thoughts about our future

Glad you brought it up first, I was about to create a thread and ask a question similar to that. Here is my thoughts, Personally, I like WCU being in the SoCon and I like WCU being in the FCS but things are fixing to shift and it will ultimately affect the FCS and likely the SoCon. So before I get into my views on WCU. From the SEC taking Texas and Oklahoma, then the Big 12 taking Cincinnati, UCF, Houston and independent BYU from the AAC. Look for the AAC to go after schools in the Mountain West and C-USA. What will then happen, is the MWC and C-USA will start poaching from the Sun Belt, MAC which will force the Sun Belt and MAC to start looking at going after bringing FCS schools to the G5 FBS league, also C-USA and the Mountain West may also consider this route with say North Dakota St or Montana.

So then it will start trickling down to the FCS those conferences will look to backfill, and it will ultimately likely come down to the SoCon, A-SUN, Colonial, Big South etc, I would not be surprised to see some of them move up to the FBS and other schools shift conference like some SoCon go to the Colonial and some A-Sun, Big South come to the SoCon and of course some Division 2 schools will move up.

So first, I think we need to get successful before we consider moving to another conference, because I think there is a likely hood, the SoCon will be looking a lot different in the next 2-5 years, and I think we have the staff to compete now in the SoCon but I would prefer us to stay put in the SoCon unless we get an invite to the Colonial. That is the only FCS conference, I think that WCU should ditch the SoCon for.

Now, here is a question. the way things are shifting in the college football world, what if there is so much shift that (regardless of our past successes or failures), we get a call to join the Sun Belt or MAC conference in the FBS? What would your opinion be of being in the FBS. Its not perfect but even the smaller conferences seem to pay better than the FCS and SoCon conference, also, there are bowl opportunities if WCU is jut 6-6. The one major drawback is that (there is currently no real playoff system for everyone) like the FCS and unlike the FCS where every year we have a chance to win the National Championship, we would likely be playing in what I often joke and call "Charmin Toilet Bowls" lol. But overall, I think it would help our budget.

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I am not sure how this will trickle down to WCU but the way the college football landscape is shaping it seems the P5 (soon to be P4 lol) is grabbing as many teams as possible to build like another 64-80 team super league, leaving the G5 schools like ECU, App St, Charlotte, Marshall behind. The NCAA is already working on a new constitution to give these P5 schools more autonomy to make the rules one of the biggest shifts since the 1970s when Division 1A and Division 1AA was formed.



I would not be surprised if there will either 2 or 3 restructured subdivisions in Division 1. Either the P5 leagues form their own super conference we will call 1A(FPS (Football Playoff Subdivision for this discussion,(P5 league membership only)), 1B(FBS Football Bowl Subdivision (G5 leagues), 1C (current Football Championship Subdivision) or they will get rid of the FCS and (merge the FBS (G5 leagues) and FCS leagues into 1 subdivision) while the P5 create even more distance.

True... But I will be honest, I am more worried about the changing tide of college football that may affect WCU either directly or indirectly (directly meaning we need to make a decision), indirectly by affecting teams in our conference that may water down our conference (or maybe making it more compatible, who knows?) But as football drives everything, these conference alignments that are going on in the FBS is fixing to trickle down to the FCS, I don't think the BIG 12 is done, and I also think at some point, the ACC will grab WVU or Kansas, the Big 10 and the Pac 12 at some point, then of course the AAC, MWC, C-USA all of it will cause a domino affect that will hit the SoCon? The question is then what will the SoCon look like? Is it still the viable conference we are currently in or is it going to turn into the A-SUN or Big South? Then should we stay or should we go? Also, if the opportunity does arrive in the next 5 years (lets say Kerwin Bell does the unthinkable and we start winning SoCon Championships and making the playoffs) if say the Sun Belt called (App will likely be gone by then) but do we consider moving up, if we are ever offered the opportunity? I have a feeling, it may be forced upon us within the next decade, I would not be surprised if we are either in the same division as the current G5 or if they will try to split the Div 1 into 3 subdivision levels. But the big boys are looking to distance themselves as far away from the FCS and G5 schools as much as possible.

I love a lot of things about the current iteration of the SoCon. All of our opponents are a reasonable drive and we get to have play everyone twice in basketball. We also don’t have to worry about TV dictating our schedule; no 9pm basketball games and no weekend, noon, or late evening football games. If we could be competitive at this level I would be pretty satisfied as a fan. I am wondering it g5 will fall back down a level as a the landscape keeps shifting, whatever happens I just want the my college to keep having amateur sports.

It would not surprise me if the Power 4/5 break off and form their own association outside of the NCAA. There are restrictions that NCAA will always have that keep the big boys from setting their own rules for recruiting and paying players - in all sports. I think that may be why the NCAA is looking at alternative plans for those conferences.