April 3, 2014 by Charlie Eisenhood in News with 40 comments
The as-of-yet unexplained roster fiasco for teams around the country has been the buzz of the college division since the release of the bids earlier tonight. Could a subtle, mid-season policy change from USA Ultimate be at the heart of the regular season result disqualifications?
Earlier this year, as recently as February, USA Ultimate’s policy on the late submission of rosters read:
This policy had precedent; teams were fined hundreds of dollars, in some cases, for submitting rosters past the deadline in years past. But, without warning, the policy was changed earlier this year. The college roster guideline now reads:
Whether or not this is the reason for so many regular season results being thrown out of the preliminary rankings is unclear and only conjecture at this point. But it does appear to be a midstream change from USA Ultimate that could have a massive effect on the bid allocation this season. Could teams also be blocked from participation in the Series? By the letter of the law, yes.
It is likely that this clause has little to do with the teams currently left out of the rankings. It is related specifically to series participation, while the teams not ranked appear to have eligibility issues that are disqualifying some (or all) of their tournament performances.
We will have more on this story tomorrow.
Additional reporting by Preston Thompson.
