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Rutgers-Newark AD Mark Griffin is no longer listed on the Scarlet Raiders’ staff directory. Griffin has served as the AD since 2004. Assoc. AD/SWA Mary Stadelmann will serve as Interim AD. (link)

Facing a Nov. 21 deadline for two-thirds of Division I member schools to submit paperwork in order to rescind a proposed rule change allowing college athletes and staff to bet on professional sports, a source tells CNN’s Dana O’Neil: “As of right now, we are not meeting that threshold.” If the needed 241 (out of 361) DI schools do not respond, the change will go into effect on November 22. (link)

What do you get when you mix one of the most historic Football rivalries with homecoming with a high-profile Men’s Basketball matchup? Randolph-Macon AD Jeff Burns believes “It could be as good a weekend as we’ve ever had, or it could be a logistical game-management nightmare.” For The Game, RMC has brought in temporary bleachers for the visitors’ side and doubled the concessions points of sale, as around 8K fans will be on campus tomorrow. Burns’ top concern will be parking, given all the activities, and RMC has been working with local police to help with satellite parking and traffic. Burns: “For us, to have this many of our alums come back and be a part of something, it’s a big deal. The tailgating is done very well now. The parking, we are working our tails off with the Ashland police to figure out the easiest way to get people in and get people out. I think what happens sometimes is you have that many people and you’re trying to make everybody happy, it just doesn’t always work. We just want to try to make it as friendly as possible. It should be a friendly rivalry, and I think it will be this week.” (link)

The NCAA DI Board of Directors sent a memo to member schools Thursday regarding eligibility standards. From the memo: “While the rules provide opportunities for institutions to seek limited waivers of these [eligibility] rules in extraordinary circumstances, these waiver requests need to be filed in good faith for the system to work as intended. The eligibility rules are applied fairly and consistently, a commitment that must continue. … The trend of more than 70 student-athletes rushing to the courthouse to seek injunctive relief against eligibility rules is troubling as it concerns stability and predictability for member institutions and future student-athletes. … Coaches and other athletics department officials who encourage these lawsuits, and even support them on the premise that it is to benefit only one student-athlete, are undermining the very rules their schools have voted to approve and abide by, and are depriving future student-athletes of meaningful opportunities to compete. The Division I Board will explore fair ways to hold accountable institutions electing to not follow the rules that they have supported.” More. (link)   

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken has overruled objections from 2025-26 House settlement class members to the settlement’s injunctive relief portion. Wilken writes the objections, which largely centered around Title IX, were already addressed and left open the door for future Title IX litigation on revenue sharing. Sportico’s Michael McCann adds: “Wilken wrote she can't edit a settlement—it's a contract between parties—and to the extent Title IX claims are pursued, they should be brought against individual schools, including those that share most of the revenue with male athletes. I expect we'll see many Title IX lawsuits on that front. Keep in mind, this ruling is only at the district court (trial) level. Over the next year or so, the Ninth Circuit will review these and other arguments as the settlement is challenged at the appellate level.” Full opinion text. (link, link) 

Instant replay will be available for the entire Football playoffs, at the home team’s discretion, per In The D3FB Huddle’s Frank Rossi. The NCAA’s policies and procedures also note that a visiting team cannot decline the use of replay if the home team is using it. Rossi adds: “Whether or not this capability will affect hosting rights/ability this year or in the future is not clear. However, what is clear is that the NCAA is serious about building a video architecture for D3 Playoffs moving forward.” (link)

Wisconsin-Stevens Point has received approval from the State Building Commission to build a new Track & Field facility at Coleman Field. The new facility, which will be partially funded by donors, will include a nine-lane rubberized track, LED lights and the potential for a 500-seat bleacher system. AD Brad Duckworth: “This renovation will provide our athletes with a first-class facility to compete and practice. Adding an outdoor track was necessary to continue to attract top-level athletes to UWSP; all who desire to compete at the highest level of NCAA Division III track and field.” Construction is scheduled to begin early next summer and be ready by fall 2027. (link) 

The Athletic’s Chris Vannini profiles Wisconsin-River Falls OC Joe Matheson and the Falcons’ high-flying offense. Matheson on the program’s offensive success: “This breakthrough year, we’re doing all the same things we’ve been doing since 2020, we’ve just had better results. It’s that consistent and relentless commitment to our process.” On the offensive system for UWRF: “We’ve kind of Moneyballed our way into, how do you play four quarterbacks and still win in the toughest league in the country? We’re going to have a lower threshold of arm talent because we’re willing to run the quarterback, create more space and create more one-on-ones.” (link)

Coaches.wire…
➤ Eastern Connecticut State selects Mount Saint Mary Club Coach Andy Crane as its first Women’s Flag Football HC. (link)
➤ Misericordia names Scranton AC Paige Frye as its new Women’s Lacrosse HC. (link)
➤ Baseball leads the way with the most coaching staff changes of any sport over the past few days. Check out the full list across all collegiate sports in this morning’s edition of Coaches.wire. (link)

The latest edition of CRO.ticker hit inboxes this morning and features a look at how a new guard of private equity giants are moving aggressively into European soccer finance as traditional banks shy away from reputational risk, AI’s impact on the CFO-CIO relationship, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ new in-game seat-upgrade marketplace college football secondary market ticket pricing for Week 12 and lots more. Check it out. (link)

More Higher Ed…
➤ Wittenberg has been placed on probation by the Higher Learning Commission for failing to meet “Resource Base and Sustainability” requirements. (link)
➤ Johns Hopkins will eliminate tuition, fees and living expenses for undergrads on its Homewood campus whose families earn under $100K. The university will also eliminate tuition for those making under $200K. (link)

Common App new early-applicant data highlights that higher ed applications from Black, low-income, first-generation and rural potential students are all up compared to this point last year, while international applications are down and the most selective institutions, with admit rates of 25% or below, are experiencing the smallest application growth compared to other types of institutions, according to Inside Higher Ed’s Sara Weissman. Per the report, “applications from those who identified as Black or African American increased 16% and multiracial applicants rose 11% compared to the same time last application season. The report also found that applicants who identified as first-generation grew by 12%, while low-income applicants … increased at more than twice the rate of other applicants. Rural applicants grew by 15% compared to last year, while those from metropolitan areas grew only 6%. [...] The number of international students applying dropped 9% compared to this point last year, driven by a 14% drop in applicants from India. … Applicants from Asia broadly and from Africa also dropped significantly, 9% and 18% respectively, with a whopping 43% decline in applicants from Ghana. These trends suggest the Trump administration's policies, including international student visa delays and denials, may be deterring students.” More. (link)