The Sun Belt is losing two teams, but it's getting two new divisions.
New Mexico State and Idaho will leave the Sun Belt following the 2017 season, and Coastal Carolina will join as it finishes its transition from the FCS level to the FBS in 2018. That will give the conference 10 teams, and it will divide those teams into two five-team divisions.
They divisions will be divided by geography.
East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Troy
West: Arkansas State, Louisiana, UL-Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State
While the divisions are clearly logical, I just want to get it on the record that the Sun Belt missed on an opportunity by naming the divisions East and West rather than something like Sun and Shade.
Anyway, the winners of the two divisions will play in the new Sun Belt Championship Game, which will be played on the campus of the school that ranks highest in the College Football Playoff Rankings. Of note, Ralph Russo of the Associated Press points out that if no Sun Belt team is ranked in the CFP Top 25 -- entirely possible -- the conference will use a formula inspired by the old BCS computer rankings.
Sun Belt says if no teams in CFP rankings it will use a formula based on 6 BCS computer ratings to determine home field in champ game. https://t.co/wtSsL40j4C
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) May 23, 2017
So, no, college football can't fully quit the BCS. That the CFP Selection Committee or computer formulas will have such an impact on the Sun Belt championship game, of all things, is interesting to say the least.
The Sun Belt is also adopting a collaborative instant replay system that will allow officials in a central location to review replays and assist officials at each game. The model is based on the one the SEC currently uses.
