National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

February 23, 1998

Soccer committees address alignment, selection criteria

In Division I, team selection criteria was reorganized to match the criteria used to rate individual teams, while the Division III committee reworded its criteria for clarity.

The Division II committee studied a new eight-team regional alignment for the 1999 championship and discussed the possibility of a predetermined site.

Actions taken by all three committees are listed below.

Division I

The Division I Men's Soccer Committee selected 11 automatic-qualifying conferences and reviewed team- and site-selection criteria, the ratings percentage index and the power-rating system.

Conferences granted automatic qualification to the 1998 championship were the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big East, Mid-American, Missouri Valley, West Coast and Western Athletic Conferences; the Colonial Athletic Association; Conference USA; the Ivy Group; and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

Ten additional conferences were granted play-in games as follows (home conference listed first): America East vs. Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; Big South Conference vs. Southern Conference; Midwestern Collegiate Conference vs. Mid-Continent Conference; Trans America Athletic Conference vs. Northeast Conference; and Atlantic 10 Conference vs. Patriot League.

Team-selection criteria

The committee also revised its team selection criteria, voting to match the criteria specifically to the candidate-rank computer program used to rate individual teams.

Primary criteria are teams' won-lost records; strength of schedule; results against teams with a "1" rating; results against teams with either a "1" or a "2" rating; away won-lost records and home won-lost records against rated teams; away won-lost records and home won-lost records combined with goal differential against rated teams; results against teams already selected to the field and other teams under consideration; and the ratings percentage index rank.

Secondary factors will be teams' away nonconference won-lost records; away nonconference strength of schedule; head-to-head competition; results against common opponents; and injured and/or unavailable student-athletes.

The committee reorganized the selection criteria to reflect its philosophy that teams should strive to achieve success against as strong a schedule as possible.

In other matters regarding the team-selection process, the committee voted to revert to an NCAA Executive Committee policy concerning participation by regional advisory committee members and national committee members whose teams are under consideration. The committee decided that while those members may not participate in deliberations or vote on any decision affecting their teams, they need not be removed from the meeting at any point.

Ratings percentage index

The committee also made recommendations regarding the ratings percentage index, which was used for the first time last year as a tool in the team-selection process. The committee determined that if a Division II team is in its second year in the transition period necessary to attain Division I status, that team shall be considered a Division I team for purposes of meeting the scheduling criteria and for consideration in the ratings percentage index.

Such teams, if affiliated with a conference, also will be considered Division I teams for the purposes of determining conference automatic qualification for the following year.

The committee also voted to implement a bonus/penalty system within the ratings percentage index. The committee will recommend that a fourth component be added to the index that will discount a team's first game against a non-Division I opponent. Subsequent games against non-Division I opponents, however, will be penalized.

Also, neutral-site games will continue to be considered as away games but will not be weighted as significantly as true away games.

In other actions regarding the index, the committee responded to a Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet request that the index be used as the sole determinant in selecting automatic-qualifying conferences.

The committee voted to recommend that it continue to use the index as one of the tools in the selection process but not the sole determinant. The committee based its recommendation on the fact that the soccer season provides a smaller sample size compared with other sports that use the index, and soccer's high number of ties tend to dilute the pool further. The committee also believes that its current power-rating system has been an effective tool in the selection process for many years and should not be discarded as a tool used in selecting automatic-qualifying conferences.

Other actions

On other actions, the Division I Men's Soccer Committee:

  • Clarified the practice policy for visiting teams in championship play to state that at least one practice opportunity, not to exceed one hour, be provided on the game field, weather permitting, on the day before the game. The regional advisory committee chair will continue to have the final authority over this policy.

  • Reviewed the site-selection criteria and reconfirmed the weighted categories and their percentages, but voted to adopt a scale to give more weight to the top eight seeds. The committee also studied more effective methods to measure attendance history and revenue potential.

  • Met with representatives from the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association and voted to implement a standardized form to assist the fourth official in tracking substitutions. The committee also agreed to formally evaluate officials after each preliminary round. In addition, the committee stipulated that in order for officials to qualify to work any tournament game, they must have worked at least four NCAA regular-season men's or women's games.

  • Met with representatives from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and with representatives from the NCAA Youth Education through Sports program.

    Division II

    In response to a Division II Championships Committee mandate, the Division II Men's Soccer Committee will implement a new eight-region alignment that will mirror the alignment currently used for the Division II women's championship.

    Currently, the committee selects four teams from each of four regions. While that process will be followed once again for the 1998 championship, the committee recommended that the eight-region alignment be implemented in 1999.

    The committee also recommended that the team selection criteria currently used for choosing teams from each region remain the same in 1999.

    To accommodate the new alignment, the committee will recommend to the Division II Championships Committee that the Division II Men's Soccer Committee be expanded from four to eight members.

    The committee also will ask the Division II Championships Committee for permission to investigate the possibility of a predetermined site for future championships. The committee has discussed the possibility of a predetermined site that would feature either one championship or a combined event with the Division II women's championship, but needs to obtain approval from the Division II Championships Committee before pursuing the issue further.

    In other actions, the committee recommended that a most outstanding offensive and defensive player be named for the 1998 championship.

    The committee also recommended that Marcus Zeimer, men's soccer coach at Sonoma State University, chair the group beginning September 1, 1998.

    Division III

    The Division III Men's Soccer Committee reviewed its team selection criteria and reworded the criteria for clarity.

    The committee determined the primary factors are in-region Division III results (won-lost record; head-to-head competition; strength of schedule; results against common opponents; and results against teams already selected), and secondary factors are (1) out-of-region Division III results (won-lost record; head-to-head competition; strength of schedule; and results against common opponents); (2) results outside the division; and (3) late-season performance, and injured and/or unavailable student-athletes.

    The committee also voted to retain the current regional allocations for the 1998 championship. They are: New England (six teams); Metro (five); Mid-Atlantic (five); Northeast (four); Central (five); South (four); Great Lakes (five); and West (six).

    In other championship actions, the committee recommended that regular-season competition be completed the Saturday before the selection announcement. In addition, the committee focused on ways to make the semifinals and final competition more efficient despite the shortage of time due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

    The committee also discussed officials and recommended that fees be increased to the same levels currently in place for Divisions I and II. The committee also recommended that officials be evaluated through each round of competition.