Over at MiamiHerald.com, we broke the story late last night that the Sun Belt is strongly considering expanding to an 11th school in football, if certain criteria are met.
In the process of reporting the story, I had a chance to chat with SBC Commish Wright Waters about a wide range of conference-related issues. Here's how the conversation went:
Q: What are your thoughts on possible expansion?
WW: "Well, I think where we are, we’re not afraid to expand if there’s someone out there who will add value to the league, but we're not going expand just to reach some arbitrary number. Conferences expand for one of two reasons: Survival mode or enhancement mode. I think we’re very clearly now in enhancement mode. Ten years ago, we were in the survival mode. I think we’ve got to find people who breing value to the conference."
How would you say the league has improved over the least decade?
"You look at your own needs. I feel pretty good about football. Our attendance is growing. In 2001, the average attendance was a little over 10,000. Today it’s well over 20,000. There was no TV when we started. Roughly 50 percent of games were on some kind of TV last year. I feel good about the direction of football. Our men’s basketball, on the other hand, I have some concerns about. Our presidents have take some very direct steps to improve the quality of the league. Starting next year, teams will not be allowed to play non-Division I teams in their non-conference schedule. And your non-conference schedule has to average 150 or better from a RPI perspective. The plan is also to get more home games. Those things are important to us."
Will there be penalties for teams that defy those rules?
"It was a presidential iniative. Most of the time, when the presidents create something, you don’t need a penalty phase. So there is no penalty phase. But obviously, it’ll be reported when [violated]."
You mentioned television. What's the latest on your TV deal?
"We have 1 year left on our current agreement, and we have the opportunity to reopen rengotiations. We’re in progress of doing that. I’ve done enough TV deals that it’s not done until it’s done. We have very cordial, very collegial conversations with ESPN. It's good time to be doing it with the landscape right now."
Your conference has a bunch of Tuesday night games this year. Is there any thought to doing what the MAC did a few years back, and make a certain night -- say Wednesdays -- 'The Sun Belt Night' on ESPN?
"The problem is, it’s difficult from a national TV perspective to find out a particular day, because there’s so many conferences vying for other days. The whole midweek game, Monday throught Wednesday game creates scheduling problem, because in essence, it creates two open dates. I don’t know where we’ll end up with that."
Overall, what do you think about Sun Belt's place in college athletics?
"I think the biggest thing is this not your father’s sun Belt Conference anymore. The changes over the last 10, 12 years, with a different group of schools, a lot of good things are going on. A lot of the decisions made in the early 2000s are now coming back to help us. We’re not one of the leagues that are panicked."
who cares..
Posted by: i dont | April 07, 2011 at 02:22 PM
Hahaha, sad thing is adding Jacksonville state probably would be an "enhancement"!
Posted by: FICC | April 07, 2011 at 03:30 PM
Great interview and reporting on possible expansion.
Posted by: chiaPanther | April 07, 2011 at 03:40 PM
dont care enough to stop by and comment... foolish hater
Posted by: TheChampionUnderdog | April 07, 2011 at 07:36 PM
This is great. I personally hope they select Louisiana Tech with the intention of filling a 12th spot and conference champion game. That will get national attention.
Panthers moving on up!
Posted by: GOLD | April 07, 2011 at 10:09 PM
The University of "Miami" gets a 20 million dollar donation to begin their new alumni center. little wanna be fiu, only could ever dream of one. What what, fiu the laughing stock of miami! Isiah molester, a baseball player rapists, murders all over campus, a whack half built stadium, sweetwater versus CORAL GABLES (luxury), whack mascot panther (how many panthers are there again?,) For god sake try to be original, the school even bites off PITTS colors and mascot, i guess u can thank ur third world ex president for that, on second thought sunblazer is even whacker LOL, SOB mascot, wow how retarded..Can ur school get anymore whack?? fiu will always be fiwho...We dont need a second community college...i want to sign a petittion to closed down fiu. Let the scum go to MDC. Same thing, ya hear!!
Posted by: the laughing stock of Dade-fiu | April 08, 2011 at 09:32 AM
Wow. That's real mature of you.
Posted by: fiu4ever | April 08, 2011 at 10:15 AM
Temple's football coach. No AD. No Basketball coach. No on campus stadium. Yeah man... We're the laughing stock. Lol
Posted by: pikedanny | April 08, 2011 at 01:09 PM
UM's ex-football coach, UM's ex-administrator as your AD, ISIAH THOMAS as your basketball coach, some pathetic 20,000 seat stadium on campus, as if ANY of FIU's students lived on campus and not still at home with their parents.
Yea, you are a laughing stock.
Posted by: FICC | April 08, 2011 at 02:23 PM
Did I mention that you've still never beaten a team outside your pathetic little conference?
Posted by: FICC | April 08, 2011 at 02:23 PM
Guess you didn't see the Bowl game we won this year. Looks like things are getting a bit edgy over their at the U; they've got to come over to the FIU blog to talk smack. LOL.
Posted by: FIUFan | April 08, 2011 at 02:52 PM
By the way Adam, you need to keep pushing on this story. You've created a melt-down from the Sun Belt to the WAC and with all the other interested parties. Don't leave us hanging, keep pumping your scoop.
Posted by: FIUFan | April 08, 2011 at 02:55 PM
Good stuff, thanks Adam.
Posted by: panther97 | April 08, 2011 at 03:25 PM
Great story Adam, keep it up. The Sunbelt is definitely getting better.
And haters can go on and hate. I don't respond to posters who just bash another school without provocation. I can list reasons why FIU is on the rise and UM still has issues, but I won't. I don't argue with foolish people.
Posted by: JonFIJI | April 09, 2011 at 09:12 AM