The MEAC is splintering. In the last two years, they lost Hampton (Big South) and Savannah State (dropped to DII). Now, next year, they are losing North Carolina A&T (Big South) and Bethune-Cookman/Florida A&M (SWAC). Down to six football members. 

I wonder whether this trend will help the United Athletic Conference get off the ground.  

This will. 

https://twitter.com/goodmanhoops/status/1328431532437073921?s=21

If they are successful wooing those three schools (to go along with current football playing ASun schools Kennesaw St. and North Alabama), they would need three more state schools with football in order to launch the United.

I bet Morehead State would like of piece of this, but it could only happen if they found adequate funding for a return to scholarship football.  Austin Peay did it, so I guess anything is possible.  Phil Simms, you have 100 new voice mail messages.

Looks like the WAC is bringing back football 

https://twitter.com/mattbrownep/status/1336069811437268993?s=21

Must be some toxic internal politics in the Southland.

What kind of identity crisis is the WAC going to have with seven FCS schools?  Total membership would be 14 - stretching from SoCal to Chicago, Seattle to the Rio Grande Valley.  Gotta think more dominoes will fall.

Chicago State seems forever on the edge of dropping athletics or closing.

The word has always been that Seattle wants the WCC, but Gonzaga doesn’t want them. Of course, there also isn’t an obvious partner since I doubt the WCC would want an odd number just to get Seattle anyway.

Big moves today in the WAC:  Chicago State announced its departure (effective Summer '22) and five new members were formally welcomed.  The conference will sponsor FCS football, with New Mexico State continuing as a FBS independent.  Make no mistake, this conference will quickly evolve into a Sun Beltish conference, complete with FBS football.  Given NCAA transition requirements and NMSU's football scheduling commitments, I'd say the WAC will be a FBS conference in 4-6 years.

The following is Chicago State's brief statement.


Chicago State University (CSU) announced today it will leave the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in June 2022. CSU joined the WAC in 2013 as a part of a six-university expansion, which included the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). The WAC's original expansion plan was to develop a Midwest division with Chicago State and UMKC as the anchors. UMKC left the conference in July 2020. Over time, the WAC has added members located in south and western regions of the country.

Consistent with these plans, the WAC announced today five new members located in Texas and Utah (Abilene Christian University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, Stephen F. Austin State University and Southern Utah University).

Chicago State Director of Athletics Elliott Charles said, "Chicago State University is thankful for our partnership with the WAC and its member institutions. Our programs and department have grown and expanded during this time. Looking ahead, Chicago State Athletics will continue its student first approach in our Division I program as we plan for our future."


So there are now two schools potentially looking for D-I conferences.  One is Chicago State, which has teased us with talk of a nonscholarship football team.  The other is Augustana U., which can't move up from D-II until they get an all-sports conference invitation.  Augie football is already established and would be a serious candidate to phase out scholarships on its way to the PFL (see Presbyterian).

Then there are a number of schools that don't seem to fit well in a Texas-Utah-NM based FBS conference.  I'm talking about Grand Canyon, Cal Baptist, Utah Valley State, and Seattle.  These could be the germs of a new low major conference.

P.S. - WAC member UTRGV has announced they are adding football for '24. That should bring the WAC's total number of FCS schools to at least eight.

I wonder who else was anticipated for the WAC Midwest, which is what the Summit League basically is.

Matt Brown also doesn’t think the WAC is an option for Augustana

https://twitter.com/mattbrownep/status/1350090594643832832?s=21

Agreed.  Augie may be limited to going after the next opening in the Summit.  They would need a current Summit member to leave, e.g. Oral Roberts returning to the Southland.

On a podcast yesterday, I heard the Central Arkansas AD suggest that ASun/United football may go FBS after a few years.  I guess that rules out Morehead State.
  Lol

The ASUN is about to drop down to four football members with Kennesaw State looking set for CUSA. They’ve been operating a partnership with the WAC since neither has enough eligible members for AQ status. The OVC and Big South are combining football operations next year. I wonder if the remaining ASUN schools will pursue an expanded partnership.

Hopefully the four remaining ASUN football members can find a home soon. North Alabama joined the ASUN and has its first conference football game tomorrow (that counts) in five years since they transitioned up from Division II. Sounds like they are back to nomads again next year unless something gets figured out.

Darth Vader
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Founding Father - Drake Spirit Committee (1990)

More on Missouri State...

https://www.news-leader.com/story/sports/college/msu/2022/10/12/missouri-state-linked-to-sun-belt-conference-report-mvc-mvfc-sbc/69556069007/

So I saw they had 10K for their homecoming game.  I think the stadium holds 20 so it was half full.  While I don't love our current situation in FB, not sure these kind of schools are in any better situation.  There's that fine line of trying to move up for basically football but playing Arkansas State and some of those other schools I can't see really increasing attendance a whole lot.  

Matt Brown says he’s writing about the PFL tomorrow 

https://twitter.com/mattbrownep/status/1592226889820942337?s=61&t=-VnBbT1epWtGVRV2aj4IOQ

"Gonna write about Pioneer League Football tomorrow, like everybody else on the internet is doing."

LOOOOL

Paywall. Boo.

https://www.extrapointsmb.com/pioneer-league-football-explained-fcs-playoff/