After hearing more rumors and reading some pages on the internet there's a few interesting things to note.

- It still appears Mercer is a front runner for SoCon membership.

- A lot of SoCon Presidents don't want ETSU back. Their exit still hits a soft spot.

- Most still think ETSU will be picked due to lack of other choices

- Kennesaw remains a strong candidate. I guess it's their location and enrollment, because it's certainly not their win totals.

- Mercer football expected to go scholarship sooner rather than later. Jacksonville also considering this possibility.

- Atlantic Sun discussing sponsoring football (barf)

- Atlantic Sun discussing merger with Big South for football (double barf)

The Atlantic Sun does have some positives, but I prefer Mercer to move to a new home and start fresh. I really don't want to be associated with anything Big South.

The Big South needs football schools and the ASUN needs members and stability. I guess it makes sense for the leagues to work together, but neither is a really desirable place to be.

I'm just glad to see all these schools moving towards scholarship football. The Southeast has really gone through a surge of schools starting football and moving up quickly. I have family down in Ga and I'm already talking to my nephew about looking at Kennesaw and ETSU.

I agree, it's great that so many schools are adding football! I want to clarify that I don't like the Atlantic Sun sponsoring football because I think they missed the boat a long time ago. It would be "Atlantic Sun" football, but half the teams would have to be from other leagues like the Big South. It would be a makeshift conference structure since there's only a few A-SUN available teams. My other gripe with this is that it's virtually a guarantee that the A-Sun can't convince all the football teams to stay. So it would be the leftovers, and I don't want Mercer in a group of leftovers.

If Mercer, Stetson, and Jacksonville go scholarship, the A-Sun could start inviting football-playing schools from Division II. The problem is that the SoCon has room at the inn, which probably snuffs out any chance at the A-Sun getting enough teams.

The possible serendipitous moment might be if the SoCon trashes Big South football beyond recovery:

SoCon takes Coastal Carolina, Gardner-Webb, VMI
CAA takes Monmouth

At this point Big South football is down to Liberty and Presbyterian.

Atlantic Sun (*plays FCS football)

Northern Kentucky
ETSU*
Lipscomb
USC Upstate
North Alabama*
Kennesaw State*

Mercer*
Jacksonville*
Stetson*
Columbus (GA) State
Florida Gulf Coast
North Florida

Liberty* (football only)
Presbyterian* (football only)