Presidents of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference are getting ready to begin formal discussions that could result in the ouster of the University of St. Thomas.
A meeting is expected to take place this month, and a source tells WCCO radio that this is "a very serious matter."
St. Thomas has by far the largest enrollment in the MIAC, and with NCAA Division III not allowing scholarships, some school presidents are concerned that having more students gives the St. Paul-based school an unfair advantage.
St. Thomas has had tremendous success in all sports in recent years.
The Tommie women's basketball team has won 74 straight games against league opponents, while the men's hockey team has won six league titles this decade.
The football team has risen to a national powerhouse in the last decade, and is regularly putting up lop-sided scores against out-manned MIAC opponents.
In their six conference wins last season, the Tommies outscored their MIAC opponents 323-34. They also lost two games and finished in third place.
In a statement to the school's student-based media outlet, first-year athletic director Phil Esten says St. Thomas is interested in stabilizing conference membership now and into the future.
The MIAC was founded in 1920, with St. Thomas among the charter members.
There are now 13 schools in the MIAC, nine of them fielding varsity football teams in league competition.
It would take nine votes among the MIAC presidents to expel a school from the league.
Current bylaws lists unethical or illegal behavior as the only basis for expulsion, which would mean the presidents would have to amend the bylaws to oust St. Thomas for enrollment issues.