Article out of Amarillo discussing possibility of UCO and NSC leaving the D-2 Lone Star Conference for the MIAA.Link at http://www.amarillo.com/stories/061910/ ... 2611.shtml

Article out of the Dakotas with update on D-2 NSIC expansion.Link at http://www.argusleader.com/article/2010 ... 002/sports

BHSU and S.Dakota Mines are in western S.Dakota and would be a much better fit for the RMAC. I hope they thought to apply to the RMAC as well.

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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

Emporia Gazette article with update on D-2 MIAA expansion with comments from Emporia State President and MIAA Commish.Link at http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2010 ... -expansion

Is July 1 the notification date when the NCAA announces which schools are approved to move up ?

If so, that'll be coming up this coming Thursday....

The future of the Gulf South Conference could be decided today when presidents from the league’s 14 universities get together at the GSC summer meeting

http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20100 ... ns-unclear

I get the impression that nobody is ready to commit to leaving just yet....

But let's put the pieces together.

MIAA is looking at going to 16. (adding 4).
Rockhurst was recently denied (perhaps only because the MIAA was not going beyond 12 at the time.
Newman (Heartland) is isolated, and would jump to the MIAA in a heartbeat.
Two OK schools (Central OK and Northeast OK State) tin the Lone Star want to go to the MIAA.

The GSC is ripe to split east-west.
They stated that a 12-team conference would be ideal. The schools in discussions are:
6 ARK schools in the GSC, 3 OK schools in the Lone Star.
You also have UA-Ft. Smith in the Heartland, and four OK schools looking to move up from NAIA:
Oklahoma City U, Oklahoma Christian, Rogers St., and Southern Nazarene.
They could easily assemble a 12 school Arkansas - Oklahoma conference.

Say the Lone Star Conference loses 5 OK schools... they can readily be replaced:
there are 5 Texas schools in the Heartland,
Oklahoma Panhandle St. in the Heartland, and
NW Oklahoma State looking to move up from NAIA.

So if these changes come about, we have a new ARK-OK D-2 conference, and the Heartland Conference goes bye-bye.

The rest of the GSC (8 teams - the 7 team eastern division + Delta State) must have seen this coming.
There has been talk of a new Tennessee - Alabama conference. See elsewhere on this board.
The schools I have listed in discussions were the 3 Tennessee schools in the South Atlantic Conf. (SAC)
Carson-Newman, Lincoln Memorial, Tusculum
D-2 Independent King College (TN)
Christian Brothers (GSC), North Alabama (GSC) UAHuntsville (GSC)
and 2 others schools that I forget.

Every remaining school in the GSC is looking at investing heavily in football and going to D-1 (FCS), namely: Delta State (MS), West Alabama, Valdost St. (GA), West Georgia, and West Florida.

So it seems that this shuffle is on, and that everyone is trying to make friends with whom they plan to land....

So the GSC and Heartland die. And a new Ark-OK conf. and a new Tennessee - Alabama conf. form.
Perhaps 4 GSC schools jump to D-1 FCS, and perhaps 4 NAIA schools come up into this D-2 region.

Perhaps nothing gets announced right now, but they are all talking about their future plans at the GSC meeting. Once we know which NAIA teams are approved to move up, things may be set into motion.
The first step would be either the MIAA expansion, or the departure of the GSC Ark schools...

From what I hear
MIAA: Northeastern St., C.Oklahoma are locks. Lindenwood and UN-Kearney are the other 2 being looked at.

Arklahoma: 6 Ark. schools, SWOSU, East Central, SEOSU. Future adds may be OPSU. From the NAIA S.Nazarene, NWOSU, Oklahoma Baptist(no fb), Rogers St.(no fb)

LSC: Camron might go to the Arklahoma. From NAIA: Wayland Baptist, Texas College, Lubbock Christian(no fb) could be on the list of adds.

Heartland: seems safe and could snag any non fb members on the other 2 lists.

GSC: N.Alabama, W.Florida, Valdosta St. seem to all be looking at D-I if they split. If they don't get in or the others try to survive they are looking at Lambuth(already supposed to be in the GSC, having financial problems), Tevecca Nazarene(applied for D-II, no fb), N.Greenville, UNC-Pembroke. Another rumor on the NAIA board is that most of the Trans-South Conf. wants to join D-II which the GSC could add all of them if they wanted.

_________________

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

UNA, West Florida, West Georgia, and Valdosta State could move to the Atlantic Sun and West Alabama later on. On timesdaily.com today is an article that says the Arkansas schools are leaving and the GSC will be no more.

_________________
The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide

Tute79,article out of West Virginia discussing possibility of WVU Tech being admitted to NCAA D-2 and the WVC.Article says that D-2 membership committee is scheduled to meet on July 7,2010 with announcements to be made later.Link at http://sundaygazettemail.com/SPORTS/201006251134

Article out of Pensacola with update on GSC realignment at http://www.pnj.com/article/20100626/sports/6260314

Article out of Kearney discussing possible D-2 RMAC realignment and the possiblity of UNK moving to the MIAA.Link at http://www.kearneyhub.com/sports/local/ ... 002e0.html

Panthers' football goal: Patience first
Field, coach, schedule big challenge


MELBOURNE — John Thomas has barely settled into his new job as Florida Tech's director of football operations but has a clear sense of what needs to be accomplished and when.

Thomas sat down for a question-and-answer session on his new role and what lies ahead as Tech aims for its first NAIA intercollegiate football game in 2013.

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100626/SPORTS/6260323/1002/SPORTS/Panthers++football+goal++Patience+first

I live about 10 miles from Lindenwood College. They are in St. Charles, MO (a western suburb of St. Louis). They have completely out-grown NAIA, and D-II seems like the right fit. There is a building boom going on out there, and rumor has it they have cash on hand and have offered to buy the "Family Arena" from the city of St. Charles (this is a VERY nice about 6000 seat hockey / basketball arena).
I figure their approval to move-up may be a slam-dunk.

When you look at a map, the D-II Missouri schools are divided into the Great Lakes Valley (6 MO schools), and the MIAA (7 MO schools). Both conferences sponsor football.
The GLVC is at 16, but 2 of the western Missouri schools (Rockhurst and Drury) would rather be in the MIAA (not sure either school plays football).

Soon football in the MIAA will be manditaory, or so it seems. Lindenwood does play football, but it looks like they would be way over on the eastern end of an expanded MIAA. If the MIAA adds Lindenwood, UNK, and 2 OK schools, the obvious split would be to have East and West Divisions. The 8 Missouri schools would be in the East. The division alignment could dramatically cut down on travel for eastern MO schools like Lindenwood and Truman (formerly NE Missouri) State.

right, Drury and Rockhurst don't have football. I believe Rockurst applied a couple years ago and got rejected UNK and Lindenwood would be the most likely candidates for 15&16 in the MIAA

_________________

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