University president Bill Meehan will lead a seven-person JSU team that will meet with the Division I Committee on Academic Performance in Indianapolis. The rest of the party includes athletics director Oval Jaynes, football coach Jack Crowe, former and current compliance directors Greg Bonds and Misty Cassell, Dr. Alicia Simmons of institutional research and faculty athletics representative Dr. Maureen Newton.
Meehan will make the presentation while the others will be on hand to answer questions.
"We're going to make the best case we can for Jacksonville State," Meehan said Wednesday. "We'll present the facts as they are and go from there. Then it's up to the NCAA. The decision is out of our hands."
It isn't likely the school will have a decision before the NCAA makes the public release of its APR report May 6.
The Gamecocks failed to meet the minimum APR benchmark of 925 for the third year in a row, subjecting themselves to scholarship and practice limitations and the postseason ban.
Meehan said the potential penalties are "all important." But it's the postseason ban that has created the most buzz.
In addition to not being able to compete for the national championship, the postseason ban also would impact the possibility of guarantee games.
The Gamecocks are scheduled to play Georgia Tech and Florida State this season, and recently signed a future game with Florida.
"(In) the ultimate penalty, they would not be able to count games against teams that were penalized," Meehan said. "If that were true, a lot of schools would have to rethink teams they are playing pay-for-play … The NCAA presidents are very serious about this (APR issue)."
Meehan would not disclose the elements that play in JSU's favor and Jaynes said it would be "inappropriate" to comment before the case is heard by the NCAA.
The JSU football program has taken steps to enhance its academic performance.
It has assigned assistant coach Matt Wannebo to oversee academic accountability, established a computer study lab in the field house and likely will cite its recent improved APR scores and argue the several players whose departures negatively impacted the APR score were released — in good academic standing — for the integrity of the program.
"We'd like fair treatment for similarly situated schools, that's all we're asking," Meehan said.
In March, the NCAA granted a conditional waiver to keep a Weber State football program facing similar sanction as eligible for postseason play in 2009, citing that school's strong commitment to address and improve the team's APR. The NCAA did uphold existing reductions in scholarships and practice time.
UT-Chattanooga, also facing a postseason ban, is still awaiting a decision.
