Schools and conferences in this competition group are the ones typically seen on major national television networks most frequently and enjoy more revenue than any other level. The Power Five conferences are the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big Ten Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the Pac 12 Conference, and the Southeastern Conference. The schools in this group are now able to make decisions based on interests of the Power Five Conferences, a departure from the previous NCAA decision-making model. Schools competing at this level also qualify for post-season bowl games based on their performance, with a four-team tournament (within the bowl system) deciding the national champion. Sports other than football at this level compete with other teams and conferences in the NCAA Division I competition level.
Published in Chapter:
Out-Group Treatment in Higher Education: Using Rivalry to Allow Student Comparison of In-Group and Out-Group Members in NCAA Competition Divisions
Cody T. Havard (The University of Memphis, USA), Timothy T. Ryan (The University of Memphis, USA), and Skylar S. Workman (The University of Memphis, USA)
Copyright: © 2019
|Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-8125-3.ch003
Abstract
The chapter investigates differences in the ways college students compare to out-groups using the different NCAA competition divisions. In particular, students enrolled at schools in all six (i.e., Power Five, Group of Five, FCS, DI No Football, DII, DIII) reported their perceptions of rival school's athletics teams using the Sport Rivalry Fan Perception Scale (SRFPS). Differences were found regarding student perceptions among competition divisions. Specifically, attendance at a Power Five School influenced student's willingness to support rival teams against other teams, the enjoyment from defeating the rival team, perceptions of rival academic prestige and fan behavior, and likelihood of experiencing Glory Out of Reflected Failure (GORFing), or celebrating when the rival experiences indirect failure. Further, students attending DI No Football Schools and DIII Schools chose academic prestige as a way to derogate their rival schools. Discussion focuses on implications to higher education and avenues for future research.