App State and Georgia Southern to join Sun Belt

[ASUMountaineer]

If it's good enough for Davidson, why not App?

Screw Davidson too.

I couldn't agree more.

[FargoBison]

There really needs to be another western FBS league...too bad the WAC died such a quick death. Seems like our AD is starting to come to terms with what is happening to the FCS. He actually said if more schools leave winning the championship would be hallow.

This. I'm hoping something big happens and Montana (and MSU, I guess... ) and NDSU can end up in the same conference like they should have all along. (Thanks, west coast Big Sky schools, for that one )

Our president and board of regents have come out as vehemently anti-athletic expansion, though.

There was a time when NDSU faced the same situation, we had leaders with no vision and no concept of what was going on around them. Their big athletic plan was adding hockey and being like UND...I'm so happy that never came to fruition. That time was the dark ages of NDSU football.

NDSU's leadership now is completely different. They are very pro-athletics. Our AD took us to DI and our president is from Texas A&M and he really seems to value what athletics can do for the school.

[SuperHornet]

That kid got stuck in a HOLLOW tree.

Is he gonna be OK?

But of course. He was rescued by the world's best paramedics, Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto.

[Ivytalk]

So it's 2014, right? One more year of The Old Ways...

[Baldy]

So it's 2014, right? One more year of The Old Ways...

2013 will be our farewell tour. In 2014 and forward, the product will be the same. Maybe a little better quality, just different teams on the field.

It'll be OK.

[CatMom]

2013 they can add a 12th game and be considered FCS Indy...and the FCS games are considered to help fill in the SoCon schedule. 2014 FBS Indy then full FBS in 2015.

Once they announce they have accepted the SBC invite they are not eligible for the playoffs and start the transition.

Same as TXST, as they are already an established team ; only 3 yrs for the transition.

[CAA Flagship]

Once they announce they have accepted the SBC invite they are not eligible for the playoffs and start the transition.

Not true. They are not eligible for the playoffs the moment they violate the FCS rules (for example, offer the 64th scholarship.). Old Dominion announced the jump last June but did not increase scholarships until January and were eligible for the playoffs last season.

[Baldy]

Once they announce they have accepted the SBC invite they are not eligible for the playoffs and start the transition.

Not true. They are not eligible for the playoffs the moment they violate the FCS rules (for example, offer the 64th scholarship.). Old Dominion announced the jump last June but did not increase scholarships until January and were eligible for the playoffs last season.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but the cut-off date is June 1st. If we announce before then we are ineligible, but if we wait until after, we will be eligible. Still going to have to sit through a 2 year transition, though.

[CAA Flagship]

Not true. They are not eligible for the playoffs the moment they violate the FCS rules (for example, offer the 64th scholarship.). Old Dominion announced the jump last June but did not increase scholarships until January and were eligible for the playoffs last season.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but the cut-off date is June 1st. If we announce before then we are ineligible, but if we wait until after, we will be eligible. Still going to have to sit through a 2 year transition, though.

I think that date is another part of it yes. The transition has several layers. One is at the conference level and the other is at the NCAA level. Old Dominion is only going through a 1 year transition from a conference standpoint. In year 2, we will have a full schedule and be eligible to compete for the CUSA title. However, the NCAA has to be petitioned to be bowl eligible beyond the current rule (which is only if there are not enough eligible teams to fill the positions and....blah, blah, blah....). So it seems that the transition is a general rule but can be negotiated.

Also, Old Dominion will be part of the CUSA TV package in year 1. I don't know the complete details but I think the way it works is that the ODU games will be offered to the network along with the other games. It will be up to the networks to decide if they want it or not. I don't know if/how the TV revenue would be shared through the transition period though.

[ASUMountaineer]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but the cut-off date is June 1st. If we announce before then we are ineligible, but if we wait until after, we will be eligible. Still going to have to sit through a 2 year transition, though.

I think that date is another part of it yes. The transition has several layers. One is at the conference level and the other is at the NCAA level. Old Dominion is only going through a 1 year transition from a conference standpoint. In year 2, we will have a full schedule and be eligible to compete for the CUSA title. However, the NCAA has to be petitioned to be bowl eligible beyond the current rule (which is only if there are not enough eligible teams to fill the positions and....blah, blah, blah....). So it seems that the transition is a general rule but can be negotiated.

Also, Old Dominion will be part of the CUSA TV package in year 1. I don't know the complete details but I think the way it works is that the ODU games will be offered to the network along with the other games. It will be up to the networks to decide if they want it or not. I don't know if/how the TV revenue would be shared through the transition period though.

According to Benson in the PC today at GSU, both App State and GSU will be eligible for the Sun Belt Championship in 2014 (and could host the inaugural championship game), and would be bowl eligible in 2015.

[CAA Flagship]

I think that date is another part of it yes. The transition has several layers. One is at the conference level and the other is at the NCAA level. Old Dominion is only going through a 1 year transition from a conference standpoint. In year 2, we will have a full schedule and be eligible to compete for the CUSA title. However, the NCAA has to be petitioned to be bowl eligible beyond the current rule (which is only if there are not enough eligible teams to fill the positions and....blah, blah, blah....). So it seems that the transition is a general rule but can be negotiated.

Also, Old Dominion will be part of the CUSA TV package in year 1. I don't know the complete details but I think the way it works is that the ODU games will be offered to the network along with the other games. It will be up to the networks to decide if they want it or not. I don't know if/how the TV revenue would be shared through the transition period though.

According to Benson in the PC today at GSU, both App State and GSU will be eligible for the Sun Belt Championship in 2014 (and could host the inaugural championship game), and would be bowl eligible in 2015.

Sounds like you are getting the same deal we got. It's almost a must do when the conference loses multiple schools at the same time. To schedule 8 conference games, there needs to be at least 9 teams.

[BDKJMU]

Once they announce they have accepted the SBC invite they are not eligible for the playoffs and start the transition.

Not true. They are not eligible for the playoffs the moment they violate the FCS rules (for example, offer the 64th scholarship.). Old Dominion announced the jump last June but did not increase scholarships until January and were eligible for the playoffs last season.

According to news articles ODU announced the move up May 17:
http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt ... 8142.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So I guess the deadline is May 15? Too bad for ASU and GSU fans their schools couldn't wait another 7 weeks to make the announcement. Could have had one last go at the playoffs......

[CAA Flagship]

Not true. They are not eligible for the playoffs the moment they violate the FCS rules (for example, offer the 64th scholarship.). Old Dominion announced the jump last June but did not increase scholarships until January and were eligible for the playoffs last season.

According to news articles ODU announced the move up May 17:
http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt ... 8142.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So I guess the deadline is May 15? Too bad for ASU and GSU fans their schools couldn't wait another 7 weeks to make the announcement. Could have had one last go at the playoffs......

Not exactly. We "announced" the move then but did not sign the papers until after June 1.

[ASUG8]

FYI, anybody who cares....the announcement will be carried live on goasu.com at 4PM today.

http://www.goasu.com/liveEvents/liveEve ... M_ID=21500" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BDKJMU]

According to news articles ODU announced the move up May 17:
http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt ... 8142.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So I guess the deadline is May 15? Too bad for ASU and GSU fans their schools couldn't wait another 7 weeks to make the announcement. Could have had one last go at the playoffs......

Not exactly. We "announced" the move then but did not sign the papers until after June 1.

Ok then, would be smart to not sign papers till June 1. As I understand it:

This March ASU & GSU announce move to Sun Belt.
2013 full So-Con & I-AA schedule, ineligible for So-Con title & playoffs.
2014 transition yr, assume a mixed I-A & I-AA schedule.
2015 eligible for Sun Belt title & bowl eligible.

April 20, 2011 UMass announced were moving to MAC.
2011 played full CAA/I-AA schedule, ineligible for CAA title & I-AA playoffs.
2012 full I-A schedule.
2013 MAC title & bowl eligible.

May 17, 2012 ODU announced move to CUSA. Didn't sign papers till June 1.
2012: played full CAA/I-AA schedule, ineligible for CAA title. Eligible for I-AA playoffs.
2013: transition yr, 1/2 I-A, 1/2 I-AA schedule.
2014: full I-A & CUSA schedule, CUSA title & bowl eligible.

ASU, GSU, and UMass announced too early to maintain playoff eligibility. Sucks for ASU and GSU fans because they have been in the playoffs the last 8 straight years and last 3 national semis respectively, and would have been highly likely not only So Con title and playoff contenders, but NC contenders. Now they are ineligible for the So-Con title and the playoffs. Face pretty much 2 meaningless seasons.

As opposed to ASU and GSU, ODU did it right. Whether you announce in March, April, or May, it looks like you still have a yr 2 transition season and are conference & bowl eligible by year 3. But ODU in not announcing until mid May, signing the papers till June 1, left themselves playoff eligible for one last season, leaving themselves with only 1 virtually meaningless season instead of 2. Smart move.

[CAA Flagship]

May 17, 2012 ODU announced move to CUSA. Didn't sign papers till June 1.
2012: played full CAA/I-AA schedule, ineligible for CAA title. Eligible for I-AA playoffs.
2013: transition yr, 1/2 I-A, 1/2 I-AA schedule.
2014: full I-A & CUSA schedule, CUSA title & bowl eligible.

One small correction. 2014 is supposed to be our 2nd transition year. CUSA said we can have a regular schedule and play for the title. The NCAA has not yet agreed to us being bowl eligible in 2014 with the exception of the current rules which would be a result of a combination of rare circumstances. It is possible that they allow an exception but it has not happened yet. It is difficult to avoid a two year gap between FCS Playoffs and FBS Bowl Eligibility.

[CAA Flagship]

The timing of ODU signing the papers had a lot to do with us being a young program. Last year was the 4th year of the program and was the last season for our RS-Seniors and Seniors who were recruited before the locker rooms, practice facility, and stadium upgrades were built. Those guys had to endure 2 transition years to get into the CAA. To ask them to go through a third transition year in the 4 eligible years that they had would have been cruel.

ASU and GSU don't have to deal with that same guilt trip. It will be interesting to see how they do it.

[Baldy]

Not exactly. We "announced" the move then but did not sign the papers until after June 1.

Ok then, would be smart to not sign papers till June 1. As I understand it:

This March ASU & GSU announce move to Sun Belt.
2013 full So-Con & I-AA schedule, ineligible for So-Con title & playoffs.
2014 transition yr, assume a mixed I-A & I-AA schedule.
2015 eligible for Sun Belt title & bowl eligible.

April 20, 2011 UMass announced were moving to MAC.
2011 played full CAA/I-AA schedule, ineligible for CAA title & I-AA playoffs.
2012 full I-A schedule.
2013 MAC title & bowl eligible.

May 17, 2012 ODU announced move to CUSA. Didn't sign papers till June 1.
2012: played full CAA/I-AA schedule, ineligible for CAA title. Eligible for I-AA playoffs.
2013: transition yr, 1/2 I-A, 1/2 I-AA schedule.
2014: full I-A & CUSA schedule, CUSA title & bowl eligible.

ASU, GSU, and UMass announced too early to maintain playoff eligibility. Sucks for ASU and GSU fans because they have been in the playoffs the last 8 straight years and last 3 national semis respectively, and would have been highly likely not only So Con title and playoff contenders, but NC contenders. Now they are ineligible for the So-Con title and the playoffs. Face pretty much 2 meaningless seasons.

As opposed to ASU and GSU, ODU did it right. Whether you announce in March, April, or May, it looks like you still have a yr 2 transition season and are conference & bowl eligible by year 3. But ODU in not announcing until mid May, signing the papers till June 1, left themselves playoff eligible for one last season, leaving themselves with only 1 virtually meaningless season instead of 2. Smart move.

If we waited like ODU did, we wouldn't be eligible for the Sun Belt until 2016 with 2014 and 2015 being transition years. The way it stands now, our "transition years" are 2013 and 2014. Even though we are in different conferences and ODU announced almost a year earlier, ODU/GSU/ASU are all on the same timeline now.

[CatMom]

Ergo: I was not wrong.

TXST, unlike the others, accepted in the fall of 2010 and went FCS Indy the following year, playing 12 games and adding 11 scholarships. Once we accepted the SLC "threw us out" but we played SLC teams in that Indy year to fill out their schedule (2011). Last year we were FBS transitional and helped fill out the WAC schedule (to keep them viable but we all know how that went). We will be full FBS and eligible for everything in 2013.

[dbackjon]

Ergo: I was not wrong.

TXST, unlike the others, accepted in the fall of 2010 and went FCS Indy the following year, playing 12 games and adding 11 scholarships. Once we accepted the SLC "threw us out" but we played SLC teams in that Indy year to fill out their schedule (2011). Last year we were FBS transitional and helped fill out the WAC schedule (to keep them viable but we all know how that went). We will be full FBS and eligible for everything in 2013.

Ready to tailgate with AZ(TX)GRIZ(VANDAL)FAN when Idaho visits San MArcos?

[Skjellyfetti]

According to news articles ODU announced the move up May 17:
http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt ... 8142.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So I guess the deadline is May 15? Too bad for ASU and GSU fans their schools couldn't wait another 7 weeks to make the announcement. Could have had one last go at the playoffs......

Except it would set our transition back one year. We're on the same transition as ODU now, if we waited a till after the deadline... we would be a year behind.

ODU's situation is nice, though -- because they've had a year to recruit on it.

[AZGrizFan]

Ergo: I was not wrong.

TXST, unlike the others, accepted in the fall of 2010 and went FCS Indy the following year, playing 12 games and adding 11 scholarships. Once we accepted the SLC "threw us out" but we played SLC teams in that Indy year to fill out their schedule (2011). Last year we were FBS transitional and helped fill out the WAC schedule (to keep them viable but we all know how that went). We will be full FBS and eligible for everything in 2013.

Ready to tailgate with AZ(TX)GRIZ(VANDAL)FAN when Idaho visits San MArcos?

She can't handle "TheTruth".

[CAA Flagship]

Ergo: I was not wrong.

TXST, unlike the others, accepted in the fall of 2010 and went FCS Indy the following year, playing 12 games and adding 11 scholarships. Once we accepted the SLC "threw us out" but we played SLC teams in that Indy year to fill out their schedule (2011). Last year we were FBS transitional and helped fill out the WAC schedule (to keep them viable but we all know how that went). We will be full FBS and eligible for everything in 2013.

I said that you begin the transition the minute you violate the FCS rules. You added 11 scolarships which made you ineligible for the FCS playoffs. Announcing that you are moving up did not make you ineligible for the FCS playoffs.
ODU announced the plan to move in May 2012, signed the paperwork after June 1, 2012, and played in the playoffs in December 2012 because they did not violate the FCS requirements (didn't add scholarships until January 2013). 2013 and 2014 will be the "transition" years.

[ASUMountaineer]

According to Benson in the PC today at GSU, both App State and GSU will be eligible for the Sun Belt Championship in 2014 (and could host the inaugural championship game), and would be bowl eligible in 2015.

Sounds like you are getting the same deal we got. It's almost a must do when the conference loses multiple schools at the same time. To schedule 8 conference games, there needs to be at least 9 teams.

Yup.

[BDKJMU]

Gonna be a lot of ASU's in I-A:
-Arizona State University
-Arkansas State University
-Appalachian State University