With the 2012 college football season almost over, the Sun
Belt Conference will be preparing for a new slate of members in 2013. After
2013 will the SBC remain at 10 football members or will it improve its
conference to 12 football members and improve it conference for the new playoff
system.
North Texas and Florida International will be departing for
the C-USA and the Sun Belt Conference will be welcoming in its two newest
members Texas State and Georgia State.
Both programs are moving up from the FCS, along with new member South
Alabama that made the jump this season in 2012.
Texas State will keep the Sun Belt Conference in the long
star state territory and the conference will expand into the Peach State of
Georgia with Georgia State. However
Texas State will not be along in Texas, they will have a new rivalry with
UT-Arlington in basketball and all other sports except football. UT-Arlington
will be joining the Sun Belt as a non-football member in 2013.
But is expansion still on the table for the Sun Belt to
reach that 12 team football conference for a conference championship game. Maybe so, we will see what’s ahead come the
spring of 2013.
If the Sun Belt Conference does decide to expand to 12
teams in football who would it be to join the new Sun
Belt Conference? Let me share my take on possible candidates for membership in
the SBC.
It’s no known secret that Georgia Southern wants to move
up to FBS. This would be a great addition for the east division in the Sun Belt
and a great mileage game for many schools in the Sun Belt Conference that would
fall in the new east division, especially for lonely Florida Atlantic and also
in-state member Georgia State, it also help the travel of Troy, South Alabama
and Middle Tennessee.
Adding Lamar of Texas or McNeese State of Louisiana would
be great for a west division, to help the travel of several possible western
division members of Texas State, Arkansas State, ULM, ULL, Arkansas-Little Rock
and Western Kentucky. But I would think they would have brought back New Mexico
State as a established FBS program and can jump in immediately to help set up a
western division.
The Sun Belt Conference needs to act quickly on
conference expansion, with Florida Atlantic sitting in the Sun Shine state all
along now. Commissioner Benson made it known to the WKU Herald, which it is
possible that a school with the state of Florida maybe sought. Just who would that may be? Nobody really
knows yet but those on the inside of the conference administrations.
I do believe they should extend conference invitations to
several FCS schools at the end of this season, and prepare for 2014. It’s time
for us to look at the brighter days now in a big way. Hosting at Sun Belt
Conference Football Championship Game in 2014 season would be awesome and it would
help the conference in so many ways moving forward. I believe that’s what the player’s want, a
division to play in and win and face off in a championship and move on to bowl
games. I believe many coaches would desire the same as well as AD’s and
Presidents. A Football Championship Game
will also bring in more generated revenue to support teams and the conference
overall and more quality players.
Commissioner had this to say to WKU Herald back in May, “The
additions of Georgia State and Texas State is part of a plan and a strategy the
Sun Belt has in place to bring in quality universities to not only allow the
Sun Belt to get bigger, but to get better,” Benson said. “We believe strongly
that the additions of Georgia State and now Texas State have made the Sun Belt
a better conference for the future.”
The Commissioner did not stop there with his comments and
ideas about conference expansion. “If we were to lose two current members
replaced by Georgia State and Texas State, that gets us back to 10 football
universities,” he said. “Our goal would be to get to 12 members to be able to
divide into divisions and to create some geographic efficiency with the
membership in the west versus the membership in the east.”
Appalachian State is a known FCS school waiting on an
invitation to move up, along with Jacksonville State. It will be surprising to
see any action come this may during the spring meeting of the conference on
expansion. Will they get it done in 2013 for 2014? We will be watching and
waiting to see what comes next for the Sun Belt Conference.
