(02-16-2021 07:31 AM)DavidSt Wrote: There are talk on D2 forums that West Georgia, Valdosta State and West Florida could be interested in joining the ASun. West Georgia needs to add 2 men's sports and one women's sports. Men's tracvk and men's tennis can be coached by the women's coach without hiring a new coach, and the volleyball coach can coach beach volleyball for the women's. Valdosta State can do the same with men's tennis. They could add both men and women's wrestling, beach volleyball and 1 other women sports. West Florida is set at 15 with 7/8. They seemed to be interested because of former rivals of Jacksonville State, North Alabama, UCA and interested in when North Florida will add football. With Kennesaw State already there, you tend to get a tight knit football there. They are the larger schools that could make the jump.
First, West Florida and Jacksonville State were never rivals...
Second, as much as I like (from a competitive perspective) VSU and West Georgia, they have to add sports to move, and I think both have said very recently that they have no interest in D1, officially.
Honestly West Florida would be the best D2 option for the ASUN... even West Florida would have some work to do though. Mostly building facilities, or at least upgrading them.
And the 2 or 3 fans I read on the D2 forum for West Florida seem to like being the big fish in a small, non cost effective pond. But the administration has to look at the big picture and do what they get paid to do. D2 football in their region, and especially Florida is almost non existent.
It's hard to schedule OOC games, and when you were in most of them, you end up paying for, even regional OOC games, if they play you at all.
So the administration should take that into account. There is a whole lot more D1 schools in the region than D2.
But like I said, they may like being a shark in a mud puddle.