I disagree with Detroit now that the entire Western wing is gone, if Dayton had stayed I think Detroit made some sense, but now I think you stay East and grab Hofstra as the 4th easy add.

As you know I'm a huge supporter of Davidson's realignment value but my only worry they'd be so isolated (I know Charlotte was but still). I think its worth exploring but its might be better if they brought in UNC-Greensboro to go along with them.

With the possible defections of UMass, Fordham, and Rhode Island looming and the Big East having plenty of room to take 2 more 16 may not be a bad way to go.

North- Dunquesne/StBon/Siena/UMass/Northeastern/RhodeIsland/Fordham/Hofstra
South- LaSalle/StJoes/GWU/GMU/VCU/Richmond/UNC-Greensboro/Davidson

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Fan of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference and...

Article out of Macon with comments from A-Sun Commish regarding future of league FB and conference realignment at http://www.macon.com/2013/03/16/2398969 ... e-how.html

So who is inviting FGCU?

If you beat the highest rated team in the future BE, shouldn't the BE invite them. Get back into Fla.

_________________

WRANGLERS 153-55-1 CVFL CHAMPS '04 '05 '09 '12

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'08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS

The ASUN is actually in a pretty good spot as it has evolved into to Defacto Non BCS conference for non football Florida schools. Its goal should be to become Florida's version of the Big West.

Article out of Macon with comments from A-Sun Commish regarding conference realignment at http://www.macon.com/2013/03/29/2417557 ... -move.html

So if Mercer, ETSU, and Kennesaw State get the big promotion to the SoCon, how can the Atlantic Sun stay viable? NKU is reclassifying until July 2017. If the Big South loses VMI and chooses to replace them with another Atlantic Sun school (let's use USC Upstate in this example) the conference is in big trouble:

Atlantic Sun 2014;

Lipscomb
Northern Kentucky
Florida Gulf Coast
Stetson
Jacksonville
North Florida

At this point NJIT has to be brought on for a sixth full member (has some implications for tournament credits), but the league still needs one more by July 1, 2016. The alternative might be that James Madison is finally lured to FBS, and the CAA is left on the carving table:

Lipscomb
Northern Kentucky
Florida Gulf Coast
Stetson
Jacksonville
North Florida
College of Charleston
UNC Wilmington
William & Mary
Towson
Delaware
Drexel or James Madison

The ASun is nearly at the bottom of the barrel...here's the basic order omitting the academically focused and historically black conferences (Ivy/Patriot/SWAC/MEAC) since they have different standards.

FBS AQs: (SEC/B1G/PAC12) > (ACC/B12)
FBS non AQs: (MWC/AAC) > (MAC/CUSA) > (SBC)
Best non fb: Big East > (A10/WCC) > MVC
Best FCS: CAA/Southland/BigSky
Best of the Rest: MAAC/SoCon/Horizon/AEC/Big West
Next Best: OVC/BigSouth/NEC
Worst (almost solely taking upgrades/independents): ASun>(WAC/Summit)

The CAA like the Big East fb schools (AAC) will not die, they'll raid any of the bottom three tiers of schools...if the SoCon holds together (with that loyalty pledge) they'd move up into the same tier as the CAA/BSkyC/SLC and the CAA would have to raid the AEC (Albany/StoneyBrooke) Big South (Liberty/VMI/Coastal Carolina) Horizon (Detroit/YSU/Clev St/Valpo) MAAC (Marist/Iona/Monmouth) NEC (CenConnSt/Bryant/Wagner) OVC (JAX St/Belmont/Morehead St) ASun (same as SoCon plus FL Gulf Coast) for its next members which would reap the good TV deal for the next few years.

In conclusion, the CAA will not join the ASun.

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Fan of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference and...

Augusta St. and Columbus St. are looking into D-I. N.Alabama already wants in but needs a home for fb. W.Georgia also wants to move up but needs a fb home. I hear Nova Southeastern did want to join the A-Sun but not sure if they still want to move up.

_________________

WRANGLERS 153-55-1 CVFL CHAMPS '04 '05 '09 '12

NFL CHAMPS '29 '30 '31 '36 '39 '44 '61 '62 '65 '66 '67 '96 '10

BW/WAC/MWC CHAMPS '77 '82 '85 '88 '89 '91 '92 '93 '99 '12
'08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS

Article out of Chattanooga(previously posted in another thread)reporting that Atlantic Sun members Mercer and ETSU are potential SoCon expansion candidates and will be receiving campus visits from that League by the end of this month.Link at http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013 ... tsu-mercer

Article out of Macon(previously posted in another thread)with comments from Atlantic Sun Commish and others regarding upcoming SoCon campus visits to Atlantic Sun schools ETSU and Mercer at http://www.macon.com/2013/05/03/2465263 ... cials.html

Article out of Macon(previously posted in another thread)with comments from SoCon Commish regarding league realignmnet and tomorrow's scheduled SoCon campus visit at Atlantic Sun member Mercer at http://www.macon.com/2013/05/16/2481743 ... rence.html

If I was the A-Sun commissioner I would be calling up presidents of DII schools in the Deep South inquiring about their interest in coming to DI. The A-Sun is certainly guaranteed to lose 2 members--Mercer and ETSU, to the SoCon. It could lose another to the Big South if/when that conference fills the hole left by VMI. If the Big South loses Liberty to FBS then they will be filling 2 holes. I don't see the Big South being content with 10 members--they need to have 12 to feel confident that they wont ever be at risk of losing their autobid to NCAA tourneys. You also have conferences in the midwest with watchful eyes on NKU.

The football playing members of the Gulf South Conference are the logical place to go. As long as those schools can field around 60 football scholarships and the title IX equivalents they can either play under the A-Sun banner or the A-Sun can work with the Big South to partner to create a league for members of both conferences since Big South football is on shaky ground

Article out of Burlington(previously posted in another thread)discussing SoCon realignment and today's SoCon campus visit to Atlantic Sun member ETSU at http://www.thetimesnews.com/sports/elon ... n-1.147515

The A-Sun needs to work out a deal with the Big South for football that would allow members of both conferences inclusion in Big South fb and then recruit the Gulf South Conference hard. I'm thinking they go big and cover all their bases and take North Alabama, Valdosta St, West Georgia, West Alabama, and West Florida. That gives the A-Sun a nice geographic footprint and gives the Big South much needed football programs that they otherwise wouldn't be able to get without stretching their footprint or trying to boot out their 6 non-football schools. I also think the Gulf South schools would be more likely to move up if they transitioned as a group. The league might look like this:

East--USC Upstate, Valdosta St, Jacksonville, N Florida, Stetson, FGCU
West--W Florida, W Georgia, Kennesaw St, Libscomb, N Alabama, W Alabama

Its hard to tell what Big South football would look like without knowing if Liberty will still be there, if Monmouth will remain an affiliate, and if non-scholarship teams like Cambell, Kennesaw St, Stetson, and Jacksonville would want included. My guess is that sponsorship of the league would transfer over the A-Sun since they would have the majority of the members if you combined the 5 DII upgrades and the 3 A-Sun schools playing non-scholarship ball.

I didn't include NKU because i think they will be in the Horizon League.