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Conferences adjust schedules after cancellationsThe decisions to cancel last weekend's football games following the tragedies in New York and the Pentagon are causing black college conferences to do some major juggling with their schedules. The decisions came for most of the conferences on Thursday, after each had put out memos or press releases Wednesday announcing that the games would go ahead. The reversal followed the announcement Thursday by the National Football League not to play their games scheduled for Sunday and Monday. That caused a ripple effect as Major League Baseball, the PGA and LPGA, Major League Soccer and all of NCAA Div. I football followed suit. The NCAA Executive Committee directed the championship committees in the various divisions (I-AA, II and III) to make appropriate accommodations such as extending playing seasons, altering schedules and adjusting criteria for championship selection for institutions that choose not to play in the next several days and cannot reschedule games. I-AA officials are expected to extend the regular season for one week, allowing play on the week of Thanksgiving and meaning their playoffs will begin on Saturday, Dec. 1. SWAC The Southwestern Athletic Conference, through interim Commissioner, Dr. James Frank, was the first I-AA conference to announce Wednesday that they would play on Saturday and was also the first to announce Thursday a reversal of that decision. As of press time Tuesday, SWAC officials were still trying to make a final determination on the rescheduling of games. Because the SWAC has their own championship game and does not participate in the I-AA playoffs, their rescheduling decisions may not be dictated by the I-AA committee's decision. The biggest obstacle the SWAC faces is the resheduling of the Southern vs. Prairie View game. It is critical to the division standings because both teams are in the Western Division and the game is needed to calculate the division championship. Southern plays Grambling on Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 24) but both teams are off on Nov. 17 meaning that date is a possibility. The other conference games that count toward division standings Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State vs. Alabama A&M could be played on the Thanksgiving Day weekend as neither of the teams have games scheduled that week. Texas Southern vs. Alabama State scheduled for last Saturday could be made up on Oct. 13 when both teams have open dates. The Southern Heritage Classic involving SWAC-member Jackson State against Tennessee State has already been rescheduled for Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22) in Memphis. The only SWAC team whose game from last weekend is not likely to be rescheduled is Grambling's out-of-conference date with Florida A&M in Cincinnati. That game, dubbed the Riverfront Classic, has been officially cancelled. MEAC The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference also made their decision to play on Wednesday but was not able to get out official notification of the cancellations until Friday morning. MEAC officials are only concerned with the two conference games scheduled last Saturday that have bearing on their championship Norfolk State vs. South Carolina State and N. C. A&T vs. Delaware State. Commissioner Charles Harris was awaiting final word from the I-AA committee on whether an extra week of play will be allowed. If it is allowed, the teams are expected to meet on Saturday, Nov. 24. CIAA The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association released a revised designated conference game schedule in light of the cancellations. The conference utilizes a six-game schedule among nine football playing schools and designates certain games that do or do not count in the division standings. They have designated the Sept. 8, Johnson C. Smith/Virginia State game (won by VSU, 34-7) as a conference/division game for both schools. Previously, it was a conference game for only JCSU. The Sept. 22 Elizabeth City State/North Carolina Central contest will now count in the division standings for both teams. The Livingstone/Elizabeth City State game will now count in the standings for Livingstone. The CIAA also announced that the dates of Nov. 10 for their championship game and Dec. 22 for the Pioneer Bowl (against a SIAC opponent) will remain as scheduled. SIAC The only Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference conference game scheduled was between Tuskegee and Miles. SIAC officials are looking at a possible date of Nov. 17 to make up that game. © 2001 Azeez Communications, Inc.
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