Opinion on top 10 D-1 mid-major XC programs

I don't think it's so easy to quantify a "mid-major" in cross like it is in football or basketball. Maybe Eastern Mich. and Central Mich. from the MAC? Weber State? Northern Arizona? Columbia girls? Iona?

Central Michigan is a good place, lot of young guys. If you have patience and are willing to put in the work CMU would be the place if you were not a high school super star. Fuller is a good coach, does not give you any b.s., and all of his current and former athletes think highly of him. Training is good, can get out to the country easily from campus, and can get to the dirt roads. New indoor and outdoor tracks also.

Portland if they fit the definition.

What is a "mid major" or "mid-major" anyway? Thank you.

Weber has one of the best coaches in the nation, who will help any athlete fulfill full potential.

In basketball the Ivy League is mid-major, and they also play I-AA, not I-A, football. Would that mean Dartmouth and Princeton are mid-major programs . . . ?

Let?s review.

Major college programs are Division 1. Some are better than others. Sometimes they even move up and down in quality.

Mid-major programs don?t compete in Division 1. They compete in Division 2. That?s why it?s, ummm, D-2. Again, some are better than others. Sometimes better than some of the majors.

Minor programs run D-3.

Same as it ever was.

D9 Cat, you're not as smart as you think.

The term "mid-major" came into being in NCAA basketball circles when discussing issues around teams from the lower D-1 conferences should be ranked (or seeded in the tourney) ahead of middle-pack teams from major conferences like the the Big 10, SEC, etc. Some media have started to use the term in football, too, though it's less relevent because you have I-AA in football (you don't, of course, in hoops).

It's NEVER really been an issue in cross-country because of the regional qualifying process and the fact that the so-called power conferences haven't necessarily had a hold in the rankings anyway.

"Mid-major" has never been used, that I've seen, comparing Div 1 with Div 2 or lower, or anything like that. If you want to redefine it for CC in those terms, fine, but that's really a different type of discussion all together then, since different divisions aren't competing for spots at the same national meet.

Funding is the key. Granted, the Ivy teams are without

scholarships, however, the travel/equipment/recruiting

money compensates. Most kids acholarships to these schools

are they got in. the financial reward is after graduation,

not before. Mid-Major defined by scholarships? Track and

Cross Country are one sport in the NCAA's eyes. You need

not give any money to the distance area or you can give it

all. How many teams are fully funded? If you have the 14m/17w, How is it spent. If you have limited scholarships

and they all go to distance, do you have the budget to

get to the Pre-Nat or meets that would enhance your at-large selection. Mid-Major = Less $$ to work with.

I didn?t set up the definitions, and I wouldn?t presume to attempt to redefine them either, as some people think they should.

The basketball and football crap you?re talking about is the attempt of the top schools to have it both ways. They want to view all schools as being Division 1 for schedule purposes when counting their victories, but then artificially create a distinction for tournament purposes (or, in the case of football, ?championship? purposes).

Well, bullshit. You can?t have it both ways. In basketball, league champions should go, and all be treated as league champions. If you?re Duke, and you have a problem with that, push for an upper Division with only 30 teams. Or petition to get into an easier conference. Same with football. They already did the split when they created I-AA, yet there is still use of stupid terms like ?mid-major.? Real crocodile tears involved in beating up Northern Illinois, but then whining later that they aren?t really in the top group.

But you?re absolutely right on cross. There are regionals, and there are a number of decent teams coming out of schools that aren?t football powerhouses.

So I?ll stand fast. There are no mid-majors in Division 1. Just stronger and weaker teams.

I am the one who asked the question, so I'll define it. If you believe it is only D2 schools or whatever, then don't reply to a post asking about D1 mid-majors. That is your opinion. A mid-major D1 program is one limited to very few scholarships and can only afford to ride in vans, and spend the night in hotels once or twice per season. There are plenty of schools like that in Division 1. Probably more so than there are in D2 and all those rich private schools. I happen to go to one of those schools and I was wondering about how we ranked against teams with similar budgets to ours.

I think Murray State in Ky does a good job. They are mid-major in basketball. I dont know what kind of scholarship money they have but i assume they are not rolling in the dough because they never get to travel far and to huge meets. Werent they top 15 at nationals some years back? They also finish competitively (right about the middle) in the very respectable southeast region each year with gritty purebred Ky boys.