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A friend of mine was sitting in Oliver's Restaurant last week and Hunter Yurachek (CCU AD) was in there with someone else. They were the only three customers there. Joe (friend) said he overheard Yurachek talking to the guy he was with and quoted him at saying "our goal is the Southern Conference". He said Yurachek also said that facilities were the reason CCU was rejected from the SoCon before and that they (SoCon) want our football stadium to hold at least 12k fans.

Looking across the SoCon, the stadiums are getting bigger. But, the last team we added was Samford who has a 7000 seat stadium or something close to that (I think). So the argument of CCU needing a 12K stadium may be part of the reason, but I doubt the primary. Looking at the latest schools added (Elon and Samford), CCU is a different type of school. From a Baseball perspective, CCU is looking very appealing right now.

Looking at the schools by state: (Football/other sports)
SC - 3/4
NC - 3/5
GA - 1
AL - 1
TN - 1

Had we added CCU and not Samford, that leaves Chatty as a far out team. If CCU is added, I think we will have to see teams like Richmond or VMI return, or some teams near Chatty/Samford added, to keep the conference spread a little more than centralizing around the Carolinas.

This comes up every year. It's no secret that CCU wants an invite to the SoCon. I think once the moratorium expires, and some schools consider/begin moving up to FBS, we will see a round of realignment at the FCS level where CCU just might get into the SoCon.

ATrain wrote:This comes up every year. It's no secret that CCU wants an invite to the SoCon. I think once the moratorium expires, and some schools consider/begin moving up to FBS, we will see a round of realignment at the FCS level where CCU just might get into the SoCon.

I wonder what the Big South will do when/if this happens? It is known CCU wants in the SoCon and that Liberty wants in the FBS. It would be interesting to see if SC State or someone else would join the Big South? I would have to think the league will need replacements for these schools. It is going to be interesting to see exactly what happens.

SmallCollegeFBFan wrote:
I wonder what the Big South will do when/if this happens? It is known CCU wants in the SoCon and that Liberty wants in the FBS. It would be interesting to see if SC State or someone else would join the Big South? I would have to think the league will need replacements for these schools. It is going to be interesting to see exactly what happens.

I think SC State going to the Big South, would only e a lateral in there eyes, but if Liberty makes the strides to be FBS and CCU program continues improving and SC State moves in, that could be a pretty conference. This is also assuming VMI continues improving and CSU does something.

Biff wrote:This is also assuming VMI continues improving

Continues improving? Since when have they been improving?

Biff: I would say maybe Samford made a promise that they would expand to atleast 12,000 by a certain date and that was why they got in? But then that begs the question why CCU wouldn't do that when the Fieldhouse was already in the process of being constructed.

SmallCollegeFBFan wrote:

ATrain wrote:This comes up every year. It's no secret that CCU wants an invite to the SoCon. I think once the moratorium expires, and some schools consider/begin moving up to FBS, we will see a round of realignment at the FCS level where CCU just might get into the SoCon.

I wonder what the Big South will do when/if this happens? It is known CCU wants in the SoCon and that Liberty wants in the FBS. It would be interesting to see if SC State or someone else would join the Big South? I would have to think the league will need replacements for these schools. It is going to be interesting to see exactly what happens.

If/when this happens, I am assuming the Big South would lose their auto-bid if they didn't get enough school to fill the spots?

I'm all for things staying the same in terms of conference alignment (in terms of everyone playing each other), but I'm open to letting CCU and SC state in....it's just that if we add another team after them football may have to split CAA style.

Young: Is the only/main reason you're not a fan of divisions b/c everyone wouldn't be playing everyone every year? Wow that's a lot of "every's"

bodoyle wrote:Young: Is the only/main reason you're not a fan of divisions b/c everyone wouldn't be playing everyone every year? Wow that's a lot of "every's"

Don't get me wrong, I like the 2 division setup, just not for FCS. For instance, Team A in the North goes undefeated and Team B in the South goes undefeated, but they don't play each other so who's the champion? In FBS you get extra weeks between the post season to play a championship game, but in the FCS we have playoffs and doing that would hurt team's chances going into the playoffs. I want a schedule to where every team plays every team and though we may have ties for first and what not, it's better than doing all the what-if stuff

Does the SoCon allow new non-private institutions into its league anymore? Given the way the conference has expanded in the last decade plus and its current profile, I just assumed they had a adopted a bylaw forbidding it.

jcmanson wrote:

Biff wrote:This is also assuming VMI continues improving

Continues improving? Since when have they been improving?

I went out on a limb with that comment. You can only improve from their position.

henfan wrote:Does the SoCon allow new non-private institutions into its league anymore? Given the way the conference has expanded in the last decade plus and its current profile, I just assumed they had a adopted a bylaw forbidding it.

That is kinda the point I was making about CCU being different. We have 12 teams (9 football) and 5 of which are private. I'm not sure if this is the case, but there is a certain stereotype with CCU vice Private schools that is very different.

Biff wrote:

jcmanson wrote:
Continues improving? Since when have they been improving?

I went out on a limb with that comment. You can only improve from their position.

haha, true

henfan wrote:Does the SoCon allow new non-private institutions into its league anymore? Given the way the conference has expanded in the last decade plus and its current profile, I just assumed they had a adopted a bylaw forbidding it.

The SoCon also admitted CofC and Greensboro. They just don't play football. My personal opinion is that the introduction of more private schools is simply to balance the two types of schools.

Over all conference is 7 publics and 5 privates. If you count El Cid with the privates (which my guess is that is the way they vote) then it is 6 and 6.

CCU has been desirous of SoCon member ship for a while. When they beat Furman in 2006 the Conway paper's (or maybe it was Myrtle Beach)headline was POINT MADE. They weren't so much talking about beating Furman as saying they are ready for the SoCon. You have to remember FU was a playoff team in '06 and lost in the semi's in '05. Of course both teams have fallen after that. The point being is I don't know why CCU wasn't considered then. There was a lot of talk of expanding to find UTC a travel partner. There was also lots of talk about the SoCon becoming the Carolina's conference.

Personally, I think CCU would be a good addition. But I don't think it is going to happen until and if one of the football playing members leave. The question then would be at that time would CCU still be interested. And I think the answer depends on whether the member that leaves is ASU and is the football conference at the time still ASU and everybody else.

I agree with OL FU - someone will need to leave for CCU to be considered. Even though Iamarino once stated that he thought 14 teams would work, I think 12 is the desired number of institutions for the league's presidents & ADs.

With that being said, I'm all for Coastal moving to the Southern Conference. I just think it would occur "later" rather than "sooner".

I wouldn't mind seeing Coastal in the SoCon IF they expand or a school leaves. No South Carolina State. Liberty in the FBS? Yeah right....

AppStateAlumQC wrote:I wouldn't mind seeing Coastal in the SoCon IF they expand or a school leaves. No South Carolina State. Liberty in the FBS? Yeah right....

Maybe down in Boone, you don't hear much about Liberty, but it is pretty common knowledge that there will be a move up. I'm neutral on the subject, but having watched the school over the years, it has become pretty clear that when a direction is set, that is where they will go. I went to see LU play App back in the early 90's in the then 18,000 seat Kidd-Brewer. In the '70s, while App was competing in the SoCon, Liberty was playing and losing to D3 teams such as Hampden-Sydney and Ferrum.If I compare the two programs from those times to today, it seems as though the Liberty program has grown faster... not bigger, just faster than Apps. Also, I don't think Liberty's stadium plans are those of a school that will be sticking around the Big South.

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rogers3 wrote:

AppStateAlumQC wrote:I wouldn't mind seeing Coastal in the SoCon IF they expand or a school leaves. No South Carolina State. Liberty in the FBS? Yeah right....

Maybe down in Boone, you don't hear much about Liberty, but it is pretty common knowledge that there will be a move up. I'm neutral on the subject, but having watched the school over the years, it has become pretty clear that when a direction is set, that is where they will go. I went to see LU play App back in the early 90's in the then 18,000 seat Kidd-Brewer. In the '70s, while App was competing in the SoCon, Liberty was playing and losing to D3 teams such as Hampden-Sydney and Ferrum.If I compare the two programs from those times to today, it seems as though the Liberty program has grown faster... not bigger, just faster than Apps. Also, I don't think Liberty's stadium plans are those of a school that will be sticking around the Big South.

You can grow faster when you have farther to grow On the other hand, I see no reason why Liberty can't make the jump if they want.

I'd like o see CCU in th SoCon however, I'd like to see one of the Non-Football schools leave to accommodate.

No disrespect intended, but it is my understanding CCU's academics (graduation rates for athletes specifically) is what keeps them out of the SoCon. The stadium argument makes little sense considering Elon (8,000) and Samford (6,500) have stadiums which seat far less than 12,000. However, I hope you can take ASU's place one day soon.

One would be foolish to discount Liberty. With the expansion of Williams Stadium their facilities will take a backseat to nobody. Considering what ODU has done, what is going on at JMU, and with Delaware now talking expansion, those schools are in the process of separating themselves from the rest of the CAA pack. Combined with UNCC proceeding with football, Ga State up and running (playing in the Georgia Dome), and Jax State’s stadium expansion to 25,000, a core group of schools has formed what could be the foundation of a new FBS conference.

SoCon f'd up when they admitted Samford and not CCU a couple of years ago. Samford was admitted to keep UTC happy and in the SoCon instead of bolting for Ohio Valley.

LU and CCU bolt, and Kyle sits on his hands and does nothing. The Big South sorely needs new leadership.