Ten FBS conferences and the latest conference realignment has hit a brick wall. Conference USA is now down to three schools. UTEP, Louisiana Tech and Florida International. It seems the conference is lost unless a bunch of FCS schools wish to re-classify.
Conference USA is losing six schools to the American Athletic Conference, three schools to the Sun Belt Conference and two schools to the Mid America Conference, leaving them with only three. Before the last two schools, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky announced they are leaving to the MAC, there were plans to build Conference USA back up by adding New Mexico State and Liberty, who are now independent, with UConn as a football-only member and adding Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State from the FCS. The latest plans from the MAC have been a monkey-wrench in the pile.
The WAC has come up with a proposal to reclassify as FBS, bring schools who want to reclassify with them and restore 11 FBS conference. There are schools that want to reclassify, and those have the resources to do it, but they are all over the country. I do not know all of the schools, yet who will be involved or how it will yet work out. There are schools in the West who have the market and the facilities to reclassify to the FBS, but they are no where near Jacksonville State, which is in Eastern Alabama.
The WAC proposal is simple. Bring up enough schools from FCS to FBS to have 11 FBS conferences, but the Eastern ones will go to Conference USA presumably with Louisiana Tech, Liberty and UConn. While the WAC rebuilds with UTEP and New Mexico State. Presumably Schools like Southern Utah and Dixie (soon to be Utah Tech) that are not ready to reclassify will join other FCS conference. Southern Utah and Dixie, in particular would return to the Big Sky Conference.
In the west, other than Idaho, there are five schools, currently in the Big Sky Conference, that could reclassify and be part of the WAC. They are UC Davis, Cal Poly, Portland State, Eastern Washington and Weber State. Montana could, but would have to do so without Montana State, which they wont. You would still have Montana, Montana State, Idaho State, Southern Utah, Dixie State, Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference. The BSC could also add Alaska Anchorage if UAA wants to add Football and become a Division I school.
The New WAC Could then be UTEP, New Mexico State, Idaho, UC Davis, Cal Poly, Sacramento State, Portland State, Eastern Washington and Weber State. New bowl games could be certified in Sacramento, Portland, and San Louis Obispo.
In addition to Sam Houston State, and Jacksonville State, Conference USA could add Stephen F. Austin, Delaware, Georgia Southern, William and Mary, James Madison and Richmond. New Bowls could be certified in Huntsville, Texas and Richmond.
The schools I have suggested, may not be the ones that make the jump. However, these schools have the market and facilities to make the jump and be successful at the FBS level. They have all had some degree of success at the FCS level in recent years.
This would allow all existing FCS conferences to remain in tact without a lot of continued realignment, which is what is needed at this point.
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