Sun Belt announces football divisions for 2018, new collaborative replay system
by Tom Fornelli
The Sun Belt is losing two teams, but it's getting two new divisions.
Both New Mexico State and Idaho will leave the Sun Belt following the 2017 season, and Coastal Carolina will join as it finishes its transition from the FCS level to the FBS in 2018. That will give the conference 10 total teams, and it will divide those teams into two separate five-team divisions.
The divisions will be divided by geography.
East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Troy
West: Arkansas State, Louisiana, UL-Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State
While the divisions are clearly logical, I just want to get it on the record that the Sun Belt missed on an opportunity by naming the divisions East and West rather than something like Sun and Shade.
Anyway, the winners of the two divisions will play in the new Sun Belt Championship Game, which will be played on the campus of the school that ranks highest in the College Football Playoff's Rankings. No additional methods were mentioned for choosing the title game site if neither division winner is ranked at the end of the regular season.
The Sun Belt is also adopting a collaborative instant replay system that will allow officials in a central location to review replays and assist officials at each game. The model is based on the one the SEC currently uses.
http://www.cbssports.com/college-footbal...lay-system