After almost a year of informal discussion, Division II officially began its examination of a new football structure when the Division II Football Task Force met July 6 in Indianapolis.

"This is an exceptionally complicated issue," said Wingate University President Jerry McGee, task force chair. "But one of the best things about Division II is that we have always had a cooperative spirit when we have addressed our greatest challenges. I hope everybody can keep an open mind as we move forward with this task."

The core question involves what can be done to produce more competitive equity in football. Division II permits up to 36 financial aid equivalencies in football, but many institutions offer few or no scholarships in the sport.

While no firm line can be drawn between the number of equivalencies offered and a program's ability to compete on a national level, only highly funded programs have reached the last four Division II championship games.

At the 2005 Convention, the Pennsylvania State and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conferences sponsored legislation to reduce the number of equivalences to 24, the approximate average for Division II football programs.

Some opponents of the measure, which was defeated, said it was inappropriate because it would take existing financial aid away from a large number of student-athletes. However, many administrators also acknowledged the bigger issue, which is that the current system offers little flexibility for football classification. Programs are loosely bound by bands of maximums ranging from zero in Division III to 36 in Division II to 63 in Division I-AA.

In April, the Division II Presidents Council established the Football Task Force to examine what can be done to enhance competitive equity, improve the student-athlete experience and possibly reduce the number of reclassifications from Division II to Division I.

American Football Coaches Association Executive Director Grant Teaff, who attended the July 6 meeting, said the issue transcends any single division.

"Division I-AA should not feel threatened by this examination," Teaff said. "In fact, Division I-AA is facing many of the same issues with scholarship ranges as Division II. I am very concerned about the health of college football at all levels, and I applaud Division II for taking the initiative."

McGee said the task force will produce multiple options for consideration. Some proposals likely will extend beyond Division II while other possible solutions will be contained within the existing Division II structure. In cases where solutions might involve Division I, appropriate Division I personnel will be involved in the discussion.

"At the moment, we can't expect either support or resistance because there isn't a proposal that's officially on the table," said Division II Vice-President Mike Racy. "Sometime soon, we will have some options that can be considered jointly by Divisions I and II. If those options work out, then that's good for everybody. If they don't, then we'll address the question within the Division II family."

Three subcommittees were established to help the task force move forward:

• Championships Structure Subcommittee (Roger Thomas, North Central Conference, chair): This subcommittee will be charged with creating a new Division II football structure. It will review research to consider options for establishing different subdivisions or alliances in NCAA football.

• Implementation Subcommittee (Tom Brown, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, chair): This subcommittee will develop strategies for Division II to work with Division I-AA conferences and institutions to explore the viability of "decoupling" NCAA football classification from membership classification in other Divisions I and II sports. The subcommittee also will examine legislation that would need to be modified to implement a new NCAA or Division II football structure.

• Image and Marketing Subcommittee (Larry Holstad, Winona State University, chair): This subcommittee will consider various classification names, identity issues and marketing opportunities for a new football structure. It also will examine the implications a new structure would have on the playing season, conference memberships, playoff structure and dates, television opportunities and championships host sites.

The task force will conduct its next meeting August 15 via teleconference.

In addition, an educational session on the topic has been scheduled for the 2006 Convention in Indianapolis.