(02-04-2021 09:14 AM)GeminiCoog Wrote:  

(02-03-2021 05:56 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Outside of their footprint.

Angelo State
Midwestern State
UTPB
Commerce
Kingsville
Central Oklahoma
Arkansas Tech
Harding
NE Oklahoma tate
Missouri Southern
Missouri S&T
Delta State
Mississippi College

Those are the D2 schools in the region.

Texas Southern
Prairie View
Grambling
Southern

UAPB is below 3000 students. They are the Chicago State of the SWAC right now.

Most realistic potential adds, in my opinion. Everything else seems like mud thrown onto the wall and seeing if anything sticks. But that's because I don't see the SWAC schools you named leaving that league. That's not to say it's impossible; just that I think they'd rather stick together and make that league as strong as possible. And even though I threw in Angelo State as well, I feel as though that's a bit of a stretch. To me, the school that really sticks out to me as a candidate for the Southland is Midwestern State. They're not too far from any of the remaining Texas schools in the Southland.

(02-04-2021 11:02 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’d say that Kingsville and Commerce make the most sense—maybe Ark Tech and/or Central OK.

I also think they should consider changing the name of A&M Commerce to East Texas A&M (East Texas was in the school’s name for over 100 yrs) and if/when CC and Kingsville merge, naming that university South Texas A&M

Midwestern State does not have enough sports for D1, they don't even have baseball and not likely to add it either. Does the Southland require members to have baseball? TAMU-Commerce does have enough sports but they also do not have baseball. Northeastern State (OK) does not meet the requirements to get accepted to the D2 Great American Conference, much less a D1 conference. Central Oklahoma and Delta State do not have enough sports for D1. Not only does Arkansas Tech not have enough sports for D1 but we also have no desire for D1. I've already posted in another thread some of what it would take for us to make a D1 move and I'll repeat that we have not had a full-time AD since August 2019. We added women's outdoor t&f for this season to give us 4m/7w sports, it's the first sport added since softball started in 2003.

Yes, schools could add sports but would D1 allow a school to move to D1 with the promise that sports will be added during the transition period. I believe D1 would have schools meet the 7/7 or 6m/8w sport requirement before submitting their membership application and it's useless to talk about any school until they do meet this requirement. I know D2 does not allow any new or current member to have less than 5/5 or 4m/6w sports. With that said, I am aware of the Wright State waiver but would that have been granted in a normal year.