In the future if the Southern Conference decides to expand what two schools would you like to see invited and why?

If they add football schools:
Kennesaw State...always good to have a few extra wins in basketball, football in similar growth/development cycle
Coastal Carolina....decent basketball, outstanding football, good road trip

If they add basketball schools:
Winthrop...historically good program, within footprint, close drive
UNC-Wilmington...see Kennesaw State regarding basketball wins, also good road trip

They're at nine for football again, so it would be three to split into divisions and keep a balanced schedule.
But those three:
1. Coastal Carolina
2. Charleston Southern - improving in football, provides a nice travel partner to The Citadel
3. Tie between Kennesaw, North Alabama (Contingent upon either a new stadium or doing a MAJOR renovation at their current home) or Jacksonville State. Any of these three set up a nice pod for Chattanooga, kind of the same with adding the beach schools. The only two out on an island would be Mercer and VMI, and there really aren't any viable candidates to help them out travel wise, I mean I guess you can count KSU, but that's still three hours drive if you catch I-75 traffic right.

If you add only basketball, it's time to bring in UNC-A, Winthrop and Radford. All add really nice, close travel options which would be budget friendly for all involved, plus all three have pretty decent facilities, though Radford could stand something a little better than Dedmon.

Jacksonville - private
Coastal - public

I believe Coastal Carolina will try and move up to FBS (if that's what it's still called). Kennesaw St and possibly Gardner-Webb could add something to the football side. Geographically a pretty good fit. If only basketball, I like Winthrop and UNC-Asheville.

Coastal and Winthrop.

Coastal for certain. As for the #2, with the adding of football, Kennesaw makes the most sense based on geography and the "new-ness" of its football program. However, in adding basketball schools, UNCA and Winthrop make a lot of sense. You could add all four and have 10 schools for football & 12 for basketball.

Really hope they do consider adding Coastal, as most everyone agrees. I guess my other vote leans toward UNC-A or Charleston Southern

If the Socon wants to be proactive with self-preservation, then I would say.....

Coastal Carolina
Kennesaw (I dont really like this one, but it makes sense under the circumstances)
Campbell

Winthrop
UNCA
Jacksonville or FGCU

This would make 12 football schools and 16 total. Is my math correct?

not sure who they might target, however have a hard time believing that Samford, Furman, Wofford, VMI, Citadel will look very favorably at Coastal Carolina or Gardner Webb

(02-28-2014 09:54 AM)silence dogood Wrote:  not sure who they might target, however have a hard time believing that Samford, Furman, Wofford, VMI, Citadel will look very favorably at Coastal Carolina or Gardner Webb

This ^^^. IMO, Coastal will never have the votes to join the SoCon as long as Furman, Wofford, & The Citadel are all members of the league. They don't like our academics and they don't want a fourth school from South Carolina.

There is some talk that if/when James Madison leaves the CAA, the conference's #1 target will be Furman. If FU left for the Colonial, I could see CCU having enough support to enter the Southern. But Furman has been a SoCon member since the 1930s & I don't see them accepting a CAA invite.

Plus, didn't SoCon officials say there wouldn't be any immediate expansion after Mercer, VMI, & you guys were added back in May?

Agreed, no need for 4 schools in SC.
I change my picks to:
Tennessee Tech & Jacksonville

(02-28-2014 10:39 AM)Stateman Wrote:  I change my picks to:
Tennessee Tech & Jacksonville

I like those picks as well because of (1) familiarity, (2) conference footprint expansion, and (3) academics.

I also like UNC-Ashville because of the close proximity to JC, let alone being near many other SoCon schools.