It will be Kentucky, West Virginia, Marshall, JMU, ODU, South Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, and Georgia Southern. Should be a talented, relatively regionalized league.
South Carolina Press Release

It will be a very good soccer conference right off the bat. Bonus how well its regionalized.

Any ideas of what will happen to CUSA’s program. They’re loosing all but 2 teams after the AAC departures next year. Are they picking up any soccer teams or will FIU and Liberty be looking for a soccer only home?

Interesting that UK and SC would pull out of CUSA next season. I thought they might be generous enough to wait until 2023. With CCU, Marshall, and ODU also departing and WVU aborting their move, that leaves CUSA with just 4 men's soccer teams for 2022 (Charlotte, FAU, FIU, and UAB), 3 of which are leaving for the AAC in 2023. Of the incoming CUSA schools that year, only Liberty has the sport. The reinstatement of men's soccer sponsorship in the SBC has left the MAC also short on members for next season, though they have a larger continuing core of 4 full members with the sport. I wonder if CUSA will bother trying to sponsor men's soccer in 2022, or if the 4 remaining teams will shack up with the MAC, at least for a season.

There are going to be a few D1 men's soccer programs in need of homes next season, including Chicago State and D2 callups Lindenwood and Southern Indiana (the OVC does not sponsor the sport). Unlike the CUSA programs, these are at least in the Midwest and so make reasonable adds for the MAC.

So for 2022, perhaps we see a MAC with 11 men's soccer members:

Akron, Bowling Green, Charlotte, Chicago State, FAU, FIU, Lindenwood, Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana, UAB, Western Michigan

Charlotte, FAU, and UAB are headed for the AAC in 2023, and I don't expect FIU to stick around (perhaps also to the AAC?). Meanwhile Liberty joins CUSA without a soccer home and maybe brings the MAC to an even 8 members for 2023:

Akron, Bowling Green, Chicago State, Liberty, Lindenwood, Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Western Michigan

Plausible?

Florida International has a decent soccer program. I could see them as the 9th soccer member of the AAC or 10th soccer member of the SBC.

A strong men's soccer league, indeed.

Hum,

South Caroline, Kentucky and West Virginia are joining right away. So much for the one last year in C-USA theory for the SEC schools or for West Virginia having a one year layover.

Would the MAC’s 4 teams be willing to take in Charlotte, FAU, UAB, and FIU this year and then FIU and Liberty going forward? That would solve their problem and C-USA’s and help them avoid a dumpster fire school like Chicago St and D2 call ups Lindenwood and S Indiana.

App needs to bring soccer back...

C-USA is also down to 4.

Possibly an alliance for this year to have one auto-berth. Charlotte, FAU and UAB will join the AAC next year. FIU is supposedly heading to the SBC and UCF as well.


... there is always Chicago State

(04-07-2022 10:37 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Interesting that UK and SC would pull out of CUSA next season. I thought they might be generous enough to wait until 2023. With CCU, Marshall, and ODU also departing and WVU aborting their move, that leaves CUSA with just 4 men's soccer teams for 2022 (Charlotte, FAU, FIU, and UAB), 3 of which are leaving for the AAC in 2023. Of the incoming CUSA schools that year, only Liberty has the sport. The reinstatement of men's soccer sponsorship in the SBC has left the MAC also short on members for next season, though they have a larger continuing core of 4 full members with the sport. I wonder if CUSA will bother trying to sponsor men's soccer in 2022, or if the 4 remaining teams will shack up with the MAC, at least for a season.

There are going to be a few D1 men's soccer programs in need of homes next season, including Chicago State and D2 callups Lindenwood and Southern Indiana (the OVC does not sponsor the sport). Unlike the CUSA programs, these are at least in the Midwest and so make reasonable adds for the MAC.

So for 2022, perhaps we see a MAC with 11 men's soccer members:

Akron, Bowling Green, Charlotte, Chicago State, FAU, FIU, Lindenwood, Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana, UAB, Western Michigan

Charlotte, FAU, and UAB are headed for the AAC in 2023, and I don't expect FIU to stick around (perhaps also to the AAC?). Meanwhile Liberty joins CUSA without a soccer home and maybe brings the MAC to an even 8 members for 2023:

Akron, Bowling Green, Chicago State, Liberty, Lindenwood, Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Western Michigan

Plausible?

The AAC sponsors soccer, so it would be simplest for UAB, Charlotte, and FAU to move in 2022. UCF will need a soccer home when they move to the Big 12, and they might stick with the AAC in 2023.

FIU could play soccer in the ASUN which has four soccer members in Florida: FGCU, Stetson, Jax, and North Florida (plus Central Arkansas, Lipscomb, Bellarmine, and Liberty).

With Belmont and UIC replacing Loyola Chicago in the MVC, they no longer need an affiliate. SIUE moved to the MVC as part of the scramble with Sun Belt soccer collapsed (when Georgia State and Georgia Southern affiliated with the MAC, SIUE shifted to the MVC).

The Summit does not need Eastern Illinois as an affiliate.

So if I were the MAC I would get Liberty in 2023.

This leaves SIUE, Southern Indiana, Eastern Illinois, and Lindenwood as available affiliates (and a possible core for OVC soccer).

But for 2022, SIUE returns to MAC along with Southern Indiana.

Lindenwood gets to pick, and in 2023 might prefer to be with SIUE as a St. Louis-centric pair.

The ASUN has four men‘s programs in Florida so FIU could go there. They have eight total right now. But that includes Liberty, so they could stay there.

FIU in the AAC would give FAU a neighbor.

(04-07-2022 11:11 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  Florida International has a decent soccer program. I could see them as the 9th soccer member of the AAC or 10th soccer member of the SBC.

I’m guessing UCF will be #10 when they move to the Big12 as WVU will be there as well. FIU to the AAC & Liberty to the MAC makes sense. I could see CUSA just folding into the MAC for next year then figuring out the long term. No point in having both conferences play with 4.

(04-07-2022 02:15 PM)jimrtex Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 10:37 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Interesting that UK and SC would pull out of CUSA next season. I thought they might be generous enough to wait until 2023. With CCU, Marshall, and ODU also departing and WVU aborting their move, that leaves CUSA with just 4 men's soccer teams for 2022 (Charlotte, FAU, FIU, and UAB), 3 of which are leaving for the AAC in 2023. Of the incoming CUSA schools that year, only Liberty has the sport. The reinstatement of men's soccer sponsorship in the SBC has left the MAC also short on members for next season, though they have a larger continuing core of 4 full members with the sport. I wonder if CUSA will bother trying to sponsor men's soccer in 2022, or if the 4 remaining teams will shack up with the MAC, at least for a season.

There are going to be a few D1 men's soccer programs in need of homes next season, including Chicago State and D2 callups Lindenwood and Southern Indiana (the OVC does not sponsor the sport). Unlike the CUSA programs, these are at least in the Midwest and so make reasonable adds for the MAC.

So for 2022, perhaps we see a MAC with 11 men's soccer members:

Akron, Bowling Green, Charlotte, Chicago State, FAU, FIU, Lindenwood, Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana, UAB, Western Michigan

Charlotte, FAU, and UAB are headed for the AAC in 2023, and I don't expect FIU to stick around (perhaps also to the AAC?). Meanwhile Liberty joins CUSA without a soccer home and maybe brings the MAC to an even 8 members for 2023:

Akron, Bowling Green, Chicago State, Liberty, Lindenwood, Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Western Michigan

Plausible?

The AAC sponsors soccer, so it would be simplest for UAB, Charlotte, and FAU to move in 2022. UCF will need a soccer home when they move to the Big 12, and they might stick with the AAC in 2023.

FIU could play soccer in the ASUN which has four soccer members in Florida: FGCU, Stetson, Jax, and North Florida (plus Central Arkansas, Lipscomb, Bellarmine, and Liberty).

With Belmont and UIC replacing Loyola Chicago in the MVC, they no longer need an affiliate. SIUE moved to the MVC as part of the scramble with Sun Belt soccer collapsed (when Georgia State and Georgia Southern affiliated with the MAC, SIUE shifted to the MVC).

The Summit does not need Eastern Illinois as an affiliate.

So if I were the MAC I would get Liberty in 2023.

This leaves SIUE, Southern Indiana, Eastern Illinois, and Lindenwood as available affiliates (and a possible core for OVC soccer).

But for 2022, SIUE returns to MAC along with Southern Indiana.

Lindenwood gets to pick, and in 2023 might prefer to be with SIUE as a St. Louis-centric pair.

Some good points here! Charlotte, FAU, and UAB moving their men's soccer to the AAC a year early makes sense. As I understand, FIU has too good a program to "slum" with the ASUN. I don't think the Sun Belt would be friendly to them due to bad blood, but the AAC might be happy to take them on. UCF could keep its men's soccer in the AAC, but I think they'll want to move to the Sun Belt to be with fellow Big 12 member WVU and with UK and SC.

I toyed around with OVC starting up soccer, but couldn't find enough members to get them off the ground. Lindenwood and USI won't count toward the minimum of 6 needed for an autobid until 2026, unless the rules around that are changed. Incidentally, St. Thomas won't fully transition to D1 until 2025, so the Summit will probably want to keep EIU for at least one more season so that they're only out of compliance for sponsorship of the sport for the maximum allowed 2 seasons.

So perhaps something like this for next season?

* = affiliate (conference for basketball)
+# = number of members that aren't fully transitioned to D1
School = not fully transitioned to D1
[##] = year school fully transitions to D1 under current rules

AAC (10): Central Florida, Charlotte* (CUSA), FAU* (CUSA), FIU* (CUSA), Memphis, SMU, South Florida, Temple, Tulsa, UAB* (CUSA)

ASUN (7+1): Bellarmine [24], Central Arkansas, FGCU, Jacksonville, Liberty, Lipscomb, North Florida, Stetson

MAC (5+2): Akron, Bowling Green, Lindenwood* (OVC) [26], Northern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville* (OVC), Southern Indiana* (OVC) [26], Western Michigan

MVC (6): Belmont, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Missouri State, UIC

Summit (6+1): Denver, Eastern Illinois* (OVC), Kansas City, Omaha, Oral Roberts, St. Thomas [25], Western Illinois

Sun Belt (9): Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Kentucky* (SEC), Marshall, Old Dominion, South Carolina* (SEC), West Virginia* (B12)

And then for 2023, maybe we see EIU to the MAC to put them back in compliance and even out the numbers in both the MAC and Summit. Also possibly UCF to the Sun Belt, as previously discussed. IMO, by 2023 the ASUN could potentially lose Bellarmine (to the Horizon) and even Lipscomb (OVC), so the conference may be inclined to house Liberty's men's soccer program even after they move to CUSA.

FIU will be taken by the SBC next year.

Agree, it would be easiest for the AAC to accept FAU, UAB and Charlotte soccer a year early.

As an aside, the entire Big East sponsors men’s soccer. Not relevant to this discussion, I just found it interesting.

(04-07-2022 04:43 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  FIU will be taken by the SBC next year.

Regardless of the hurt feelings over FIU leaving for CUSA?

(04-07-2022 04:44 PM)AssKickingChicken Wrote:  As an aside, the entire Big East sponsors men’s soccer. Not relevant to this discussion, I just found it interesting.

Might be a league requirement. Baseball (8 members) and lacrosse (6) evidently aren't.

I could see the MAC bringing on Florida International in men's soccer. Florida Atlantic was a MAC soccer affiliate 12 or 14 years ago.

It's nice to hear Chicago State, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana might also be options.

(04-07-2022 04:36 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 02:15 PM)jimrtex Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 10:37 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Interesting that UK and SC would pull out of CUSA next season. I thought they might be generous enough to wait until 2023. With CCU, Marshall, and ODU also departing and WVU aborting their move, that leaves CUSA with just 4 men's soccer teams for 2022 (Charlotte, FAU, FIU, and UAB), 3 of which are leaving for the AAC in 2023. Of the incoming CUSA schools that year, only Liberty has the sport. The reinstatement of men's soccer sponsorship in the SBC has left the MAC also short on members for next season, though they have a larger continuing core of 4 full members with the sport. I wonder if CUSA will bother trying to sponsor men's soccer in 2022, or if the 4 remaining teams will shack up with the MAC, at least for a season.

There are going to be a few D1 men's soccer programs in need of homes next season, including Chicago State and D2 callups Lindenwood and Southern Indiana (the OVC does not sponsor the sport). Unlike the CUSA programs, these are at least in the Midwest and so make reasonable adds for the MAC.

So for 2022, perhaps we see a MAC with 11 men's soccer members:

Akron, Bowling Green, Charlotte, Chicago State, FAU, FIU, Lindenwood, Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana, UAB, Western Michigan

Charlotte, FAU, and UAB are headed for the AAC in 2023, and I don't expect FIU to stick around (perhaps also to the AAC?). Meanwhile Liberty joins CUSA without a soccer home and maybe brings the MAC to an even 8 members for 2023:

Akron, Bowling Green, Chicago State, Liberty, Lindenwood, Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Western Michigan

Plausible?

The AAC sponsors soccer, so it would be simplest for UAB, Charlotte, and FAU to move in 2022. UCF will need a soccer home when they move to the Big 12, and they might stick with the AAC in 2023.

FIU could play soccer in the ASUN which has four soccer members in Florida: FGCU, Stetson, Jax, and North Florida (plus Central Arkansas, Lipscomb, Bellarmine, and Liberty).

With Belmont and UIC replacing Loyola Chicago in the MVC, they no longer need an affiliate. SIUE moved to the MVC as part of the scramble with Sun Belt soccer collapsed (when Georgia State and Georgia Southern affiliated with the MAC, SIUE shifted to the MVC).

The Summit does not need Eastern Illinois as an affiliate.

So if I were the MAC I would get Liberty in 2023.

This leaves SIUE, Southern Indiana, Eastern Illinois, and Lindenwood as available affiliates (and a possible core for OVC soccer).

But for 2022, SIUE returns to MAC along with Southern Indiana.

Lindenwood gets to pick, and in 2023 might prefer to be with SIUE as a St. Louis-centric pair.

Some good points here! Charlotte, FAU, and UAB moving their men's soccer to the AAC a year early makes sense. As I understand, FIU has too good a program to "slum" with the ASUN. I don't think the Sun Belt would be friendly to them due to bad blood, but the AAC might be happy to take them on. UCF could keep its men's soccer in the AAC, but I think they'll want to move to the Sun Belt to be with fellow Big 12 member WVU and with UK and SC.

I toyed around with OVC starting up soccer, but couldn't find enough members to get them off the ground. Lindenwood and USI won't count toward the minimum of 6 needed for an autobid until 2026, unless the rules around that are changed. Incidentally, St. Thomas won't fully transition to D1 until 2025, so the Summit will probably want to keep EIU for at least one more season so that they're only out of compliance for sponsorship of the sport for the maximum allowed 2 seasons.

So perhaps something like this for next season?

* = affiliate (conference for basketball)
+# = number of members that aren't fully transitioned to D1
School = not fully transitioned to D1
[##] = year school fully transitions to D1 under current rules

AAC (10): Central Florida, Charlotte* (CUSA), FAU* (CUSA), FIU* (CUSA), Memphis, SMU, South Florida, Temple, Tulsa, UAB* (CUSA)

ASUN (7+1): Bellarmine [24], Central Arkansas, FGCU, Jacksonville, Liberty, Lipscomb, North Florida, Stetson

MAC (5+2): Akron, Bowling Green, Lindenwood* (OVC) [26], Northern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville* (OVC), Southern Indiana* (OVC) [26], Western Michigan

MVC (6): Belmont, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Missouri State, UIC

Summit (6+1): Denver, Eastern Illinois* (OVC), Kansas City, Omaha, Oral Roberts, St. Thomas [25], Western Illinois

Sun Belt (9): Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Kentucky* (SEC), Marshall, Old Dominion, South Carolina* (SEC), West Virginia* (B12)

And then for 2023, maybe we see EIU to the MAC to put them back in compliance and even out the numbers in both the MAC and Summit. Also possibly UCF to the Sun Belt, as previously discussed. IMO, by 2023 the ASUN could potentially lose Bellarmine (to the Horizon) and even Lipscomb (OVC), so the conference may be inclined to house Liberty's men's soccer program even after they move to CUSA.

I was reading the Division I Manual (Section 31.3.4, and following).

31.3.4.2 does not apply to the Division I Championships. In particular the note to 31.3.4.2 applies to non-NCAA members (e.g. NAIA members, not NCAA members who are reclassifying).

31.3.4.3.1 is ambiguous. Southern Indiana, Lindenwood, etc. are "institutions", even if they are not active Division I members yet. Does a school have to be eligible for the AQ in order for their presence be counted as giving the conference an AQ?

In any event, I would interpret 31.3.4.3.3 as giving MAC an AQ in 2022 if SIUE switches back.

I could then see Liberty going to the MAC in 2023. I would still expect FIU to end up playing in the ASUN. Unlike the football schools where there are no ASUN schools, there are 4 ASUN soccer schools.

(04-07-2022 04:46 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(04-07-2022 04:43 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  FIU will be taken by the SBC next year.

Regardless of the hurt feelings over FIU leaving for CUSA?

FIU is probably the least committed to C-USA, just stuck geographically. But most importantly they have a really strong Men's Soccer program and they want to be in the strongest league. The SBC has reached out to both FIU and UCF.

The key thing is they would get to play along side strong problems. Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia State and Marshall all made the NCAAs. Others are usually strong.

There is also geography. The MAC schools are all up around the great Lakes. And that is a huge concern in non-revenue sports.

The MAC should target Southern Indiana who are moving up to D-I to start with, and poach an associate from the Summit or MVC.