wanted to relegate the Big Sky, Big West, CAA, A-10, MVC, Big East, or an FBS conference. I only had 16 poll options.

(05-13-2021 01:15 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  The MEAC, Southland, NEC, SWAC, and MAAC are your leaders for relegation.

WCC, Horizon, SoCon, Summit, Ivy, and America East are currently avoiding getting dropped down.

My apologies to anyone who wanted to relegate the Big Sky, Big West, CAA, A-10, MVC, Big East, or an FBS conference. I only had 16 poll options.

I want to relegate all the P5s just to see what the networks will do.

"Div II is now the powerhouse division. Where true amateurs go to play."

Any word on who David St relegated?

First, I doubt the NCAA relegates conferences, as opposed to individual schools. But let's play the game under the rules set up in the OP.

Six conferences rank in the bottom 10 in both the Massey Composite and in average attendance. So these are on my list:

America East
Big South
SWAC
Southland
MEAC
NEC

If I had to choose between average attendance and average performance, I would relegate based on attendance. That adds four conferences to my list.

Summit
MAAC
Ivy
Patriot

But as I said earlier, I wouldn't relegate them to D-II. I would make them play in to the round of 64, along with:

WAC
MAC
Southern
Colonial
Horizon
Big West
Sunbelt
OVC
Big Sky
ASUN

The ASUN, Big South, MEAC, NEC, OVC, Southland, SWAC are littered with tons of low resource schools, but there are enough higher resource schools among them to form a couple new conferences. But schools with $5/10/50 million endowments probably don’t belong in D1.

I also voted WAC because it’s a hot mess of a conference. Seattle belongs in the WCC, NMSU in the MWC. Other than GCU, I’m not sure any of the others belong in D1.