It has been 5 and a half years since App and Ga. Southern left for the Sun Belt. App and to a lesser extent Ga. Southern ;-) have thrived in their new homes, while the SoCon seems to be a shell of its former self, at least in football. Ga. Southern was at one point towards the end of its SoCon tenure the number 1 FCS school, and App State was still a regular playoff participant in the early 2010's.

Losing App and Ga. Southern had to feel like a massive loss for the SoCon, and it has played out that way. No SoCon school has made it to the FCS semifinals in the since the two Sun Belt schools departed. It just seems like no one has stepped up in their place the way App, GS, and to some degree back in the day Furman stepped up when Marshall left in 1997. Plus, the schools lost some real rivalries.

Does anyone have a gauge on how Furman, Wofford, WCU, Citadel, etc. fans have responded to the loss of the former SoCon powerhouses? Do they even care? Are they just bitter and still saying App and Ga. Southern's moves to the SBC were mistakes because "they don't compete for national titles anymore?"