The regular season is over and the very exciting "off" season has begun. Conference realignment looks to be an interesting topic yet again and is sure to affect App State either directly or indirectly by loosing conference members. For the last few years conference realignment has focused on the top. This will be the off-season for "mid-major realignment." Here is a quick run down on some of the potential conference changes starting from the top:

ACC, Big 10, SEC, and Pac 12 seem to be very stable. I would be very surprised to see a change.

The Big 12 just got knocked out of the play-off picture because they don't have a championship game. This off season either there will be a rule change allowing the Big 12 to stage a conference championship game without adding members or the Big 12 will go out and add 2 members. Rumors have it those members will be Memphis and Cincinnati from the AAC.

If the AAC looses 2 members they will need to add members to get back to 12 and stage a championship game. Navy is coming into the conference in 2015 so only one new member will be needed. The logical choice is Marshall putting Marshall and ECU in the same conference again.

The Mountain West seems stable unless Hawaii decides drop football. Idaho is praying right now that this happens because then MAYBE they get in.

CUSA will probably be kicking out UAB now that they are dropping football. CUSA has several options, they are above the minimum membership right now to stage a championship game. Even if Marshall ends up leaving they could do nothing. They might choose to bring in one or more teams from other conferences. UMASS, JMU, and NIU would probably be options but the first 2 are unlikely. More than likely at least one Sun Belt team ends up in CUSA soon. Texas State and ULL would be the logical top candidates. ULL and LA Tech don't get along so it will probably be Texas State. South Alabama is also a choice. There is also a chance UNCC gets kicked out of CUSA.

The MAC seems to be fairly stable. They have kicked out UMASS who is looking for a new home. NIU seems to be unhappy and could leave for another conference. If that happens maybe the MAC brings UMASS back in or brings in JMU. There is a VERY small chance the MAC brings in Liberty.

Without changes the Sun Belt would like to add a new member so they can stage a conference championship game. 12 is the number of members Carl Benson would like to have regardless of how many teams leave this off-season for CUSA. Idaho is at risk of getting kicked out because traveling there is no fun. Does JMU have a change of heart and joins up? Does Liberty get an invite? Does UMASS get an invite? Does UNCC end up looking for a new home and lands in that other conference they use to play for? Is there some dark-horse FCS team out there like Coastal Carolina, Delaware, or Missouri State?

Outside of all of this UAB is looking for a new conference. Ohio Valley and Southern seem to be their likely landing spot. The Sun Belt is not out of the question.

Let the fun begin in the wonderful game of mid-major realignment!

Under the current format, al G5 schools are screwed. It might be time for the G5's to get together and realign to help teams streamline costs and prevent another UAB scenario.

Conference USA cant afford to lose Marshall, they have to negotiate a new tv contract in 2 years, Marshall is one of their most established programs, leads in attendance, and is building a pretty good program. I still think, when everything is said and done, we will end up in a regional conference with UNCC, James Madison, Georgia Southern, might take awhile, but I think that's where we are heading, atleast I hope!!

moehler wrote:Conference USA cant afford to lose Marshall, they have to negotiate a new tv contract in 2 years, Marshall is one of their most established programs, leads in attendance, and is building a pretty good program. I still think, when everything is said and done, we will end up in a regional conference with UNCC, James Madison, Georgia Southern, might take awhile, but I think that's where we are heading, atleast I hope!!

Is this a real possibility being discussed by those in power, or is this just a logical idea from fans?

spong wrote:There is also a chance UNCC gets kicked out of CUSA.

Just out of curiosity, but why is there a chance?

UNCC is not in compliance currently with CUSA for football. Their stadium doesn't meet specs yet (field lights are required) and they are nowhere near the required minimum attendance average. They are working on the field light problem and the attendance issue just comes with a young program but CUSA has doors for pushing UNCC out if they want.

The NCAA and its conferences want three things: money, stability and more money.

The conferences have begun to realize they can make more money by cutting fewer slices from the pie. Even Karl Benson's tone changed after JMU rejected the Sun Belt. I'm betting the league is more likely to subtract a football team than grow to 12. Likewise, the NCAA is more likely to drop the threshold for an end-of-season conference championship game to 10 teams than stay where we are now and risk another round of realignment.

It's all about money, stability and more money.

spong wrote:UNCC is not in compliance currently with CUSA for football. Their stadium doesn't meet specs yet (field lights are required) and they are nowhere near the required minimum attendance average. They are working on the field light problem and the attendance issue just comes with a young program but CUSA has doors for pushing UNCC out if they want.

Thanks, I was just curious as to your reasoning.

HeffnerIV wrote:

moehler wrote:Conference USA cant afford to lose Marshall, they have to negotiate a new tv contract in 2 years, Marshall is one of their most established programs, leads in attendance, and is building a pretty good program. I still think, when everything is said and done, we will end up in a regional conference with UNCC, James Madison, Georgia Southern, might take awhile, but I think that's where we are heading, atleast I hope!!

Is this a real possibility being discussed by those in power, or is this just a logical idea from fans?

At this point I think that this is from a fan's standpoint. However, given the recent demise of UAB I can see the power's talking about it behind closed doors.

I dislike UNCC as much as the next guy, but I seriously doubt they will be pushed out the door before they even see the door. CUSA has a hard on for markets, so losing the Charlotte market would be a major loss for them.

I agree. I don't think that UNCC is in peril until attendance figures are available for FBS conference opponents.

My guess that if JMU is passed over again this time, they will come crawling back to the Sun Belt with their tail between their legs. While that would not help us in the west division, it will get us that eastern team we have been looking for. Then we can still add another western school if one is taken by CUSA from the Belt.

8993 wrote:My guess that if JMU is passed over again this time, they will come crawling back to the Sun Belt with their tail between their legs. While that would not help us in the west division, it will get us that eastern team we have been looking for. Then we can still add another western school if one is taken by CUSA from the Belt.

I might be wrong but I think fans want a SB team in the west but the conference powers want a travel partner for App.

AppSt94 wrote:

8993 wrote:My guess that if JMU is passed over again this time, they will come crawling back to the Sun Belt with their tail between their legs. While that would not help us in the west division, it will get us that eastern team we have been looking for. Then we can still add another western school if one is taken by CUSA from the Belt.

I might be wrong but I think fans want a SB team in the west but the conference powers want a travel partner for App.

If we lose a member in the west, we will likely still add a member in the west, but a member in the east is still needed, too. With JMU being passed over several times in a row, they will want in to the last open seat. We could then add JMU in the east and maybe Missouri State in the west.

8993 wrote:

AppSt94 wrote:

8993 wrote:My guess that if JMU is passed over again this time, they will come crawling back to the Sun Belt with their tail between their legs. While that would not help us in the west division, it will get us that eastern team we have been looking for. Then we can still add another western school if one is taken by CUSA from the Belt.

I might be wrong but I think fans want a SB team in the west but the conference powers want a travel partner for App.

If we lose a member in the west, we will likely still add a member in the west, but a member in the east is still needed, too. With JMU being passed over several times in a row, they will want in to the last open seat. We could then add JMU in the east and maybe Missouri State in the west.

I would agree. Based on what transpired today it is apparent that no G5 team or some P5 teams would factor into the final four. Based on that, why would a current G5 school bolt for a lateral move conference? I get that Texas State is PO'd to be at home for the holidays but moving to another G5 wouldn't necessarily change their lot in life. This is going to come down to name recognition. If the P5 conference champs are Oregon, Ohio State, Florida State, Texas, and Mississippi State, which one sits at the kiddy table?

Fixed it.

...which one sits at the kitty table?[/quote]


Meow!

Idaho gets the boot/leaves, Texas State/South Alabama join C-USA. What happens to the Sun Belt with only 9 football members? Unless ECU gets a bid from a P5 they don't deserve, I'm thinking, like others, that we'll have a more regional conference in the next decade.
App
GSO
GA State
ECU
Marshall
ODU
UNCC
FIU
FAU
Liberty/Richmond if they make the move
Feel like that would be better for all parties involved. Regional rivalries with almost every team in the conference and a cut in travel cost versus the Sun Belt. However, the almighty $$$ isn't big in this scenario.