UConn

[GoMuskies]

It just seems like we'd be left with a roster full of the lowest level players out there.

It doesn't just seem that way. That's what Pioneer League football is. It's a continuation of high school football for guys who were pretty good in high school. I'm sure a blast for those guys, but it doesn't sound very interesting to watch if you're not related to, dating, or good buddies with one of the players.

[xubrew]

So I just dont understand how you're gonna find any decent players who would have alternatives to play somewhere WITH a scholarship. It just seems like we'd be left with a roster full of the lowest level players out there.

You're really not wrong here. The PFL is, in a lot of ways, practically D3. It's just technically D1. It's schools that want football for various reasons, and would probably play at the D3 level if the rules permitted them to, but can't because they are D1 in basketball. That's a rule. If you're D1 in basketball, you have to be D1 in everything. So, the PFL is sort of an end-around (no pun intended). It's schools that want to play without scholarships that banded together so they could play each other.

And I dont know how it COULDNT negatively impact the overall Sports budget

Again, it's practically D3. I think every single PFL school but maybe one has their entire football budget supplemented by the school. I don't think any of them have a budget that's higher than $1.5 million (although San Diego might). That's not really money that's coming out of the athletic department's budget. That's additional money that the school is giving to the athletic department so it can pay for football. In other words, if the football team wasn't there, then they wouldn't be receiving that money from the school to pay for it. So, it costs the athletic department nothing.

Now, why would schools do this?? Again...D3. It's private schools who rely on enrollment and tuition. If football will attract players, cheerleaders, and marching band members to a private school, and those players, cheerleaders, and band members would not be there paying full tuition if it weren't for football, then football is very much worth the cost to the school. They're probably making more than $4 million off of them from tuition, so they'll gladly give the athletic department $1 million for football.

That's why.

But, Xavier decided not to do it. And, that's their choice. I guess they agree with you.

[xubrew]

It doesn't just seem that way. That's what Pioneer League football is. It's a continuation of high school football for guys who were pretty good in high school. I'm sure a blast for those guys, but it doesn't sound very interesting to watch if you're not related to, dating, or good buddies with one of the players.

I can't really argue with this.

The vast majority of D3 schools are small private colleges and universities. The vast majority of them will tell you straight out that without football they wouldn't have enough tuition paying students to keep the doors open. Obviously Xavier is not in that category. They certainly don't need football. And, if they were to start up football, the kind of football they'd be getting would be exactly the kind of football you described.

And, I guess my response to this is....yeah, so, and the problem is???

But, it's pretty apparent now that it's not happening. And, it doesn't need to. I just thought it would be kind of fun if it did, and given that the program was going to be PFL non-scholarship I didn't think it was going to siphon off of anything else in athletics.

[nickgyp]

Interesting comments and I appreciate the opinions as they are all earnest insights. FCS non-scholarship teams in the PFL do play scholarship programs but with a distinct disadvantage which usually shows. It was just a thought. Xavier’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for football as well as UCONN’s desire for big time football are real but the harsh realities of declining enrollments and burgeoning athletic budgets remain.

Now for my next proposal: Gonzaga and St. Mary’s add football along with Xavier and join Notre Dame and Boston College in a power 5 conference and play home and home games each year….

Just kidding.