As the Delta State football team tries to make its third Division II playoff appearance in four years, the team’s final chance to prove why it deserves to be in the postseason has been canceled. And head coach Todd Cooley is not happy about it.
Cooley, the winningest coach in program history, took the podium Monday for his weekly press conference and informed the media that Saturday’s regular-season finale against Kentucky State has been called off. According to him, Kentucky State breached contract by deciding to play a different team this weekend and informed Delta State’s athletics department that it would not be making the trip to Cleveland.
“You’ve got Kentucky State, who signed a contract to play us July 14, they’re supposed to be coming to Cleveland this weekend to play us, and they are not,” Cooley said. “They are playing Shorter, because they’re telling us that they’ve got an agreement to play the third-place team in the Conference Carolinas. Well, Shorter is not the third-place team in Conference Carolinas.”
While Cooley said it’s still unclear exactly why Kentucky State canceled – adding that he’s been told “about 14 things” by its athletics department, including the supposed deal to play Shorter – he’s right about Shorter not being third in the Conference Carolinas. Shorter, which has an overall record of 2-8 and a 1-5 mark in league play, currently sits sixth out of seven in the Conference Carolinas.
Cooley explained that the contract with Kentucky State allowed for each team to reach the Division II maximum of 11 regular-season games. He said the fine text reads that if Kentucky State were to reach the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship game, the two teams would not play since the SIAC championship is scheduled for this Saturday. Kentucky State did not make the championship, finishing third in the conference behind Benedict and Albany State. Delta State plays in the Gulf South Conference, which awards championship honors to the team with the highest win-loss percentage in league play, meaning the Statesmen would have been able to play this Saturday either way.
Cooley alluded to the possibility that Kentucky State canceled to protect its playoff chances. If Kentucky State lost to Delta State, its playoff odds would take a statistical blow. Currently, Delta State has an overall record of 7-3 while Kentucky State is 8-2. Based on the regional rankings, which serve as a framework for the playoffs, Kentucky State is No. 7 and Delta State is No. 8 in Super Region Two.
“It’s baffling to me. It’s setting a precedent that should not be set,” Cooley said. “I would think if we beat them, they probably wouldn’t be in (the playoffs). So maybe that’s why they’re not playing us. You’d have to ask them. I just know they’re not playing us. It’s been frustrating.
“But at the end of the day, when a team says they’re not coming, what are you going to do? All you can do now is go through legal action to determine what the repercussions for that are.”
Kentucky State’s athletics department has yet to respond to a request for comment or interview from SuperTalk Mississippi News.
Cooley added that Delta State’s athletics department contacted four other schools on Sunday after finding out that Kentucky State was not going to play the game, but to no avail. For the time being, he said his team will continue to go through practice as usual and hopes the playoff selection committee decides to give them a chance, taking into consideration the unexpected cancellation.
“It’s tough, but our players are going to continue to work this week. We know that we need some help right now to get into the postseason, but we’ve got to play as if we’re going to get that help and we’re going to continue to move ahead,” he said. “I just believe good things happen to good people, and I think that somehow, we’re going to find a way to get into the playoffs. I think we’ve earned that right.”
The 32-team field for the Division II playoffs will be announced on Nov. 16. The first round begins on Nov. 22.