(01-23-2017 03:38 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(01-23-2017 11:39 AM)Rich52c Wrote:  

(01-23-2017 10:55 AM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(01-23-2017 10:37 AM)Rich52c Wrote:  

(01-23-2017 09:56 AM)johnbragg Wrote:  That's all you need to STAY a conference and KEEP your autobid. You need to have 7 D-I members, and you need to have played a certain number of D-1 sports as a league for 6 or so years.

TPTB do NOT want new conferences and more autobids.

Stony Brook,Delaware,James Madison,Old Dominion,Marshall,Buffalo,Richmond,Ohio U,U Mass

Apparently DavidSt's unique strain of Tourrette's is catching.

Where else are schools like Delaware&JMU going to move up for their football programs.
certainly not to the Sun Belt

Where else are...? They're not. Simple as that.

If they want FBS, they'd better take any offer that comes along. Delaware and James MAdison have been I-AA since there's been I-AA, no need to rearrange anything for their benefit.

The power conferences (and this would include the Big East) are very, very unhappy with the idea of fewer at-large NCAA bids and more automatic bids. The Big East got special treatment because most years, the Big East autobid isn't taking away an at-large spot from a bubble team; and because he had widespread sympathy. Plans for new conferences will not be taken well. Look at the story of the Great West conference, and think very hard.

The Catholic 7 had been together as part of the same conference for 8 years, so I believe they met the NCAA continuity requirements to receive an autobid from the outset. The AAC (as the legal continuation of the Old Big East) and the WAC were both existing conferences, and were not subject to the continuity requirement. They were subject to sports sponsorship and membership requirements, but had two years under NCAA rules to restore compliance after losing members.