http://csnbbs.com/thread-737988.html

Radio interview with Arkansas St's basketball coach makes it seem like a done deal. Georgia Southern's AD hinted at EKU and Coastal being added during a recent talk.

(05-26-2015 09:16 PM)Eagleditka Wrote:  http://csnbbs.com/thread-737988.html

Radio interview with Arkansas St's basketball coach makes it seem like a done deal. Georgia Southern's AD hinted at EKU and Coastal being added during a recent talk.

Would Coastal be a "full member" or will their football still be FCS?

Would it be better for them to pursue UAB?

Hah, no Liberty.

I listened to the interview with John Brady (Arkansas State's coach). He just returned from a meeting of Sun Belt basketball coaches and reported that EKU and Coastal Carolina were discussed as possible expansion candidates. However he was quick to add that expansion decisions are made by the school presidents with input from the ADs and that the coaches don't have a vote. He didn't say anything about what sports EKU and/or Coastal Carolina might be added for, but Karl Benson has stated previously that the Sun Belt wants to add an all-sports football-playing member to its eastern division.

As for NMSU, Brady didn't bring up the subject himself but was asked about adding the Aggies for all sports; he replied that he and the Arkansas State administration would support that, but there are concerns among other Sun Belt members and the conference leadership about travel to Las Cruces and that the focus is on expanding within the Sun Belt's current footprint. That's consistent with what Benson has said publicly, so this just reinforces that NMSU is still off the table.

That's gotta make the remaining WAC members feel a whole lot better, huh Mongoose? You think the Aggies would leave them high and dry without a warm body replacement?

Coastal Carolina how about that.

The key here is they bring another state in South Carolina to the SBC.

The SBC by moving to 14 all sport schools is playing the CUSA game....strength and stability with numbers.

The conference goes out and signs a long term TV deal with 14 members it doesn't have to worry too much about losing a school or two to poaching.

If there were major defections NMSU, AState, ULL out of the SBC having Coastal and EKU would make it more attractive for a Virginia school down the road. The future idea of CUSA becoming SW based and SBC SE based becomes more possible.

(05-26-2015 09:54 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  I listened to the interview with John Brady (Arkansas State's coach). He just returned from a meeting of Sun Belt basketball coaches and reported that EKU and Coastal Carolina were discussed as possible expansion candidates. However he was quick to add that expansion decisions are made by the school presidents with input from the ADs and that the coaches don't have a vote. He didn't say anything about what sports EKU and/or Coastal Carolina might be added for, but Karl Benson has stated previously that the Sun Belt wants to add an all-sports football-playing member to its eastern division.

As for NMSU, Brady didn't bring up the subject himself but was asked about adding the Aggies for all sports; he replied that he and the Arkansas State administration would support that, but there are concerns among other Sun Belt members and the conference leadership about travel to Las Cruces and that the focus is on expanding within the Sun Belt's current footprint. That's consistent with what Benson has said publicly, so this just reinforces that NMSU is still off the table.

Then if the expansion is just to 12 schools it might be Coastal since they have more contemporary facilities than EKU.

That Coastal stadium can be bumped up to 20,000 seats for FBS play at a cost of around 10 million since the bones of the stadium are already there. Georgia Southern made a nice expansion of its stadium moving into FBS so the possibility of a similar model is there with Coastal.

So, if this is true:

NMSU
Texas State/Texas-Arlington
Arkansas State/Arkansas-Little Rock
Louisiana/Louisiana-Monroe
South Alabama/Troy
Georgia State/Georgia Southern
App State/Coastal Carolina
Eastern Kentucky

I'd have a hard time believing NMSU as an all sports member unless if Louisiana, Arkansas State, or Texas State are as good as gone. I'd also think there would be only one of EKU or CCU added.

Time for a Myrtle Beach thread.

Haha it has come full circle with the coastal carolina call out post a while back...

(05-26-2015 10:03 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  That's gotta make the remaining WAC members feel a whole lot better, huh Mongoose? You think the Aggies would leave them high and dry without a warm body replacement?

No question jd. If the Sun Belt offered full membership, it's safe to say NMSU would be gone from the WAC in a split second. The chance to be part of a more stable conference would trump the geography.

But I think Benson meant it when he said the Sun Belt plans to stand pat with its current western division. Having two Olympic sports members in east Texas, two in Arkansas and two in Louisiana is a nice comfortable arrangement. The gap is in the conference's eastern division and adding either EKU or Coastal Carolina will fill it.

(05-26-2015 11:59 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(05-26-2015 10:03 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  That's gotta make the remaining WAC members feel a whole lot better, huh Mongoose? You think the Aggies would leave them high and dry without a warm body replacement?

No question jd. If the Sun Belt offered full membership, it's safe to say NMSU would be gone from the WAC in a split second. The chance to be part of a more stable conference would trump the geography.

But I think Benson meant it when he said the Sun Belt plans to stand pat with its current western division. Having two Olympic sports members in east Texas, two in Arkansas and two in Louisiana is a nice comfortable arrangement. The gap is in the conference's eastern division and adding either EKU or Coastal Carolina will fill it.

So the football-only arrangements remain in place for Idaho and NMSU. I can roll with that.

Adding just one of the members in question would get the Sun Belt to 12 football teams, 12 full members (assuming no one is poached). So the travel partners would go something like this then?

West:
UT Arlington - Texas State.
UALR - Arkansas State.
Louisiana Lafayette - Louisiana Monroe

East:
Georgia State - Georgia Southern
Troy - South Alabama
Appalachian State - Coastal / EKU

If I had to choose between the two I would go with Coastal Carolina. Not only do they give Belt basketball a boost, they also provide a boost for men's soccer

(05-27-2015 12:52 AM)jdgaucho Wrote:  

(05-26-2015 11:59 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(05-26-2015 10:03 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  That's gotta make the remaining WAC members feel a whole lot better, huh Mongoose? You think the Aggies would leave them high and dry without a warm body replacement?

No question jd. If the Sun Belt offered full membership, it's safe to say NMSU would be gone from the WAC in a split second. The chance to be part of a more stable conference would trump the geography.

But I think Benson meant it when he said the Sun Belt plans to stand pat with its current western division. Having two Olympic sports members in east Texas, two in Arkansas and two in Louisiana is a nice comfortable arrangement. The gap is in the conference's eastern division and adding either EKU or Coastal Carolina will fill it.

So the football-only arrangements remain in place for Idaho and NMSU. I can roll with that.

Adding just one of the members in question would get the Sun Belt to 12 football teams, 12 full members (assuming no one is poached). So the travel partners would go something like this then?

West:
UT Arlington - Texas State.
UALR - Arkansas State.
Louisiana Lafayette - Louisiana Monroe

East:
Georgia State - Georgia Southern
Troy - South Alabama
Appalachian State - Coastal / EKU

If I had to choose between the two I would go with Coastal Carolina. Not only do they give Belt basketball a boost, they also provide a boost for men's soccer

Okay, if you want New Mexico State in as a full member? They need a travel partner. West Texas A&M/New Mexico State?
Then if UTA adds football? UTA/Texas State
Now, you have a long space between Arlington to the Louisiana schools. Lamar/SE Oklahoma State? Southeastern Oklahoma State have over a 10000 seat stadium. Not much more to be added to 15,000 seat.
If UALR don't add football, have them leave the conference and add either Central Arkansas or Jackson State.

New Mexico State can work as a full member but they would also throw a wrench into the travel pairings. San Marcos (Texas State) and Arlington (UTA) are both over 600 miles away from them. Assuming no other change to current membership, you'd likely have to match them up with either UTA or Texas State. The pairings as whole get ugly after that and either Louisiana Lafayette or Louisiana Monroe moves from west to east; the extra time and distance matters. My best guess at 12:30 in the morning if the Sun Belt was determined to add NMSU as a full member

West:
New Mexico State - Texas State
UT Arlington - UA Little Rock
Louisiana Monroe - Arkansas State

East:
Louisiana Lafayette - South Alabama
Troy - Georgia Southern
Georgia State - Appalachian State

Doable, but ugly. Which is why I guess NMSU's full membership won't happen unless someone is poached from the western side.

(05-27-2015 02:40 AM)jdgaucho Wrote:  New Mexico State can work as a full member but they would also throw a wrench into the travel pairings. San Marcos (Texas State) and Arlington (UTA) are both over 600 miles away from them. Assuming no other change to current membership, you'd likely have to match them up with either UTA or Texas State. The pairings as whole get ugly after that and either Louisiana Lafayette or Louisiana Monroe moves from west to east; the extra time and distance matters. My best guess at 12:30 in the morning if the Sun Belt was determined to add NMSU as a full member

West:
New Mexico State - Texas State
UT Arlington - UA Little Rock
Louisiana Monroe - Arkansas State

East:
Louisiana Lafayette - South Alabama
Troy - Georgia Southern
Georgia State - Appalachian State

Doable, but ugly. Which is why I guess NMSU's full membership won't happen unless someone is poached from the western side.

Exactly. It only makes sense if the Sun Belt loses a western member, or decides to go to 14 in Olympic sports. In the latter case, NMSU could be given full membership in the west, EKU could be given full membership in the east, and Coastal Carolina could be added as a non-football member in the east (but would then need to find a home for its FCS football team).

West:
New Mexico State
Texas State - UT Arlington
UA Little Rock - Arkansas State
Louisiana Monroe - Louisana Lafayette

East:
South Alabama - Troy
Georgia Southern - Georgia State
EKU - Appalachian State
Coastal Carolina

I expect the Sun Belt to wait until UAB's situation is resolved before making any moves. That applies to other conferences too like the Big South and SoCon. The Atlantic Sun might still make a move though since they can add schools now and still have room for a potential UAB addition later.

Could be a trial balloon to see if Missouri St and JMU panic.

(05-26-2015 09:16 PM)Eagleditka Wrote:  http://csnbbs.com/thread-737988.html

Radio interview with Arkansas St's basketball coach makes it seem like a done deal. Georgia Southern's AD hinted at EKU and Coastal being added during a recent talk.

I didn't get that impression at all. Sure their names were mentioned as well as Missouri St (Which would be the best candidate). There are too many eastern Sunbelt schools who still want to act like a FCS league even though they made a jump to FBS.

(05-27-2015 08:10 AM)GSU Eagles Wrote:  Could be a trial balloon to see if Missouri St and JMU panic.

My guess as well. Massive dropoffs from JMU to EKU and CCU, from facilities to support to budgets.

Liberty rumors didn't flush us out, so I doubt CCU has our AD's knees shaking.

There could be an agreement between the east and west schools that the west would agree to which school the east wants if they also bring in NMSU as a full member. The west schools wanted NMSU as a full member last time. The other east school could be added in a couple of years when Missouri State is ready. If the SBC is raided by CUSA for one team, then Idaho could be dropped to keep the balance.

East

Appalachian State
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
South Alabama
Troy

West

Arkansas State
Idaho (football only)
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana Monroe
New Mexico State
Texas State

Later ...

East

Appalachian State
Coastal Carolina
Eastern Kentucky
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
South Alabama
Troy

Arkansas State
Idaho (football only)
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana Monroe
Missouri State
New Mexico State
Texas State

Eventually Oly

Appalachian State
Arkansas Little Rock
Arkansas State
Coastal Carolina
Eastern Kentucky
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana Monroe
Missouri State
New Mexico State
South Alabama
Texas Arlington
Texas State
Troy