[SuperJon]

Campbell University athletics will rejoin the Big South Conference in two years, making the move in all but three sports.

Three sources close the athletic department confirmed the move Tuesday, the same day a press conference was announced touting “an exciting new direction for Campbell University Athletics.”

The Camels will make public their plans to leave the Atlantic Sun Conference at 11 a.m. Thursday in the John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center. Football, wrestling and women’s swimming will not be affected by the shift.

http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=326204

[Rooster Cogburn]

WOW! Actually a move I welcome. Mr. Comissioner actually making a move to plan ahead and expand. Me likes, for now!

[jcmanson]

So what are we shooting for - 12 schools?

[Rooster Cogburn]

So what are we shooting for - 12 schools?

Not sure if it is that or fear one might leave and padding to keep the auto-bit in the picture. Thoughts?

[SuperJon]

This has absolutely nothing to do with the auto-bid. They're not joining in football.

[Rooster Cogburn]

Maybe I should have read the whole article.

How about future considerations in football as they grow?

Maybe kk softens his stance and lets Longwood in for BBall aand we have 12.

[Ed Dantes]

This has absolutely nothing to do with the auto-bid. They're not joining in football.

Phooey. It's probably not that bad though -- We were already on pace for the auto-bid (right?) and a school like Campbell probably wouldn't do wonders for our strength of schedule -- keep in mind that the Pioneer Football League doesn't allow for athletic scholarships, so if Campbell wanted to save $$$, they stay there.

[SuperJon]

And Campbell just started their program. I doubt they're going full fledged scholarship anytime soon.

[LUconn]

We've got a monopoly on the crappiest gyms in america. Although from the looks of their website, they've got plans for an upgrade. Or have upgraded. I can't tell.

[Rooster Cogburn]

New Chant: "Burn the Camels, Clap calp clap calp clap." Or maybe something about not getting spit on.

I think we had the beginnings of a BBall rivalry back in the day. Anyone?

[SuperJon]

We've got a monopoly on the crappiest gyms in america. Although from the looks of their website, they've got plans for an upgrade. Or have upgraded. I can't tell.

Their new place is open. It's where they're doing the announcement from. It's small (2000-3000) but it was supposed to be pretty nice for the size.

[Rooster Cogburn]

Not a horrible drive for an away game:

Total Estimated Time: 3 hours 31 minutes Total Estimated Distance: 173.03 miles

Not great either

[SuperJon]

Maybe kk softens his stance and lets Longwood in for BBall aand we have 12.

Strangely that actually sounds very plausible.

[Rooster Cogburn]

Maybe kk softens his stance and lets Longwood in for BBall aand we have 12.

Strangely that actually sounds very plausible.

Wasn't the main reason that they didn't have football? If it was, the addition of Campbell without Football means he changed his mind.

I still think Longwood is a good fit in the BS.

[SuperJon]

This opens the door for Longwood to come in as a 12th member and go to divisions for all of the sports except football.

I could see it being:

North
Liberty
VMI
Radford
Longwood
High Point
Asheville/Gardner-Webb

South
Gardner-Webb/Asheville
Campbell
Winthrop
Presbyterian
Coastal
Charleston Southern

Play every team in your division twice (10 games) and the other division teams once (6 games).

[Sly Fox]

I'm not sure what to make of this announcement. Have the Camels changed their Sunday stance or has the league relented?

[flameshaw]

Not surprised at all by this move. I think CU knew very early on they made a major mistake changing conferences. I would still like to see another football added soon.

But hey we are lucky anyone wants to join this circus with KK as the ringmaster.

[g-webb1994]

With the Atlantic Sun falling apart at the seams, the powers that be in the Big South shouldn't focus on Longwood at this point....go after East Tennessee State, whose fans are still pressuring their administration to reinstate football. USC-Upstate in Spartanburg is still in D-1 infancy, but could be a non-football option as well.

[matshark]

Not sure what good Campbell joining the big south does for anybody but campbell. They aren't joining football, which really does nothing overall for the conference. They aren't joining wrestling (which essentially is the NCAA East Regional).

ETSU would be a much better acquisition IMO. It would be a much easier sell for them to reinstate football (and they always had a good football team) and would add another state that the Big South is in. (IMO adding legitimacy - lets not forget we lost MD when UMBC left) That would give us schools in 4 states. Not bad.

[RagingTireFire]

I've got to agree in part with sharky on this one. I don't see how this helps the Big South at all.

Does this open up a new media market for the BSC? Not really. Campbell may be only 45 minutes from Raleigh but it may as well be on the moon for all the press they get there -- or will ever have a chance to get.

Does this positively affect the level of BSC competition in major sports? Again, no. They wouldn't be joining in football but, even if they were, they were rated dead frickin last in the country in 2008 among FCS schools. In men's basketball, their RPI was 312, higher than CSU and Presbyterian but not by much. To be fair, they seem to be halfway decent in baseball but is that really a conference selling point?

You old-timers might also remember that when Campbell left the conference in '94, they did so with such little warning and consideration for the rest of the conference -- the conference that they helped to found --- that they left the BSC without an auto-bid to the NCAA tournament for a year. CSU won the conference tournament that year and ended up sitting at home for the Big Dance. I wonder if they're still nursing that grudge.

Even if KK wants to get to 12 members, there is still no good reason to take Longwood and if them being magic #12 is the only reason that he would admit them, well, that's just a stupid stupid reason. Really, if the BSC is looking to raid the A-Sun, take Jacksonville and/or ETSU. Jax at least has a plan to get to scholarship football and opens up a whole new region and major media market. Even if ETSU never reinstates football -- which they will never never never never do -- they still bring enough to the table in other sports and can provide another regional rival for UNCA and the Virginia schools.

[WinthropEagleFan]

Sounds like expansion for the sake of expansion...I don't love it or hate it..it just is...I wonder when this will happen (after 2 more years of being in the A-Sun)? It does seem to open up things for a 12 team league, which I'm not a big fan of (I like when everyone in the league can play everybody else twice), but I don't think it really affects anything much, good or bad.

[WinthropEagleFan]

http://www.atlanticsun.org/quickhits/allsportsrace/

Looks like Campbell is 2nd in the A-Sun's version of the Sasser Cup (as of today)...They've won conference titles this year in men's soccer, men's golf, and softball.

[Sly Fox]

I agree with the sentiment that going after ETSU makes the most sense. But doing so just because of the possibility of them reinstating football shouldn't be the primary criteria ... just an added bonus.

[LUconn]

It does seem to open up things for a 12 team league, which I'm not a big fan of (I like when everyone in the league can play everybody else twice)

ugh, you think we whine a lot about getting shafted now? just wait until there are unbalanced schedules.

[adam42381]

This opens the door for Longwood to come in as a 12th member and go to divisions for all of the sports except football.

I could see it being:

North
Liberty
VMI
Radford
Longwood
High Point
Asheville/Gardner-Webb

South
Gardner-Webb/Asheville
Campbell
Winthrop
Presbyterian
Coastal
Charleston Southern

Play every team in your division twice (10 games) and the other division teams once (6 games).

I think the setup there is most logical. I'd have Asheville in the North and Gardner-Webb in the South. I don't particularly love the addition but splitting the conference North-South like that makes sense after it happens.