I have watched with curiosity at the outrage of the D3 fans with the proposal
put forth by their own division 3 representatives. It is no surprise that
the NCAA sees these schools as cherry picking a sport while the other schools
have the "burden" of fielding D1 teams in other sports. Apparently they want the
Division 1 programs separate from D3 to purify the stables so to speak.
It is going to happen and then the affected schools will have to make a
decision to go D1. RPI would be a natural for the patriot league. As to the other
schools I just do not know. There are non-scholarship 1AA football leagues (the
level of play is one step below 1AA scholarship programs and a step above D3
football). The challenge is probably hoops and putting together a decent
program will require scholarships and I guess the Canton, NY area may require a
real recruiting genius. It would seem that schools will have to make a decision
and then move on.
It would seem that someone should sue the Ivys as a restraint on trade
(Colgate would be a good candidate) for not opening up the conference. Just some
food for thought. I wonder if the same schools (D3) that field D1 women will also
have to exclude those teams or will the PC police exempt them?