The Sunbelt Conference, the unfortunate bottom-rung of the I-A conference realignment totem pole, has been adding teams over the past 2 years in an attempt to create I-A stability. Florida Atlantic and Florida International have made the leap to I-A football and the Sunbelt, but it seems the Sunbelt is still looking to add more schools. The rumors have been floating around for some time now that one Sunbelt conference president approached Missouri St. (formerly SW Missouri St.) to gauge their long term plans. Missouri St. put an end to those discussions as factors such as attendance expectations came into play.

Despite being in a more desperate situation than it’s other I-A football conference counterparts, the Sunbelt hasn’t been inviting just anyone. Florida A&M; was prepared to make the I-A leap (which was stopped by the school administration) but the Sunbelt was not interested at the time. Another school that has contacted the Sunbelt is Tennessee-Chattanooga. With the departure of East Tennessee St. from the Southern Conference, UT-C was hoping to move its sports to the Sunbelt, the home of in-state rival Middle Tennessee St. The Sunbelt has also been contacted by a Colonial Athletic conference school that does not play basketball, (the potential school being from the group of Old Dominion, UNCW, VCU, Drexel, George Mason and Georgia St.) and another Southern Conference school without plans to upgrade from I-AA to I-A.