Idaho and New Mexico St. no longer members of Sun Belt after 2017
The Sun Belt is getting rid of its two western-most teams.
The conference announced Wednesday that Idaho and New Mexico State would need new conference homes after the 2017 season. The move makes the Sun Belt a 10-team league in 2018.
“We are disappointed by the Sun Belt’s decision,” Idaho president Chuck Staben said in a statement. “But we are optimistic about the options before us and we are continuing to diligently consider our future affiliation as an opportunity to find the stability and full participation we have not experienced in the Sun Belt. We will make a decision in the coming months."
Both teams joined the Sun Belt after the WAC was no longer a football conference and their futures has been up in the air. Idaho recently made a presentation to the conference to stay in the league as football members. You can take a look at the slideshow Idaho gave to the conference courtesy of the Idaho Statesman here.
"This was a strategic decision that was reached following a thorough and complete review of our options," Texas State University President Dr. Denise Trauth, who is also the Sun Belt president, said in a statement. "The Sun Belt's Presidents and Chancellors strongly believe it is in the best interest of the conference to have a core membership of 10 football teams that are geographically located within the 'footprint' of the conference and that these 10 members also compete in all conference sports. This decision, along with the full 12-team membership that goes into place for the 2016-17 season with the addition of Coastal Carolina University, will reduce travel demands and missed class time for all Sun Belt student-athletes – while also furthering the development of regional rivalries within the conference."
It stands to reason that success played a role in the decision of the conference along with geography. Each team has won five games over the past two seasons.
The Vandals, who had played in the Sun Belt during the conference's first four seasons in 2001-04, are a member of the Big Sky conference in all other sports and New Mexico State has continued as a member of the WAC in other sports. Idaho said in its statement that it was weighing a move to the Big Sky in football or the idea of playing as an independent in 2018. A move to the Big Sky would mean a drop to the FCS level and a cut of 22 football scholarships.
New Mexico State would likely need to go the independent route if it wants to stay at the FBS level barring any other conference openings.
With Idaho and NMSU, the Sun Belt had been an 11-team league, one short of the 12 teams needed for a conference title game. With the 12-team minimum for conference title games now no longer in effect, commissioner Karl Benson said the Sun Belt could look to host a title game in the future.
"This 10-team football league will maximize the Sun Belt's on-field performance, push us to the top ranking of our four peer conferences, and will give us the best opportunity to soon place a team in one of the College Football Playoff's New Year's Day bowl games," Benson said. "We will also now have serious conversations with our football coaches and athletics directors about conducting a football championship game. These discussions will take place this spring and a decision will be made in the very near future."
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
