Bittersweet day for me today. I'm 35 & grew up attending WKU basketball games in the SBC. It's the only home I know for WKU athletics.

My dad helped out on the 1983 team at WKU & I can remember him telling me how we had to recruit better to compete. The league was a huge step up over the OVC.

I also remember the "split" in the early 90's. No more South Florida, UNCC, VCU, Old Dominion, UAB, et al. Who were these teams like SW La, Ark State, Ark-LR, New Orleans, Central Florida, La Tech, Tx Pan Am, Lamar.... At 12 years old, I didn't think we'd ever lose another conference basketball game to teams like these!

I also remember the additions of Troy, Denver, MTSU, La Monroe, FIU, etc. Teams came & left, but it always seemed like WKU & USA would be in the SBC forever.

Oddly enough, the best WKU traveling weekend occured two years ago when a group of us went to Lafayette for the UL/WKU game. Great atmosphere, beautiful campus, fantastic game (even with an 'L'), & met some friends for life. I'm hopeful that I can visit again for a game; preferably between UL & WKU.

As someone mentioned earlier, change is inevitable & I guess this is something that will never change! However, I enjoyed taking up for the belt here in BG & the surrounding area. I loved the competitiveness of all the teams & will miss it.

Thanks for all that have made this board a pleasure to read & I'm sure we'll meet again soon.

Thanks for all WKU did for the Belt and thanks for the kind words about the Cajun program and Lafayette. Good luck in your new conference home. You guys should able to raise your game a knotch as C-USA is definitely going to be a very competitive baskeball league.

Sure hated to see WKU go.

Didn't know you ling but gald we got a year with you in conference. Y'all's passion for basketball reminded me that it sucks TXST ignored it for way too long. Hope we continue our pusuit to turn it around and play y'all down the road. Best of luck in CUSA with the MUTS.

With just a few hours remaining, guess I'll take this opportunity to say goodbye as well. I've not posted much in the last few weeks because there wasn't much to say and I wanted to avoid getting into any spitting matches with anyone as we were getting ready to leave.

I think most here know me as reasonably level headed and fair so please do accept the following as sincere.

I have no animosity or disdain for any current SBC school or any of its fans on this board. We've all been in the same boat (sinking or not) for awhile and I'll always pull for your schools to succeed against schools from other conferences. Granted, I'll not pull for you against CUSA schools, even against MTSU, but that's merely because what's good for CUSA will be good for WKU

I don't know what the future holds but I'm fairly confident SBC football is on good footing for the foreseeable future, if you don't get raided again.

Thanks for the memories, especially to USA basketball, and to the SBC for giving WKU the opportunity to move from FCS to FBS. Would never have happened if not for the SBC.

Good luck to all SBC schools this year.

One last time......Go SBC.

I'd personally take WKU and MTSU back in a heartbeat in a perfect world but i'm sure we will see you both on the field in the future.

WKU is down to about 1 hour left in the SBC as I type this. The SBC is also the only conference I've known. It gave WKU a home when we pulled the trigger and went D1A and for that I am grateful. I'm excited for our future in C-USA while being respectful of our past in the SBC.

Good luck to the SBC in the future . . . . except when playing against C-USA of course.

I remember the last 2-3 years of the OVC, but most of my life I have followed WKU in the SBC. It's hard to believe we've been in the conference for 32 years. For WKU and its fans, it is time to move on to a new conference. This will bring added excitement for fans and rekindle some old rivalries.

The SBC allowed WKU to go IA in football and that has been a blessing. We didn't have to endure some of the hardships that some of the teams that have moved up. This board has been great and I will definitely check in from time to time to see how our old rivals are doing.

I think ULL is setup to have major success as seen by the year they are having. The NO Bowl is almost assured and their other major sports seem to be at the top of their game. It will be interesting to see how successful GSU and App St. do in their first seasons.

Good luck to the SBC and I'm sure there will be a lot of talk when the next round of conference realignment begins.

Football season is just around the corner!

So long SBC-Thanks for the memories!!!!!!

Good luck in Cusa

(06-30-2014 11:51 AM)01TopperBG Wrote:  I also remember the additions of Troy, Denver, MTSU, La Monroe, FIU, etc. Teams came & left, but it always seemed like WKU & USA would be in the SBC forever.

It looks like South Alabama will be. Just think, how many Division I programs are in the same conference they were in 38 years ago?

I followed Sun Belt sports religiously from about 1978-1992, and here-and-there since then.
The Jags have been a continual member of the Sun Belt Conference since the league was formed in August 1976. The original six (current athletic home in parenthesis) were:

Georgia State - (Sun Belt all-sports)
Jacksonville - (Atlantic Sun, non-football)
New Orleans - (Southland, non-football)
North Carolina-Charlotte - (C-USA all-sports)
South Alabama - (Sun Belt all-sports)
South Florida - (AAC all-sports)