The Division I-AA Football Committee has received confirmation from the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet that its method of identifying automatic-qualifying conferences meets the cabinet's guiding principles.

The committee, which met January 21-23 in Huntington Beach, California, reviewed applications from nine conferences seeking automatic qualification for their champions into the 16-team playoff bracket. The cabinet's guiding principles state that sports with sponsorship levels in the 10-59 percent range, which includes Division I-AA football, shall reserve at least 50 percent of the playoff berths for at-large selections and no more than 50 percent for automatic qualifiers.

The guiding principles also give sports committees the opportunity, but do not require them, to recommend to the cabinet the addition of play-in games when the number of conferences eligible for automatic qualification exceeds 50 percent of the playoff spots.

It would be difficult to include a play-in game to the Division I-AA playoffs and still have the championship game contested before Christmas. Therefore, the committee was seeking the cabinet's confirmation that a play-in game is not required, and that the eight automatic-qualifying conferences can be chosen out of the nine that have applied based on merit.

The committee spent considerable time at its meeting discussing how to make the Division I-AA postseason experience the best it can be. It identified many factors and influences, both positive and negative, that affect the experience. They include media exposure, revenues and expenses, and conferences' emphasis on football, among others.

Also included in the discussion is a comprehensive review of the evaluation procedures used to determine championship participants and the method in which teams are selected for the playoffs. Specifically, the committee is studying the role of its regional advisory committees and whether or not the regional rankings they produce during the regular season should be made public.

Another area of review concerns the selection of at-large teams to the championship. Currently, at-large teams are selected on a national basis. The committee will investigate whether that is the most appropriate method, or if they should select teams from each of Division I-AA football's four regions.

No deadline has been established for the review, and the Division I-AA membership will be asked for input before any revisions are decided upon.

The committee agreed to extend the current agreement with the Chattanooga Sports and Events Committee and conduct the 2003 championship game in the Tennessee city. Additionally, the committee will review bids from Chattanooga and other parties interested in hosting the championship contest during its December and January 2004 meetings, and forward a recommendation on future sites to the cabinet for its February 2004 meetings.

The Chattanooga sponsoring agency expressed concern to the committee that playing the title game on a Friday evening, as has been the case the past two years, has negatively impacted attendance. The committee, in response to the membership's desire for maximum exposure for the game, believes a Friday date would be better, unless ESPN provides an optimal time on Saturday during which the game may be televised.

Consequently, the committee has asked ESPN to make the contest its first live athletics contest on the third Saturday in December. If the game can be scheduled at such a time, the committee will consider recommending a change from Friday.

In other action, the committee:

Recommended that Wayne Hogan, director of athletics at the University of Montana, serve as chair of the committee, effective September 2003. He has been a member of the committee for the past two years.

Discussed, but did not submit, a recommendation to expand the squad size from 56 student-athletes to 60. The traveling party of 100 persons for preliminary-round games and 115 for the championship game would not be increased. The committee will seek Division I-AA membership input before making a final decision.