One year ago, a season opener at Vanderbilt may have not seemed so appetizing to Middle Tennessee.
Sure, the game would be a chance to play an in-state "rival" from a major athletic conference. Maybe some high school star would watch a Blue Raiders' victory from the stands (it's not on TV) and choose Middle Tennessee over Vandy or that other Tennessee program in Knoxville. And win or lose, the Blue Raiders would pocket a substantial paycheck just for playing.
But a little more is on the line for Middle Tennessee as it treks up I-24 from Murfreesboro on August 30. This game is a chance for a team from the newly formed Sun Belt Conference to prove that it's more than an early season doormat for major conference teams. A win and Middle Tennessee, previously a Division I-A independent that posted a surprising 6-5 record in 2000, would be on the right track toward the school's first conference championship and bowl appearance.
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The Big Ten and SEC programs have 11 grueling games in a season -- they realize they can't play at that level every week. They need a game along the way and that's where we come in. The goal for us is to be winning some of those games down the road. ” |
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— Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters |
"It's exciting knowing you'll have the opportunity to play in conference championships, in rivalries, in bowl games and for all-conference teams," Middle Tennessee coach Andy McCollum said. "Anytime you are recognized, it's a plus."
Heading into its first year as a Division I-A football conference, the Sun Belt is providing tangible goals for teams like Middle Tennessee. The New Orleans-based league spans the nation with a hodgepodge of three former independents (Middle Tennessee, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe) and four former Big West Conference members (Arkansas State, Idaho, New Mexico State and North Texas). The mix creates some interesting travel itineraries, including the trip from Lafayette, La. to Moscow, Idaho, which stretches three time zones and more than 2,000 miles.
Founded in 1976, the Sun Belt has 10 full member schools and two (Louisiana-Monroe and Idaho) football-only schools. With its teams already competing in 12 sports, football was the logical next step.
Needing a minimum of six teams for Division I-A accreditation, the Sun Belt wooed teams away from the folding Big West in July 1999. Teams like New Mexico State, North Texas and Idaho rushed to the Sun Belt to avoid the struggles of competing as an independent. While the new league had models to follow (Conference USA) and avoid (Southland Conference, which lasted only four years in Division I), the Sun Belt is carving its own path.
"Our schools are so unique that finding a league that matches up with ours is a challenge," Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said. "We've tried to take pieces from many different conferences."
In its inaugural season, each Sun Belt team will host five home games and face every team in the conference. The league has a television deal with Collegiate Sports Southeast and several games will air on FOX Sports.
One of the Sun Belt's most attractive components is the homespun New Orleans Bowl, to be played down the street from the league office at the Louisiana Superdome on Dec. 18 (ESPN2). The Sun Belt champion will face the third selection from the Mountain West Conference. Aside from being a handsome reward for current players, the bowl has become an effective selling point to recruits, whose "eyes light up" when the game is mentioned, McCollum said.
"The kids all point to games near New Year's Day -- it's kind of a Super Bowl to them," ESPN.com recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "Kids see that as a carrot waving out on front of them -- it makes the school and the conference that much more attractive."
Scheduling home games -- especially against major conference teams -- will be one of the Sun Belt's major tests in its first few seasons. Since most non-conference games are scheduled five to seven years in advance, Sun Belt teams will have to accept facing Texas (New Mexico State, Sept. 1), Florida (Louisiana-Monroe, Sept. 8) and defending national champion Oklahoma (North Texas, Sept. 8) on the road.
"The Big Ten and SEC programs have 11 grueling games in a season -- they realize they can't play at that level every week," Waters said. "They need a game along the way and that's where we come in. The goal for us is to be winning some of those games down the road."
Too many notable names on a schedule could lead to problems for the Sun Belt. Big West conference commissioner Dennis Farrell said a main factor in his league's downfall was teams overextending themselves to high profile opponents.
"Some schools have scheduled too many powerhouses so they can play on the road and get big paychecks," Farrell said. "Programs at this level need to play among themselves as much as possible to build success, tradition and a fan following."
Farrell's statement rings true at Louisiana-Monroe, which has played only 41 percent of its games at home over the past seven seasons.
"We want to schedule both well-known schools at the top and schools of similar size to ourselves," Louisiana-Monroe athletics director Bruce Hanks said. "It's a constant balancing act."
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