The NCAA championships committee has affirmed that the Presidents’ Athletic Conference must wait two years for an automatic bid, just like everyone else, according to a report in the Washington (Pa.) Observer-Reporter.

In April 2005 the league announced it was adding Thomas More as a member, effective the fall of 2005. The conference hoped that the NCAA would waive the two-year waiting period. “It seems the waiting period is designed to monitor newly formed conferences to ensure stability, which we feel is not a concern with the PAC,” said Tori Haring-Smith, president of Washington & Jefferson, at the time.

On a related note, I came across this in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference agreement last night.

Article III. MEMBERSHIP
Section C. Contracts Held By New Members
Contracts held by members at the time of joining the conference are obligations not to be abrogated.

For those of you who aren’t dictionary junkies (I did not know what this word meant either), abrogate means “to abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority.” Yet five schools willingly did away with one of their football game contracts for this season anyway.

So the PAC broke its own rules to rush Thomas More into the league, in vain hopes of receiving an automatic bid expressly contrary to Division III rules. And Huntingdon and Montclair State are still paying the price, having been unable to find replacement games.

I’m personally glad this behavior was not rewarded. Breaking 10 contracts in April is not the way to get things done, not in Division III. With St. Vincent headed for the PAC, Seton Hill sounding more likely to move to Division III and even Geneva making noise about coming over from the NAIA, coaches should be wary about scheduling PAC teams for the next few years. Your contract could be next.