OT: Conference Realignment

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Pablo

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"North Carolina A&T’s short stay in the Big South is among the changes that has the Big South looking for new ways to survive.

The Big South and Ohio Valley conferences will combine into a single league in football beginning in 2023, officials of both leagues said Tuesday.

The pact will extend for four years and enable the two leagues to retain an automatic FCS playoff berth with a minimum of six teams."
 
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Daniel Frank Retweeted

Bryant Athletics
@BryantAthletics
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11m

BREAKING NEWS Excited to announce we've accepted an invitation to join the @AmericaEast! https://bit.ly/3iPg06V
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"SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University has accepted an invitation to join the America East Conference in all sports the league sponsors, effective July 1, 2022. Bryant will also accept an invitation to become an associate member of the Big South Conference for football."
 
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Pete Thamel
@PeteThamel
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The three schools broke Conference USA bylaws by not giving 14 months notice before leaving. Conference USA filed for arbitration, and all three schools filed for temporary injunctions to delay the arbitration. Those three schools are on the 2022 Sun Belt football schedule.




Pete Thamel
@PeteThamel
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10m

Sources: The three Conference USA schools departing to the Sun Belt – Marshall, ODU and Southern Miss – have finalized a separation agreement from Conference USA. The terms of the separation have been agreed upon but are not expected to be made public.
 

Five Two

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I don't understand why the NEC would want to add a 10th school. They are over the NCAA minimum to receive an auto bid for the postseason. Its just diluting the revenue payout to their member schools. If I'm Mount St Mary's, Wagner, etc, wouldn't I want to divide the NCAA revenue by 9 instead of 10? Its not like having Stonehill in the conference is going to get the NEC a better TV deal or sell out more arenas. Is Easton, MA a hotbed for high school athletics and academics that I'm not aware of? I just don't see how this makes financial sense for other schools in the NEC.
 

KAOriginal

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I don't understand why the NEC would want to add a 10th school. They are over the NCAA minimum to receive an auto bid for the postseason. Its just diluting the revenue payout to their member schools. If I'm Mount St Mary's, Wagner, etc, wouldn't I want to divide the NCAA revenue by 9 instead of 10? Its not like having Stonehill in the conference is going to get the NEC a better TV deal or sell out more arenas. Is Easton, MA a hotbed for high school athletics and academics that I'm not aware of? I just don't see how this makes financial sense for other schools in the NEC.
I thinks its about like minded school and region for a conference like the NEC and less about NCAA or TV revenue. They bring a school that's a full member for most of their sports including football, is very similar in size and status to other full members and helps ease the defections. With Bryant leaving, better to be adding another school ASAP.....
 
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sleeperpick

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I don't understand why the NEC would want to add a 10th school. They are over the NCAA minimum to receive an auto bid for the postseason. Its just diluting the revenue payout to their member schools. If I'm Mount St Mary's, Wagner, etc, wouldn't I want to divide the NCAA revenue by 9 instead of 10? Its not like having Stonehill in the conference is going to get the NEC a better TV deal or sell out more arenas. Is Easton, MA a hotbed for high school athletics and academics that I'm not aware of? I just don't see how this makes financial sense for other schools in the NEC.
Didn’t they just lose Bryant like 2 weeks ago?
 

ephoops

Starter
Agreed. They must want an even number of schools for scheduling.

That said, Stonehill is 30 minutes south of Boston. With Bryant leaving for the America East, Stonehill gives the NEC added presence in the Boston market along with Merrimack.
 
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"The Sun Belt Conference has announced its return to men’s college soccer with a 9-team league that includes some of the top programs in the nation, Commissioner Keith Gill announced at a news conference Wednesday.

James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion are all new members of the conference, while Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, and Georgia State all remain from the original league. Gill also worked to bring in three affiliate members: Kentucky, West Virginia, and South Carolina."
 
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KAOriginal

All-American

"The Sun Belt Conference has announced its return to men’s college soccer with a 9-team league that includes some of the top programs in the nation, Commissioner Keith Gill announced at a news conference Wednesday.

James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion are all new members of the conference, while Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, and Georgia State all remain from the original league. Gill also worked to bring in three affiliate members: Kentucky, West Virginia, and South Carolina."

Did not realize the SEC does not have soccer....whoa.
 

GMUgemini

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I just figured every school played polka dot ball.....

Neither Arizona nor Arizona State nor Northern Arizona offer mens soccer (that’s all three state schools in AZ).

There are a lot of soccer programs, but fewer than mens basketball. Richmond eliminated mens soccer a few years ago.
 

"Currently, there are 205 NCAA D1 men’s soccer colleges across the country."


"Currently, there are 333 NCAA D1 women’s soccer colleges across the country."
This is because of the scholarship equality M/F and the number that football takes up for the men's side. Most of the schools who don't have men's soccer have football and its part of the balancing act.
 
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