Banowsky not pleased with volatility

[Harry]

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - After Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky welcomed Middle Tennessee State and Florida Atlantic to the league on Thursday, he took time to share his own opinions on the sudden realignment and changes to conferences over the past week.

It started with Maryland and Rutgers joining the Big Ten, making it soon to be a 14-team conference. The Atlantic Coast Conference picked up Louisville from the Big East. The Big East had already swiped Tulane and East Carolina from Conference USA before Conference USA took Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic from the Sun Belt Conference.

"I believe the volatility around conferences is not healthy and particularly harmful to higher education," Banowsky said during a Thursday media teleconference. "Every time the system gets shocked, it's harder to restore trust and collaboration among universities and conference at a time where we really need to be thinking how we make American higher education better for everyone.

"When we start ripping the fabric or start putting a lot of stress on the fabric, things separate. When it's not woven tightly, it's not good for the United States. It's not good for higher education. It's just a mess."

Read more: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/11/conference_usa_welcomes_two_ne.html