Sun Belt sets sights on catching C-USA, Mountain West

Coach Bill Lewis · August 27, 2012

The Sun Belt is focused on catching Conference USA and the Mountain West in the race to be the best of the rest among major college football conferences.

New Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson believes conference realignment and an evolving postseason format has widened the gap between the have and have-not conferences.

The 10-year-old Sun Belt has usually been the have-least league, but has taken small steps forward while its "peer conferences"as Benson like to call them, have slid back.

<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/sun-belt-sets-sights-on-catching-conference-usa-and-mountain-west/2012/08/27/0e92a1ee-f023-11e1-b74c-84ed55e0300b_story.html" target="_blank">WASHINGTON POST: Sun Belt trying to catch C-USA, MWC</a>

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island eagle · August 27, 2012

The Sun Belt is focused on catching Conference USA and the Mountain West in the race to be the best of the rest among major college football conferences.

New Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson believes conference realignment and an evolving postseason format has widened the gap between the have and have-not conferences.

The 10-year-old Sun Belt has usually been the have-least league, but has taken small steps forward while its "peer conferences"as Benson like to call them, have slid back.

<a href="http://www.washingto...00b_story.html" target="_blank">WASHINGTON POST: Sun Belt trying to catch C-USA, MWC</a>

View the full article

Dream on Karl.

UNT90 · August 27, 2012

Can Karl ruin yet another conference?

Yes. Yes, he can.

GreenFlag · August 27, 2012

The Sun Belt will never catch CUSA, CUSA will never catch The Big East, The Big East will never catch the ACC, yada, yada, yada.

I am so glad we are in CUSA.

cdizzle86 · August 27, 2012

The Sun Belt will never catch CUSA, CUSA will never catch The Big East, The Big East will never catch the ACC, yada, yada, yada.

I am so glad we are in CUSA.

They said the same thing about never catching the WAC and now look at them.

GreenFlag · August 27, 2012

They said the same thing about never catching the WAC and now look at them.

Apples and Oranges. The WAC found itself as the third tier conference in the western US. History has shown a few times that part of the country can only sustain two. They have 3 conferences when they have the highly unstable nature of teams from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The MWC is essentially the WAC. The SBC has not passed the MWC.

In Texas and the Southestern US, 4 (SEC, CUSA, & SBC plus teams from The Big East, Big XII, and ACC) conferences are easily supported with SEVERAL teams wanting to make the leap into FBS. As many as 6 conferences could be supported.

Rudy · August 27, 2012

I've got my sights set on Mariska Hargitay, but that doesn't mean I'll succeed.

Mean Green 93-98 · August 27, 2012

The Belt catch C-USA? In what respect? If he means in terms of the competetiveness of its football teams, I don't see it happening real soon, but it's not impossible.

The 10-year-old Sun Belt has usually been the have-least league, but has taken small steps forward while its "peer conferences"as Benson like to call them, have slid back.

Again, if we're talking about the competitiveness of its football teams, this is a true statement. Realignment had mostly to do with markets, especially with regard to C-USA's expansion. Compare C-USA's recent additions (FIU, LaTech, UNT, UTSA, UNCC, and Old Dominion) with some of the teams that got left behind in the Belt--Troy, LaLa, and Arky State. All three of them are right there with FIU and LaTech, and better than the other four. All of the remaining Belt teams are obviously better than UTSA and UNCC, neither of which have ever played a 1-A/FBS game.

C-USA still has an obvious edge with schools like Tulsa and Southern Miss. But otherwise, I don't think the gap is nearly as huge as it has been in the past.