James Madison has won two national championships in the FCS and invests heavily in their athletics. If the Sun Belt comes out of conference realignment without losing any teams and adding four really quality programs, I think it catapults them to the top of the Group of Five in terms of quality football teams. Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss are all rumored to be joining the Sun Belt, with a possible invitation to FCS member James Madison as well. Right now, Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, and Troy all call the Sun Belt home. Sun Belt football quietly winning the Group of Five realignment war So, it’s a total win for the Sun Belt to be able to hang on these very desirable teams and not lose them to the AAC or any other conference for that matter.
#Sunbelt conference message board plus#
Plus they made sense as a geographical partner for Memphis. The Red Wolves have enjoyed success in recent years, appearing in nine straight bowl games and have been a popular spot for downtrodden coaches to rehabilitate their image and resume. These teams have been ranked, have enjoyed success against ranked teams, and/or enjoy passionate fan bases.Įven Arkansas State would have made sense for the American. The Sun Belt has several desirable teams that I thought would be ideal fits in the American Athletic Conference during this round of conference realignment.Īppalachian State, Coastal Carolina, and Louisiana, in particular, made total sense to join the AAC. Liberty and New Mexico State are each independent in football, while Jacksonville State and Sam Houston compete at the FCS level.If you would have told me at the beginning of conference realignment, that Sun Belt football would come out unscathed, adding teams and making an argument for being the premier Group of Five conference, I would have called you crazy. In that scenario, Conference USA would still need at least one more addition over the next two years to reach the NCAA-mandated minimum of eight schools for FBS leagues. If the Hilltoppers and Blue Raiders depart, the league's total would stand at seven members, with existing members FIU, Louisiana Tech and UTEP combining with the four new members. It is also "probable" that the beleaguered conference will lose Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee to the MAC, sources told CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd. We have been deliberate in our efforts for the past few weeks to get us to this point and will continue to evaluate and consider our additional options for membership."Ĭharlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA are each leaving Conference USA for the AAC, while Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss are moving to the Sun Belt. "This is a quality mix of established and emerging universities that provides us with a compelling group to continue to build with, focusing on competing for and winning championships well into the future.
"We are incredibly excited about adding these four new members and feel there is tremendous upside in these moves for our conference," Conference USA commissioner Judy MacLeod said in a release. The addition of the four new schools, who will join the league on July 1, 2023, follows a chaotic shift in the conference structure that left the league with just five members with more realignment imminent.
Conference USA announced the addition of four new members on Friday, adding Liberty, New Mexico State, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston to help stabilize the league amid the latest wave of conference realignment.
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