Big South Looking Towards Expansion

[JMU Duke Dog]

Any ideas of possible schools?

http://www.morningnewsonline.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=FMN%2FMGArticle%2FFMN_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785000304&path=!sports (http://www.morningnewsonline.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=FMN%2FMGArticle%2FFMN_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785000304&path=!sports.)


CONWAY - If Kyle Kallander had his way, the Big South would have expanded to six teams two years ago.

But that hasn’t happened, so the Big South commissioner is in still in search of that elusive sixth team to make his conference eligible for the Division I-AA playoffs. Division I-AA rules state a conference must have at least six teams to have an automatic bid in the playoffs.

“We are constantly looking and have been in conversations with schools constantly,” Kallander said Saturday while attending the Coastal Carolina-James Madison game. “There aren’t the obvious teams that would immediately come in.”

There are nine teams in the conference, but only five play football. Gardner-Webb is an associate member and plays football only. Kallander said it is unlikely expansion will come from a team in the conference that doesn’t play football.

So his search has included teams in the South that are either Division II schools looking to move up or Division I schools looking to start I-AA football.

“It takes time,” Kallander said. “It is realistic to get something by (2008). The sooner we move the better we are.”

Despite lacking the sixth team, Kallander has been impressed with how the conference has progressed in football from its beginning in 2002 and has been pleased with the Chants’ program.

[DTSpider]

Old Dominion as an associate member (when & if they start a team) or do they get a CAA bid by default?

How about if UNC Charlotte starts a team?

Does Longwood have a team? I believe that they were trying to move up to division one.

Christopher Newport may also want to move up at some point, but not by 2008.

[rokamortis]

Heard PC (Presbyterian College) may join ... but they really want in the SoCon.

[catamount man]

Presbyterian will be in the Big South by 2010, but I'm not sure who will be taking their place in the SAC. The 2 names I'm hearing are North Greenville College and Brevard College who will be restarting their football team as a d2 independent in 2006. GO CATAMOUNTS!!!

[Hansel]

Heard PC (Presbyterian College) may join ... but they really want in the SoCon.
the bluehose did give Chuck Southern a big beatdown last weekend

[catamount man]

PC owns Charleston Southern. 2005 is like the 4th or 5th year in a row that they have beaten them. CSU is I-AA in name only. GO CATAMOUNTS!!!

[JMU Duke Dog]

Old Dominion as an associate member (when & if they start a team) or do they get a CAA bid by default?

Old Dominion will be joining the CAA when they have a team.

[IaaScribe]

:deadhorse

This is not news. Nothing new has come out of any potential Big South expansion talks since Big South media day. Not sure why this guy wrote this story.

[HarrisburgFlame]

the BigSouth will raid the current A10 taking W&M, Delaware, Villanova, Richmond and JMU making the BigSouth a 10 team league. Each team pays a hefty admissions fee to the existing BSC schools. Liberty takes this new influx of money and completes the Football Operations Center.

That's as far as I get before I wake up. If I could get the wife to stop snoring I might be able to work out the other details on expansion.

[TheValleyRaider]

the BigSouth will raid the current A10 taking W&M, Delaware, Villanova, Richmond and JMU making the BigSouth a 10 team league. Each team pays a hefty admissions fee to the existing BSC schools. Liberty takes this new influx of money and completes the Football Operations Center.

That's as far as I get before I wake up. If I could get the wife to stop snoring I might be able to work out the other details on expansion.

Umm, W&M, Delaware and JMU aren't going anywhere except to the CAA when it takes over the A-10 in 2007. Richmond and Villanova will probably stay with them. Of course, Villanova could end up somewhere else if the Big East self-destructs. VU and UR are more likely to end up in the Patriot League than the Big South, and even that's a long shot. The Big South is too big a step down for them.

[HarrisburgFlame]

Valley Raider:

My entire post was a joke. Did you get the part about waking up from a dream? :>)

[TheValleyRaider]

My bad. Sarcasm's a little hard to pick up on sometimes.

Smilies help ;) :)

Also, how am I supposed to know what time zone you're really in? ;)

[HarrisburgFlame]

No worries my man. I forgot you pull for a team named after something I spit down my sink :>)

When I wrote that first post I had no idea anyone could remotely take that pipe dream seriously!

Who do you guys play this weekend?

[Sly Fox]

South Bend, IN: Tired of being an independent for decades, Notre Dame finally decides they want to hang with another school hated by everyone in Lynchburg.

"We were tired of the BCS and wanted to compete for a REAL national title," explained Fighting Irish Head Coach Charlie Weis. "And any league that has Jerry Falwell is good enough for us."

;)

[JMU Duke Dog]

South Bend, IN: Tired of being an independent for decades, Notre Dame finally decides they want to hang with another school hated by everyone in Lynchburg.

"We were tired of the BCS and wanted to compete for a REAL national title," explained Fighting Irish Head Coach Charlie Weis. "And any league that has Jerry Falwell is good enough for us."

;)

Catholics vs. Southern Baptists...OH MY! :read:

[Sly Fox]

Baptists enjoy satire as much as anyone.

[TheValleyRaider]

No worries my man. I forgot you pull for a team named after something I spit down my sink :>)

Toothpaste joke!!! NOOO!! :eek: :eek: ;)


When I wrote that first post I had no idea anyone could remotely take that pipe dream seriously!

Hard to say with new member's who's really serious and who isn't. Lots of new people coming on board who don't know much beyond their own team, so it's not so easy to distinguish the sarcastic from the simply crazy.


Who do you guys play this weekend?

We're up at Dartmouth Saturday. Good luck with YSU this weekend!

[HarrisburgFlame]

We'll need it vs. YSU. Hey I hope you guys beat Dartmouth. One of my good buddies went there and runs his mouth all the time about the Big Green. Go get 'em.

I promise no more toothpaste jokes!

[Mr. C]

:deadhorse

This is not news. Nothing new has come out of any potential Big South expansion talks since Big South media day. Not sure why this guy wrote this story.
Actually, there really wasn't anything new on the expansion topic at the media event. This guy was just looking for something to write about on the Big South and that's all he could find.

By the way, on another topic, Brevard and North Greenville both have tiny athletic programs and not a lot of resources. I couldn't ever see either of these programs going D-I.

[adrianb]

It might not be news but I am glad somebody is asking the question to Kallander. If Kallander was honest he would say, "well we are just waiting to see what the SoCon does, then we will scramble from there."
I do believe Presbyterian will be joining the Big South soon but the question is, will they be the 6th team or will they be replacing the 5th team?

[PAmedic]

I always though SC State would be a good fit- but then again, all the regulars on our board (http://libertysports.proboards29.com/index.cgi) are confident that I'm completely insane.

[adrianb]

I'd take SC State in a skinny minute, and Hampton.

[IaaScribe]

Mr. C: Good point. I'm still new to this league, so it was new to me, but it was apparent that it wasn't new to others.

[Thumper250]

I think PC by 2007 and Wingate by 2008 are possibilities.

[Keydet90]

Big South needs to build a reputation and should take any new members willing to come on board for football. I thought Wingate was already in the BSC for sports? I'd like to see us get enough schools to qualify for a playoff bid...that would really give us something to play for.

DP '90

[TxSt02]

if the great west falls apart we can have a wac of I-AA...

[Sly Fox]

Allegedly, the Big South used a G-W intermediary to approach Wingate about joining the league a few years ago. But the Wingate folks weren't ready to make the move up quite yet. Presbyterian is a small school, but they have resources enough to do it right now. If they are going to make the move, I just wish they'd start the process soon to get the clock started on their Division I probationary period.

Realistically, there won't be any movement on expansion during a football season (or school year, for that matter). But any conversation of the sort in a public forum like a newspaper is good for advancing the notion.

I think most everyone in the Big South would welcome some of the MEAC schools being discussed with open arms. But until the administrations at those institutions make a firm decision on the direction of their athletic programs, we can only sit by and wait. Hampton or SC State? In a heartbeat. Delaware State? It'd certainly be worth discussing. If Hampton & SC State bolt the MEAC, I believe an auto bid would undoubtedly be ours.

As for Adrian's comment about whether we'd be adding PC for the 5th or 6th spot, I'd rather not even think about what you are inferring. I hope the treatment CCU has received from the arrogant folks in the SoCon over the past year during the application is not soon forgotten.

[henfan]

Del State had talks last year with Kollander about the possibility of joining as a football affiliate. That idea seems to have been put on the back burner.

[Go...gate]

I think they are supposed to play in Basketball in the next couple years.

[adrianb]

I think it is the nature of college sports to be snobish towards other schools. Snobbery leads to rivalry and rivalry adds to tradition. When school and conference officials make these decisions I'm sure they don't check the message boards first or during. Bottom line is money, and facilities. Coastal may or may not be ready for the SoCon, but its easier to become SoCon caliber in the SoCon than outside of it. The funny thing about SoCon snobbery is that many of the schools in the SoCon were not SoCon caliber when they joined. Especially some of the mountain teacher schools, but they grew into the position.

I do not want Coastal to leave the Big South or anyone else for that matter, but I understand that Coastal wants the same thing that I want for G-W. That is the chance to compete at the highest level within our Division. The only way for the Big South schools to do that is to bring new members in or find a better deal.

[NoCoDanny]

Is Savannah State just so terrible that they aren't even worth considering?

[OL FU]

If football is the reason to move, why would a MEAC team make the move without a guaranty that the BSouth (my vote) gets an autobid?

[adrianb]

G-W does play Sav St. in Nov. Who knows it maybe an audition. I really do not know that much about them.

[IaaScribe]

Maybe some of the folks from the HBCU's can comment on this, because they're more in the know than I am.

FAMU's already tried to move to I-A. Delaware State's new AD said it's his mission to move DSU up. NC A&T has talked about it. Maybe SCSU and Hampton want more stability, so that's why they'd look at the Big South. Who knows.

Oh, and Savannah State is garbage. I would go near that program if I was the Big South.