Benson: Smaller is better for league
— Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson struck a celebratory tone Monday while discussing the impending departure of two of the league’s 12 teams.
Smaller will be better was the message from Benson, who left little doubt during the league’s annual media day that his preference is for the Sun Belt to maintain the 10-team, two-division struc- ture it will have in 2018.
“We are not actively look- ing or have any signals out there that we would enter- tain any new members,” Benson said. “We got to 10 in a very methodical, thoughtful way . ... We have no interest in looking elsewhere.”
This season will be the Sun Belt’s last with New Mexico State and Idaho. Next season, the remaining 10 teams will be split along geograph- ical lines into five-team divi- sions. In the West will be Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama and Texas State. The East Division will contain Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Troy. The conference will host its inaugural title game in 2018 as well, with the division winners meeting at the home of the higher-ranked team.
“We believe the structure we’ve created (for 2018) is the right structure,” Benson said. “It’s sustainable.”
There are some cases in which Benson might not be able to prevent growth. The Sun Belt has two non-football members, Arkansas-Little Rock and Texas-Arlington. If either of those schools adds football — something UALR is exploring — the Sun Belt would have to accept it.
If that happens, Benson doesn’t plan to search for a 12th football member to even out the divisions.
“The Big Ten was an 11-team football league for over 15 years,” Benson said. “They did just fine.”
In the league’s preseason poll, Appalachian State was the favorite, followed by Troy and Arkansas State.
Some other topics discussed during Sun Belt media day:
Results-oriented scheduling: In recent years, Benson has urged Sun Belt teams to play no more than one game per season against a Power Five conference team, at least two games against peer conferences and one game against an FCS program. In essence, he’s asking Sun Belt teams to limit the big individual paydays they get from playing Power Five teams for the sake of building up win totals across the league.
The results have already begun to show, Benson said. Last season, six Sun Belt teams played in bowl games and four were victorious. Placing more teams in bowls means more money from agreements with the College Football Playoff, which last year accounted for nearly half of the Sun Belt’s $31 million in gross revenue.
“Our financial models are built on success in the College Football Playoff,” Benson said.
For that reason, he’s also urging Sun Belt teams to be cautious about scheduling Tuesday night games. He’s not convinced the benefits of national TV exposure always outweigh the challenges midweek games create for teams and fans.
Immediate goals: Benson likes the Sun Belt’s 2017 pros- pects for outperforming the four other non-Power Five conferences — the American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American and Mountain West.
He said the Sun Belt’s goal this season is to place a team in a New Year’s Day bowl game — and win it.
“That is a realistic goal — not in the future, but today,” he said.