Are both Georgia Southern and App State eligible for the Sun Belt title this year? It appears as though they are, I just know that there have been cases where 1st-year FBS teams weren't eligible for their conference title. Second question... what's the status of adding a 12th member, going to two divisions and a conference championship game? When will this happen and who will be added? I think I read a while back that James Madison University in Virginia was thinking about moving to the FBS, but are hoping to get an invite from the MAC and don't want to join the Sun Belt. I also heard Liberty (in Virginia) and Lamar (Texas) are wanting to move up to the FBS and would join the Sun Belt.

Yes, we are eligible for the Sun Belt title.

Expansion is being put on hold for now, so who knows when the next set of dominos start to fall.

The list of schools the members are willing to invite is different from the list of schools wanting an invite. Until one of those lists changes, no expansion.

Yes, they're eligible. Other programs moving up weren't. USA's transitional year was 2012 and we were not eligible for the conference championship and not eligible to qualify for a bowl game. So we prepared for 2013.

(10-31-2014 06:59 AM)wbc33 Wrote:  Are both Georgia Southern and App State eligible for the Sun Belt title this year? .

Yes & I think RGSU has a good chance if they win out big.

(10-31-2014 06:59 AM)wbc33 Wrote:  Are both Georgia Southern and App State eligible for the Sun Belt title this year? It appears as though they are, I just know that there have been cases where 1st-year FBS teams weren't eligible for their conference title. Second question... what's the status of adding a 12th member, going to two divisions and a conference championship game? When will this happen and who will be added? I think I read a while back that James Madison University in Virginia was thinking about moving to the FBS, but are hoping to get an invite from the MAC and don't want to join the Sun Belt. I also heard Liberty (in Virginia) and Lamar (Texas) are wanting to move up to the FBS and would join the Sun Belt.

JMU has decided that they don't match the Academic profile of the SBC, so they chose to ignore our overtures and stay FCS. They'd love MAC/CUSA, but neither are coming. If they want in, they are going to have to really do a lot of butt kissing after all of that.

Liberty would join yesterday, but there are a lot of politics involved, and our presidents hate politics. They've yet to be even taken up for a vote by the Membership.

Lamar has been telling recruits for years they are SBC Bound, but ASU, ULL, and Texas State out of the West have made it very clear that they don't want any former Southland schools. As long as those three stick together, Lamar will never have the Votes.

Realistic Candidates:

Missouri State: Very similar to Arkansas State, would be the 2nd FBS school in their state if they moved. Huge basketball program, that has fallen on hard times and been stuck playing Wichita every year. Just expanded their football Stadium to 19Kish. Capable of expanding again. There's been a lot of rumors about them considering FBS, and we know for a fact they've talked with SBC Membership, including attending some of our league meetings, but there are a lot of ducks to shoot before they can be ready. We might hear something this Spring.

Eastern Kentucky: Colonels have made it very clear they want to move to FBS. Their issue is that they have facilities that badly need work on the football side. They create an immediate travel partner for App, and have a decent amount of basketball success that would enable them to challenge on that side. Located 20 miles from Lexington, KY though, they really have to work to draw fans. We know they have spoken to the SBC...but again, without facility improvements, our hands are tied. Supposedly that work is going to begin soon. They probably couldn't accept this Spring, but maybe a couple years down the road. They are a perfect candidate should we dump Idaho after 4 years.

UMass: After the MAC spurned they called the SBC about football only membership. As an FBS program, they keep us from having to further dip into the FCS ranks for teams, but the problem is they've had almost no success at the FBS level. Also, several league members have made it very clear they do not want another football only invite.


What will happen: We sit for a bit. Watch the development to an FBS level program closely at Georgia Southern, App State, and Texas State. I feel, that if all three programs can continue to develop, then we'll be prepared to accept an FCS team a lot easier. There is a big worry about further devaluing our league, and FCS teams generally struggle unless they are super humans in Statesboro, GA. What we don't want, is another disaster like this year where our best OOC Victory currently is over an upper tier MWC School.