(03-09-2017 12:50 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Once Centenary's attempt to join the Southland failed it cleared the path. The Summit had made a run at trying to add Arkansas-Little Rock, South Alabama and New Orleans (before USA added football) with that failing Centenary started getting serious about the Southland. Back in the TAAC (ASun) they had games against UALR and UL Monroe, NW State, etc in the Louisiana and Texas area. After they all left Centenary never really had a good fit.
While there was some controversy, there was a great deal of support for Division III as being more compatible with Centenary as a small liberal arts college with less than 600 undergrad students.

Birmingham Southern likewise considered the move a better fit and the only way to viably add football, which they felt fit the region.

New Orleans was under tight financial circumstances in Division I post-Katrina and while they initially announced for Division III they quickly changed their mind and were going Division II and talking seriously of adding football, I think that football talk coupled with UNO moving from the LSU system to the UL System where athletics have a bit more financial freedom spurred the interest of the Southland so they moved back to Division I.