With the departure of ETSU and Mercer and the certain departure of KSU (perhaps to the Big South to replace VMI), what is the future of the A-Sun?

LMU, Union??? Merger with the Big South? Fold?

Thoughts?

Sorta like wondering what's the future of Dave Mullins.

(05-30-2013 02:44 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  Sorta like wondering what's the future of Dave Mullins.

Mullins could retire. Are you suggesting that the A-Sun should retire from NCAA athletics?

(05-30-2013 02:45 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 02:44 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  Sorta like wondering what's the future of Dave Mullins.

Mullins could retire. Are you suggesting that the A-Sun should retire from NCAA athletics?

Hey, just kidding. The A-Sun will try to hang on, obviously. Kennesaw will leave soon. Northern Kentucky will go ASAP. As for the others, they're in a mess with few if any options. Some kind of a Big South-ASun merger? Can the Big South absorb all of them or just cherry pick them? For sure, no Big South schools are headed to the ASun. Unless they've got a bunch of DII schools wanting to move up, they could be in serious trouble.

(05-30-2013 03:01 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 02:45 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 02:44 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  Sorta like wondering what's the future of Dave Mullins.

Mullins could retire. Are you suggesting that the A-Sun should retire from NCAA athletics?

Hey, just kidding. The A-Sun will try to hang on, obviously. Kennesaw will leave soon. Northern Kentucky will go ASAP. As for the others, they're in a mess with few if any options. Some kind of a Big South-ASun merger? Can the Big South absorb all of them or just cherry pick them? For sure, no Big South schools are headed to the ASun. Unless they've got a bunch of DII schools wanting to move up, they could be in serious trouble.

Yea, I'm just trying to read the tea leaves. Seems as if an A-Sun/Big South merger isn't practical unless more Big South teams leave that conference.

Who wants to move up? I know LMU supposedly does as does Union out of Jackson. West Georgia wants to move up, but they have football.

Others know of options for the ole A-Sun?

What I've heard is that the ASun is kind of in panic mode. I'm not sure the Big South is really interested in a merger. I've heard Lipscomb may go to the OVC, or is hoping to anyway. NKU may go to the Summit. The ASun is in serious trouble.

Yeah, all of the non-Florida schools could bolt in the next 5 years. Lipscomb to the OVC, NKU, to the Summit or even the Horizon League, both of which are hard-up for membership. Kennesaw State and USC-Upstate are losing their travel partners and could end up in the Big South, especially the Owls, since the BSC is hard up for football schools.

Columbus State plans on moving up, but beyond that, the A-Sun will need to convince some Florida schools to make the jump. Tampa and Nova Southeastern are probably their best bets, but those two alone probably wouldn't be enough to save the conference. FGCU and another Florida school might could bolt for the Sun Belt, depending on how they feel about adding non-football members (they had previously expressed a preliminary interest in FGCU, but I don't think the two ever got in touch).

The conference is going to be totally dependent on D-II move-ups, though, and that's never a sure thing. The A-Sun might not exist by 2023...

(05-30-2013 04:35 PM)Mister Consistency Wrote:  Yeah, all of the non-Florida schools could bolt in the next 5 years. Lipscomb to the OVC, NKU, to the Summit or even the Horizon League, both of which are hard-up for membership. Kennesaw State and USC-Upstate are losing their travel partners and could end up in the Big South, especially the Owls, since the BSC is hard up for football schools.

Columbus State plans on moving up, but beyond that, the A-Sun will need to convince some Florida schools to make the jump. Tampa and Nova Southeastern are probably their best bets, but those two alone probably wouldn't be enough to save the conference. FGCU and another Florida school might could bolt for the Sun Belt, depending on how they feel about adding non-football members (they had previously expressed a preliminary interest in FGCU, but I don't think the two ever got in touch).

The conference is going to be totally dependent on D-II move-ups, though, and that's never a sure thing. The A-Sun might not exist by 2023...

In addition to Columbus State, they could just complete a full throttle state of Georgia raid on the Peach Belt Conference and also grab Clayton State (south ATL), Augusta State, and Armstrong State. Maybe grab USC-Aiken too.

In addition to focusing totally on Division II move ups -- the A-Sun may need to think outside the box. The Big South needs football members -- they might try to strike an alliance with them:
Please let us keep Kennesaw State for non-football and you take them for gridiron. And part of the bargain is for the A-Sun to take both the nonfootball sports of (move-ups from Div II) North Alabama and West Georgia with the agreement that the Big South accept their football?

(05-30-2013 03:17 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 03:01 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 02:45 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 02:44 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  Sorta like wondering what's the future of Dave Mullins.

Mullins could retire. Are you suggesting that the A-Sun should retire from NCAA athletics?

Hey, just kidding. The A-Sun will try to hang on, obviously. Kennesaw will leave soon. Northern Kentucky will go ASAP. As for the others, they're in a mess with few if any options. Some kind of a Big South-ASun merger? Can the Big South absorb all of them or just cherry pick them? For sure, no Big South schools are headed to the ASun. Unless they've got a bunch of DII schools wanting to move up, they could be in serious trouble.

Yea, I'm just trying to read the tea leaves. Seems as if an A-Sun/Big South merger isn't practical unless more Big South teams leave that conference.

Who wants to move up? I know LMU supposedly does as does Union out of Jackson. West Georgia wants to move up, but they have football.

Others know of options for the ole A-Sun?

Have you ever driven through LMU's campus? You might as well add Milligan to the ASUN

It's true, LMU is pretty similar to Milligan, with the exception of the osteopathic school. Regardless, I'm glad we're out, because playing LMU would be ridiculous. Harrogate? They do have a Gondolier.

I've heard that the ASun may be interested in a merger with the Big South, but I think the Big South is only interested in specific members of the ASun. I assume those teams would be only the travel friendly teams for that league, such as USC-Upstate, I would guess Kennesaw (although I guess they may head to the SoCon, although I've only heard that on here), and maybe Jacksonville & UNF. But I would bet they don't want to touch Stetson or Gulf Coast, because the travel is brutal, & the same goes with Lipscomb. The ETSU/Mercer exit may be the downfall of the Atlantic Sun.

Bellarmine is out there and interested in moving up. Business is fixin to pick up that's for sure.

(05-30-2013 06:18 PM)etsubuc Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 03:17 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 03:01 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 02:45 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 02:44 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  Sorta like wondering what's the future of Dave Mullins.

Mullins could retire. Are you suggesting that the A-Sun should retire from NCAA athletics?

Hey, just kidding. The A-Sun will try to hang on, obviously. Kennesaw will leave soon. Northern Kentucky will go ASAP. As for the others, they're in a mess with few if any options. Some kind of a Big South-ASun merger? Can the Big South absorb all of them or just cherry pick them? For sure, no Big South schools are headed to the ASun. Unless they've got a bunch of DII schools wanting to move up, they could be in serious trouble.

Yea, I'm just trying to read the tea leaves. Seems as if an A-Sun/Big South merger isn't practical unless more Big South teams leave that conference.

Who wants to move up? I know LMU supposedly does as does Union out of Jackson. West Georgia wants to move up, but they have football.

Others know of options for the ole A-Sun?

Have you ever driven through LMU's campus? You might as well add Milligan to the ASUN

Been there a number of times. Their basketball arena is nicer than upstates, baseball field not bad, etc. Milligan is NAIA, LMU is NCAA D2 apparently wanting to move up.

Locally, UVa-Wise is NCAA D2 and has the nicest facilities, but hasn't expressed a desire to move up.

(05-30-2013 06:18 PM)etsubuc Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 03:17 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 03:01 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 02:45 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 02:44 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  Sorta like wondering what's the future of Dave Mullins.

Mullins could retire. Are you suggesting that the A-Sun should retire from NCAA athletics?

Hey, just kidding. The A-Sun will try to hang on, obviously. Kennesaw will leave soon. Northern Kentucky will go ASAP. As for the others, they're in a mess with few if any options. Some kind of a Big South-ASun merger? Can the Big South absorb all of them or just cherry pick them? For sure, no Big South schools are headed to the ASun. Unless they've got a bunch of DII schools wanting to move up, they could be in serious trouble.

Yea, I'm just trying to read the tea leaves. Seems as if an A-Sun/Big South merger isn't practical unless more Big South teams leave that conference.

Who wants to move up? I know LMU supposedly does as does Union out of Jackson. West Georgia wants to move up, but they have football.

Others know of options for the ole A-Sun?

Have you ever driven through LMU's campus? You might as well add Milligan to the ASUN

Been there a number of times. Their basketball arena is nicer than upstates, baseball field not bad, etc. Milligan is NAIA, LMU is NCAA D2 apparently wanting to move up.

Locally, UVa-Wise is NCAA D2 and has the nicest facilities, but hasn't expressed a desire to move up.

King University is also Division II as is Tusculum and Carson-Newman. Poor Gulf Coast. I do feel for them as I think they could develop into something really good.