Now that Louisiana Tech has joined and the Sun Belt is back at 14 teams, do you think the conference eventually expands to 16, or is 14 the right number?
If they do expand, who would you add from the FBS or FCS, and why?
Back in 2024, I remember hearing reports that the Mountain West had held serious discussions about adding Tarleton State for football. Around that same time, there was also a lot of speculation that the Texans could eventually land in Conference USA. I haven’t heard much about either possibility lately.
I’m curious—where do you think Tarleton State football ends up? Do you see the program eventually joining the Mountain West, moving to CUSA, or staying in the United Athletic Conference for the foreseeable future?
With the UAC now established as an all-sports conference, I’m curious what everyone thinks the next wave of FBS expansion might look like.
Schools like Tarleton State, Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, and Eastern Kentucky all seem to have varying levels of FBS ambition. Meanwhile, conferences like Conference USA and the Mountain West have shown they’re willing to add successful FCS programs when the fit is right. Recent moves by schools such as Sam Houston, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Delaware, Missouri State, and North Dakota State show that the door isn’t completely closed for strong FCS programs.
A few questions I’m interested in hearing opinions on:
Which UAC program is the most likely to receive the next FBS invitation?
Which conference makes the
most sense for each school (Conference USA, Mountain West, Sun Belt, MAC, or somewhere else)?
How much do factors like football success, attendance, facilities, enrollment, media market, and geography actually matter today?
Do you think multiple UAC schools make the jump within the next five years, or does the conference stay mostly intact?
I’m especially interested in hearing from fans of Tarleton, ACU, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, EKU, and the other UAC schools. I’d love to know what rumors you’ve heard locally or what you think is realistic versus wishful thinking.