This could make sense arrangement-wise, but it could also seriously hurt one conference or another. While Coastal Carolina did finish 10-1, who's to say that the championship wouldn't have been given to the Great West champ (I want to say Cal Poly, but I'm not sure). IMHO, I think what the Big South needs to do is just let Savannah State in. They're within the relative geographic area, have football, and given a couple of years in an actual conference SSU would more than likely beef up and be competitive. As for the Great West... um... start begging San Diego? Unless they can convince another D2 school to move up, that really seems like the only option they have.

I think it's time the Big South tried to pitch scholarship ball to some of the I-AA non-scholarship programs such as Morehead State and Davidson-or we could see the next round of mass realignment as the football schools move to other conferences, and the non-football/non-scholarship schools move to the Big South (or some other conference).

But while we're at it

East:
Coastal Carolina
Liberty
Gardner-Webb
VMI
Charleston Southern
Presbyterian (upgrading)/Savannah State

West:
Cal-Poly
UC Davis
North Dakota State (I-AA transition)
South Dakota State (I-AA transition)
Southern Utah
San Diego (if they upgrade from I-AA non-scholarship)

Or, this situation could be put to rest by the Big Sky taking Cal-Poly, Davis, and SUU (and possibly San Diego if they were to leave the Pioneer League), and the Gateway picking up NDSU and SDSU.

Yes. I agree.

Presbyterian will be the Big South's 6th team. If Coastal gets taken by the SoCon, then they are right back in the same boat.

Savannah St would be a buffer fot the conference, but they would be the worst possible pickup. When compared with even the next worst programs in all of DI, Savannah St makes them all look good. Not only that, Savannah St makes Charleston Southern's facilities look like a temple.....

Savannah St has no business being DI, let alone being in any DI conference.

I think this is a terrible idea.

New Big South:

Birmingham Sou, Charleston Sou, High Point, Radford, UNCA, George Mason, UNCW, ODU, VCU

Atlantic Sun:

Belmont, Campbell, ETSU, Jacksonville, Kennesaw St, North Florida, Mercer, Stetson, Georgia State

New CAA (all play football):

Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra, James Madison, Northeastern, William & Mary, Coastal Carolina, Liberty, Virginia Military, Winthrop, Gardner-Webb, Towson

Villanova, Richmond, New Hampshire, Massachussetts, Maine, Rhode Island become football-only members of the MAAC

Presbyterian becomes a member of the Big South and joins the football MAAC when they get far enough along in their upgrade. Savannah State is left for the MEAC.