http://www.cbssports.com/college-footbal...ay-system/

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.

They 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

I presume South-Troy will be a permanent crossover. Would there be any others?

Ten teams and they're doing divisions? Hell, just follow the Big 12 model instead.

I actually like the divisions better than the Big 12 model.

You would play the 4 teams in your division and 4 of 5 in the other division, with 1 permanent crossover, I would guess.

(05-23-2017 12:18 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  Ten teams and they're doing divisions? Hell, just follow the Big 12 model instead.

Several schools have four non-conference scheduled several years out.

I thought the NCAA rule allowing ten team conferences to play CCGs required them to play a full round robin.

(05-23-2017 01:20 PM)orangefan Wrote:  I thought the NCAA rule allowing ten team conferences to play CCGs required them to play a full round robin.

No, it's an either/or. Can play round robin or split into divisions. Up to conference. B12 decided to do round robin, Sun Belt decided to do divisions.

(05-23-2017 12:21 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  I actually like the divisions better than the Big 12 model.

You would play the 4 teams in your division and 4 of 5 in the other division, with 1 permanent crossover, I would guess.

Don't think you need a permanent crossover. You'll play them 4 out of 5 years.
If you went to 12 or more then the permanent crossover would be needed.

So now we'll have all the FBS conferences with CCG's.

(05-23-2017 12:59 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(05-23-2017 12:18 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  Ten teams and they're doing divisions? Hell, just follow the Big 12 model instead.

Several schools have four non-conference scheduled several years out.

Plus most of the conference members would rather only play 8 instead of 9 conference games.

(05-23-2017 12:18 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  Ten teams and they're doing divisions? Hell, just follow the Big 12 model instead.

SBC teams have a unique need for 4 OOC games every year to ensure everyone gets at least 6 home games. Especially when you take money games with P5 schools into account. They had to keep 8 conference games, which means divisions is the only option.

Then you have the issue that the only way to do divisions was to split one of the leagues biggest rivalries into separate divisions, meaning a cross over rival that you play every year must be guaranteed.

Aside from the fact that some schools already had 4 OOC games scheduled, the round robin method and a 9 game schedule for the SBC as currently configured. South Alabama not only got stuck in the tougher division but has inconvenient travel too.

(05-23-2017 04:47 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Aside from the fact that some schools already had 4 OOC games scheduled, the round robin method and a 9 game schedule for the SBC as currently configured. South Alabama not only got stuck in the tougher division but has inconvenient travel too.

Not sure how you figure they got that bad side of the travel. Troy is the closest opponent in Sun Belt East and by all accounts they are guaranteed to play Troy every year. Next closest SBC East is Georgia State and both of the Louisiana schools are closer to USA than Georgia State. Next closest SBC East is Georgia Southern and Arkansas State is closer than GaSo. The longest SBC West trip is shorter than the longest SBC East trip.

USA travel to Sun Belt East
Coastal 671
App 628
Ga So 461
Ga St 328
Troy 167

USA Travel to Sun Belt West
UL Lafayette 255
ULM 308
AState 435
TXST 631

I guess for basketball, South Alabama goes to the east with Little Rock and UTA go to the west.

(05-23-2017 05:20 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  I guess for basketball, South Alabama goes to the east with Little Rock and UTA go to the west.

Basketball doesn't use divisions but that's how it is in baseball and volleyball which do use divisions.

(05-23-2017 05:16 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(05-23-2017 04:47 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Aside from the fact that some schools already had 4 OOC games scheduled, the round robin method and a 9 game schedule for the SBC as currently configured. South Alabama not only got stuck in the tougher division but has inconvenient travel too.

Not sure how you figure they got that bad side of the travel. Troy is the closest opponent in Sun Belt East and by all accounts they are guaranteed to play Troy every year. Next closest SBC East is Georgia State and both of the Louisiana schools are closer to USA than Georgia State. Next closest SBC East is Georgia Southern and Arkansas State is closer than GaSo. The longest SBC West trip is shorter than the longest SBC East trip.

USA travel to Sun Belt East
Coastal 671
App 628
Ga So 461
Ga St 328
Troy 167

USA Travel to Sun Belt West
UL Lafayette 255
ULM 308
AState 435
TXST 631

I guess when you look at the actual mileage I guess it makes sense. I was under the impression that the Georgia schools would be closer to USA than the Louisiana ones.

(05-23-2017 04:47 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Aside from the fact that some schools already had 4 OOC games scheduled, the round robin method and a 9 game schedule for the SBC as currently configured. South Alabama not only got stuck in the tougher division but has inconvenient travel too.

Tougher division?

The rest of the west ULM, ULL, Ark St and Texas St are great schools but they will be no harder to beat than Georgia St, Georgia So, Troy or App St. I'll give you Coastal for now since they have yet to play a down of FBS football.

(05-23-2017 04:47 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Aside from the fact that some schools already had 4 OOC games scheduled, the round robin method and a 9 game schedule for the SBC as currently configured. South Alabama not only got stuck in the tougher division but has inconvenient travel too.

What that division sucks

Sent from my SM-J700T using CSNbbs mobile app

(05-23-2017 05:35 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(05-23-2017 05:16 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(05-23-2017 04:47 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Aside from the fact that some schools already had 4 OOC games scheduled, the round robin method and a 9 game schedule for the SBC as currently configured. South Alabama not only got stuck in the tougher division but has inconvenient travel too.

Not sure how you figure they got that bad side of the travel. Troy is the closest opponent in Sun Belt East and by all accounts they are guaranteed to play Troy every year. Next closest SBC East is Georgia State and both of the Louisiana schools are closer to USA than Georgia State. Next closest SBC East is Georgia Southern and Arkansas State is closer than GaSo. The longest SBC West trip is shorter than the longest SBC East trip.

USA travel to Sun Belt East
Coastal 671
App 628
Ga So 461
Ga St 328
Troy 167

USA Travel to Sun Belt West
UL Lafayette 255
ULM 308
AState 435
TXST 631

I guess when you look at the actual mileage I guess it makes sense. I was under the impression that the Georgia schools would be closer to USA than the Louisiana ones.

It seems counterintuitive looking at the map.
Mobile is actually closer LSU than Bama or Auburn.

(05-23-2017 04:30 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Then you have the issue that the only way to do divisions was to split one of the leagues biggest rivalries into separate divisions, meaning a cross over rival that you play every year must be guaranteed.

I suggest they check with the MAC. Ball State and Bowling Green does it every year and that Locked Crossover sucks......

(05-24-2017 01:17 AM)lance99 Wrote:  

(05-23-2017 04:30 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Then you have the issue that the only way to do divisions was to split one of the leagues biggest rivalries into separate divisions, meaning a cross over rival that you play every year must be guaranteed.

I suggest they check with the MAC. Ball State and Bowling Green does it every year and that Locked Crossover sucks......

Different issue with a ten team conference and an eight game conference schedule ... you only skip one school per year, so rotating that through four schools versus rotating that through five schools is not a big difference.

With a twelve team conference and an eight game conference schedule, no locked game cross conference is a substantial upgrade, since it lets you play each school in the other division twice over a four year cycle. With the MAC system, Eastern teams like Kent see Toledo much less often and Western schools see Bowling Green much less often.