Sun Belt Conference Expansion & Realignment Thread

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3819

NorwichCat11 wrote:

I also think that U. Texas - Arlington[b] will start a football team by 2014, so that drops the SBC into a 13/1 pattern, unless ULAR leaves or is forced out.[/b]

Norwich welcome to the site and happy posting!

Also, welcome to the bold button. All your posts seem to be coming this way. Just highlight the words you want in bold and click the "B" and you're all set

NorwichCat11 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:22 pm

Thanks Quinn! By the way, what do you think of the possibility of U. Texas - Arlington adding football for 2014 and being in the Sunbelt? Will this affect who might be invited now and is this even being considered?

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 8540

Article out of Lafayette(previously posted in another thread)discussing SBC realignment situation at http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20 ... n-MTSU-FAU

fighting muskie · **Posted:** Sat Jan 19, 2013 4:39 pm

The early departures of FAU and Middle Tennessee have to put a real stress on SBC athletic directors. Now they are all going to have to find a 5th OOC opponent. Fortunately, there are some programs out there still with open dates--Wake Forest, Duke, Syracuse, Missouri, BYU, Marshall, and Tulane all had open dates the last time I checked.

It also means Karl Benson is going to have to speed up the SBC expansion process and find his league at least two more football playing members by next July. This probably means calling up Georgia Southern and Appalachian St (again), looking at Southland schools, or even stepping out of the footprint with a pair of VA schools like Liberty and James Madison. Idaho as a fb only member or New Mexico St as a full member are both on the table too.

jlog3000 · **Posted:** Sun Jan 20, 2013 8:13 am

Now that MTSU and FAU has planned to join C-USA for the upcoming season (2013-14), giving that conference 16 members, will the Sun Belt find a way to counter and find schools from other conferences within their region to maintain back to at least 12 members (at least 10 for FBS football)? And I believe that UALR should plan to sponsor football by reviving the program.

46566 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:06 am **Posts:** 234

What about trying to get back a Florida presence? Florida A&M was trying to move up about 10 years ago.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/footba ... proved_ap/

I know from a sports point there not a great choice but what about them but would it help(could?) with recruiting? While i know there no where near anyone's top 10 list for FCS upgrades. I'm curious on what are peoples thoughts on this?

A&M has a campus size of 13,000 ( more the Louisiana Monroe and close to Little rock in size) It's in Tallahassee were Florida state is.( a minus but a possible easy money trip for A&M to help with building their program)

jlog3000 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 22, 2013 3:56 pm

I believe that the divisional format in the Sun Belt will be automatically dissolved for at least basketball, baseball and volleyball when next season starts because of the last 4 members joining to C-USA, unless the conference can find any possible members.

TKthunder · **Joined:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 1584

Florida Atlantic and MTSU jumping in 2013 is causing the 8 fb mbr Sun Belt to play an extra OOC game.

“While the seven-game conference schedule is not perfect, the understanding is that this would only be for one season.”

The Sun Belt still plans to expand, but it will not do so before 2014, Benson said today.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20 ... dule-2012-

Also found this though I'm pretty sure its an old quote...

“We were starting the process of evaluating the prospective members and that’s been put on hold, and we’ll wait now until after the first of the (new) year to start that again,” said Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson. “There’s not a real sense of urgency. Obviously everyone would like to get it done, and we will get it done.”

http://star.txstate.edu/node/6502

fighting muskie · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 10:50 am

I'm curious as to how the SBC will determine who gets 4 home conference games and who only gets 3. UL Lafayette and South Alabama are in the most need of home games but I could see the conference sticking the newer schools (USA, Texas St, Georgia St) with 3 home games.

I think the SBC will ultimately be able to survive this realignment unless C-USA decides to go to 16 and takes 4 of the remaining 8 football schools. There are enough FCS schools in the Southeastern US capable of moving up to sustain the SBC--aside from the obvious candidates they could also reach up into VA and add Liberty and James Madison.

TKthunder · **Joined:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 1584

fighting muskie wrote:

I'm curious as to how the SBC will determine who gets 4 home conference games and who only gets 3. UL Lafayette and South Alabama are in the most need of home games but I could see the conference sticking the newer schools (USA, Texas St, Georgia St) with 3 home games.

I think the SBC will ultimately be able to survive this realignment unless C-USA decides to go to 16 and takes 4 of the remaining 8 football schools. There are enough FCS schools in the Southeastern US capable of moving up to sustain the SBC--aside from the obvious candidates they could also reach up into VA and add Liberty and James Madison.

Even if CUSA went to 16 with all SBC members, that would put them at 5 and we know the obvious candidates like Lamar, SHSU, Jacksonville St, Georgia Southern, App State, Liberty, and Jame Madison just to name of few could put them at 12, NOT including Idaho/NMSU who would jump at a fb only offer.

The Sun Belt will survive as long as they aren't fully annexed/merged into CUSA even if all thats left is ULM, Troy, and USA. Unlike the WAC there are still plenty of FCS options and as long as they have a seat at the BCS table they're good.

tute79 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:25 pm **Posts:** 2151

Really, CUSA will need to expand to get back to even numbers and may want some buffer against whatever future MWC / BEFB league expansion may come down the pipe.

IF (big IF) the Big Ten / Big XII / SEC don't launch an attack on the ACC (we should know what to expect after next week), things could settle down for the BEFB league.
We know hte BEFB is coming after Tulsa, so CUSA is likely to lose one there.

MWC has settled down, but at some point BYU may realize that their independence is costing them part of the $86 million pool, or a shot at the gang of 5 access bowl, etc.
If BYU came to this realization, they might approach MWC about joining as #13, and UTEP would make a nice #14.

So CUSA has 14 in the fold going forward, but could lose 1 or 2. Therefore, if and when Tulsa and / or UTEP leaves, CUSA will likely raid the Sun-Belt for replacements.
I only see the Sun Belt needing to add 2 teams (to deal with the most recent CUSA raid) and then maybe another 1 or 2.
Assuming Tulsa goes to the Big East, and CUSA takes another Sun-Belt school, the Sun-Belt targets may be Appy State, Georgia Southern, and NMSU (my guess).
NMSU may stretch the footprint slightly, but Benson might feel a bit of an obligation to help them out, since back in 2004 or so (back when he was WAC Commisioner),
he invited NMSU to leave their Sun-Belt home for the WAC.

dbackjon · **Joined:** Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:50 pm **Posts:** 268

tkalmus wrote:

dbackjon wrote:

Louisiana-Lafayette is NOT a FLAGSHIP - they pretend to be, but are the same standing as NELA, SELA, ULM, Nicholls, and McNeese.

Really?

ULL is the 2nd largest school in the state and the FLAGSHIP of the UL system which is one of the top 20 largest systems in the nation that governs Grambling, LA Tech, New Orleans in addition to NELA, SELA, ULM, Nicholls, and McNeese.

The only D1 schools not under their control in the state are LSU (the main flagship of the state) and Southern both of which lead their own university systems, that without the FLAGSHIPS are a bunch of schools smaller than the ones in the UL system.

No, ULL is NOT the Flagship of the Univerisity of Louisiana system. Any ULL advocate that says that is lying.

NorwichCat11 · **Posted:** Sun Jan 27, 2013 10:14 am

The SBC will need to add 4 teams to have a CCG. I see Appalachian St., Georgia Southern, Lamar, and Florida A&M. Anyone else see a different group of 4?

jlog3000 · **Posted:** Sun Jan 27, 2013 12:42 pm

NorwichCat11 wrote:

The SBC will need to add 4 teams to have a CCG. I see Appalachian St., Georgia Southern, Lamar, and Florida A&M. Anyone else see a different group of 4?

Nice preview for the Sun Belt to have to contest a CCG. But I don't see any FCS teams to be upgraded yet. However, I can see UAB (Alabama-Birmingham) and Marshall; with UALR (Arkansas-Little Rock) and UTA (Texas-Arlington) hoping to add football. UALR once had football in the past during their junior college days; saying that the Trojans should re-instate that sport. And the division format should be the following:

East: Georgia State, South Alabama, Troy, Western Kentucky, UAB, Marshall
West: ULL, ULM, Texas State, Texas-Arlington, UALR, Arkansas State

fighting muskie · **Posted:** Sun Jan 27, 2013 1:05 pm

Despite the recent and impending departures the Sunbelt is incredibly healthy--unlike the WAC, the SBC has an ample number of FCS programs within its footprint that could potentially move up to restock. Reloading however is going to require that their be a core group of SBC schools that can sell conference as a stable home and the right school or two stepping forward and volunteering to upgrade to coax the other candidates to join. The list of candidates is pretty long:

Georgia Southern
Appalachian St
New Mexico St
James Madison
Liberty
UT Chattanooga
Jacksonville St
Lamar
Sam Houston St
Stephen F. Austin
HBCU options--Florida A&M, Tennessee St, Alabama St, & Jackson St
UT-Arlington and UALR could also revive their programs.

Sun Belt Conference Expansion & Realignment Thread

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