Charlotte 49ers football recommended

[Mountaineer]

A wet dream for MplsBison as it looks like his wish to see the 49ers get a team is inching closer to reality. :D


Committee: UNC Charlotte should add football in 2012
Start out in FCS (formerly I-AA), says group

UNC Charlotte's football feasibility committee will recommend to Chancellor Phil Dubois that the school add football as a varsity sport in 2012.

Chairman Mac Everett said the 10-person committee voted unanimously to recommend football at a meeting Friday afternoon. The recommendation will be presented to Dubois in January. He will then decide whether to take the recommendation to the UNC Board of Trustees, which would have ultimate approval.

The committee will recommend that the sport begin on the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) level and move up to Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A) when it's ready.

http://www.charlotte.com/niners/story/415756.html

[TexasTerror]

If Charlotte added football and actually stuck around in FCS, would this further fuel a split of the CAA?

[Fresno St. Alum]

If Charlotte left for the FBS where would they go? C-USA goes to 14 and brings them back with another? Sun Belt lets them in as a football only with 1 other to get to 12?

I like the idea of CAA and AEC being 2 different conferences. With all the CAA affilates going to the AEC for football

[Col Hogan]

If by split, you mean the football only schools like UMass, UNH, etc departing as more core schools pick up football, then yes, it adds to the discussion of when, not if...

Obviously, the CAA cannot get bigger when it comes to football...and as ODU and Georgia State move closer to fielding teams...the pressure builds for something to happen...

I'm not plugged in enough to know what the movers and shakers are thinking...but I'd guess by 2010, something will be happening...

[Fresno St. Alum]

djp, what's the deal on UMass? are they leaning one way or the other CAA or MAC?

[umassfan]

djp, what's the deal on UMass? are they leaning one way or the other CAA or MAC?

UMass will never go MAC

[TexasTerror]

Sun Belt will not let a football-only member in...

Fresno St, for being someone as interested in conference alignment, you sure haven't made sure to read the Sun Belt's recent literature about membership from this past summer...read up!

I'll share it again...

http://www.sunbeltsports.org/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22245&SPID=1817&DB_OEM_ID=4100&ATCLID=1151032

[Col Hogan]

djp, what's the deal on UMass? are they leaning one way or the other CAA or MAC?


UMass will never go MAC

What he said....Why would UMass ever want to go MAC...

My son went to a MAC school...I don't want my school in that conference...

I don't know if other UMass fans agree with me, but I feel we should only leave FCS for the right conference...MAC is not it...

I don't know which one it is...but I'll know it when I see it...

[CollegeSportsInfo]

If Charlotte added football and actually stuck around in FCS, would this further fuel a split of the CAA?

Well, alot will depend on the vision of the new A10 commish. If Charlotte does add football, all of a sudden you have (4) A10 teams with scholarship FCS football (UMass, URI, Richmond and Charlotte). The birth of football at Charlotte could give Richmond the extra push to justify being in a conference with the New England schools.

It wouldn't seem a stretch for the A10 and AE schools to team up in 2012 or later:

Maine
UNH
Albany
UMass
URI
Richmond
Charlotte


2 Notes:
1) The CAA will just be too big with ODU and even potentially Georgia St. There is no need for a 14 team conference when a split of 7 and 7 would allow (4) OOC games that the seperate conference schools could just play against each other. Figure as it is, the CAA schools DON'T play 3 conference members in a season. So with 2 conferences (and two automatic bids) schools could still get to play 4 of the other 7 each year.

2) The SoCon would make the most sense for Charlotte. Depending on what conference they are in come 2012, that will decide their future. some think there will be a CUSA/Sunbelt swap by then and a new SWC. These potential changes could effect Charlotte.

[CollegeSportsInfo]

What he said....Why would UMass ever want to go MAC...

My son went to a MAC school...I don't want my school in that conference...

I don't know if other UMass fans agree with me, but I feel we should only leave FCS for the right conference...MAC is not it...

I don't know which one it is...but I'll know it when I see it...

From one UMass fan to another...I agree. The best chance for UMass would be if the Big East did indeed split and they invited UMass to upgrade football and join the conference to boost the Boston and MA market that was lost with the departure of BC.

But that won't ever happen. College football is a business. For the Big East to consider UMass, 2 things need to happen:
1) Umass upgrades on it's own and has success as an independent or in the MAC...to the extent that they PROVE to the Big East that they are an asset based on market and an increased popularity in the program on a state level: i.e. SUCCESS in FBS
2) See #1 but add the fear element: The Big East would need to fear the success of UMass in it's backyard, hurting UConn, and BUY Umass to prevent further damage.

It's simple business. UMass needs to prove success or place a big enough threat to the Big East to even get a look.

[Fresno St. Alum]

Sun Belt will not let a football-only member in...

Fresno St, for being someone as interested in conference alignment, you sure haven't made sure to read the Sun Belt's recent literature about membership from this past summer...read up!

I'll share it again...

http://www.sunbeltsports.org/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22245&SPID=1817&DB_OEM_ID=4100&ATCLID=1151032

I can't find every article about every school that is asking a lot. I heard some saying the sun belt would some said it wouldn't. That was the first fact saying it won't that I saw. However confernces change their minds sometimes.

You and others say that Denver will leave the Sun Belt. Many say they'll go to the Summit. Denver has already said they won't take a step down and do that. There was talk of Denver to WCC with Seattle, that is if they chose them over Pacific. but thats dead for now since they are staying at 8. Where are they gonna go?

[Eyes of Old Main]

Sun Belt will not let a football-only member in...

Fresno St, for being someone as interested in conference alignment, you sure haven't made sure to read the Sun Belt's recent literature about membership from this past summer...read up!

I'll share it again...

http://www.sunbeltsports.org/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22245&SPID=1817&DB_OEM_ID=4100&ATCLID=1151032

I can't imagine anyone really wanting to be in the Sun Belt so reading the literature would be a questionable use of time. I know one of South Alabama's driving forces to add football is to make themselves a better candidate for C-USA.

[FCS Preview]

It wouldn't seem a stretch for the A10 and AE schools to team up in 2012 or later:

Maine
UNH
Albany
UMass
URI
Richmond
Charlotte


2 Notes:
1) The CAA will just be too big with ODU and even potentially Georgia St. There is no need for a 14 team conference when a split of 7 and 7 would allow

CAA could have 8, I believe...

Hofstra
Northeastern
James Madison
Delaware
William & Mary
Towson
ODU
Ga. State


EDIT: Still leaves out Villanova though. Do they stay CAA in football because of UD?

[Fresno St. Alum]

A-10/AEC should look like this

Maine
UNH
Albany
UMass
URI
Richmond
Charlotte
Stony Brook
Villanova (Big East)

[FCS Preview]

A-10/AEC should look like this

Maine
UNH
Albany
UMass
URI
Richmond
Charlotte
Stony Brook
Villanova (Big East)

Stony Brook just joined the Big South...a mis-matched conference, but I can't imagine them leaving any time soon.

[Hollywood]

God, I hope Charlotte doesn't end up playing a bunch of Northern/New England schools in football. We might get trounced badly for a few years, but I would much rather see us playing teams that are closer to us geographically. Of course, many of our basketball fans are against moving to a conference like the SoCon, thinking that "it's a step down from the A-10"

xlolx

As if the freefall from C-USA to A10 wasn't nearly as bad.

[CollegeSportsInfo]

God, I hope Charlotte doesn't end up playing a bunch of Northern/New England schools in football. We might get trounced badly for a few years, but I would much rather see us playing teams that are closer to us geographically. Of course, many of our basketball fans are against moving to a conference like the SoCon, thinking that "it's a step down from the A-10"

xlolx

As if the freefall from C-USA to A10 wasn't nearly as bad.

Just be glad Charlotte isn't in CUSA anymore. They would have no shot as it's now Conference Memphis with a regular 1 bid.