Nebraska-Omaha Jumps to Division 1, But Drops Football

In a bittersweet moment for Maverick fans, UNO is moving from Division 2 to Division 1, but dropping football and wrestling. The switch is driven by finances, as the division 2 model seems to be dying. In recent years, division 2 schools have had to choose one of two paths: upgrade to division 1 or reduce scholarships to make the programs less draining financially.  UNO has debated the issue for years, and with the NCAA's moratorium on reclassification expiring, is joining the Summit League in division 1.

This decision comes at the expense of UNO's football and wrestling programs, as those sports are not offered by the Summit League. The wrestling decision is particularly painful for the wrestling program, which won it's third straight national championship last night. The loss of football is a reflection of the times in collegiate athletics: expenses continue to increase, while revenues at the lower levels has stayed flat. Thanks to the expansion of televised football games, there simply isn't the demand for lower division football to justify the expense.  UNO athletics currently requires over $3 million of funding from the University as a whole, and in this economy, where budgets are being stretched to their limits as governments are under increasing pressure to cut back, football was finally judged to be too expensive to maintain.

There has been lots of talk that UNO was on the path to Division 1-AA, with the hope that a "body bag" game (such as Nebraska's game against Summit League member South Dakota State last season) would  close that gap. But UNO realized that the average 1-AA football program loses $1.7 million each season - even if you consider the "big money" these schools get for playing BCS programs. So that left former ESPN analyst and Nebraska all-American Trev Alberts no choice in his job as Nebraska-Omaha's athletic director:  the football program had to go.

With UNO's upgrade in other sports, it does present new opportunities for UNO and the opportunity to compete with Nebraska as part of the same division.

For example, look for Doc Sadler to schedule an annual game with UNO moving forward. These games will almost certainly be played in Lincoln, and couldn't be any worse than Arkansas-Pine Bluff or Alcorn State.  Might as well keep the money in Nebraska, and fans should find these games a little more interesting.  I also forsee Nebraska and UNO playing regular mid-week games in baseball, and UNO's baseball program has been successful at the Division 2 level. They've qualified for six straight NCAA tournaments, and even made it to the 2007 Division II College World Series.  In fact, I wonder if there wouldn't be interest in a three-team round robin series between UNO, Creighton, and Nebraska at Omaha's new TD Ameritrade Park, the new home of the College World Series.

Husker football could see some benefit from the end of UNO football as players who would have accepted a scholarship offer to wear the Crimson and Black now will need to look elsewhere. Some will end up at other division 2 schools, while others may choose to stay closer to home and walk-on in Lincoln. But the end of opportunities in Omaha could have a ripple effect down the line in terms of growing the program.  Former NU assistants Marvin Sanders and Jeff Jamrog honed their coaching skills at UNO, while new NU linebackers coach Ross Els both played and coached at UNO.

Another factor to keep in mind is whether this reflects on a growing trend in college athletics. Will more schools drop or downsize football when they aren't able to make football work from a financial perspective? Football, by design, is an expensive sport.  22 players need to be on the field at all times, and with injuries and backups, it's not realistic for schools to reduce roster sizes. For the most part, schools will have two choices: play or fold.  And with the budget pressures facing government today starting to be shifted down to colleges, I think more schools will have no choice but fold.