Is this worth anything to us?

[ragsgg]

Does this mean anything for ASU?

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... erence-usa

[appbio91]

I posted this in the FBS area also. I think it means sunbelt has to get of their asses and make some decisions. This will speed things up significantly IMO.

[sixtoes9134]

It's worth a post.

[appsfan]

I think this development helps our case, but we will see.

[AppAttack]

As far as the Sun Belt, the league will have eight members in 2013: Arkansas State, Georgia State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State and Western Kentucky.

Umm... that's 7. Do they really have 8? How many needed to have a conference championship game, 10? I have to believe they will add us and GaSo sometime soon. We'll see.

[hapapp]

Troy makes 8. You need 12 teams for a conference championship.

[AppAttack]

Ok, thanks... they need 4 more then, wow... surely we'll be one of those.

[Dmanuhone]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... -13-season


Middle Tennessee, FAU will join Conference USA for '13 season
By Dennis Dodd | Senior College Football Columnist
January 18, 2013 4:01 pm ET

Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic will leave the Sun Belt Conference this year, a season earlier than expected, CBSSports.com has learned. The two schools will join Conference USA on July 1. A formal announcement is expected next week.

That will leave the Sun Belt with eight teams for 2013, making it the smallest conference in FBS. Conference USA will have 14 members in '13.

Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic announced in November they were headed to Conference USA for the 2014 season. The Sun Belt will fill in but not until '14 at the earliest. Most of the speculation centers around rising FCS programs Georgia Southern and Appalachian State from the Southern Conference. New Mexico State, an independent in '13, may also be a possibility.

[GoApps70]

Unfortunately most of the school presidents wanting us left or are leaving the sb.
WKU would probably support us due to geography, but Troy and lower Gulf Coast schools would probably support ::Georgia Southern mainly.

Would really suck to see GaSo get in and not us because we are farther away than GaSo. Some of the sb wants NMSU or even Idaho because they are FBS already and an easy win for them.

[AppAttack]

Troy's supported us publicly last year.

[hapapp]

I wonder if the SBC will continue to exist? Talk about that CUSA may grab three more SBC teams depending on who departs CUSA or the possibility of CUSA going to 18 teams.

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/01/odu-may ... year-early

[GoApps70]

Troy's supported us publicly last year.

Actually Troy's president supported us and GaSo coming on into the Sun Belt. He evidently feels the combination is the best choices. However when you look at Geography some have said that he wants GaSo even more. Not in their back yard, but not a bad drive to GaSo. He is new by the way, but took over some leadership role that the previous Troy president held.

[GoApps70]

Make no doubt about it - CUSA and all other conferences want the Sun Belt dead. They feel if they can kill it, that will mean more money for the rest of them from the BCS playoffs, etc. It also would reduce their competition in recruiting from newby FCS move ups. Just hope they don't get bold and merge with them. If so we are probably locked out for many many years.

[Saint3333]

CUSA is smart and will take Ark. St, WKU, and Ga St. Taking the letter two shifts the footprint of the Belt west and makes the Belt decide between quality FCS programs ready for the move, App, GSU, JMU,a nd Liberty that require travel vs. closer less ready programs, Jax St, Lamar, SHSU.

CUSA selecting GA St. is just a joke, they are bad at everything, just happen to be located by an airport.

[Dmanuhone]

1-22-13

http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20 ... TSU-s-exit


NEW ORLEANS — Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee will leave the Sun Belt Conference effective June 30, 2013, according to Commissioner Karl Benson.

The departure of the two members follows a settlement that allowed FAU and MTSU to pay a slightly reduced early exit fee. The schools had announced previously they would remain in the Sun Belt Conference until June 2014.

“Our desire to aid our athletic directors in finalizing the 2013 football schedule was the reason for allowing a reduced exit fee,” Benson said. “While the seven-game conference schedule is not perfect, the understanding is that this would only be for one season.”

With the date of withdrawal now clear, the Sun Belt stands to have eight football members and 10 total members for the 2013-14 year. The league will play a seven-game football schedule and a double round-robin 18-game schedule for men’s and women’s basketball.

“We will shift our attention back towards the future of the league and what our membership should consist of,” Benson said. “As of now there are no pending invitations to the Sun Belt for membership, however, we know that there are a number of teams interested in joining our league.”

Benson said the league’s competitive performance in all sports, its position as one of only 10 BCS conferences and its geographical footprint are attractive to the institutions which have expressed interest in the SBC. The Sun Belt Conference just ended the most successful football season in its 12-year history, with four teams invited to bowl games. All four of those bowl teams will return to the Sun Belt Conference for the 2013 season........

[GoApps70]

Wonder if Benson is taking his own retirement fund donations? Liberty would probably dive up quit a bit for a SB membership.