The Division I Men's Soccer Committee recommended automatic-qualifying conferences and play-in conferences for the 2000 championship its annual meeting January 31-February 3 in Indianapolis.

Conferences selected for automatic qualification and play-ins were determined based on the current 32-team bracket. The committee has asked for a 48-team field, a proposal that the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet has supported and forwarded to the Division I Management Council and Board of Directors. Action on that proposal, however, is not expected until April at the earliest, so the men's soccer committee had to make its determinations based on the current bracket size.

The committee announced the following 12 conferences to receive automatic qualification into the 2000 championship: America East, Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-American, Missouri Valley, and West Coast Conferences; and the Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Ivy Group, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and Patriot League.

The following eight conferences were designated to participate in play-in games to determine the remaining four berths in the championship bracket: the Atlantic 10 Conference vs. the Trans America Athletic Conference; the Big South Conference vs. the Southern Conference; the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference vs. the Mid-Continent Conference; and the Northeast Conference vs. the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.

Should the bracket be expanded to 48 teams, play-in games will be eliminated and those conferences listed as play-in competitors will receive an automatic berth into the 2000 championship.

In a related matter, the committee discussed an existing policy stating that at least one team be selected from each of the eight regions. The committee decided to retain the current policy but will eliminate the requirement if the bracket is expanded to 48 teams.

In other actions, the committee reviewed available information on the new technology of artificial surfaces. This review was in response to multiple demands to more clearly identify site-selection preferences on field surfaces. However, the committee decided not to change its current policy, which is to give preference to natural grass fields. In addition, no artificial surface may rate higher than a grass surface, even if it only is rated as an adequate grass surface. The committee will continue to monitor this policy, as new information on grass-like artificial surfaces becomes available.

The committee also reviewed various site-selection criteria and modified two primary factors in the rating-percentage index (RPI), including won-lost record against the top 40 in the RPI (overall and away) and won-lost record vs. the top 75 in the RPI (overall and away).

The committee agreed to share the season-ending RPI with each conference office. The committee also will send the adjusted RPI that was used to determine team selections into the 1999 championship field.

The season-ending RPI is used to rank the top 20 conferences, which identifies which conferences will receive automatic qualification and which will receive a play-in opportunity.

The committee also met with a representative from the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA) to discuss a new model of identifying a pool of officials to work preliminary rounds and the Men's College Cup. NISOA will have an assignors' and conference supervisors' meeting in July at which NISOA will compose a list of officials for the committee's use in August. This list will be shared with the regional advisory committees, which may alter the list and return it to the men's soccer committee, which will use the final list to identify officials to work the championship.

During its annual meeting, the men's soccer committee will reevaluate the pool and make any necessary changes. The list then will be forwarded to NISOA to start the cycle for the next season.

In a related matter, the committee voted to implement a new policy regarding officiating assignments that precludes an official who has graduated from, is or was employed by or has a family affiliation with a specific institution from being assigned to any game involving that institution.

Other highlights

Division I Men's Soccer Committee
January 31-February 3
Indianapolis

* Voted to change the permissible 7:30 p.m. start time of preliminary-round games. The committee agreed to allow start times between 6 p.m. on Friday through 1 p.m. on Sunday (local times). This was done to discourage later games on Sunday, which may interfere with teams catching late flights resulting in additional missed class time.