(07-05-2011 12:43 PM)HatterFan Wrote: (07-05-2011 04:01 AM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote: I got word yesterday that N.Alabama and N.Kentucky will get invited to the OVC later this month. So they're going to a whopping 14. The good news is ETSU and Lipscomb are safe for now. Rumor was if OVC went to 14 it might have been UNA and one of those 2 Tenn. schools.
Kennesaw St. getting invited to the Big South would be the next thing that might happen when they get football going. UNA leaving the Gulf South is good news for the A-Sun. W.Florida, W.Georgia, Valdosta St. will probably get a lot more antsy and look to D-I soon. Throw them in w/ Lincoln Memorial and Nova Southeastern. You have some options.
Longwood? Will you guys go up that far north to add them?
The sense I'm getting lately is that UWF will remain in Division II and the Gulf South, with or without football but probably eventually with. They're a long way away from everybody, including the other Florida schools. Pensacola is closer to New Orleans than it is to Jacksonville.
NSU and VSU sound good to me if it comes to that, West Georgia and LMU a lot less so. I really wish the Big South would just do the obvious thing already and take Longwood, what could possibly be the downside to the BSC and its members? I don't get it.
I don't think Longwood is an option for them, they must focus on adding fb members. They have Stony Brook for fb only because they are so thin at fb. Adding Longwood would just block any full fb playing member from joining, unless they want 14 like the OVC. LMU, NSU, and Long wood would be good adds for you guys. They don't have fb so they won't appeal to the Big South. OVC looks to be done so other than KSU leaving for the BSC or the BSC going crazy and taking say KSU, ETSU, and VSU (if they want to move up) you guys can start building up w/o being a launching pad.
Think about how good the A-Sun/TAAC is/was. You guys have had a ton of solid schools. UCF, FAU, FIU, Troy, UTSA, ULM, Georgia So., Georgia St., C of C, Belmont among others.
I'm guessing that fans probably groaned when you added Lipscomb and Belmont from the NAIA. They both turned out to be pretty good. LU hasn't made the tourney yet but w/ Belmont gone they should get over the hump.
If possible I think you guys should go to 12 and turn more D-II programs into D-I competitive ASC schools. This would protect against KSU leaving or BSC copying the OVC w/ 14 teams.
You have options
1.VSU (would leave for a conf w/fb)
2.UWF
3.NSU
4.UWG (would leave for a conf. w/fb)
5.Longwood
6.LMU
7.Francis Marion(wanted to be D-I before the moratorium, haven't heard anything new)
