Great article on SoCon expansion...

[HerbBrooks]

http://www.southernpigskin.com/index.ph ... the_socon/

Didn't know the SoCon has been so good.

[Saint3333]

Richmond is a pipe dream. JSU maybe, JU, no thanks.

[CrackerRiley]

hmm interesting. Makes me proud.
Didn't know all SEC teams but Arkansas were in the SoCon at one point.

[∞∞∞]

Not trying to be a dick, but I didn't see the point of the article. Do National Championships won by teams not in your conference anymore really matter? Out of that list, Georgia Tech was the only one to win a title while in the SoCon, and it was 82 years ago.

Also, regarding the expansion part of the story, what's written seems doesn't really have any substance. It lists some teams, but no real reasons why the SoCon would consider them, or why the schools would consider the SoCon good for them:

The Southern Conference might be the most storied college football conference in the history of the game and…I think it could get better. Could you imagine a 12 team super Southern Conference?

I say keep all of the nine teams currently participating in football and add Jacksonville State, Jacksonville University, and Richmond.

Jacksonville University just recently won the Pioneer League championship in 2008, Richmond won the FCS national championship in 2008, and Jacksoville State has gone 8-3 the past two years in the Ohio Valley Conference. These expansions would extend the league’s recruiting reach to the fertile grounds of Virginia and Florida.

Because the Southern Conference has teams that only play basketball, the SoCon would have a Big East feel in that particular sport with 15 teams. Or they could just drop the one sport teams and go with the twelve. I think both routes could work.

The quoted part just seems like something I'd read on a message board.

[ASUG8]

The SoCon is big enough - we don't need to split football into divisions so we can bitch about who won the conference.

[SUUTbird]

The only benefit i could see with a 12 team conference in the Socon is that some of the newer teams in the FCS ranks would be a good fit such as South Alabama and Georgia State .

[Bojangles]

I'd like to see Georgia State or Coastal Carolina as an expansion team.

[JConnolly]

I'd hate to see the SoCon go to 12 teams and have 2 divisions. Would they be the same divisions as basketball? That might work out OK, with App, Chatty, Elon, Samford and WCU in the North, then Wofford, El Cid, Furman, and Georgia Southern in the South. Richmond could go to the North, and JSU and JU to the South. It would make 6 in each division. But I don't think it would work well to determine a champion as ASUG8 said. We'd need a conference championship game, and that would probably eliminate 2 teams from playoff eligibility. I think the SoCon should stay where it is, and if one or more teams move up to FBS, then pick up teams. Can't we just add Davidson for football and have 10?

[Skjellyfetti]

Count me in with the folks that don't want to see the SoCon expand.

[OL FU]

I agree with all of those that think 9 teams is the correct number for a football conference.

however, if we did expand. The teams mentioned would be good only if JU stepped up on scholarships and JSU dropped their intention to go FBS. Ga St is a no for the same reason JSU would be questionable. Don't take a team that has announced they are going to leave before they join. I think EKU and SC State are interesting. But I have no knowledge of their interest. I think SC State would be interested if the MEAC continues to pursue the Heritage Bowl.


I also agree with the poster that ask what the point of the article is other than to fill up some bandwidth. The author lost all credibility when he mentioned ASU, GSU and Elon. Geez feller, Elon has had two good seasons in the Socon. What about the school that has won the most SoCon championships and the only other current SoCon school to win a I-AA National Championship. Fuck him

[ASUG8]

I also agree with the poster that ask what the point of the article is other than to fill up some bandwidth. The author lost all credibility when he mentioned ASU, GSU and Elon. Geez feller, Elon has had two good seasons in the Socon. What about the school that has won the most SoCon championships and the only other current SoCon school to win a I-AA National Championship. Fuck him

"The hate runs deep in this one......"

[OL FU]

I also agree with the poster that ask what the point of the article is other than to fill up some bandwidth. The author lost all credibility when he mentioned ASU, GSU and Elon. Geez feller, Elon has had two good seasons in the Socon. What about the school that has won the most SoCon championships and the only other current SoCon school to win a I-AA National Championship. **** him

"The hate runs deep in this one......"

Damn right, I understand mentioning ASU and GSU friggin' 9 NCs between them. But mention Elon, a team that has been in the conference 10(?) years with a ton of bad seasons, instead of a team that has been a member of the conference since 1936, won more Socon titles than anyone else (no matter which period of time) and at least won a I-AA national championship. What the fuck was he thinking

[CrackerRiley]

"The hate runs deep in this one......"

Damn right, I understand mentioning ASU and GSU friggin' 9 NCs between them. But mention Elon, a team that has been in the conference 10(?) years with a ton of bad seasons, instead of a team that has been a member of the conference since 1936, won more Socon titles than anyone else (no matter which period of time) and at least won a I-AA national championship. What the fuck was he thinking

Which team are you referring to? I can't seem to figure it out, have they fallen off the map or something lately

[OL FU]

Damn right, I understand mentioning ASU and GSU friggin' 9 NCs between them. But mention Elon, a team that has been in the conference 10(?) years with a ton of bad seasons, instead of a team that has been a member of the conference since 1936, won more Socon titles than anyone else (no matter which period of time) and at least won a I-AA national championship. What the **** was he thinking

Which team are you referring to? I can't seem to figure it out, have they fallen off the map or something lately

If falling off the map is the criteria, GSU wouldn't have been listed

[CrackerRiley]

Which team are you referring to? I can't seem to figure it out, have they fallen off the map or something lately

If falling off the map is the criteria, GSU wouldn't have been listed

Touche

[ASUMountaineer]

Count me in with the folks that don't want to see the SoCon expand.

+1, but I also support moving to FBS.

Oh, and I agree, the article was pointless (and poorly written).

[Saint3333]

OLFU is right he should have mentioned Wofford...

[OL FU]

OLFU is right he should have mentioned Wofford...

FU

[SpeedkingATL]

I don't see the expansion and certainly see no reason why Richmond would want to join the SoCon. Nine football schools is the perfect number IMO.

[Skjellyfetti]

I think EKU and SC State are interesting. But I have no knowledge of their interest. I think SC State would be interested if the MEAC continues to pursue the Heritage Bowl.

I like both of these suggestions a lot.

If Georgia Southern or App decides to make the jump to FBS I'd hope SC State is at the top of the conference's list to try to lure.

[EPJr]

When Georgia State changes conference it will not be to join another FCS Conference.

[OL FU]

When Georgia State changes conference it will not be to join another FCS Conference.

Since the idea is to go FBS, that is as it should be.