Liberty University a possible addition for the Sun Belt Conference in 2014

The flames have what it takes and needs to be on the FBS level, and that could happen with the Sun Belt Conference

We all know that college football is the driving force behind all the conference re-alignment, and it has not slow down yet. Several changes have taken place over the past week in the Sun Belt Conference and others that will make you say – what’s next?

Over the past week we have seen the Sun Belt Conference add two FCS powerhouses in Appalachian State and Georgia Southern; the SBC also added two former disbanded WAC football members New Mexico State and Idaho that are now independents and formers members of the Sun Belt Conference as well. All four of these teams will be added on July 1, 2014.

On today conference re-alignment took another twist with Western Kentucky announcing they are leaving the Sun Belt Conference for Conference USA beginning in 2014. WOW, big surprise Western Kentucky, lol! According to SBC Commissioner Karl Benson, the SBC was prepared and waiting for the moment to happen with Western Kentucky and there is no surprise on April fool day.

With Western Kentucky leaving, that creates an open spot in the Sun Belt Conference and a newly anticipated eastern division that will stage a conference championship game beginning in 2014. The Board of Directors and AD’s have work hard to create a 12 member conference in all sports and create a conference football championship game.  This is a move that I applaud the SBC for making over the past week. Now that WKU is leaving, that 12^th member will receive an invitation soon from the Sun Belt Conference, but the question still remains –who?

There are many speculations and rumors on who is next or at the top of the Sun Belt list to become the 12^th member. There are many reports that JMU (James Madison University) is the top favorite to become that 12^th. Then you have others that say LU (Liberty University) is the top favorite for the #12 spot. Your guess is better than mind.

Liberty University is a Christian program that would make an outstanding addition to the Sun Belt Conference in all sports. Liberty is located in Lynchburg, VA (Do the SBC want to expand to Virginia? I’m pretty sure they do for a quality program.) Liberty is located in the 65^th media market if that makes any difference, sounds ok to me; Liberty has over 12,000 residential students and over 75,000 online students, 220 Programs of Study with an 968 average APR. Liberty is expected to add a law school and medical school by 2014. There are 26 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans at Liberty.

Is Liberty ready for TV production-YES with a 20,000 seat stadium and is expected to expand to over 25,000 seats; their basketball arena holds 8,000 with a 3-court practice facility. Liberty has 6 NCAA D1 National Champions teams with 35 NCAA Championship appearances and 20 full funded scholarships teams. Not only that, Liberty has that cash to go with it.  Who wouldn’t be looking for a program like that?

Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson released a statement today saying he is confident in the Sun Belt future, and is prepared to add another program to the conference. In order to stage that conference football championship game in 2014 and have six eastern division members a new member must be added before June 1^st in order for them to declare they are moving up from FCS to FBS. Sun Belt will not have 12 all sports members in 2014 if they don’t add a program by June 1^st, unless they are willing to add another already FBS program; which I don’t know who that will be.

Liberty, James Madison, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston State, Lamar, Missouri State, and maybe a couple of Louisiana FCS programs are all possibilities at this point. So when will we know, that remain to be answered; but do expect an answer by the end of April or the beginning of May. 

What will the Sun Belt Conference do?

FBS Conference Realignment is all speculation at this point!

Conference realignment is certainly changing the landscape across the country. Why? Because many conferences are hunting the dollars that comes with college football and other sports such as basketball, if you don’t believe me check out the latest with other conferences especially the Big East that’s about to fill the real pain.

The seven founding basketball schools in the Big East announced on Saturday they would ultimately leave to form a new league. Putting this conference in a situation to think what’s next for our remaining and future members.

The big exit will leave four current Big East football members, and nine new schools are scheduled to join the league over the next three years, and all of those are not schedule to join in all sports. So will this force the new conference to add members and if so from where do they add these new members. Many are speculating as usual that they will raid Conference USA again or maybe other conferences such as Mountain West and the MAC to create a new national conference with two divisions in all sports.

With all the college conference shuffling happening, many are wondering inside and outside of the Sun Belt Conference what is going to happen next?

On last week or so I wrote here on my blog that the Sun Belt Conference may add additional programs to replace Middle Tennessee State and Florida Atlantic after the FCS playoffs, I didn’t say what day or how many weeks it would be after the playoffs. I was relying on information that was provided. But I am here to keep my readers and followers well informed on the situation as information develops as we know nothing as developed on a announcement as of yet.

There is a big question that is blowing over many desks as we speak, what will happen next? And to be honest nobody knows, why because all of the realignment shuffling has not settled. Everyone wants to know who will the SBC add as new members, will it be FCS programs or will it be other FBS programs? Even me I am asking the same question to many and would like to know and when it will happen? But what concerns me the most is will it be FCS programs and will the SBC make the right choice?

I had some interesting conversations this weekend with a couple of individuals inside of the Sun Belt Conference and outside of the Sun Belt Conference, and each of them seems to be on the same page now but with a little bit of a different twist.

The answers comes down to this, the Sun Belt Conference will add two programs at minimum to get back to 10 programs in football and 12 in all sports.  I ask who might they add, or who is the SBC considering? The answers were Appalachian State and Georgia Southern which tops the list in FCS programs along with Lamar University in Texas. There was no mention of any other programs from the FCS in those conversations.

Then I asked a follow up question of when will the SBC possible announced their additions? Simple don’t know yet, due to the changes in conference realignment. I asked what you mean. Simple with the Big East losing programs, changes are coming soon, they may invite programs from other conferences, preferably C-USA and more SBC programs may be added to C-USA who knows, so the Sun Belt is waiting to see what happens.

I don’t know how long the Sun Belt will wait through all this conference shuffling, but with me the question still remain the same, will they wait until it too late?  

Two FCS programs have expressed interest and have made a few necessary moves to make the jump to the FBS. Georgia Southern and Appalachian State are those two programs, and each of their AD’s have also made it known that they are having discussion with several conferences. There is no doubt that both of these programs want to be in the FBS, but where will their first home be? I spoke to an inside sure and not long ago, and was informed that the talks with Georgia Southern and the SBC were serious and the business side of the deal needed to be worked out. Um, Really? Well these are all rumors, because no one officially has come forward.

With the Big East losing programs now, and may be force into deeper changes. Many options are on the table now. If the Big East goes after more C-USA programs, then C-USA will go after more SBC programs or possibly Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. Appalachian State would rather be in C-USA any way and wouldn’t deny an invite to the Big East or whatever their conference maybe called in the future along with Georgia Southern.

We all know that Memphis, Tulane, East Carolina, SMU, Central Florida, and Houston have all left for the Big East in 2013 and 2014, what if the Big East dissolves and there is no conference left for those programs to call home, what will they be forced to do? These six programs will be forced to seek a spot back in their old conference or seek to form a new one.

If such of a move is to happen, and Conference USA takes back some of those programs and not all, who will it be and where will the others go? Many are speculating that Memphis, Tulane and SMU may be left out. So where will they go? The Sun Belt would be glad to welcome them in. So is this why the Sun Belt Conference may be delaying its announcement and move to add additional programs. Could it be something much better than FCS programs? SMU would make a great fit in Texas with Texas State, Memphis could very well replace Middle Tennessee in the State of Tennessee and Tulane could be a great additional for as TV market and rest of SBC eastern schools such as South Alabama, Troy and Georgia State. All that of these programs has a great TV market that would be a benefit to the Sun Belt Conference.

We can’t forget about New Mexico State either, this is a program that can get pick up three different ways now, C-USA could pick them up to form a mega conference, the Big East can pick them up to form their new national conference, and the Sun Belt can welcome them back in as well.

I’m pretty sure that the Sun Belt Conference wouldn’t want to dissolve as the WAC did and be forced away. I also believe that the SBC would like better TV revenue contracts and college bowl tie ins. SBC do want better, but how soon due they want it?

However I do believe that the Sun Belt Conference should be more open to its fans and supporters on all the conference realignment and what the SBC plans are in the near future. Many would like to know and should know, but when it happens it happens. On the honest side to all of this nobody knows when, but those at the board room table of the Sun Belt Conference.