(06-14-2020 11:24 AM)DavidSt Wrote: (06-14-2020 11:16 AM)lion1983 Wrote: I think the ASUN is set for a while, and would only add if it's the right member.
Liberty may be the most likely to leave, but how long do you think it will take for that to happen?
KSU and UNA will only leave if it is for the SoCon, OVC, Sun Belt or CUSA. How many of those scenarios do you honestly see happening? SoCon is full. OVC is full, CUSA and Sun Belt are full.
Lipscomb may look around. But they dont have it bad in the ASUN.
The ONLY reason I would say the ASUN needs to go ahead and invite is because of numbers. The ASUN had, 5 public and starting this year 5 private schools. Balanced. Now its 4 public schools.
As far as football is concerned, I wish North Florida and FGCU would start FCS football. I think that would create a niche for the ASUN. Other than FAMU and BC, there is no scholarship FCS football in Florida. It may be time to really push to be a football conference. Then I would go after West Florida and Valdosta State very hard.
ASUN football could be (from North to South)
UNA
KSU
Valdosta State
West Florida
North Florida
FGCU
But that's a pipe dream, and would need at least 1 more.
Bethune-Cookman
South Carolina State
West Georgia
Lure Jacksonville State away from OVC, and get Stetson to add scholarships.
I've talked to several Stetson folks, and the unanimous feelings are that Stetson has no aspirations to have scholarship football.
The only way the ASUN could lure Jacksonville State, they would have to have football as a conference. And they may join the ASUN if that happens because of UNA and KSU. But again, they would HAVE to have football in the ASUN.
West Georgia studied moving to D1 when UNA was trying to go. I think the study was positive for them, but if I'm not mistaken, they put the brakes on it for a while.
If it could be done, Jacksonville State would be nice.
Then West Florida.
UNA, KSU, JSU, West Florida, UNF, FGCU Valdosta State.
7 for football. Wouldn't be a bad conference.
ASUN as a whole
Liberty
Bellarmine
Lipscomb
UNA
JSU
KSU
West Florida
Valdosta State
UNF
JU
Stetson
FGCU
Even if the ASUN couldn't sponsor football for a while, have those 7 in the Big South for football
(Big South East)
Monmouth
RMU
Hampton
NCA&T
Campbell
Gardner Webb
Charleston Southern
(Big South West)
UNA
JSU
KSU
West Florida
Valdosta State
UNF
FGCU
Could be like two different conferences. Would not have to have a championship game, I dont know how that would work in FCS.