CIAA Explains 'Earned Access" Concept and postseason possibilities

CIAA EXPLAINS "EARNED ACCESS" CONCEPT AND POSTSEASON POSSIBILITIES

November 7, 2006

Hampton, VA - In 2004, the NCAA expanded the Division II Football Playoffs from 16 to 24. Therefore, six teams will be selected from the four respective geographic regions for only the third time this season. The first round of the NCAA playoffs will begin on Saturday, November 18.

One of the concepts that began with the 2004 Division II Playoffs is the "earned access" berths for conferences. Earned Access assures a conference with a team ranked in the final top 10 of the NCAA Division II ranking poll, one of the six spots in the championship field from that given region.

Teams are ranked based upon numerous objective criteria including: 1) strength of schedule of a team’s respective Division II opponents; 2) record versus Division II opponents and win percentage.

As an example:

Assume the Southeast Regional Poll for October 31, 2006 is the final poll of the season:

1. Newberry (South Atlantic)
2. North Alabama (Gulf South)
3. North Carolina Central (CIAA)
4. Wingate (South Atlantic)
5. Presbyterian (South Atlantic)
6. Delta State (Gulf South)
7. Elizabeth City State (CIAA)
8. Valdosta State (Gulf South)
9. Harding (Gulf South)
10. Johnson C. Smith (CIAA)
11. Lane (SIAC)
12. Virginia Union (CIAA)

 Based upon the earned access concept, the playoff teams for this particular region would be:

1. Newberry; 2. North Alabama; 3. North Carolina Central; 4. Wingate; 5. Presbyterian; and 6. Delta State. All four conferences in the region would not be represented in the top six. The SIAC does not have a representative currently in the Top 10. However, if Lane was ranked anywhere between seventh and tenth, the SIAC would earn the number six spot and Delta State would not participate in the playoffs.

The earned access concept affects the CIAA in several ways. First, the CIAA Champion might not earn the earned access bid. The CIAA Champion is determined by a one-game playoff between Eastern and Western Division Champions. In 2004, Shaw upset Fayetteville State in the Championship Game, but Fayetteville State was selected to the playoffs instead of Shaw. Once again, bids to the NCAA playoffs are not automatic qualifications from conference but are based principally on the two criteria listed above.

Of course, significant head to head matchups still must be played in the region whose outcome will affect the final region ranking poll. For example, North Carolina Central and Elizabeth City State, ranked fourth and seventh respectively, meet on Saturday in the Championship Game.

"To speculate on which teams will be selected to the playoffs is still a difficult proposition even with just one weekend remaining," says Jeffrey McLeod, CIAA Assistant Commissioner and a member of the Division II Football Committee. "However, it will be interesting to see how the final weekend of the regular season affects the teams selected from the Southeast Region to the playoffs."