I read something interesting from the NCAA the other day. It seems that twelve additional schools have gone through the qualifying process and are now members of NCAA Division II.

I did not realize that moving up to Division II was a four-step process. After being accepted as an applicant for Division II, a school must go through a three or four year process before finally becoming a Division II school.

One school appears to have one year remaining in its exploratory period; six are in their second year; five more have started their first year. One school must repeat the first exploratory year.

Two schools were rejected from even starting the process. There are now, including the twelve accepted this year, 308 Division II schools.

I feel that most of the new Division II schools are ambitious to move on to NCAA Division 1AA (now the Championship Division) where they can join a conference, which almost guarantees additional revenue. Division II schools can offer some athletic scholarships, and many desire to move into NCAA Bowl Division (formerly Division 1A) where they can participate in bowl and television revenue.

Of some local interest, many will recall that Mississippi College used to be in NCAA Division II. After running afoul of some NCAA regulations, Mississippi College had to give up a recently won NCAA Division II Football Championship, and reached the decision to fall back to NCAA Division III.

Though no longer able to offer athletic scholarship aid, the decision led to the rekindling of the Choctaw’s ancient rivalry with cross-town Millsaps, also a Division III school.Mississippi College now plays in the American Southwest Conference, a Division II conference.

It includes Louisiana College and East Texas Baptist, schools of similar size and athletic ability as Mississippi College. Millsaps competes in a conference with Sewanee, and several other schools much the size of Millsaps.

The division change by Mississippi College led to the renewal of the ancient rivalry between Mississippi College and Millsaps, which had been cancelled after 1960 because of bad blood and trouble between students and supporters of the two schools.

I have read that there was never trouble on the field between the players from the two schools, but their students and supporters could not carry over that sportsmanship. Since the series restarted in 2000, there has been no known trouble. I watched the 2007 game, and it was as hard fought and clean as any major college game I ever watched or officiated.

I was sorry to read about Natchez’ Von Hutchins’ injury. Von, of course, was one of Ken Beesley’s prize pupils and went on from Cathedral to play at Ole Miss. That led to his NFL contract and the beginning of a solid career in Von’s chosen profession. Von’s mother nursed my late first wife at the Jeff several years ago and even then her pride in Von was apparent every day.

Most high school and college football teams are into two-a-days. That is not much fun this time of year in this part of Mississippi, but just happens to be where we live.

I can only relate to the conditions from officiating practices and scrimmages at LSU, because Sewanee was high on the Cumberland Plateau and relatively cool; and at Keesler Air Force Base, we always had that off-shore breeze that made one feel a bit cooler.

And, That’s Official.

Al Graning writes a weekly column for The Democrat.