lets see if app st. and utc leave that would leave a confederation of...

vmi
liberty
elon
wcu
gardner webb
coastal carolina

furman
wofford
the citadel
presbyterian
charleston southern
geogia southern

then you could have a 1aaa conference of

radford
unc ashville
high point
unc greensboro
davidson
college of charleston
winthrop

they would have to get a waiver to maintain automatic bid and other candiates include independent newbie longwood, atlantic sun members like campbell and possibly etsu.

I'm not sure I agree with a SoCon/Big South merger. The SoCon has always been a step above the Big South and that would seem like a move in the wrong direction. Schools that want to move up to IA in this area usually move up through the SoCon. Bringing back the glory days of the SoCon can be done by bringing in strong state instutions. That's how the SoCon was built, that's how the SoCon will grow. Adding the likes of Radford, Charleston Southern, & Presbyterian is not going to get the SoCon on top. The SoCon seems to have misplaced it's identity but by adding UNCW, Coastal, & Jacksonville State the SoCon would be on the right path to reclaiming that lost identity.

FYI: New SoCon Poll up on the homepage

http://collegesportsinfo.com/

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Perhaps SoCon expansion is imminent. They have a meeting next week (Nov. 14th), and expansion will be on the agenda.

The conference comissioner has stated that logically the 11 team conference will expand to an even number, but that even number could be 12 OR 14.

I think he has been on the job at the SoCon for less than a year.

Not sure how badly they want to expand, but there are several applicants....

Coastal Carolina (Big South) has actively lobbied for admittance to the SoCon. Curiously the Big South, which had been considered a "lesser conference" lately has been holding its own with the SoCon in football.

Supposedly UNCW had been unhappy being the southernmost (before Georgia State was added) member of the Colonial. UNCW doesn't play football. The CAA went and added Ga. St. (also a non-FB team), not sure if that mollified UNCW. Geographically, UNCW would seem to have a lot of close neighbors in the SoCon, but who knows if they want to move, and if the SoCon wants them.

ACC Seahawk mentioned Samford. I know nothing about them.

!4 seems like a lot of teams, but maybe the plan would be to get everyone that you want (long term) in the fold now, in advance of some possible departures, such as:

Appalachian State / Georgia Southern upgrade football to 1-A and move to the Sun-Belt. The Sun-Belt long term plan may be to transform inself into a conference of 12 or so "all-Sports" schools, absorbing such potential move-ups as App. State / georgia Southern / Southern Illinois / Missouri State.

UT Chattanooga moves to the Ohio Valley (they recently said "No - for now"). That would consolidate a lot of Tennessee schools in the OVC.

I'm just posting what (mostly speculation) I've read elsewhere. Any other "concrete" information would be appreciated.

i heard at caazone.com that we (uncw) declined the socon invitation. rumor was they were trying to put together some type of 14 team allignment. samford was mentioned/courted to pacify utc; don't know how seroius they were. the socon should coastal to get to 12. they are good in football and decent in basketball. if they want 14, then take coastal, winthrop and i would say hampton, unless you could get an ovc school to come for utc. coastal and winthrop are the best two options out there and hampton is a good football school, although there basketball is not that great. if they don't want two football schools, they could take east tennesse st. back which utc would like.

there just aren't too many options. i would take the 14 team option because coastal and winthrop would really add to the competitiveness of the socon, and then i would take hampton, who really wants to improve, but can only do so much in the meac. taking vmi back would not add to competitiveness at all. keeping utc happy though is important and if you can get someone for them, then i would make that ovc school #14, but there just aren't any willing candidates from what i have read.

Appreciate the news ACC Seahawk.

I was getting the impression that there is a news black-out while some dealings go down. Maybe no press release will happen until invitations are made, and accepted.

Not sure the 14-team league wouldn't be a bit TOO big.

I'm wondering how close they think Appalachian State and Georgia Southern are to leaving (I suppose to play Football in the 1-A SunBelt) ?

If they see that coming like a freight train, it might make sense to go after the 3 teams you eventually want NOW, to be the 12 they want to be later.

Coastal sure seems like they've gotten competitive, and that would be a no-brainer.

I thought UNCW was SOOOO unhappy in the CAA, and it seemed like Georgia State was a weird addition that wouldn't necessarily mollify them. They might make a nice #13 and #14, and then the CAA could grow by expanding with teams more from the mid-Atlantic, and could leave all 5 Virginia teams + Towson in the CAA South.

Why do you suppose UNCW rejected the offer ? If they are unhappy in the CAA, where would they be happier ?

while the travel situation is a little rough in the caa, i think george mason's run last year on top of our #9 seed show the administration that they are in the right conference. on top of that the caa did everything they could to get a more regional rival for uncw, but no socon school, especially COC the school uncw really wanted, wanted to go. ga st. does not really pacify uncw in regards to travel and a regional rival, but all things considered, uncw is smart for staying in the caa.

btw, i think expansion was up for discussion at the november meetings, and you are right about there being no news about it, but this past summer the uncw faithful will tell you that uncw affirmed their commitment to the caa and will not be apart of any 14 team socon. now if they may have other schools in mind, but from what i know from caazone, uncw will not be apart of it.

Recently, after appearing in the NCAA Championship, Appalachian State put on the front that they'll stay in the Playoff Subdivision for the foreseeable future. That would be a huge boost to the SoCon.

Now this could spice things up:

http://www.etsubucs.com/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=9316

This basically says that East Tennessee State would like to bring back football by 2010.

Surely the SoCon would take them back but would ETSU go back after the SoCon unceremoniously dumped them just a few years back?

Ideally, I'm assuming, ETSU would look at go to the OVC which would then give the OVC 12 football teams and ETSU wouldn't have to cross the mountains every time they wanted to play.

Either way the SoCon has chosen to drag it's feet on expansion so far and now in one way they have a time line. If the SoCon doesn't get in ahead of an ETSU comeback, the OVC would become very stable.

All of this is just speculative theory, but theory I consider quite interesting.

Again, from my completely biased POV, I'd like to see the SoCon try to acquire Coastal Carolina, Jacksonville State, or ETSU. They only need to expand by one all-sports member. If they added all three of those schools I'd be beyond ecstatic.

The OVC could have some sweet divisions:

North:
Southeast Missouri State
Eastern Illinois
Eastern Kentucky
Morehead State
Murray State
Tennessee Martin

South:
Samford
Jacksonville State
Austin Peay State
Tennessee State
Tennesse Tech
East Tennessee State

Even though they're placed in a different division here, Austin Peay State isn't much farther from Murray State than UT Martin (although Clarksville is actually futher north than Martin).

word on the socon boards is samford. apparently conference officials have already visited campus.

that would leave socon at 12 and ovc at 10

would etsu and their possibly resurrected football program be left out?

If Samford boogies, then ETSU needs one of the following:

1) Tennessee State becoming the 11th team in the SWAC
2) South Alabama or North Alabama moving to the Football Championship Subdivision and the OVC
3) Appalachian State or Georgia Southern moving to the Football Bowl Subdvision
4) An invitation to become the 10th team in the Big South

Your #3 scenario is very likely to occur. There's been rumblings from Ga. Southern & App. State (not to mention some other public schools as well) that they are NOT happy with the way the private schools are dominating the SoCon, and want out. Many GSU fans want to join the Bowl Subdivision, but their AD is opposed. There are some rumblings at Ga. Southern to oust the AD. Could be interesting.

Samford to Southern is official.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2800023

http://www.soconsports.com/