College football realignment is real and
it can have a big impact on college football conferences. In this
ever changing business of college football, nothing seems to be so
sure and steady. However it is guaranteed to be about the dollars and
cents.
I have been covering and following the
most recent realignment in college football, and I have watched C-USA
peck the hell out of the WAC and the Sun Belt Conference. I have
watch the Big East nearly dissolve and lose all of it Catholic 7
basketball teams, and Boise and San Diego State return to the
Mountain West after committing to the Big East. Don't forget Big Ten
added two programs in Rutgers and Maryland, and the ACC added
Louisville from the Big East. The SEC took from the Big 12 and the
Big 12 took in as well.
In all of this conference shuffling,
the Big East and Sun Belt Conference remains in it all. The Big East
is grabbing C-USA teams and the C-USA is grabbing Sun Belt teams. We
all know that the Big East wants to remain at the top of the group of
five and we also know that Conference USA wants to be a mega
conference of 14-16 teams. The Big East also wants to remain alive,
as well as the Sun Belt.
There is a big change that is about to
take place soon and if it does, I don't see the to much of a brighter
future for the Sun Belt Conference, if they continue not to be
proactive.
There are serious reports out there
that the Big East is targeting Tulsa and Southern Miss to be apart of
their conference, which many are calling the new C-USA. Tulsa and
Southern Miss have both hinted that they are ready to leave C-USA,
which they are calling the new Sun Belt Conference. Tulsa don't want
to be with those SBC teams that’s now in C-USA.
The Mountain West still has it's eyes
open along with the Big East, and if both or either decides to grab a
couple from C-USA, then C-USA will nearly kill the Sun Belt
Conference. Rice and Texas-El Paso have been targets for the Mountain
West while New Mexico State and three Sun Belt schools in Western
Kentucky, Arkansas State and Georgia State all have been mentioned as
potential C-USA expansion candidates.
The Sun Belt Conference could possibly
be left with five FBS schools and be looking to add more FCS programs
to continue to a FBS conference and a competitive conference. Or
C-USA could just kill the Sun Belt Conference all together and leave
them scrambling just like the WAC.
What disappoints me in all this
conference realignment is that I see many of the other conference on
the forefront of this matter and being very proactive. Over in the
Sun Belt Conference all I see is quite leaders that is still
searching for a solution. My question is why is Commissioner Karl
Benson and those eight AD's that are left not being proactive as the
other conference, instead of letting other conferences continue to
recruit schools from the Sun Belt Conference. Do they have any
intentions on saving the Sun Belt Conference and do they really care.
If they do, when?
Don't forget that Commissioner Karl
Benson is on his third commissioner job in college football, and all
I can say is look at what's happening to the Sun Belt Conference,
just as what happened in the WAC. Commissioner Benson knew what was
about to take place in the WAC so he got out of there quick, so it
would not seem as if it was his fault or leadership. But less than a
year in the Sun Belt that has already followed Commissioner Benson to
the Sun Belt Conference.
Every news report that comes about the
Sun Belt Conference and it's expansion plans, all you continue to
hear is we are exploring our options and nothing will be done before
2014. Well if I was an AD or college president, I wouldn't wait
either on a conference that is not proactive to save a dying
conference or have a solution.
Many reports and rumors are out there
that Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Liberty, Lamar, New Mexico
State, Jacksonville State, UT-Chattanooga and Sam Houston State are
all on the Sun Belt Conference radar. There is no doubt that these
schools could be competitive in the Sun Belt immediately. So why not
add them now? Oh I forgot, it's all about the markets and dollars.
The Sun Belt Conference had one option
already open and should have been put on the table and agenda in
adding already an FBS member New Mexico State to get back to nine
members in 2013-2014 season, to keep the eight SBC members from
having to scramble for a additional non-conference game. The SBC
conference could have either added Appalachian State or Georgia
Southern now, so they could declare their independence status with
the FCS and become a member of the SBC in 2014 as a transitional
member.
Why is all of this overlooked? Some
believe that the SBC is waiting until all the dominoes fall, and then
begin the work of adding programs. Well I don't think many of the
remaining AD's and Presidents are happy with the situation and not
knowing the future of the conference they are in. What if Georgia
Southern and other FCS programs get invited to other conferences or
back out of becoming an FBS program.
The answer to all of that is, if the
MTW Conference expands to 14 and the Big East grabs Tulsa and
Southern Miss, the Sun Belt Conference maybe dead just like the WAC.
Don't get me wrong I love the Sun Belt
Conference and hate to see so many programs leave the conference, and
I hate to see our leadership sit still and not be proactive just as
the other conferences are being proactive.
