Georgia State to Sun Belt announcement Monday
Georgia State is headed to the Sun Belt in 2013 and an official announcement will be made at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Monday at 2 p.m., sources told CBSSports.com.
Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson will be in Atlanta to welcome the Panthers into the Sun Belt. The official invitation comes a week after CBSSports.com reported the Sun Belt's presidents voted to add Georgia State as a new member.
PantherTalk.com first reported details of Monday's official announcement.
Georgia State will join the Sun Belt in 2013 after spending the past seven seasons in the Colonial Athletic Association. The timing of Georgia State's announced move to the Sun Belt from the CAA on Monday will come a day before the CAA will vote to substantially increase its exit fee. CAA commissioner Tom Yeager told CAAHoops.com that the league will vote Tuesday to increase the exit fee from $250,000 to “at least a million dollars.”
Among those scheduled to attend Monday's event at the Georgia Dome include Benson, Troy Chancellor Jack Hawkins (president of the Sun Belt's board of directors) along with Georgia State President Mark Becker, athletic director Cheryl Levick and football coach Bill Curry.
Last week, CBSSports.com reported the Sun Belt's presidents voted via teleconference to extend an invitation to Georgia State.
Previously, CBSSports.com also had reported the Panthers were a “leading candidate” to join the Sun Belt in the “coming weeks.”
Georgia State's Olympic sports have been a member of the CAA since 2005, while this fall will be Georgia State's first to play as a CAA football member. The Panthers have been playing football for only two seasons but would move from the smaller Football Championship Subdivision ranks, which the CAA competes, to the Football Bowl Subdivision, which the Sun Belt is a member, in 2014.
The Panthers had a June 1 deadline to declare to the NCAA if they are going to make the move from FCS to FBS.
Georgia State's football program will compete in the Sun Belt as a “transitional” league member in 2013, meaning the Panthers would play a full Sun Belt schedule but would not be eligible for the league title or play in a bowl until the 2014 season.
South Alabama, which is making the move from FCS to FBS, is in a similar situation. The Jaguars will compete as a “transitional” league member in the Sun Belt this fall and will be ineligible to compete for the league title or play in a bowl until 2013.
Georgia State will be the first addition for the Sun Belt since Benson came from the Western Athletic Conference, where he was commissioner for 18 years, to replace retiring Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters on March 15. The Sun Belt also has had informal discussions with other schools, including Charlotte and Texas-San Antonio, to join the league.
While the Sun Belt will add Georgia State and possibly other schools, the league also could lose some members. The Mountain West and Conference USA are considering a merger, combining their current 16 schools into a new league of up to 24 members. A number of schools the new C-USA/MWC league is considering are current Sun Belt members, including Florida International and North Texas.
MWC commissioner Craig Thompson and C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky told CBSSports.com they expected to have their new membership finalized by early June.
Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson will be in Atlanta to welcome the Panthers into the Sun Belt. The official invitation comes a week after CBSSports.com reported the Sun Belt's presidents voted to add Georgia State as a new member.
PantherTalk.com first reported details of Monday's official announcement.
Georgia State will join the Sun Belt in 2013 after spending the past seven seasons in the Colonial Athletic Association. The timing of Georgia State's announced move to the Sun Belt from the CAA on Monday will come a day before the CAA will vote to substantially increase its exit fee. CAA commissioner Tom Yeager told CAAHoops.com that the league will vote Tuesday to increase the exit fee from $250,000 to “at least a million dollars.”
Among those scheduled to attend Monday's event at the Georgia Dome include Benson, Troy Chancellor Jack Hawkins (president of the Sun Belt's board of directors) along with Georgia State President Mark Becker, athletic director Cheryl Levick and football coach Bill Curry.
Last week, CBSSports.com reported the Sun Belt's presidents voted via teleconference to extend an invitation to Georgia State.
Previously, CBSSports.com also had reported the Panthers were a “leading candidate” to join the Sun Belt in the “coming weeks.”
Georgia State's Olympic sports have been a member of the CAA since 2005, while this fall will be Georgia State's first to play as a CAA football member. The Panthers have been playing football for only two seasons but would move from the smaller Football Championship Subdivision ranks, which the CAA competes, to the Football Bowl Subdivision, which the Sun Belt is a member, in 2014.
The Panthers had a June 1 deadline to declare to the NCAA if they are going to make the move from FCS to FBS.
Georgia State's football program will compete in the Sun Belt as a “transitional” league member in 2013, meaning the Panthers would play a full Sun Belt schedule but would not be eligible for the league title or play in a bowl until the 2014 season.
South Alabama, which is making the move from FCS to FBS, is in a similar situation. The Jaguars will compete as a “transitional” league member in the Sun Belt this fall and will be ineligible to compete for the league title or play in a bowl until 2013.
Georgia State will be the first addition for the Sun Belt since Benson came from the Western Athletic Conference, where he was commissioner for 18 years, to replace retiring Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters on March 15. The Sun Belt also has had informal discussions with other schools, including Charlotte and Texas-San Antonio, to join the league.
While the Sun Belt will add Georgia State and possibly other schools, the league also could lose some members. The Mountain West and Conference USA are considering a merger, combining their current 16 schools into a new league of up to 24 members. A number of schools the new C-USA/MWC league is considering are current Sun Belt members, including Florida International and North Texas.
MWC commissioner Craig Thompson and C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky told CBSSports.com they expected to have their new membership finalized by early June.
