(03-11-2021 11:31 AM)whupemall Wrote:  

(03-10-2021 03:13 PM)eku05 Wrote:  

(03-10-2021 01:30 PM)SMUfan Wrote:  Any rumors on a 6th footballs school?

I think the rumors are already out there. The only thing left is confirmation, but I don't think that will come until sometime next year. UTC and Austin Peay are my odds on favorites, but it's anybody's guess at this point.

If it's UTC or another SoCon school, they'll need to announce their intentions one year in advance, in order to avoid an additional $250K penalty on top of the regular $1M exit fee.

I'm not sure what the cutoff date for that penalty is... but if something's going to happen by Fall 2022, I would imagine we'd need to know something by July 2021 at the absolute latest. (And really, much earlier than that, since both conferences would need to make their schedules.)

I could see the scenario unfolding in two waves, with Peay (for example) joining as the 6th school for Fall 2022, then UTC coming on board a season later in Fall 2023.

The reason I see it playing out this way is, it's easy for Peay to justify the move now. They've made a huge financial commitment to football, and they're not going to see much of a return on that investment in the OVC. The ASUN would be seen as an upgrade (or at least a lateral move) in pretty much every sport.

For UTC, though, they'd be coming from the tradition, stability, and national reputation of the SoCon to "Wait ... The ASUN has football now?!"

It'll be a far easier sales job for them if they wait another season to let the ASUN do its thing. We just need to prove our worth in hoops in the 2021-22 season (not passing the SoCon, necessarily, but distancing ourselves from the OVC, Southland, etc.) and making waves in football in fall 2022. Multiple bids ... multiple playoff wins, especially when paired against SoCon schools.

If the ASUN schools don't trip over our own shoelaces, a UTC move would become a no-brainer.

That'd give the ASUN 14 full members and 7 ASUN Football schools. Any expansion past that point would be based more on long-term conference goals than necessity.

There is no doubt about the SoCon's tradition. Heck, most of the SEC and ACC schools were members at one time. It is one of the oldest conferences, so sure it does have a solid reputation. My first reaction when I heard that my alma mater was joining the ASUN was "We're joining the what?"

I have been impressed with how hard the ASUN works to provide opportunities for its athletes and its schools. At first, I kind of thought that it was just a marketing ploy, but having watched the ASUN closely over the last 3 months, I'm convinced that the ASUN doesn't just mouth the words, it really does work hard to provide opportunities for athletes. The ASUN has impressed me, and I believe that it really will rise, and faster than many people think.