National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- March 1, 1999

Men's soccer adjusts selection criteria

The Division I Men's Soccer Committee spent most of its annual meeting February 1-5 in Palm Springs, California, on team-selection criteria and the championship selection process.

The committee voted to eliminate the use of the 1-through-5 ratings system that had been used previously as a tool for selection. The committee believes that the system was no longer necessary due to the adoption of the rating-percentage index (RPI), which provides more accurate data, as a selection tool last year.

The committee also discussed creating a system of bonus and penalty points to be built into the RPI. Possible factors may include site of the game and results against higher- and lower-rated teams.

In an effort to provide an incentive for Division I teams to play fewer non-Division I opponents, the committee determined that teams will be allowed to play one non-Division I opponent without penalty, but subsequent games against non-Division I opponents would carry a penalty equal to a loss at home against a lower-rated team.

In its review of the selection process, the committee voted to select teams for the championship based on the following primary and secondary factors (not in preferential order): Primary factors -- won-lost record, strength of schedule, opponents' strength of schedule, record against the top 40 teams in the RPI, record against the top 75 teams in the RPI, record against the field (both teams selected and teams considered), nonconference RPI and the recommendations of the regional advisory committees. Secondary factors -- injured or unavailable student-athletes, head-to-head competition and results against common opponents.

In other actions, the committee noted that the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet had recommended that the bracket be expanded from 32 to 48 teams. Because the proposal is subject to Management Council approval, however, the committee selected automatic-qualifying conferences based on the existing 32-team bracket. The 11 conferences selected are the America East, Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-American, Missouri Valley, West Coast and Western Athletic Conferences; Conference USA; the Colonial Athletic Association; and the Ivy Group.

Ten additional conferences were recommended for play-in games as follows (home conference listed last): Mid-Continent Conference vs. Mountain Pacific Sports Federation; Northeast Conference vs. Trans America Athletic Conference; Atlantic 10 Conference vs. Midwestern Collegiate Conference; Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference vs. Patriot League; and Big South Conference vs. Southern Conference.

In issues related to regional alignment, the committee re-examined the current policy that guarantees each of the eight regions a berth in the field and discussed what the repercussions would be if a region was not represented by an automatic-qualifying conference. The committee decided to solicit input from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and will revisit the policy at a later date.

Other highlights

Division I Men's Soccer Committee
February 1-5/Palm Springs, California

  • Requested that the Championships/Competition Cabinet clarify current financial policies, specifi-cally those regarding facility rental charges being allowed as an unbudgeted expense. The committee believes that if the rental charges were known in advance, those expenses could be included in the proposed championship budget.

  • Asked the Championships/Competition Cabinet to stipulate that a host institution would not be entitled to an honorarium if it does not meet the proposed guarantee.

  • Voted to eliminate minimum ticket prices for preliminary rounds. The committee agreed that it is the institution's responsibility to set an appropriate ticket price in order to meet the minimum financial guarantee for the particular session. The committee reconfirmed that an institution is still not permitted to provide any complimentary tickets to an NCAA championship event.

  • Determined that if a committee member's institution was involved in an NCAA championship game, the committee member would not be allowed to serve as a member of the games committee for the event.

  • Voted to require that an athletics administrator must travel with his or her team and serve on the games committee for any game during the championship. The games committee consists of one representative from each institution, the NCAA site representative and the referee.

  • Met with Jim Dyer, NSCAA representative, and discussed the committee's plans for assigning officials to work the championship. The committee agreed to permit coaches to nominate officials through their conference officials supervisors and their conference coaches group.

  • Emphasized to National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association representatives the need for increasing control of bench decorum and conduct.

  • Commended outgoing Chair Jonathan B. LeCrone, commissioner of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, and recommended Richard A. Farnham, athletics director at the University of Vermont, as his replacement.