Are we about to see a run of D-II schools trying to reclassify?

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Conference realignment isn't just limited to FBS, or even FCS conferences right now. It's happening at every level of college athletics. On Monday afternoon, for example, Ron Rochon, the president of the University of Southern Indiana, announced that his school would conduct a study to determine if they should reclassify to D-I:

That Southern Indiana might consider this move isn't totally shocking. Playing in perhaps the most basketball-mad state in the country, the Screaming Eagles have been one of the most successful men's basketball programs in D-II over the last twenty years, and can claim fan support and facilities above and beyond most of their peers. The school has over 9,000 students (and over 6,000 undergraduates), which would make it larger than plenty of other D-I schools. This move, if the school can find the right conference home on the right reclassification timetable, passes the sniff test, at least on paper.

What's interesting is that Southern Indiana isn't the only school looking to potentially make a jump. Even amid significant uncertainty as to what D-I college athletics will even look like in a decade, and with many smaller universities still digging out of COVID related budget holes, several D-II schools are looking to potentially move to D-I.

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