MOBILE, Ala. — Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic will leave the Sun Belt Conference effective June 30, 2013, a year earlier than planned, after both schools accepted a reduced Sun Belt exit fee of $700,000, Commissioner Karl Benson announced Wednesday.
The two schools, which are moving to Conference USA, had previously said they would remain in the Sun Belt through June 2014. The schools and the conference office reached a settlement that allows them to depart early by paying what was described as a “slightly reduced” fee. The Sun Belt Executive Committee voted to offer the $700,000 figure, and both schools accepted.
Dispute Over the Fee
Middle Tennessee and the conference had disagreed over which penalty applied: the league’s long-standing $500,000 exit fee or a new $1 million fee approved by the executive committee last spring.
“Our desire to aid our athletic directors in finalizing the 2013 football schedule was the reason for allowing a reduced exit fee,” Benson said. “While the seven-game conference schedule is not perfect, the understanding is that this would only be for one season.”
Benson said the conference’s bylaws need to be revised to more clearly restrict early departures, because the current rules requiring a notification date are incomplete. He said the remaining members faced pressure to settle on a reduced fee so the two schools’ football schedules could be adjusted, and that the executive committee “reluctantly settled.”
What the League Looks Like in 2013-14
With the departure date set, the Sun Belt will have eight football-playing members and 10 members overall for the 2013-14 academic year. Football members will play a seven-game conference schedule, down from eight. Men’s and women’s basketball will play an 18-game double round-robin conference schedule.
The 2013 football membership will be Arkansas State, Georgia State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy and Western Kentucky. Arkansas-Little Rock and Texas-Arlington are members that do not sponsor football.
The Sun Belt is coming off the most successful football season in its 12-year history. Four league teams played in bowl games, and all four will remain in the conference for the 2013 season.
Benson on the Future
“We will shift our attention back towards the future of the league and what our membership should consist of,” Benson said. “As of now there are no pending invitations to the Sun Belt for membership, however, we know that there are a number of teams interested in joining our league.”
Benson said the conference is competitive in all sports and that its standing as one of 10 BCS conferences, along with its geographic footprint, appeals to schools that have expressed interest in joining.
He said the departures of Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic, following those of North Texas and FIU, might slow the Sun Belt’s progress but would not stop it.
“We were on our way,” Benson said. “… We were hoping we had time to build the conference to the point where we could stand alongside Conference USA with a comparable name. But we will eventually get there.”
Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins, president of the Sun Belt Executive Committee, said the conference’s chief executives “appreciate the contributions Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee have made to the Sun Belt Conference. We wish FAU and MTSU well.”
Effect on South Alabama’s 2013 Schedule
The early exits mean Sun Belt football teams, including South Alabama, will each have an open date to fill with a non-conference game in 2013. South Alabama does not currently have a Football Championship Subdivision opponent on its 2013 schedule, so adding one would not affect the number of wins it needs for bowl eligibility. FBS teams may count only one win over an FCS opponent toward bowl eligibility unless there are not enough eligible teams to fill all bowl slots.
South Alabama’s 2013 non-conference schedule already includes road games at Tennessee, Navy and Tulane and a home game against Kent State, which played in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
The South Alabama ticket office has notified fans that 2013 football season ticket renewal letters will be delayed. Because the number of home games is not yet known, the office is working with the conference and the football program to set the home schedule and pricing.
