Updated: March 25, 2013, 4:42 PM ET
By Brett McMurphy | ESPN

Appalachian State and Georgia Southern will make the transition from the FCS to the FBS and join the Sun Belt Conference in 2015, sources told ESPN.

The two schools will be ineligible for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs in 2013. After completing their transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), they will be eligible for the Sun Belt football championship and bowl games in 2015, sources said.

An official announcement is expected this week, and both schools will be full-fledged Sun Belt members in all other sports in 2014, sources said.

The addition of Appalachian State and Georgia Southern will give the Sun Belt 10 football members in 2015 -- Arkansas State, Georgia State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy and Western Kentucky.

The Sun Belt will have a 12-member basketball league with those 10 schools plus Arkansas-Little Rock and Texas-Arlington.

Since North Texas, Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee announced they were leaving for Conference USA, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern have been targeted by the Sun Belt.

Two weeks ago at the Sun Belt men's basketball tournament, league commissioner Karl Benson said the majority of schools the Sun Belt was considering for expansion were in the FCS level.

"We want to create two geographic divisions and make sure there's at least 10 football schools while considering the option of 12," Benson said on March 9. "We also want to make sure that the schools in our league make sense geographically and are regionally aligned."

Benson also indicated that his league could consider former WAC schools New Mexico State and Idaho as football-only members.

"They are in need of a conference and are being assessed," Benson said on March 9. "We are looking specifically for schools that will add stability and value. We also are exploring the possibility of football-only members, and it's not just limited to NMSU and Idaho.

"We have created a lot of maps with different possibilities that would fit many of our needs including geography."

The are actually adding four members, Idaho and New Mexico State are now confirmed for football only.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball...ur-in-2014

I'm happy for Idaho fans. Woulda sucked to get bumped back to FCS. Though I'm surprised Sun Belt is adding them for football.

(03-25-2013 09:29 PM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  The are actually adding four members, Idaho and New Mexico State are now confirmed for football only.

2014 we now are hosting a Sun Belt team. When was the last time that happened?

Sun Belt looking for 2 divisions? Or are they expecting to lose 3 teams?

stAte
ULL
ULM
TX St
Idaho
NM St

WKY
Appy St
GA St
GA So
So AL
Troy

I am interested to see if stAte and ULL fans like or hate this.

Idaho has many games already scheduled for the 2014 season. They will have to cancel/move at least 1 of the current games. (assuming stAte, NM St & TX St are all in the Sun Belt in 2014)

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-14/wac/2...hedule.php

With traveling so far for the Sun Belt conference play they will keep the Fresno St game along with their money game @ Florida. My guess is they will drop/move the game hosting WMU since it seems that this is only a one and done.

(03-26-2013 08:36 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(03-25-2013 09:29 PM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  The are actually adding four members, Idaho and New Mexico State are now confirmed for football only.

2014 we now are hosting a Sun Belt team. When was the last time that happened?

Sun Belt looking for 2 divisions? Or are they expecting to lose 3 teams?

stAte
ULL
ULM
TX St
Idaho
NM St

WKY
Appy St
GA St
GA So
So AL
Troy

I am interested to see if stAte and ULL fans like or hate this.

I'll be looking forward to the "limited edition" t-shirt from the VCB when the Vandals come to town.

(03-26-2013 09:23 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 08:36 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(03-25-2013 09:29 PM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  The are actually adding four members, Idaho and New Mexico State are now confirmed for football only.

2014 we now are hosting a Sun Belt team. When was the last time that happened?

Sun Belt looking for 2 divisions? Or are they expecting to lose 3 teams?

stAte
ULL
ULM
TX St
Idaho
NM St

WKY
Appy St
GA St
GA So
So AL
Troy

I am interested to see if stAte and ULL fans like or hate this.

I'll be looking forward to the "limited edition" t-shirt from the VCB when the Vandals come to town.

Yes, that should be a big seller like the Tenn-Martin shirts.

I already have my order in for the EIU Panthers shirt.

I am trying to get VCB to do game-day T-shirts for our basketball opponents too. They said they'll think about it.

(03-26-2013 09:38 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Yes, that should be a big seller like the Tenn-Martin shirts.

I already have my order in for the EIU Panthers shirt.

I am trying to get VCB to do game-day T-shirts for our basketball opponents too. They said they'll think about it.

Before the HASF kickoff I stopped by at the VCB. They had several tables of clearance Ts. I found a North Dakota game day T. It was 2 bucks and change....I still passed.

(03-26-2013 08:20 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  I'm happy for Idaho fans. Woulda sucked to get bumped back to FCS. Though I'm surprised Sun Belt is adding them for football.

I wonder if Idaho doing something to offset travel costs for the other SB teams to Idaho to make it happen.

Or if the SB thinks they're losing at least three teams, they're just happy to get anyone already at the FBS level.

(03-26-2013 11:18 AM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 08:20 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  I'm happy for Idaho fans. Woulda sucked to get bumped back to FCS. Though I'm surprised Sun Belt is adding them for football.

I wonder if Idaho doing something to offset travel costs for the other SB teams to Idaho to make it happen.

Or if the SB thinks they're losing at least three teams, they're just happy to get anyone already at the FBS level.

I was thinking the same thing.

Losing WKY to CUSA and stAte/ULL to the MAC or CUSA?

(03-26-2013 09:09 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  Idaho has many games already scheduled for the 2014 season. They will have to cancel/move at least 1 of the current games. (assuming stAte, NM St & TX St are all in the Sun Belt in 2014)

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-14/wac/2...hedule.php

With traveling so far for the Sun Belt conference play they will keep the Fresno St game along with their money game @ Florida. My guess is they will drop/move the game hosting WMU since it seems that this is only a one and done.

I wouldn't be surprised if they asked out of the return game that they would come to Dekalb. Only thing is could we get a good partner on short notice for a game next year, with an outgoing AD?

Now that Comfer's gone, let's dump the the Idaho series.

(03-26-2013 11:34 AM)HappyHuskie Wrote:  Now that Comfer's gone, let's dump the the Idaho series.

I wouldn't feel Comfertable doing it.

(03-26-2013 11:25 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 09:09 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  Idaho has many games already scheduled for the 2014 season. They will have to cancel/move at least 1 of the current games. (assuming stAte, NM St & TX St are all in the Sun Belt in 2014)

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-14/wac/2...hedule.php

With traveling so far for the Sun Belt conference play they will keep the Fresno St game along with their money game @ Florida. My guess is they will drop/move the game hosting WMU since it seems that this is only a one and done.

I wouldn't be surprised if they asked out of the return game that they would come to Dekalb. Only thing is could we get a good partner on short notice for a game next year, with an outgoing AD?

Some fight in the Idaho players:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-s...ncaaf.html

(03-26-2013 04:02 PM)golf4501 Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 11:25 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 09:09 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  Idaho has many games already scheduled for the 2014 season. They will have to cancel/move at least 1 of the current games. (assuming stAte, NM St & TX St are all in the Sun Belt in 2014)

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-14/wac/2...hedule.php

With traveling so far for the Sun Belt conference play they will keep the Fresno St game along with their money game @ Florida. My guess is they will drop/move the game hosting WMU since it seems that this is only a one and done.

I wouldn't be surprised if they asked out of the return game that they would come to Dekalb. Only thing is could we get a good partner on short notice for a game next year, with an outgoing AD?

Some fight in the Idaho players:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-s...ncaaf.html

I never knew Washington St and Idaho were so close to each other. Maybe we can "accidentally" fly too far and go play the Cougars instead.

(03-27-2013 12:15 PM)timxlydon Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 04:02 PM)golf4501 Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 11:25 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 09:09 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  Idaho has many games already scheduled for the 2014 season. They will have to cancel/move at least 1 of the current games. (assuming stAte, NM St & TX St are all in the Sun Belt in 2014)

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-14/wac/2...hedule.php

With traveling so far for the Sun Belt conference play they will keep the Fresno St game along with their money game @ Florida. My guess is they will drop/move the game hosting WMU since it seems that this is only a one and done.

I wouldn't be surprised if they asked out of the return game that they would come to Dekalb. Only thing is could we get a good partner on short notice for a game next year, with an outgoing AD?

Some fight in the Idaho players:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-s...ncaaf.html

I never knew Washington St and Idaho were so close to each other. Maybe we can "accidentally" fly too far and go play the Cougars instead.

When we played Idaho in '07, I stopped at the WSU stadium and took an "unauthorized" tour.