REPORT OF THE
NCAA DIVISION I MEN'S SOCCER COMMITTEE
1.
ACTION
ITEMS.
a. Automatic
Qualification.
(1) Recommendation.
That the following conferences be approved for automatic qualification for the
2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship: America East Conference,
Atlantic Coast Conference, Atlantic Sun Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, Big
East Conference, Big South Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big West Conference,
Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Horizon League, Ivy Group, Metro
Atlantic Athletic Conference, Mid-American Conference, Missouri Valley
Conference, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, Northeast Conference,
Pacific-10 Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, Summit League and
the West Coast Conference.
(2) Rationale. All
eligible conferences are being recommended. It was noted that the Mid-American
Conference is in its second year of the grace period, 2008-09 season.
(3) Estimated Budget
Impact. None.
(4) Student-Athlete
Impact. None.
b. Committee
Chair.
(a) Recommendation.
That Charlie Elwood, director of athletics administration at Fordham
University, serve as committee chair, effective September 2008.
(b) Rationale.
Mr. Elwood has the support of the committee. The current chair, Ken Kavanagh, will
rotate off the committee.
(c) Estimated Budget
Impact. None.
(d) Student-Athlete
Impact. None.
c. Rating Percentage
Index (RPI).
(a) Recommendation.
That the bonus/penalty component of the RPI used for selecting teams to the
men’s soccer championship be modified to include ties as .333 of a win
and .667 of a loss and demarcations used in the bonus/penalty structure adjusted
to segments of 15, effective with the 2008 season.
(b) Rationale.
The modifications to the bonus/penalty structure allow the committee to ascertain a team's ability to play on the
road in tournament conditions. Segmenting
teams in 15-team groupings is a better reflection on the opponents quality compared
to the previous 1-40 and 41-75 demarcations. Changing
ties to .333 of a win and .667 of a loss in factor one of the RPI is
consistent with the culture of soccer to value a tie at 1/3 of a win. The modifications also serve to address
concerns expressed by the membership and encourage teams to play road games.
The soccer community is prepared for this to be implemented with the 2008
season (Attachment).
(c) Estimated
Budget Impact. None.
(d) Student-Athlete
Impact. None.
2.
INFORMATIONAL
ITEM.
a.
Second-Round Game. Due to the proximity to the Thanksgiving holiday, the
committee decided to move the second-round games from Wednesday to Tuesday in
2009 and 2010. This adjustment also
was made in 2004 and 2005.
b.
University of
Maryland. The committee issued a public reprimand
and a $300 fine to the head coach at the University of Maryland for comments
made that were critical of the officiating following a third-round contest.
c.
University of
California, Santa Barbara. The committee issued a
public reprimand and a $300 fine to the head coach at the University of
California, Santa Barbara for comments made that were critical of the
officiating following a third-round contest.
d.
Private
Reprimands. Private reprimands were issued to two
head coaches for missing the mandatory coaches/administrators pregame meeting
and comments that appeared in a newspaper article that could be viewed as being
critical of the officials and the committee, respectively.
e.
National and Regional Assignors of
Officials. The committee
reaffirmed its position that for the sport of men’s soccer it is critical
to e establish the positions of national and regional assignors for officials
to assist the committee in the selection and evaluation of officials for the
championship and coordinate educational efforts. Currently, both the men’s and
women’s soccer committees select officials for all rounds of the
championships. In their selection process, the committees rely on
recommendations by conferences, regional advisory committees and various
officiating organizations, as well as written evaluations. Creating these
positions would streamline the process and provide for consistency and quality
control. It also would provide an opportunity to develop national educational
strategies for officials throughout the country and assist in the recruiting of
new officials.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association
May 9, 2008 DK