Brilliant!

You're a genious SportsKC.

I like it.

There's even enough teams left over in the Southland football ranks to have a stand alone all-sports conference among themselves:

Central Arkansas
McNeese State
Nicholls State
Northwestern State
Sam Houston State
Southeastern Louisiana
Stephen F. Austin
Texas State

Though, this would mean that the Mid Con would be looking for 2 more teams, as they would be down to 6.

Met add Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to the Southland list. Or whatever Southland school that wants to add football.

For the Mid-Con, that could be the chance for the D2 move ups to establish a North Central type conference. IPFW, NDSU, SDSU, UND, USD, Grand Valley State could be a nice conference with the left over Mid-Con schools.

North Dakota
North Dakota State
South Dakota
South Dakota State
Southern Utah
UMKC

Grand Valley State
IPFW
IUPUI
Oakland
Valpo
Western Illinois

Mid-Con could also then have football.

Yes, that would be a cool conference.

Although, if GVSU wasn't possible for a move up, then UVSC is probably more practical in termsa of availability. Put UMKC in the Eastern Division, and Place UVSC in the western.

WByeager, slightly off-topic, but still related to this issue and to the University of Alabama: is there any chance that the University of Montevallo will merge with the University of Alabama? I've heard talks about it before and I've wondered if anything has come of it or not. (I'm a Montevallo grad, that's why I ask)

I haven't heard anything about Montevallo and UA tying the knot, nor has my father (who is retired from the administration at USA) heard anything. Montevallo was rumored to be closed when higher education's all-time #1 enemy, Fob James, was governor, but then again, so were UAB, UAH, and AUM (The six reported survivors were Alabama State [HBCU], Alabama A&M [HBCU], Alabama [constitutional provision], Auburn [constitutional provision], Troy [better lobbyists], and either UAB or USA [medical school]).

Actually, I wonder if Tulane bites the I-A dust if Conference USA will try to bring a school on like the way the Big East did with Connecticut. Since the BCS autobid is probably firmly out of the picture, they could mooch a school from the Sun Belt or MAC, or take on a new football program like USA, who would pretty much lock up the GMAC Bowl forever.

Or just add Louisiana Tech.

The SunBelt has always been viewed as a "fall back" option for Louisiana Tech, and this is according to several LTU fans. Right now, LTU is feasting off the credits of the departed WAC members and only plans to leave the WAC when those credits run out. That may be one reason Fresno State hasn't jumped to the MWC yet, other than the fact that they haven't been offered either., ;) . Louisiana Tech is hoping that the Big East picks off as a C-USA member so that they are able to join that conference, but if the BE chooses to leave C-USA intact (or no C-USA school decides to leave for the BE), LTU will then join the SunBelt for awhile.

Thanks for answering my Montevallo question, WByeager. :) Amazing that Montevallo was supposed to be closed, and ended up surviving!!! Wow!!!

I dont think Louisiana Tech will leave the wac until it gets an invite from C-USA, which means it might be in the wac for awhile.

Can anybody please post the article about WKU possibly going to 1-A football in the Sun-belt ?
There is some type of registration gauntlet blocking access to the story referenced on the home page of this site.
Thanks.

It would seem to make sense to consolidate their sports in the same conference where they currently play their other sports.
They have reportedly been courted by the MAC, but if the MAC is somehow considered to be their best long-term option, they could always upgrade to 1-A withe FB in the Sun-Belt, and then make a whole-sale conference change at a some later date...

yes supposedly they would play a little in the sun belt then move to the mac, although the mac isnt doing to good this year and there are some attendance issues, personally I think the sun belt is a better choice, just not as prestigious.

I think Florida International joined when Florida Atlantic did.

There are currently 13 schools. 8 play FB in the Sun-belt.

Of the other 5, WKU plays 1-AA football in the Gateway (and is reportedly considering moving up to 1-A). If they play in the Sun-Belt, that would be 9 FB schools, which would give an 8 game round-robin which a lot of AD's really like.

Denver (non-football) was stuck in the Sun-Belt, when Utah State, New Mexico State, and Idaho left for the WAC. The are geographically isolated, and it is expected that at some point they will move elsewhere, which would leave the Sun-Belt at 12 schools.

delete key doesn't work....sleteriv
tea . d scshoolsdbhcoola

9 is not an ideal number for football because it leaves 1 team without a conference game every week. AD's don't like scheduling NC games in the 2nd half of the season. They're usually hard to get.

I dont think WKU would stick around too long before they go to the mac, Denver just has nowhere to go the west needs a new basketball/football conference

Nine is actually a good number for football scheduling, since most teams have at least one bye week, if not two during the season anyway. Even schools in power conferences play non-conference games late in the season. The Sun Belt also has the flexibility of using the first week in December since there is no conference title game. Remember that the WAC and MWC also have 9 schools for football, and the MAC has 13.

I just don't see WKU joining the current MAC. They'd be the southernmost school, the conference already has 13 members for football, and most of them won't be any better draws for football than their Sun Belt opponents would be. MTSU should be a natural rival for WKU.

If there's any significant exodus from the MAC or Sun Belt, though, that may all be off the table. If you see any departures from Conference USA, things may get more interesting.