Labels: coaching changes

With a 12-game regular season now permanently in place in college football, the hypothetical question for Big 12 coaches is whether they would want the extra game to be against, say, Southeastern Louisiana or the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

To Texas Tech's Mike Leach, it's a no-brainer. Bring on the Lions, which is precisely what his Red Raiders will do on Sept. 23.

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About 200 Birmingham-Southern College students and student-athletes rallied on campus Wednesday, marching with signs, chanting and shouting in support of scholarship Division I athletics at the small liberal arts school.

While they wrote letters to encourage trustees to vote against a possible move to non-scholarship Division III when the issue comes up at a meeting May 26, members of the BSC faculty were approving a resolution to urge the board to withdraw from Division I "at the earliest possible time."

History professor Ed LaMonte said the hastily called faculty meeting resulted in the acceptance of a resolution that says a move to Division III would benefit the school "in terms of its liberal arts mission and philosophy," as well as help in "securing its financial future." The vote to approve the resolution was 49-9 with one abstention, he said.

The Crusaders will begin Horizon League competition in 17 intercollegiate sports beginning with the 2007-08 academic year, vying for a league title in all sports but men's and women's golf.

Valparaiso will make the move from the Mid-Continent Conference based partly on the geographic benefits of entering the Horizon League.

"Institutions in the Horizon League are much more geographically centralized than the institutions within the Mid-Continent Conference," said university president Dr. Alan F. Harre. "The transition to the Horizon League means less time will be needed by our student-athletes as they travel to and from competition, and it means they will miss fewer classes. Shorter travel also means less fatigue and increased concentration in the classroom."

More than anything, the men's basketball program will benefit from the move, joining NCAA stalwarts Butler and Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the highly- competitive conference.

With the departures of Chicago St. and now Valparaiso, the Mid-Continent is now down to 7 teams. With formal requests for institutional profiles issued to NSDU, SDSU and IPFW, the Mid-Continent could be preparing for a 3 team expansion to a total of 10 teams.

"The Atlantic Sun Conference is extremely pleased to announce the addition of the Florida Gulf Coast University," said A-Sun Commissioner Bill Bibb. "We are excited about the natural rivalries; we are excited about the growth and community support that FGCU brings to the conference; and we are excited about adding a member which shares the commitment to both academics and athletics which has been a hallmark of the Atlantic Sun. The vision set forth by President Merwin and Athletics Director Carl McAloose presents an excellent plan for growth and success and we are proud that this will include being a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference."

FGCU has wasted little time in establishing the University as one of the most ambitious and fastest growing institutions in the southeast. Opening its doors in 1997, FGCU has recorded explosive growth with its enrollment expected to be in excess of 8,000 students in the fall of 2006.

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