Blog: Lamar to New Texas League in 2020

[TexasTerror]

Eh, it's the [url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/334329-25-predictions-about-fbs-college-football-circa-2020]Bleacher Report[/url], but I enjoyed this one, posted by JoshUCA...

[QUOTE][b]Denied entrance into the Sun Belt, the Southland to FBS trio—Texas State, UTSA, and Lamar—will create their own conference, The "Texas League," known in coaching circles as the "I Hate the Sun Belt Conference." The trio will be joined by Central Arkansas, UT-Arlington, and TAMU-CC.[/b] Central Arkansas will be a core member of Division I by 2017 or 2018 if memory serves, and the conference basketball automatic qualifier rules allow a two year cushion, so those six schools could likely break away by 2016 and land an AQ basketball bid.

[b]TAMU-CC and UT-Arlington would go with the four breakaway Southland football schools because they are small budget programs that would be very much regionally isolated by remaining in the Southland. [/b]Plus, the money and exposure is generally better being a non-football school in an FBS conference than in an FCS one (especially a football-centric conference like the Southland).

Central Arkansas will start the process to move up to the FBS level and will give the group 4 football playing members. [b]At the turn of the decade the new conference will be well into negotiations to add ULL, NMSU, StAte as football playing members. The multiple exposures to Texas recruits, the lucrative Texas TV markets, and the cheap travel, will lead these three conference outliers to imagine a future as the Boise State or Troy of this new conference.[/b]

UNT will also be offered a slot, but might initially pass hoping against logic for a slot in the new SWC. UNT may feel real pressure to join the Texas League or risk further isolation in the region. UTPA will be offered a slot only on the premise that they add FBS football. Their consistently underfunded and unorganized athletic program will be scrambling to generate funding for a stadium.[b] Likewise, DII schools TAMU-Kingsville and Central Oklahoma will also be considered as all sports members pending status upgrades. Denver, UT Pan American, Houston Baptist, Utah Valley University, and Oral Roberts will be under consideration as non-football members.[/b] [/QUOTE]

My response...

The Southland Conference's current membership features quite a few schools that were rejected by the current schools in the Sun Belt (most of which are former SLC schools).

It's the reason that the Gulf Star Conference was formed in the mid 1980s as schools like Southwest Texas, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State made their transition to Division I...

[TexasTerror]

Another one...from the [url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/333371-the-sun-belt-conference-after-the-dominoes-fall?search_query=The%20Sun%20Belt%20Conference%20After%20the%20Dominoes%20Fall]Bleacher Report[/url]

SBC – North



Appalachian State

Arkansas State

Kennesaw State

Middle Tennessee

UNC Charlotte

Western Kentucky





SBC South



Nova Southeastern

Georgia Southern

Lamar

Louisiana – Lafayette

South Alabama

Troy

[NorthoftheBorder]

[quote name="TexasTerror" post="751272" timestamp="1264739605"]
Another one...from the [url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/333371-the-sun-belt-conference-after-the-dominoes-fall?search_query=The%20Sun%20Belt%20Conference%20After%20the%20Dominoes%20Fall]Bleacher Report[/url]

SBC – North



Appalachian State

Arkansas State

Kennesaw State

Middle Tennessee

UNC Charlotte

Western Kentucky





SBC South



Nova Southeastern

Georgia Southern

Lamar

Louisiana – Lafayette

South Alabama

Troy


[/quote]
That would be a hell of a conference for football and basketball, but also an enormous amount of travel.  I don't know when the new SWC would come into affect, but Lamar would be better served if they could position themselves for that conference.

[ForeverADog]

I say Lamar just wins a lot of games and expands the university in every sport and just take Baylors spot in the Big 12. That seems simple enough to me.

[Green Menace]

[quote name="TexasTerror" post="751272" timestamp="1264739605"]
Another one...from the [url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/333371-the-sun-belt-conference-after-the-dominoes-fall?search_query=The%20Sun%20Belt%20Conference%20After%20the%20Dominoes%20Fall]Bleacher Report[/url]

SBC – North
Appalachian State
Arkansas State
Kennesaw State
Middle Tennessee
UNC Charlotte
Western Kentucky


SBC South


Nova Southeastern
Georgia Southern
Lamar
Louisiana – Lafayette
South Alabama
Troy

[/quote]
Did North Texas drop football or get an invite from the SEC or Big 12? ;D