Why automatic bids should be eliminated

[Ace Dad]

Guys, the NCAA determines what constitutes D1 and D2 and D3.

There are some overly-judgmental comments on this thread that fly in the face of NCAA by laws.

In fact, we are discussing lower tier conferences the same way the BCS programs talk about us.

[FeartheQ]

Guys, the NCAA determines what constitutes D1 and D2 and D3.

There are some overly-judgmental comments on this thread that fly in the face of NCAA by laws.

In fact, we are discussing lower tier conferences the same way the BCS programs talk about us.

Just like the Big 10 and the Big East do not want to be discussed with the likes of the A-10, C-USA, and us... Why should we feel the SWAC and MEAC get as many teams as we have in the tourney over the last few years... Their best teams would finish 9th or 10th in our conference!! How are those teams "deserving" of dancing when a better team plays in a better conference?

[Haha]

We don't need to eliminate auto-bids altogether. We need to eliminate auto-bids from the garbage conferences at the bottom of D1. Their are FAR too many D1 basketball teams.

Not to mention, if we eliminated auto-bids altogether, a conference like ours could potentially have zero teams in the tournament on a given "down" year. They will always find ways to allow teams like Illinois or Arizona in with 18-12 records.

Anyone who refers to other conferences as "garbage" has drank too much MVC koolaid.

My BCS buddies look down their nose at the MVC.

I have no problem with the winner of a lower tier conference "dancing."

The #38 team should have won their conference.

MVC isn't some amazing league but it's a top ten league consistently. So I don't think anybody is drinking "kool-aid". It's a mid for sure but it's light years ahead of the conferences that rank 15-30 on a yearly basis. Just like the ACC/B12/BEAST are light years ahead of the Valley. just common sense to know that, no substance abuse needed.

[Jet915]

I say keep them. Lower tier conference teams have nothing to play for if there is no chance at an NCAA tourney bid. That means 100 or so teams from these crappy conferences won't even have a chance to get into the tourney before the season even starts. If that happens, it's gonna be like BCS football. If you aren't ranked at the beginning of the season, you have virtually no shot at playing in the title game even if you go undefeated.

[Ace Dad]

Guys, the NCAA determines what constitutes D1 and D2 and D3.

There are some overly-judgmental comments on this thread that fly in the face of NCAA by laws.

In fact, we are discussing lower tier conferences the same way the BCS programs talk about us.

Just like the Big 10 and the Big East do not want to be discussed with the likes of the A-10, C-USA, and us... Why should we feel the SWAC and MEAC get as many teams as we have in the tourney over the last few years... Their best teams would finish 9th or 10th in our conference!! How are those teams "deserving" of dancing when a better team plays in a better conference?

As my Big 12 and Big 10 buddies say at breakfast:

"Why should we feel the (MVC) get as many teams as we have in the tourney over the last few years... Their best teams would finish 6th or 7th in our conference!! How are those teams "deserving" of dancing when a better team plays in a better conference?"

[DoubleJayAlum]

I just checked - for at least the last four years, the lowest rated conferences EACH OF THOSE YEARS are the SWAC, MEAC and Great West. It also looks like many of the Great West schools only recently became D1, or are/were transitioning to D1 during this time frame, FWIW.

[Ace Dad]

I just checked - for at least the last four years, the lowest rated conferences EACH OF THOSE YEARS are the SWAC, MEAC and Great West. It also looks like many of the Great West schools only recently became D1, or are/were transitioning to D1 during this time frame, FWIW.

In four years they will still be the lowest ranked conferences. If you reduce the D1 conferences from 32 to 28 then conference #24 -#28 will be the lowest ranked and someone will claim they are not good enough to participate in the big dance. If we reduce D1 to 20 conferences, then someone will say that #18-#20 are not good enough. The NCAA has determined that the 32 conferences are members. So, give them their due rights.

[Ace Dad]

Dang....all the good posts are gone

[Ace Dad]

Cut the SWAC and the MEAC as they are not really legit D1 conferences and don't even pretend or attempt to be. Other than that, keep the autobids. Doing away with them is only an attempt to get more BCS conference schools in...

Double Jay, sir, are there any other conferences, other then the SWAC and MEAC that you would recommend doing away with?

[Wufan]

I just checked - for at least the last four years, the lowest rated conferences EACH OF THOSE YEARS are the SWAC, MEAC and Great West. It also looks like many of the Great West schools only recently became D1, or are/were transitioning to D1 during this time frame, FWIW.

In four years they will still be the lowest ranked conferences. If you reduce the D1 conferences from 32 to 28 then conference #24 -#28 will be the lowest ranked and someone will claim they are not good enough to participate in the big dance. If we reduce D1 to 20 conferences, then someone will say that #18-#20 are not good enough. The NCAA has determined that the 32 conferences are members. So, give them their due rights.

I think the NCAA should give them the incentive to move up. Only allowing the autobid from the top 28 conferences each year would force a higher level of competitiveness from the bottom 8 or so conferences. That also would allow a paticullarly good school to earn an at-large even if the conference was really sucking. I also think that in order to get an at-large you need to go .500 in your conference games. That would help prevent the super-conferences from getting an inflated RPI due to only playing top 50 teams in conference formats.