Tolbert is a freshman multimedia communications major from Waxhaw, NC. She is also the men’s basketball and softball reporter.
With Georgia Southern University and Appalachian State University moving out of the Southern Conference, many people are wondering what kind of conference will be left after the two top dogs leave.
Without GSU and App. State, the new leaders of this conference will be all over the board. When it comes to football, Wofford College, Samford University and The Citadel have the best record from last season, while College of Charleston and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro still do not have a football program.
Besides football, there will be a lot of new leaders in other sports once GSU and App. State leave the conference. The Eagles excel in baseball, women’s soccer, softball and swimming and diving. This means that, not only are these teams ready to move up to the next level, but the conference will soon have new leaders for these sports.
The dynamics of this conference will primarily remain the same between the teams that are left, but what will spice up the future outcomes of these different athletic programs will be what schools are added in the years to come. Western Carolina University will continue to be at the bottom in football and Davidson College will continue to be at the top in basketball until other schools move them out of these positions.
This removal of two teams will allow new openings for other schools to possibly join the SoCon. When debating what teams should be brought in schools with a strong football program, a growing athletic department and multiple other sports are rising to attention.
A big name mentioned to add to the SoCon is Kennesaw State University. This addition might very well give all the current teams a run for their money. This season KSU has beat several schools, including GSU, in multiple different sports. Also, KSU has just recently announced former Georgia Institute of Technology quarterback/B-backs coach, Brian Bohannon, as its new football head coach.
All of these changes will not take place immediately in the season to follow. In the next two seasons for athletic programs, there will be slight changes throughout their schedules to begin the transition, but GSU and App. State will not be completely removed from the SoCon until the year 2014.