“Faith” No More: NCAA Cracks Down on Non-Countable Opponents

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The infamous D2 football single-game records set by Tusculum last season will be a thing of the past after the the NCAA released a list of non-countable opponents Friday.

The memo, issued by NCAA media coordination and stats director David Worlock, lists 34 schools whose accreditation (or lack thereof) does not meet NCAA standards, including the three branches of the controversial online-only “College of Faith” campuses in Arkansas, Florida and North Carolina. Statistics in games against non-countables in all sports, including football, will not be recognized by the NCAA.

“On closer examination, it is evident these schools are focused solely on fielding athletics teams,” Worlock said. “We have found many of them offer exclusively online courses and have questionable curriculum and/or no academic mission.”

Effective August 1, a non-NCAA opponent must meet the following requirements to be considered a “countable” opponent for statistical purposes:

• The institution must be a four-year, degree-granting institution.
• The opponent must be considered both a varsity intercollegiate team and countable competition as defined by NCAA bylaws.

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