Would The Sunbelt Ever Expand To 14 In Football?

NT80 · April 22, 2010

Four FCS moveups are predicted within the SBC's footprint, or half the country!

Could we/ would we ever expand the SBC and split into two divisions of 7 teams?

....................

As part of the ongoing NCAA Leadership Council recommendations, schools in FCS conferences that seek to upgrade to FBS will need to have been invited by an FBS conference. This is similar to the recommendations that Division 2 upgrades need to be invited to join a Division I conference before upgrading. If put in place, the new rule would eliminate the ability for a school to upgrade to FBS football as an independent.

Schools rumored to upgrade in the near future include UTSA, Texas St, Charlotte and Georgia St. These schools considering FBS upgrades all have the luxury of being in the current Sunbelt footprint, which will soon be 10 football teams once South Alabama joins for football. The WAC is an option as well.

But for schools in the mid-west or northeast, this is one more obstacle to upgrading.

http://news.collegesportsinfo.com/2010/03/ncaa-requirement-tweak-fcs-upgrades-by.html

Possible divisions:

East:

Charlotte

Georgia St.

FIU

FAU

Troy

Muts

WKU

West:

ASU

UNT

TSU

UTSA

USA

ULL

ULM

(Sidenote: While I would like closer road trips in conference/Texas, the SBC doesn't do much for me. I'd rather UNT get into the MWC, CUSA, Big12, or SEC ...and forget the SBC!! )

Edited April 22, 2010 by NT80

UNTflyer · April 22, 2010

I am not really interested in an expanded Sun Belt. I'm interested in getting out and moving to a C-USA that is more Texas-oriented.

MeanGreen61 · April 22, 2010

foutsrouts · April 22, 2010

Four FCS moveups are predicted within the SBC's footprint, or half the country!

Could we/ would we ever expand the SBC and split into two divisions of 7 teams?

....................

As part of the ongoing NCAA Leadership Council recommendations, schools in FCS conferences that seek to upgrade to FBS will need to have been invited by an FBS conference. This is similar to the recommendations that Division 2 upgrades need to be invited to join a Division I conference before upgrading. If put in place, the new rule would eliminate the ability for a school to upgrade to FBS football as an independent.

Schools rumored to upgrade in the near future include UTSA, Texas St, Charlotte and Georgia St. These schools considering FBS upgrades all have the luxury of being in the current Sunbelt footprint, which will soon be 10 football teams once South Alabama joins for football. The WAC is an option as well.

But for schools in the mid-west or northeast, this is one more obstacle to upgrading.

http://news.collegesportsinfo.com/2010/03/ncaa-requirement-tweak-fcs-upgrades-by.html

Possible divisions:

East:
Charlotte
Georgia St.
FIU
FAU
Troy
Muts
WKU

West:
ASU
UNT
TSU
UTSA
USA
ULL
ULM

(Sidenote: While I would like closer road trips in conference/Texas, the SBC doesn't do much for me. I'd rather UNT get into the MWC, CUSA, Big12, or SEC ...and forget the SBC!! )

YES! Time for us to leave the entry level conference affiliation if at all possible. We've been around too long to settle for that at this point. Let all the ambitious Southland schools move into the Sunbelt AS WE LEAVE! Let them prove themselves like we must (and have in many ways) in order to move away from the SBC. Let's face it, most of the potential entry level teams are in the South, and the SBC is in the South. If most of the entry level schools were up in the Midwest, then some kind of a MAC situation would be more in order for the newbies. We've got to step up, and our new stadium should be the catalyst for that. Not really trying to bash the SBC because it is much improved and has been good to us in many ways, but it is destined to be the entry level football conference for the foreseeable future. We cannot miss the opportunity to hit the road if that opportunity presents itself. Forget hooking up with San Antonio, San Marcos, Lamar, and whoever else from the Southland decides to make the jump. At least in the short-term.

Edited April 22, 2010 by foutsrouts

GrayEagle · April 22, 2010

Yes, we all agree that it's past time to move up and out but I still want the SBC to not only survive but prosper.

The Belt will likely be an entrance conference for its existence. As such, it needs to keep costs as low as possible and travel accounts for a lot of the expenses. To me, the most economical method is to have a twelve team conference divided geographically.

Under present membership, FAU, FIU, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Troy and South Alabama would be in the east with the remainder in the west. There are six viable candidates as I see it today for the two openings...Appalachian State, Charlotte, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Texas State and UTSA. The divisions could be shifted around depending on who's selected. It could be east/west or north/south depending on the travel savings.

I realize that there is a lot of potential for UTSA and Charlotte, less for Georgia State, but none have yet fielded a team. So, I would go for the established teams, Appalachian State and Texas State.

If/when one leaves for another conference the SBC takes the top FCS (or possibly startup program) team and keeps on trucking. There should always be a contingency plan to fill any vacancies.

Mean Green Matt · April 22, 2010

I don't think any conference should be bigger than 12. I would much rather have a 12 team Sun Belt than a 14 team Sun Belt. That way the scheduling does not get quirky.

GrandGreen · April 22, 2010

The only money the league makes is through the NCAA basketball tournament, why would we want to divide that small piece to even more teams. Adding every team in the south that wants to move up from the FC division is not going to make the Belt stronger. Lets wait for the TSU and UTSA's of the world to develop something before we are so anxious to give them a leg up by granting them a conference destination.

Daddy Dumpsalot · April 22, 2010

I hope the sunbelt implodes...and its high school referees with it.

NT80 · April 22, 2010

The only money the league makes is through the NCAA basketball tournament, why would we want to divide that small piece to even more teams. Adding every team in the south that wants to move up from the FC division is not going to make the Belt stronger. Lets wait for the TSU and UTSA's of the world to develop something before we are so anxious to give them a leg up by granting them a conference destination.

Another way to make money is by reducing cost in travel. Divisions in the SBC, one of the largest conferences by geography, would help lower costs now that we incur in sending teams to Florida, Kentucky, Tenn. and Alabama.