Happy New Years Everyone!
With Conference realignment heating up and possibly
could hit the Sun Belt Conference once again before it’s all over, SBC
officials and AD’s is quite on the matter and no decisions is expected to be
made anytime soon.
Athletic
directors from throughout the conference gathered in South Florida on Tuesday,
holding their annual January winter meetings of the Sun Belt Conference. But
there was no action on realignment.
Associate
Commissioner John McElwain stated that SBC Commissioner Karl Benson did an
update on where the national landscape is right now, and said it was very
productive. How productive for the SBC is the question?
But it seemed to
be a little talk on the subject of conference expansion, but AD’s and
conference officials are undecided on which way they would like to go, whether
it’s 10 teams or 12 teams. If the conference decides to go to 12 teams then
that would set the Sun Belt Conference up for a conference football
championship game.
With all the
talk of expansion and deciding on which way to go, another question remains on
many minds on whom will the SBC add as new members.
There is much
happening right now in college football realignment that has the SBC sitting
still, watching and waiting to see what happens next. There is a big domino
effect that is happening in the Big East Conference that may trigger down to
the Sun Belt Conference again. Boise State who committed to the Big East last
fall, has now decided to back out and stay with the Mountain West Conference.
With Boise State backing out, their partner whom joins with them is considering
the same in San Diego State. If San Diego State decides to remain in the
Mountain West Conference, then the Mountain West may consider adding one of the
following, UTEP, Houston or Tulsa. If that happens then C-USA may come back to
the Sun Belt Conference once again.
If everything
remains the same in the Sun Belt Conference they will seek to add two or four
more teams to get back to a 10 team league or move to a 12 team league to stage
a conference title game.
In considering
additions to the Sun Belt Conference, there are several teams out there in the
FCS that would be considered and there are two that on the high radar or
invites in Georgia Southern and Appalachian State. Idaho and New Mexico State
is now out of the conversations either, if the conference decides to move to a
12 team league. Sam Houston State, Liberty, Lamar and Jacksonville State are
all being mention as possible additions.
Conferene
expansion is on hold but its coming, it’s just a matter of time. WHEN?
