Merrimack just made the jump to the NEC from the same conference UNH is currently in. I can see them doing the same thing. It’s a D1 small-school conference snugged right here in the New England Metro area. I would love to see another CT school make the leap. That would make it CCSU, Sacred Heart, & UNH who would fill a spot that once belonged to Quinnipiac.
@CCSU97 any word?
UNH has previously announced formal intentions to explore DI status, but many thought it was a ploy to gain membership into NE-10. At the time they were in the weaker D2 East Coast Conference (ECC) which didn't sponsor football.
UNH seeks feelers for D-I status
Sean O’Rourke, College Sports Editor
07/10/2007
WEST HAVEN — The University of New Haven has begun the process of elevating its athletic programs to the Division I level and has made the commitment to revive its football program, which has been defunct since 2003.
New Haven met the June 1 deadline set by the NCAA to begin the process of reclassifying from its current status as a Division II program to Division I.
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The school paid an application fee of $15,000 and was accepted by the Division I Management Council Membership Subcommittee to begin an exploratory year in 2007-08. If New Haven meets the exploratory qualifications — which includes attending the NCAA convention and compliance seminars — then it will file another application with the NCAA to begin a four-year process of upgrading to full Division I status.
Since then I think NCAA passed rules require school to obtain conference membership before being granted transitional D-I status. The NEC is the most obvious and likely the only interested suitor for UNH. It took both Bryant and Merrimack years of investment and planning before a NEC invite was offered. If UNH commits to building an infrastructure to support DI athletics, I have no doubt the NEC would eventually offer a spot.
I haven't heard anything about this most recent push for D-I status out of West Haven, but it isn't a hard to imagine their entry-level DI membership via the NEC.
As a CCSU fan, I can't say I'm excited about another small, private school joining the D-I club, especially from in-state. Our athletic program struggles to support athletics at this level and membership in the more appropriate conference for our profile, America East, seem like an impossible dream for CCSU fans. right now.
This is part of the reason why many CCSU fans take joy in watching the decline of the UConn program. We can't afford to join a conference and support athletics alongside such powerhouse as Albany, UMass-Lowell, and Maine, yet most people on this board think UConn has a God-given right to play football in the ACC or Big Ten. UConn can spend $25+ million to change conferences, while CCSU had to cut $3 M and 35 scholarships to keep the program afloat.
Or UHart starting a football team...?