This is part of an ongoing series covering various college realignment news for all three NCAA Divisions as well as the NAIA. The roundup below will cover news and reports since October 15, 2024, and provide updates on previously discussed topics. As a reminder, all official moves starting with the 2024-25 academic year or later can be found here and all changes – full membership or individual sport changes – starting in 2025-26 can be found here. Please note that individual sports changes occurring in 2025-26 or later will be listed in the standalone article only.
We’ll break out the reports for each Division in the following order: Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and NAIA. Clicking the links will bring you to that specific section. If a division is not highlighted, there has been no news in the preceding two weeks. We’ve also summarized the news items in a table below if you are more interested in a summary or specific news item rather than having to scroll to find it.
| School(s)/Conference | News Item | Realignment Change / Effective Year | Current Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcorn State | Women’s Soccer Season Canceled | Yes – 2024-25 | SWAC (D1) | N/A |
| Campbell | Will Cut Scholarships | TBD – 2025-26 | TBD | TBD |
| CNE / NEWMAC | New Bowl Game in 2024 | No – 2024-25 | N/A | N/A |
| D1 | Schools Starting to Cut Roster Sizes | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | N/A |
| Dordt (Iowa) | Men’s Swimming & Diving to KCAC | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | KCAC (NAIA) |
| MCLA | Not Playing Women’s Basketball in 2024-25 | Yes – 2024-25 | MASCAC (D3) | N/A |
| St. Joseph’s (NY) | Adding Women’s Flag Football | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | Independent (D3) |
| Sun Belt | Changing Conference Basketball Tournament Format | No – 2024-25 | N/A | N/A |
Athletic Departments Already Making Way for Post-House World
Division 1 athletic departments are already beginning to make athletic budget decisions in preparation for the House vs. NCAA settlement. The NCAA has eliminated the National Intent Letter (NIL) but schools are already cutting scholarships (as noted below with Campbell) and culling sports roster sizes to help pay for the settlement. This is only the beginning of a trend that was predicted with the House settlement and will only become more common over the next few years. Some sports will likely be cut but how many schools go to that extreme remains to be seen. With the Title IX implication still uncertain, no one currently knows how women’s sports may be impacted.
NCAA Division 1 Sports Changes
The Sun Belt Conference will have a new conference basketball tournament format beginning with the current 2024-25 academic year. The new format will have 7 rounds with the top two regular season teams receiving a bye to the semifinals (6th round), the third and fourth best teams receiving a bye to the quarterfinals (5th round), the fifth and sixth best teams receiving to the 4th round, etc. A team that plays in the first round would need to 7 games over 7 days to reach the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Belt is placing a higher emphasis on the regular season, favoring the teams with the best chance to make the NCAA Tournament, and giving the conference a better chance at winning a game in the Tournament to get additional lucrative “NCAA Tournament Units”.
Alcorn State (Lorman, Mississippi) canceled its women’s 2024 soccer season due to a lack of players. The Braves did not play a single game out of the 20 scheduled for the 2024 season and doesn’t have a 2024 roster listing on its athletic website. The program also faces potential Title IX violations related to poor facilities and understaffing. Alcorn State competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Given the numerous issues facing the program, it is unclear if the school will compete in the 2025 season or beyond.
Campbell University (Buies Creek, North Carolina) will be cutting scholarships for some teams although it is unclear how many programs will be affected. The impact on one program has been reported with men’s wrestling set to lose 6 scholarships (from 9 to 3). The university faces financial issues and several departments will also be faced with cuts. It is unknown if any programs will be discontinued altogether or if the university will only take a portion of scholarships across numerous programs.
NCAA Division 2 Sports Changes
There have been no updates on NCAA Division 2 sports changes for the current 2024-25 academic year since October 15. Changes beginning with the 2025-26 academic year can be found here.
NCAA Division 3 Sports Changes
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (North Adams, Massachusetts) will not play women’s basketball in the 2024-25 academic year due to a lack of players. MCLA plays in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), which is now down to 6 schools for the sport in 2024-25. MCLA intends to field a team next year for the 2025-26 season.
The Conference of New England (CNE) and the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference
(NEWMAC) will participate in a bowl game this year. The best remaining teams not qualified for the D3 Playoffs to the Fusion Bowl as a way to celebrate the scheduling alliance between the two conferences. This year’s game will be played either Friday, November 22, 2024 or Saturday, November 23, 2024.
St. Joseph’s University (New York) will add women’s flag football for the 2024-25 academic year. SJU will not compete in a conference but will face other flag football teams in the region, according to the school’s FAQ. St. Joseph’s University has two campuses: one in Brooklyn and the other on Long Island (Patchogue, New York) with separate athletic teams that compete in the Skyline Conference for a majority of sports. Both campuses will sponsor women’s flag football.
NAIA Sports Changes
Dordt University (Sioux Center, Iowa) will compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) for men’s and women’s swimming & diving beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Dordt announced the addition of both programs in 2023 but its primary conference (the Great Plains Athletic Conference) doesn’t sponsor the sport.