Sun Belt and Conference Realignment

Before the deadline is over this year for adding new programs the Sun Belt Conference still have the opportunity of adding two more programs to make a twelve team league for a Football Conference Championship Game.

As of today since they have added two programs and have lost two, this is what the Sun Belt Conference’s football league will look like in 2013: Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy, Western Kentucky a ten team league that’s solid. The SBC is comprised of its geographic area from Texas up to Kentucky and down to Florida.

The question still remains to be answered, and a answer could come this week when the Sun Belt Conference is scheduled to meet in Florida for its annual spring meeting May 20-23. What many are waiting to hear is whether the SBC is will be willing to expand its footprints to North Carolina, New Mexico State and even the State of Virginia. If the SBC board decides to expand it footprint, who would they pursue in this conference realignment. Would it be Appalachian State of Boone, NC, Liberty of Virginia, and New Mexico State out west, or they can stay within their footprint and add Georgia Southern or Lamar to the conference.

Once upon a time New Mexico State was a part of the Sun Belt Conference, now it is interesting to see what happens as former commissioner for New Mexico State and now new SBC commissioner Karl Benson do for former league member New Mexico State. Will be work to give them a new FBS home, or leave them in the cold? Take notice that Texas State recently joined the SBC, which Karl Benson played a big role in them joining the WAC, which he was the former commissioner at the time. Texas State was in the WAC along with New Mexico State, and has not even played a full conference schedule or season in the WAC and leaving for the Sun Belt.

I personally think it would be great for the SBC to add New Mexico State out west, to give Texas State a close to home rivalry. Also Lamar would be a good fit in Beaumont, TX as an in-state rivalry for Texas State. Now new SBC commissioner Karl Benson is on record saying that he would like to see a new SBC conference expanded to 12 teams that would stage a Conference Football Championship Game, upon his hiring as the conference commissioner early part this year.

Is there anyone else in the Sun Belt Conference in favor of a conference championship game?  Yes, UL-Lafayette AD Scott Farmer has made it known that he would like to see a conference championship game in football according to a report in the Advertiser in Lafayette.  Commissioner Benson has been in talks with league schools about the expansion for a conference championship game. “We’d like to have a conference championship game,” Louisiana-Lafayette AD Scott Farmer told the Advertiser. “But we know [Benson] is also meeting with the CEOs and presidents of the schools.”

The CEOs of the conference will hold their annual spring meeting next Tuesday in Florida. At that time, Benson has said that recent conference movement will be evaluated and a plan for the Sun Belt’s “next step” will be formulated. If the presidents, chancellors and CEOs wanted to move forward with the 12-team idea, Benson told the Advertiser, “it would be very doable, based on the pool of football programs that are out there.”

Also quoted in the Advertiser:  “While we have shown that we are going to be a proactive player in conference expansion and realignment, we will continue to not disclose publicly any specific institutions that we may or may not be pursuing,” John McElwain, the Sun Belt’s Associate Commissioner of Communications wrote.

Well this week the spring meeting will take place for three days, and we should know whether Commissioner Karl Benson and the Sun Belt Conference will continue to stir up the news in conference realignment by adding two more teams to get to a twelve team league.