Sun Belt will fight for FAU and FIU

By Ted Hutton
Staff Writer
Posted November 30 2004

Florida Atlantic and Florida International can count on Sun Belt Commissioner Wright Waters to lobby the NCAA to drop or alter the rule regarding minimum attendance for Division I-A teams.

The Sun Belt has a lot at stake, since FAU and FIU are scheduled to join next season and give the conference the eight members it needs to stay viable. Three of the nine current teams are leaving for the Western Athletic Conference after this season.

"I don't think schools should be held accountable for something that is beyond their control," Waters said about the 15,000-average in home attendance the NCAA now requires for teams to move up to or remain in Division I-A.

Waters is especially concerned since current members Middle Tennessee State and Louisiana-Monroe each averaged less than 15,000 this season, putting their status as I-A teams in jeopardy if the rule remains in place.

The Sun Belt needs eight football members to be recognized by the NCAA.

FAU and FIU have already met the other criteria for I-A membership, including providing 200 total scholarships and sponsoring a minimum of 16 varsity sports, but FIU has already missed the attendance mark, and FAU will likely join them unless the Owls can draw 37,341 to Saturday's game against FIU at Pro Player Stadium.

FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger sees the issue as a Catch-22.

"When we get to the level where we can play teams like Oklahoma State, then we will get the crowds we need," Schnellenberger said, referring to next season's tentative home opener against the Cowboys.

Wright said in addition to arguing that weather and other factors that a university cannot control influence attendance, the attendance rule also could have negative impact in other areas.

Schools that fail to meet the minimum attendance two years in a row will be put on restricted status and not be eligible for a bowl, and Waters said that could be used against those schools in recruiting, further weakening them.

Another result could be more coaches being fired.

"Two proven ways to draw more fans are winning and changing coaches," Waters said, "and many schools may choose the latter because that is easier."

FIU and FAU are the only two schools currently in the two-year transition phase, and how they will be treated by the NCAA is unclear.

They both are required to make a presentation to a subcommittee that oversees transition teams to show that they have met the criteria.

If they have not, they will have to repeat the first year over again, meaning they would not become eligible for a bowl until 2006 instead of 2005, as long as they reach the minimum attendance next season.

Another alternative, if the Board of Directors leaves the attendance limit in place, is to make an appeal to the NCAA Administrative Review Subcommittee and argue that extraordinary circumstances contributed to not meeting the goal.

"I think if neither of us make it we have legitimate appeals," FIU Athletic Director Rick Mello said, citing the hurricanes that canceled one of FIU's games and forced FIU and FAU to each postpone another.

"I've got to believe there is a good chance they could be successful," Wright said about potential appeals.

Ted Hutton can be reached at [email protected].