Monmouth unhappy with lack of opportunity to play in bowl game
Published in the Asbury Park Press 09/29/05

BY TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER

In search of a football postseason.

That remains the unfulfilled quest of the Northeast Conference, of which Monmouth University is a member, in its bid to land a postseason bowl game for at least one of its eight football-playing schools.

According to NEC Commissioner John Iamarino, nothing will happen until 2007 at the earliest. And that's not exactly etched in stone either.

The MAAC's withdrawal from the ECAC Bowl after the 2003 season, when NEC co-champion Monmouth bowed to MAAC winner Duquesne, left the NEC champion high and dry regarding a postseason bowl or playoff opportunity.

Iamarino said an NEC application to the NCAA and subsequent appeals for an automatic berth in the Division I-AA football playoffs have been rejected.

Now, according to Iamarino, the latest idea is for playoffs among the three limited or non-scholarship leagues: the NEC, the MAAC and the Pioneer League, which currently conducts its own internal playoffs. A similar plan for the NEC never got off the ground.

"We would hope something could be in place for 2007," Iamarino said. "On a very peripheral basis there would be a two-week, four-team playoff perhaps with each of the (three) conferences getting an automatic (bid) and then a committee selecting a wild card.

"Then you play at home sites, you seed the teams and have 1 play 4 and 2 play 3 and go from there.

"But the key is going to be NCAA funding. For a school in our league, let's say to have to make two trips to play teams from the Pioneer League which would be very cost prohibitive."

The nine schools in the Pioneer League range geographically from Dayton, Ohio, to Jacksonville, Fla., to San Diego.

"There has been discussions among people in the NCAA and among (league) commissioners of trying to put this together. But there are a lot of different hoops we have to jump through."

Iamarino noted: "And there are some people out there who say, "Why are we creating another championship for football when we already have one in I-AA?'