Official Publication of the National Collegiate Athletic Association May 11, 1994, Volume 3 1, Number 19 I-A football playoff panel reviews research report The NCAA Special Committee IO Study a Division formats are: I-A Football Championship, meeting for the first time, H A two-team, one-game national championship has begun considering a research repon concerning contest, with the two teams determined after the con- the state of college football prcparcd for it by a special clusion of the January I bowl games, which could con- rcscarch group. tinue in their present form along with other bowl The report includes a description of five playoff for- gan1rs. mat options, as well as all aspects of a potential play- n A four-team, three-game tournament, with the off - from academic calendars to the weather. four teams sclcctcd after the conclusion of the January The May 5-6 meeting in Indian Wells, California, 1 bowl games. The two semifinal games could be was devoted to studying the material in the repon The scheduled on the second Saturday after January 1, with committee will meet again June 2-3 in Kansas City, the championship game played the next weekend. Missouri. Soon after that meeting, it will determine n An tight-team, seven-game rournamenr, with the whether to recommend to the NCAA Presidents eight teams participating in four quarterfinal games Commission and Executive Committee that the on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The bracket Association’s membership should consider legislation would include a combination of automatic and at-large that would create a I-A football playoff. berths. At the May 5-6 meeting, the committee formed three n A 12-team, 1 l-game tournament. Four teams subcommittees that will report back to the full corn- would receive first-round byes and the eight others mittee at the June meeting. would be matched in four first-round games on the The first subcommittee will explore the potential first Saturday of December; the winners of these four impact that a championship would have on the stu- games then would be matched with seed Nos. 1 dent-athletes involved. That subcommittee will be through 4 in the quaneriinal games on New Year’s Eve chaired by J. Dennis O’Connor, chancellor of the and New Year’s Day and continue thereafter as in the University of Pittsburgh. four-team format. The smnd subcomtni~e will shdy the distribution n A 16+un, E-game tournament. All teams would of revenues to be raised by a championship. Vincent play in eight first-round games on the first Saturday of J. Dooley, director of athletics at the University of December; the winners of those games would advance Georgia, will chair that subcommittee. to the quarterfinal games on New Year’s Eve and New The third subcommittee will study potential formats Year’s Day. for a championship. Christine A. Plonsky, associate The report includes more than 300 pages. In addi- director of men’s athletics at the University of Texas tion to facts and figures, the report summarizes opili- at Austin, will chair that subcommittee. ions expressed by student-athletes representing 10 Ed JosPfilSki and Pennsylvania State University bumped off Division I-A and one Division I-AA institutions, off6 top-ranked University of California, Los Angeles, May 7 Fmat options cials of five major bowl associations, representatives and becamethe first team from other than California to win The report contained format options presented by of the Collegiate Commissioners Association and the the research group to facilitate discussion only; they National Association of Collegiate Directors of the National Collegiate Men? Volleyball Championship. are options to be used only if the committee decides a Seechampionship stoly, page 8. championship is both feasible and desirable. Those See Playoff, page 14 b Fxecutive Cofnmittee postpones action on interests survey In preparation for its annual vey to assess interest in sports, Association for the purpose of The Executive Committee also Women’s Athletics, the NCAA budget review in August, the NCAA which has been put on hold by the analysis.” deferred acting on a proposed Minority Opportunities and In- Executive Committee considered Executive Committee pending addi- The Council approved a Rc- national summer sports program terests Committee and the NCAA various funding requests at its May tional study. search Committee recommenda- for girls and on an “NCAA Fellows” National Youth Sports Program 2-5 meeting in Indian Wells, The proposed survey was the tion for the survey at its April meet- program. The NCAA Presidents Committee will review the proposed California. result of an August 1993 directive ing, but the Executive Committee Commission had recommended girls sports program. As a maser of policy, the Executive from the NCAA Council to the chose to have the matter studied both at its most recent meeting, but Funding approved Committee reviews all such requests NCAA Research Committee to more before it approves $500,000 the Council, at its April meeting, The Executive Committee did annually at its May meeting. “develop one or more instruments in funding. The committee noted recommended that the programs One of the most significant fund- that member institutions can use the unusually large expense as a bc studied more before any action ing items related LOa proposed sur- and that also can he used hy the reason for seeking additional study. is taken. The NCAA Committee on See Survey, page 14 b n In the News w On deck News Digest Page 2 n Richard Kacmarynski of Central College (Iowa), a May 11 Committee on Athletics Certification, San Francisco Briefly 3 member of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Com- mittee, says in a guest editorial that member institu- Comment May 11-13 Regional seminar, San Francisco tions should develop institutional advisory committees May 17-18 Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, State legislation to heighten the academic and athletics experiences of Overlond Park, Kansas Dates and sites 6 their studentqthletes: Page 4. May 19-20 Recruiting Committee, Kansas City, Missouri Championships previews 7 n Pennsylvania State University coach Tom Peterson, whose Nittany Lions recently became the first team not May 22-23 Division I Baseball Committee, Baseball/softball stgtistics 11 from the West Coast not to win a National Collegiate Kansas City, Missouri NCAA Record 15 Men’s Volleyball Championship, is named coach of May 22-25 Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, The Market 16 the year by the American Volleyball Coaches Associa- Orlando, Florida tion: Poge 20. ‘S. I . Page 2 The NCAA News May 11, 1994 TheNCAANews A weekly summary of major activities within the Association their desire to conduct the committee’s busi- ness, including a report, at one meeting. Committee conducts first For more information, see the May 4 and discussions about playoff dchedule of key datesfor April 20 issues of The NCAA News. May and June 1994 Staff contact: Francis M. Canavan. The NCAA Special Committee to Study a Division I-A Football Championship con- ducted its first of two scheduled meetings May 5-5 in Indian Wells, California. A review of that first meeting appears on 12 3 4 Second of three seminars page 1 of this issue. is May 25-27 in Virginia 51 61 71 61 91 101 11 The second meeting of the committee will 12 13 14 15 16 17 10 be June 2-3 in Kansas City, Missouri. The The second of three regional rules-com- committee will recommend whether the As- 19.20 21 22 23 24 25 pliance srrnin;irs conducted by the NCAA sociation’s membership should consider leg- membership services group will be May 25- islation that would create a Division I-A foot- 27 in Arlington, Virginia. The final one will ball playoff. bc June l-3 in New Orleans. For more information, see the April 20, The seminars are designed to provide a March 23 and March 2 issues of The NCAA JUNE continuixlg-education forum for Division I News. RECz%NG RECRUITING and I1 Institutional and athletics adrninis- Staff contact: Thomas W. Jernstedt. Men’s Division I basketball Men’s Division I basketball l-3 1 _________________.____._.........___Quiet period. l-30 . ..___.____.____._._.._.__Quiet period. trators. Next meeting: June 2-3 in Kansas City, Women’s Division I basketball* Women’s Division I basketball’ A schedule that applies for each of the Missouri. l-3 1 . .._.___.____...... Quiet period. l-30 _______.___._._._._____............Quiet period. seminars appeared on page 5 of the April 13 Men’s Division II basketball Men’s Division II basketball issue of The NCAA News. l-l 6 ________.______________........Contact period. l-14 . ..___________.__..Quiet period. 17-31 . .._Quiet period. 1 S-30 . .._.________________Evaluation period. For more information, see the April 13 is- Women’s Division II basketball* Women’s Division II basketball* sue ofThe NCAA News. l-16 . ..Contact period. 1-l 4 . ..__.________._________Quiet period. S ecial committee seeks Staff contacts: John H. Leavens, Nancy L. 17-3 1 . .._ ._._ . .._ __._ ..Quiet period. 1 S-30 . ..________._.__.....Evaluation period. Mitchell, Stephen R. Morgan. t R oughts from membership Division I football Division I football Twenty consecutive days (excluding Sundays l-30 ..__.________ ________ _.. Quiet period. The Special Committee to Review Initial- and Memorial Day) during May selected at Division II football the discretion of the institution: Evaluation ps June 1 through beginning of the prospect’s Eligibility Standards has asked for viewpoints riod. high-school or two-year college football sea- from the membership that can be consid- Those doys in May not designated above: son: Quiet period.