Conference Realignment

Discussion in 'College & Amateur Soccer' started by SammyP, Oct 22, 2021.

  1. SammyP

    SammyP Member

    Nov 6, 2006
    With the flurry of conference realignment again taking over college athletics - it's interesting to see how men's soccer will be impacted:

    American Athletic Conference:
    UCF - Exiting for Big 12
    Tulsa
    Memphis
    USF
    SMU
    Temple
    UAB - Entering from CUSA
    FAU - Entering from CUSA
    Charlotte - Entering from CUSA
    *Current future number of teams = 8

    Sun Belt (Currently not sponsoring men's soccer):
    Georgia Southern - Currently playing in the MAC as an auxiliary member
    Georgia State - Currently playing in the MAC as an auxiliary member
    Coastal Carolina - Currently playing in CUSA as an auxiliary member
    JMU - Entering from CAA
    Marshall - Entering from CUSA
    ODU - Entering from CUSA
    *Current future number of teams = 6 (Return of an automatic bid)

    CUSA:
    FIU
    Kentucky - Auxiliary member from SEC
    South Carolina - Auxiliary member from SEC
    Coastal Carolina - Returning to Sun Belt
    Charlotte - Leaving for AAC
    FAU - Leaving for AAC
    UAB - Leaving for AAC
    Marshall - Leaving for Sun Belt
    ODU - Leaving for Sun Belt
    West Virginia - Supposed to join as auxiliary member in '22
    *Current future number of teams = ?

    MAC:
    Bowling Green
    N Illinois
    Akron
    Western Michigan
    West Virginia - Announced to leave for CUSA
    Georgia Southern - Returning to Sun Belt
    Georgia State - Returning to Sun Belt
    *Current future number of teams = 4-5?

    Many questions exist to be answered:
    -Where does UCF play men's soccer?
    -Where do West Virginia, Kentucky, and South Carolina play?
    -What do remaining full members of the MAC and CUSA do?

    Of course - let's see what additional moves may still happen!
     
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  2. nick p

    nick p Member+

    Jul 11, 2009
    Baltimore Maryland
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    UCF does needs a home for Men’s Soccer since the Big 12 doesn’t sponsor it
     
  3. JoeSoccerFan

    JoeSoccerFan Member+

    Aug 11, 2000
    I think the original poster covered it, because I had the same question.
     
  4. collegesoccer

    collegesoccer Member+

    Apr 11, 2005
    Prob Conf. USA with WVU ...
     
  5. SBZipfan

    SBZipfan Member

    Nov 19, 2014
    Santa Barbara, CA
    Is 6 the minimum number of teams to be recognized as a conference with an auto-bid by the NCAA? (I know that's the case in lacrosse, where the 5-team ACC does not get an autobid, despite being the strongest conference in that sport ...)
     
  6. collegesoccer

    collegesoccer Member+

    Apr 11, 2005
    Yes... although a conference will get a waiver for a year to sort things out if they have another team joining the next year.
     
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  7. ThePonchat

    ThePonchat Member+

    #ProRelForUSA
    United States
    Jan 10, 2013
    I've Been Everywhere Man
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So, will it stay at 6 teams, or who else will enter?

    I would assume that WVU, UK, and/or South Carolina will look to enter. Surely...
     
  8. CHIII

    CHIII New Member

    Oct 31, 2016
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Not sure if anyone has seen this yet but seems quite ridiculous.

     
  9. ThePonchat

    ThePonchat Member+

    #ProRelForUSA
    United States
    Jan 10, 2013
    I've Been Everywhere Man
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know there are a ton of comments on it, but one is pretty strong that JMU has also voted the same way in the past?

    I don't know all the ins and outs on the situation, but it seems like it's been consistent with what the CAA has done.

    Sucks. But, if only there were a "leader" in the system that would have set a standard for this (cough, cough...NCAA).
     
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  10. fknbuflobo

    fknbuflobo Member+

    Arsenal FC
    United States
    Nov 16, 2011
    Akron, Ohio
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Seems that the NCAA only takes the lead on secondary issues.
     
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  11. Maclid

    Maclid Member

    Marshall (NCAA)
    United States
    Aug 28, 2021
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    http://wrvc.com/paul-swann/

    Marshall soccer coach Chris Grassie was interviewed yesterday evening on the Paul Swann radio sports talk show. Listen to the 11/3 show and Grassie's interview starts at the 9:00 mark, starts talking Sun Belt at the 15:00 mark.
    - Confirms UK, WVU, USC, and UCF have received affiliate invites to the SBC.
    - Says he's been sending calculations to the affiliate coaches showing it would be the 2nd strongest conference in the country.
    - Coastal's coach has been communicating the governance of the sport was stronger in SBC than C-USA, the soccer programs get to make soccer decisions.
    - Later in interview he somewhat disagrees next C-USA season would be bittersweet because most of the rivalries are going with us to the Belt.
     
  12. ThePonchat

    ThePonchat Member+

    #ProRelForUSA
    United States
    Jan 10, 2013
    I've Been Everywhere Man
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Rumor here: Queens University (Charlotte, NC) and Lincoln Memorial University (Harrogate, TN) are both making the jump from DII to DI. I heard that LMU will be making the announcement in spring and plan the jump for Fall 2022.

    Add in University of Southern Indiana, that is three DII schools (that I know of) that are potentially making the move in the near-future. Both Queens and LMU are looking into the OVC, which doesn't have men's soccer.
     
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  13. dogbone

    dogbone Member

    Sep 26, 2005
    ThePonchat is as usual right on. The rumor mill does have a number of D2's moving. I would expect more coaxing as the ripples of the realignment emerge. There are always 4 phases in these cases. In this one, Texas and Oklahoma went to the SEC. The Big 12 goes and gets 3 to stay viable, and the SunBelt strikes leaving Conference USA scrabbling to stay alive and viable. Then other impacted conferences look to schools to fill voids and canalize lower conferences. These conferences go into panic and coax D2 schools into their conference to stay alive.

    The real change will hit in January with the new NCAA constitution and convention. Right now people may be jostling but if the rumor of a 4th division for NCAA is valid. It may be more D2 schools move up to form that new D2 with the demotion or reorganization of the lower D1's. Then the D2 would be D3 and D 3 would be D4. To be fair this is all conjecture until the NCAA meets

    What is true is:

    CUSA soccer is on life support.

    MAC is looking for options for a 6th team.

    UCF, UK, USC and WVU are looking at either Sunbelt or AAC.

    FIU may have look at ASUN

    CAA will strike soon and I speculate they will try to raid the SOCON and BIG South.

    The Socon will raid the ASUN and BIG South.

    Big South and ASUN will take any movers up to survive.

    But the real crux will be who is Football and who are basketball schools that move up. This will be the challenge for navigation for those that jump, and if they jump will the jump be lateral.
     
  14. JoeSoccerFan

    JoeSoccerFan Member+

    Aug 11, 2000
    I knew that I had seen LMU play. Originally, I was thinking that James Thorpe (GK DCU draft pick). played there. I had to go back and look at my VHS/DVD library. Thorpe played for Franklin-Pierce against LMU for the D2 final in 2007.

    Memory is not what it used to be.
     
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  15. ThePonchat

    ThePonchat Member+

    #ProRelForUSA
    United States
    Jan 10, 2013
    I've Been Everywhere Man
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Incarnate Word moves to the WAC.
     
  16. JoeSoccerFan

    JoeSoccerFan Member+

    Aug 11, 2000
    Ponch - I already had IAW in WAC. Did they move to a different conference?
     
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  17. ThePonchat

    ThePonchat Member+

    #ProRelForUSA
    United States
    Jan 10, 2013
    I've Been Everywhere Man
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Maybe I missed that, I saw they just put up a big Twitter graphic on Friday. Thought it was something new. Honestly, I forget UIW is even DI.

    Whoops. Their men’s soccer has been WAC, but now the athletic department is fully WAC.
     
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  18. JoeSoccerFan

    JoeSoccerFan Member+

    Aug 11, 2000
    thx - Universities play other sports besides men's soccer? :)
     
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  19. ThePonchat

    ThePonchat Member+

    #ProRelForUSA
    United States
    Jan 10, 2013
    I've Been Everywhere Man
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That’s how I missed it. It popped across Twitter and I thought it was men’s soccer. Turns out, there are other sports. Who knew?!
     
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  20. espola

    espola Member+

    Feb 12, 2006
    Is there a list of schools whose men's soccer teams play in different conferences than the conference in which the school is officially aligned? Off the top of my head I can think of two --

    SDSU: Mountain West -> Pac12
    Sac State: Mountain West -> Big West
     
  21. ThePonchat

    ThePonchat Member+

    #ProRelForUSA
    United States
    Jan 10, 2013
    I've Been Everywhere Man
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    West Virginia: MAC (CUSA future, maybe) -> Big 12
    UK: CUSA (for now) -> SEC
    South Carolina: CUSA (for now) -> SEC

    Those are mine off the top of my head. I'm sure there's some others.
     
  22. Sandon Mibut

    Sandon Mibut Member+

    Feb 13, 2001
    Go to each conference's Wiki page and it has a good list of current and former members as well as affiliate, sport-specific members.
     
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  23. ThePonchat

    ThePonchat Member+

    #ProRelForUSA
    United States
    Jan 10, 2013
    I've Been Everywhere Man
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Loyola Chicago is leaving the MVC for the A10.
     
  24. JoeSoccerFan

    JoeSoccerFan Member+

    Aug 11, 2000
    Thx! This is going to happen in the 2022-23. Here's the announcement link.
     
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  25. Sandon Mibut

    Sandon Mibut Member+

    Feb 13, 2001
    This is all just so silly.

    I mean, I get it, but at the same time, it's ridiculous that non-revenue sports travel halfway across the country to play "conference" games.

    How is that in the best interest of the kids?
     

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