Sun Belt football will play 7-game schedule in 2012

[Harry]

With Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic settling on a departure fee for leaving the Sun Belt Conference early to join Conference USA, UL learned for certain Tuesday that it will play its 2013 season in an eight-team football conference.

MTSU and FAU will pay $700,000 each to leave the league and join C-USA on July 1, Sun Belt Conference commissioner Karl Benson said during a conference call today.

That means the Sun Belt’s eight remaining football-playing schools will have just a seven-opponent schedule in the coming season, and that each must add a fifth non-conference game.

UL is negotiating with New Mexico State to add a Nov. 2 game at Cajun Field, Ragin’ Cajuns athletic director Scott Farmer said today.

The $700,000 departure fee was negotiated down from $1 million, a sum the SBC voted on in conjunction with the decision late last year of MTSU and FAU to follow North Texas and Florida International from the Sun Belt to C-USA.

read more: http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20130122/SPORTS0201/130122036/Sun-Belt-football-will-play-7-game-schedule-2012-

[LakeTravis]

Damn, Sucks to be SBC.

[Mean Green Matt]

Who the heck is UL?

[oldguystudent]

Karl Benson overseeing yet another football conference collapse? Say it ain't so!

(The new, watered down, much disappointing CUSA is STILL better than hanging out with Karl)

Oh yeah, Karl, what was it you were saying about MTSU being the flagship school of the conference?

[UNTLifer]

Oh yeah, Karl, what was it you were saying about MTSU being the flagship school of the conference?

What he meant to say was Georgia State, yea, that's it.

[techdawg88]

Who the heck is UL?

University of Louisville

[Christopher Walker]

University of Louisville

Correct.

[Huff]

In this case I think UL refers to The University of Louisiana. We often call them Louisiana - Lafayette but they prefer to be called University of Louisiana or simply UL. Since this is an article about Sun Belt schools that would seem to make more sense to me.

[Arkstfan]

Arkansas State was pushing hard to release the two early. Our AD has only said he had a contract ready to sign if it was approved. Rumor is we are playing Mizzou home and home, traveling to Columbia in 2013 with the Tigers returning the game in 2014 if they can clear the date, otherwise playing at Liberty Bank Stadium in 2015.

[outoftown]

Arkansas State was pushing hard to release the two early. Our AD has only said he had a contract ready to sign if it was approved. Rumor is we are playing Mizzou home and home, traveling to Columbia in 2013 with the Tigers returning the game in 2014 if they can clear the date, otherwise playing at Liberty Bank Stadium in 2015.

Had heard something like that too. That is why I am actually surprised that FAU and MTSU still had to pay 700 000$ to exit. A home and home with Mizzou would of course be great news for AState. Others will probably just be happy to pick up another paycheck in addition to their share of the exit fees.

[LakeTravis]

In this case I think UL refers to The University of Louisiana. We often call them Louisiana - Lafayette but they prefer to be called University of Louisiana or simply UL. Since this is an article about Sun Belt schools that would seem to make more sense to me.

We know, its the running joke

[Arkstfan]

Had heard something like that too. That is why I am actually surprised that FAU and MTSU still had to pay 700 000$ to exit. A home and home with Mizzou would of course be great news for AState. Others will probably just be happy to pick up another paycheck in addition to their share of the exit fees.

Supposedly the schools left with 3 Sun Belt home games this year get the bulk of the departure fee.