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Old Dominion joins C-USA and they are a great add, no doubt about it. They have been successful already in football, they have above average basketball, excellent academics, and a nice media market. It was a no-brainer really and the best add they’ve had this time around with the possible exception of LA Tech.
So now C-USA is officially at 14. ECU’s Chancellor wants at least 16 (see the “Tentative” on their map).Will App State be one of the last 2? We’ll have to compete with MTSU, WKU, & FAU probably. It will be tough but hopefully we get the nod. But what if we don’t?
Well our current conference the SoCon is in trouble – in part due to App State. College of Charleston and Davidson are on a short list to be added to the CAA. App State and Georgia Southern can’t wait to get out the door to FBS. There are even messageboard-type rumors that Elon is at least being looked at by the CAA. So what is the SoCon going to do?
According to SoCon Commissioner John Iamarino, he has a short list of schools he wants to add:
“I haven’t shared that list with anyone yet,” he said. “But it might be time to share it at our upcoming meetings.”
Coastal Carolina is definitely on the list. I would guess that Winthrop, Gardner-Webb, Campbell, & UNC-Asheville are also getting looked at.
Notice that BIG hole in the C-USA map?
I hope AppSt makes it out of the SoCon (With GaSo) but if App is stuck in the SoCon I hope good teams get brought in if CoC/Davidson/Elon leave.
Coastal is a good choice all around. (Other than academics)
I say the SoCon should try and get W&M back. They’re a very well run institution and have a great athletics department.
If App stays I’d like to see this as the SoCon:
AppSt
GaSo
WCU
UTC
W&M
Coastal
Tenn Tech
UNCG
Furman
Wofford
Samford
The Citadel
So long Elon, CoC and Davidson.
W&M is unlikely to join a conference with the schools listed above. There was a reason they left once before. As long as UR is in the CAA, W&M is not leaving.
As for CUSA, I still think there is an outside chance we could get a nod. It would seem our competition would be MTSU and FAU. MTSU has been FBS for a while and has developed a decent program. FAU would be a nice partner for FIU. IF, somehow we got a nod, we couldn’t have asked for a better scenario with ECU, UNCC, Marshall, and ODU in close proximity. It certainly would go a long way to dealing with the travel costs issue.