This would be very big news.

@stephenjgaither (HBCU Gameday): Rumor mill has it that Hampton is leaving the MEAC, possibly headed for the Big South Conference. @HBCUGameday working to confirm.

Can confirm a press conference is set for 11 AM on Thursday.

https://twitter.com/stevenjgaither/statu...1049775104

That explains USC Upstate. HBCUs may be going down to D-2 for the most part.

Takes the Big South to 7 football teams

(11-15-2017 10:38 PM)sctvman Wrote:  This would be very big news.

@stephenjgaither (HBCU Gameday): Rumor mill has it that Hampton is leaving the MEAC, possibly headed for the Big South Conference. @HBCUGameday working to confirm.

Can confirm a press conference is set for 11 AM on Thursday.

https://twitter.com/stevenjgaither/statu...1049775104

Odd. I was going to suggest that very possibility in the Presby thread. But I wasn't sure if the Big South was enough of a step up to make it worth their while (and leaving a lot of longtime rivals in the process).

(11-15-2017 10:48 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  That explains USC Upstate. HBCUs may be going down to D-2 for the most part.

Maybe some will eventually but Hampton has had eyes on something bigger than the MEAC for a while now. They've made no bones about their interest in the CAA, very publicly announcing their intents whenever an opening came about. I think this is almost exclusively about Hampton's ambitions.

(11-15-2017 11:02 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  Takes the Big South to 7 football teams

Wonder if Howard comes with to make 8. Howard and Hampton are big rivals and Howard has a similar prestige standing that would make them feel even more isolated should Hampton leave.

Hampton leaving and Savannah State dropping to D2 might open the doors for a CIAA/SIAC moveup? Virginia State opened a D1-quality arena a couple of years ago and has been pretty good in hoops and football of late (they beat Norfolk State in both this year, though the basketball game was an exhibition). But they had accreditation and enrollment issues in the past, so I'm not sure if they're in any better position to move up than Winston-Salem State was.

MEAC has given us some instant classic 15-2 upsets (Coppin State, Hampton, Norfolk State). Big South now up to 12 with Hampton and Upstate.

Bowie State have been doing some upgrading for their facilities in recent years. Fort Valley State or Albany State moving up might halt Savannah State from moving down. It would leave the two Florida schools on an island between them and south Carolina State is a long haul.

Two other teams that I heard was looking was the AD at Delaware State wanted to take them to FBS level. I say good luck with that.
Florida A&M came close in becoming a SBC school back in the early 2000. They halt the brakes, and went back down.

Interesting situation for the leadership of an HBCU in Division I.

Joining a non-HBCU conference probably isn't great for the athletic finances unless you can score something much higher up the food chain. I know UAPB struggled to get their own alums interested when they played in the old Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference. They were all NAIA but UAPB quickly returned to independence and an HBCU heavy schedule.

If you are seeking to broaden you academic enrollment, getting out of an HBCU athletic conference is a somewhat logical approach to rebranding. I don't know that it would be that effective but I get the concept.

There are also a bit of opposition to Division I membership at non-selective public HBCUs who think the initial eligibility standards run contrary to the mission of the institution and believe that NAIA or Division II would be more appropriate (at least that's what one HBCU AD told me some years ago).

(11-16-2017 12:04 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Interesting situation for the leadership of an HBCU in Division I.

Joining a non-HBCU conference probably isn't great for the athletic finances unless you can score something much higher up the food chain. I know UAPB struggled to get their own alums interested when they played in the old Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference. They were all NAIA but UAPB quickly returned to independence and an HBCU heavy schedule.

If you are seeking to broaden you academic enrollment, getting out of an HBCU athletic conference is a somewhat logical approach to rebranding. I don't know that it would be that effective but I get the concept.

There are also a bit of opposition to Division I membership at non-selective public HBCUs who think the initial eligibility standards run contrary to the mission of the institution and believe that NAIA or Division II would be more appropriate (at least that's what one HBCU AD told me some years ago).

You will begin to see HBCUs fold, merge or drop down to D-2. Howard and Hampton are among the exceptions. Many of these schools are struggling with enrollment and as a result have financial issues. They, for the most part, shouldn't be in D-1.

Not all of the HBCUs are struggling with students. Grambling, Southern, Jackson State, Alabama State, Florida A&M, Bethune Cookman, Tennessee State are some that have gone up in students the past year. UAPB is struggling to attract students. They belong in the GAC. Arkansas Tech could make it as a lower rung D1 school with the like of 12,000 students round up. Some D2 HBCUs do better attracting students than some of the FCS ones.

(11-16-2017 12:06 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(11-16-2017 12:04 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Interesting situation for the leadership of an HBCU in Division I.

Joining a non-HBCU conference probably isn't great for the athletic finances unless you can score something much higher up the food chain. I know UAPB struggled to get their own alums interested when they played in the old Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference. They were all NAIA but UAPB quickly returned to independence and an HBCU heavy schedule.

If you are seeking to broaden you academic enrollment, getting out of an HBCU athletic conference is a somewhat logical approach to rebranding. I don't know that it would be that effective but I get the concept.

There are also a bit of opposition to Division I membership at non-selective public HBCUs who think the initial eligibility standards run contrary to the mission of the institution and believe that NAIA or Division II would be more appropriate (at least that's what one HBCU AD told me some years ago).

You will begin to see HBCUs fold, merge or drop down to D-2. Howard and Hampton are among the exceptions. Many of these schools are struggling with enrollment and as a result have financial issues. They, for the most part, shouldn't be in D-1.

According to this list, only 12 HBCUs have 5,000 or more students (though it wouldn't take a lot to get that to 14).
http://www.edsmart.org/largest-hbcus-by-enrollment/

The higher ed marketplace is changing. Most think we are entering an era of flat to declining enrollment with weak state funding. The bigger brands are increasing class sizes to gain or maintain revenue.

Smaller schools are going to be seriously pressured. Schools under 5000 that are within an hour or less of larger institutions are going to really struggle and that describes a number of SWAC and MEAC schools.

(11-16-2017 12:29 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  Not all of the HBCUs are struggling with students. Grambling, Southern, Jackson State, Alabama State, Florida A&M, Bethune Cookman, Tennessee State are some that have gone up in students the past year. UAPB is struggling to attract students. They belong in the GAC. Arkansas Tech could make it as a lower rung D1 school with the like of 12,000 students round up. Some D2 HBCUs do better attracting students than some of the FCS ones.

Grambling has less than 4000 undergrads and they are less than a 10 minute drive from Louisiana Tech and 45 minutes from ULM. Adding less than 200 students is a 5% bump, while 5% sounds nice it isn't many students.

HBCU Gameday
@HBCUGameday
·
1h
This email pretty much confirms the report by our @stevenjgaither regarding Hampton's move from the MEAC to the Big South

https://twitter.com/HBCUGameday/status/9...30816?s=17

Tennessee State of the OVC is the only HBCU in a non HBCU conference.

Hampton would make a 2nd. We'll know in 8 1/2 hours (still before midnight for me in California). Some HBCU schools are trying to shed that somewhat and diversify. Frankly they have to, since the best and brightest African Americans can now get into the best schools and don't have to fall back to a HBCU.

Hampton has good numbers for a HBCU (actually for most schools)
Private School
$263.2 million endowment
4,646 Students
3,836 undergraduates

They are however heavily female at 67.66% (T9 Athletic alignment).
They are also 91.66% African-American, only 3.98% White.
http://www.hamptonu.edu/about/facts.cfm

So the Big South is going to 12 members. This makes 7 now in Football. Divisions in Basketball?

Good move for Hampton. Academically they are better than most of the Big South schools. Very interesting.

The Big South chief hinted at this the other day.

(11-16-2017 12:39 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(11-16-2017 12:29 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  Not all of the HBCUs are struggling with students. Grambling, Southern, Jackson State, Alabama State, Florida A&M, Bethune Cookman, Tennessee State are some that have gone up in students the past year. UAPB is struggling to attract students. They belong in the GAC. Arkansas Tech could make it as a lower rung D1 school with the like of 12,000 students round up. Some D2 HBCUs do better attracting students than some of the FCS ones.

Grambling has less than 4000 undergrads and they are less than a 10 minute drive from Louisiana Tech and 45 minutes from ULM. Adding less than 200 students is a 5% bump, while 5% sounds nice it isn't many students.

That link you showed only gave the number of African American students. That does not count the number of other race of students. Jackson State supposed to have 10,000 students. There are like 10 schools that have that many students. The privates are smaller in size, but they are bigger in some that are not HBCU.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/201...turns-150/

https://www.npr.org/2016/09/17/494340844...t-at-hbcus

https://www.marketplace.org/2017/10/24/e...el-welcome

https://www.jbhe.com/2017/11/two-hbcus-p...t-figures/

I think the links numbers are a few years old?

On the HBCUs, I think a shake up is coming. Many are very sick. The market place is changing against them, so they need to adapt or die out.

Hampton is private, so is competing for students who can cover the $40K per year in tuition. Doe snot matter if this mom's and dad's money or if it is from grants (scholarships), aid. So they are competing against schools recruiting such students, including African-American. Thus aligning with private schools in the Big South makes sense. For a school like Howard with an even better reputation, they are competing against schools like Hofstra, Northeastern, Furman, and to some extent GMU and GWU. Associating and aligning with a bunch of small hand to mouth, low standard public schools of the MEAC is long term institutional suicide. Those schools are increasingly attracting only Community College level students with no funding, and the schools are academically emaciated.

I agree that FAMU would not drop down if Howard left (they are a linchpin for the MEAC according to a sportswriter covering the league I conversed with), but several others might. FAMU could always join the A-SUN and put football in the Big South. Howard I am less sure where they would go, but the Big South would make sense if that league loses another member. I think they would rather be in the SoCon and eventually be in the CAA.

But schools like Coppin State, South Carolina State, Savannah State, and even Delaware State and UMES probably should not be in D-I in the first place. That women make up over 60% at every one of the MEAC schools should also dampen at the leats football. I swear half the schools in the MEAC and SWAC are in D-I strictly for the marching bands.

Jackson State. if they could shake things up in their athletics department by upgrading after fundraising? They could fit into SBC in the future. Large tv market and finally get a school in Mississippi for the conference. FA&M should have made the move to FBS long ago. They could be in the SBC now. Southern seems not to be hurt by enrollment. NC Central and NC A&T not doing bad. Bethune-Cookman have been not bad in football, and they were the recent schools of the HBCUs that have beaten an FBS school.

The schools that are hurt the most are the ones that are in the same town as other schools. Savannah State was in competition for students with Armstrong State now part of Georgia Southern. As it is, MEAC and SWAC are more spread out, and they could actually worked better if they were in four conferences. That means splt both conferences into 4 parts.

MEAC South
MEAC north
SWAC West
SWAC South
Savannah State, Fort Valley State, South Carolina State, Bethune cookman, Florida A&M, Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Tuskegee, Clark Atlanta, could be MEAC South group.

(11-16-2017 03:26 AM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  The Big South chief hinted at this the other day.

Yup, and just wow.

I'm very excited for Hampton. I'm sure they wanted CAA or SoCon, but, this is a good step to make.

Delaware State...how do you feel about now?