Comments on: New Orleans To Leave Sunbelt

By: The 2010 Year in Conference Realignment | CollegeSportsInfo.com

The 2010 Year in Conference Realignment | CollegeSportsInfo.com — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:42:21 +0000

[...] the potential new upgrade criteria, there was some minor news in comparison. Sunbelt member New Orleans had opted to downgrade it’s athletic programs outside of Division 1. And they wouldn’t be alone. Fellow Louisiana school, Centenary, of the Summit League, [...]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:06:46 +0000

For a league that's been in existence for over 30 years, I find it remarkable how much of a revolving door the Sun Belt is. I'm not so naive not to realize that schools choose conferences because of business decisions, but it just seems there's no camerederie in that league. Nothing seems to say, "Our schools belong together."

Let me throw this out there: I'm a graduate of Appalachian State. A lot of our fans think that we should "move up" based partly on Michigan but mainly because of strong attendance & domination at our level. Personally, I'm not so sure. With C-USA at 12 members, the Sun Belt seems like the only option, and aside from other challenges related to upgrading to 1A, I don't like the idea of joining that league.

Right now ASU's longest conference road trip is only a seven-hour drive to Birmingham, and half the teams are within four hours. Conference members are close enough that, despite members' mostly small enrollments, I know graduates from every school in the league despite having lived only in NC. Now, technically, Sun Belt schools are located exclusively in the South, but from Boone, NC, App State would have to travel to FIU and FAU, which are farther than Chicago. North Texas is farther than Montreal. Forgetting even the travel costs, for a moment, I ask how a league that spread-apart that supposed to be conducive to rivalries & camerederie? I've met all of two people who've attended any Sun Belt school, and I doubt the graduates/fans of SB schools themselves have met many people from their own conference "rivals."

By: Nathan Brice

Nathan Brice — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:28:16 +0000

UALR might get voted out of the Sun Belt before they could ever get a football program together. At that point, they would look at either the Missouri Valley or the Southland. The Southland would be a much more likely destination. These decisions that are made to move to Division III have to do with even worse decisions that were made in the past as far as managing the move to Division I. There are many schools in Division I that do not belong. More and more schools are learning that it is tougher than they thought it would be.

By: bevo

bevo — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:31:01 +0000

In the late 1980s, UALR talked about football. Talks progressed to the point that they contacted the Little Rock School District about the possibility of renting a stadium. At that time, the school started work on adding dormitory to make the transition from a commuter school to a residential.

Yes, if the SLC looses enough members quickly enough, then UALR looks like an attractive addition. Otherwise, I do not see UALR getting an invitation.

As to the UNO decision, it continues a terrible trend in Division III. Schools are classifying themselves as Division III to save money. It has nothing to do with athletic philosophy. I agree with the observation that more schools will seek out this classification.

In response to this trend, I will not be surprised when Division III splits.

By: Matt Peloquin

Matt Peloquin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:00:51 +0000

yes, but if UALR added football, they'd just remain in the Sunbelt ;)

By: Nathan Brice

Nathan Brice — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:30:42 +0000

The Southland would not lose those members until other moves above them are made. Fewer and fewer schools in the Southland are not playing football. The first place that those schools will go will be the Sun Belt once that conference starts losing members. I don't know of any plans for UALR to start a football team, but it would be helpful for them to start thinking about it. The Southland might become like the Ohio Valley. They would start inviting non-football members to try to stay afloat.

By: Matt Peloquin

Matt Peloquin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:02:05 +0000

Indeed. Should the Southland ever lose members such as Texas St., Lamar, UTSA or Sam Houston St. to FBS (likely Sunbelt or CUSA should they have an opening...UTSA might be the only Southland candidate for CUSA), then the Southland would have few options.

UALR would make for an ideal travel partner for Central Arkansas.

But the Southland would have to consider some radical moves to get football members since they are so few candidates in the region. Note that they will have UTSA and Lamar for football soon as well.

By: TarkioKid

TarkioKid — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:45:21 +0000

About the only scenario I can see UALR going to the Southland is if there's a mass exodus of football schools to I-A, enough to jeopardize an autobid. While Quinn has pointed out that Texas A&M-Corpus; Christi was accepted to the SLC without football, they were also planning on starting a I-AA team, though that may have either been a ruse to get into the Southland, or may have been bogged down by the economic downturn. The first choice for the SLC is always going to be football-playing schools, since the current fb-playing schools are the ones most likely to leave.

By: Nathan Brice

Nathan Brice — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:53:39 +0000

They thought about doing this previously. Good for them that they made this hard decision. Football was never going to take off at any Division 1 level down there if they tried it. I would not be surprised if more schools at the lower end of Division 1 thought about doing this. It is going to get harder and harder for those schools that either don't play football or play lower end AFKA 1-AA football to do anything at the Division 1 level. This is the third school to drop, joining Centenary and Winston-Salem State. Winston-Salem State will re-join Division II next year and Centenary will drop to Division III in a couple of years. Denver would do well to join the Summit League because it would give them a better chance to make the NCAA Tournament. They are having one of their best years in basketball this year with Joe Scott as head coach. They are running a Princeton-style offense there. They are not as desperate as New Orleans. They probably won't leave Division 1. The same can be said for Arkansas-Little Rock. They have been to the NCAA Tournament previously with players like Derek Fisher and coaches like Wimp Sanderson. They probably won't leave Division 1, either. They perhaps should consider joining the Missouri Valley Conference if it is interested in them. The Valley does not have a team that far South. It would be interesting to see how both sides would adapt to that change if that indeed were to happen.