SLC going to 9 games

The Southland Conference is moving to a nine-game football schedule.
Monday, the league's athletic directors voted unanimously to add the ninth conference game starting in the fall of 2026.
Currently, the SLC's 10 football-playing schools will play eight league games this season. For instance, McNeese will not play defending Southland champ Incarnate Word, which would likely be one of the conference's showcase contests in the fall.
This is the first season with 10 football schools since the league regrouped after the 2021 purge, when five schools left the conference. This will also be the first season with Texas-Rio Grande Valley playing football.
'I like the idea of playing everybody in the conference,' McNeese head coach Matt Viator said. 'It makes a lot of sense to me. You get a true champion that way. It gives us another game against a like opponent.'
The A.D.s were on the same page, as each school continues to struggle to find the proper schedule.
'We were all in agreement about it,' said McNeese A.D. Heath Schroyer. 'I think this is a great move by our league as we look to the future. Moving forward, it will be a lot easier for scheduling for all of us and will give us more shared revenue.'
The Southland's decision comes as the Football Championship Subdivision looks to expand to a 12-game schedule overall every year.
The Cowboys and the rest of the FCS typically play an 11-game schedule, unless the weekly calendar allows for 12 games before the Thanksgiving break. That usually happens about every four or five seasons.
However, they have 12 games scheduled for next season, following a dozen games and a 6-6 finish last year. Twelve FCS games could be on the horizon as of 2026.
Earlier this spring, the FCS Oversight Committee met and recommended that its schools play 12 games annually, starting with the 2026 schedule. The one-game extension is expected to be finalized during the Division I Council meeting June 24-25.
'I think it will pass and that is good for our programs,' said SLC Commissioner Chris Grant. 'It is another game for us to get revenue, and it has been hard for some of our teams to get games.'
Securing another Division 1 contest and avoiding the need to travel outside the league's footprint is a significant win.
'This keeps our regional rivalries going,' said Grant. 'This is a big thing for our schools. We hope it could help lead to getting two or three teams back in the postseason.
'Our schools have upgraded their schedules, but we haven't seen the advantages of that yet.'
Grant added that at the meetings, the league discussed a new contract with ESPN and efforts to secure more games on linear networks. Last year, McNeese opened its season with a game at Tarleton State on ESPN. Nicholls and UIW will open this year the same way.
'I'm really excited about the nine and 12 games,' Viator said. 'Anytime you get an opportunity to play a game, I think it is great for everyone.'
Grant said the good news this year is that the league is not concerned with expansion; instead, it is focusing on moving forward as a group. That includes the 22-game conference basketball schedule that starts next season.
Also discussed was the possible expansion of the postseason basketball tournaments. Currently, the top eight teams qualify for the tournament; however, the league is considering expanding to 10 teams in the future.
Grant said the league would need more hotel rooms in Lake Charles, which has a limited number, as the state high school tournament is in town at the same time.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

7 hours ago

• Yahoo

Half of employees secretly slow down during the summer, Glassdoor reports

This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. During the summer season, 49% of workers 'dial it down' at work and draw firmer boundaries around their time, according to a June 18 report from Glassdoor. Younger workers are leading the way, with 64% of those between ages 21 and 25 taking a step back at work during the summer, compared to 56% of ages 26-29 and 39% of those over 45. 'The people most likely to 'dial it back' in the summer are the ones with growing responsibilities at home,' said Adam Grant, chief worklife expert at Glassdoor. 'New love and young kids place a greater premium on family time.' Pulling back on work doesn't necessarily mean employees are slacking off, Glassdoor noted; they could simply be adjusting their schedules and reducing their packed workloads. When asked in a separate poll what was 'crushing your summer vibe work-wise,' more than a third of workers complained about 'too many meetings.' To address this, Grant suggested defining the purpose of meetings upfront and focusing on decisions, creation, bonding or action. Otherwise, meetings should be canceled, he noted. With ongoing economic uncertainty, return-to-office mandates and quiet vacationing, workers are trying to reclaim their time, Grant said. Workers who secretly pull back may be experiencing burnout, boredom and distrust. 'Many people are tired of letting their jobs dictate their time,' he said. 'They don't want to squeeze family, friends, health and hobbies into the margins around work — they want to find work that fits into their lives. There's a growing sentiment that work shouldn't define our identities.' In Glassdoor reviews, mentions of 'burnout' have reached the highest rate in nearly a decade, according to another Glassdoor report. Reviewers who mentioned burnout also characterized their work environment as 'high-pressure' with 'last-minute' changes or 'after-hour' work, indicating that HR pros can work to change the workplace culture and policies, Glassdoor said. About 1 in 10 U.S. workers plan to take a 'micro-retirement,' such as an unpaid sabbatical or extended paid time off, sometime this year, according to a report by Millennials and Generation Z workers, in particular, said they intend to take time away from their jobs to rest, travel or focus on personal projects, which can reduce burnout and improve well-being, the company said. On the other hand, some U.S. employees are increasingly working while on vacation, with only 37% saying they disconnect completely while away, according to a Dayforce report. Employers can help workers achieve better work-life balance by creating team coverage plans for vacation days and having managers lead by example, the report found. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

American Press

21 hours ago

• American Press

Jim Gazzolo column: McNeese keeps travel bag handy

Matt Viator will return to the McNeese Cowboys. (American Press Archives) The bosses at McNeese have made it clear: if asked, the school is ready to jump at the next opportunity toward the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Having missed one if not two chances, time might be running out. Facing the hard truth, McNeese, a Football Championship Subdivision school, wasn't ready to move up over the last five years despite what it had talked about. The facilities were a mess, the football program was in disarray and, although funding was improving, it was far from ready to compete at that level. Many of those issues have been corrected or addressed. The hurricanes of 2020 forced the fixing and modernization of all sports facilities. Most of the work has been completed, but there are still projects on the board that need to be finished. The fact that things have been fixed and improved, though, does show that any league looking at it would see that the commitment from the administration is there. There has also been significant growth in funding, and McNeese is a leader at its level in the work of the name, image, and likeness department. Credit Athletic Director Heath Schroyer and his crew for thinking ahead of the curve the past few years. That, however, doesn't mean leagues will be fighting over the Cowboys. The truth is that it's a buyer's market with numerous teams looking for invitations. And while it has greatly improved its financial situation over the last half decade, McNeese's sports budget is still well behind that of places like Tarleton State, for example. That is still an uphill climb. As for the McNeese programs, it is clear that men's basketball has demonstrated its ability to compete at higher levels. Baseball and softball have also experienced similar trends over the years. Women's basketball and football need work, with a lot of eyes on the gridiron this fall. One thing McNeese has over many schools looking to move is its football tradition. Recently, that has not been the case; however, this year the Cowboys went back in time to change the direction of their future, rehiring Matt Viator as head football coach. Still, there is a lot of politicking and positioning behind the scenes that will be done if any movement is to follow for McNeese or the rest. Schroyer is, of course, good at this. While he said this week he doesn't expect an invitation to be extended, he will make a few calls just to let people know the Cowboys are interested if there is a good fit. That is why a lot is riding on this football season. And, while those games will be played out in public, there will also be a lot of talks behind the scenes that could lead to much more for McNeese. • Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@

Yahoo

2 days ago

• Yahoo

MacPhee understudy Grant joins Hearts as set-play coach

Hearts have appointed Ross Grant as their first set-play coach. After sporting director Graeme Jones highlighted the desire for a dedicated set-piece coach, the Tynecastle club have appointed Grant from Dundee United. Advertisement He coached in the professional phase of the Tannadice club's academy, and brings 15 years of experience to Gorgie. Grant was general manager at former Hearts interim boss Austin MacPhee's 'AM Soccer Club' before providing support to MacPhee in his set-piece roles with Aston Villa and the Scotland national team. Grant says his understanding of set-piece "importance" has developed from working with MacPhee. In last season's Scottish Premiership, Hearts had eight goals assisted via a set-piece. Motherwell had the most with 13. Midfielder Blair Spittal created 23 chances from set-pieces - the most by any Hearts player - while United's Will Ferry created the most in the league with 28. Advertisement Grant is "excited to develop innovation and creativity" from set-pieces. "I had a good conversation with Graeme Jones about integrating set-play coaching into the club," he said. "I'll look to provide clarity, but I'm also excited to develop innovation and creativity about how we make set-pieces more successful in both attacking and defensive terms. "I'm looking forward to working with the new management team ahead of the new season."