Charlotte 49ers Football: Effects of UAB Decision?
Will the Charlotte 49ers move into Conference USA be affected by the end of UAB Football?
When the NCAA doomed SMU’s program to death in 1988, the after effects were not readily apparent. They all came in the next decade though. The Southwestern Conference, a football rivalry hot bed, lost one of its key members and could not adapt to the changing times. The conference died with Arkansas bolting for the SEC and then Texas and Oklahoma charting a new path in the Big 12 along with their sister programs and Baylor. But not Houston or TCU.
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I bring up SMU because the loss of a football program can cause other things to happen. The University of Alabama-Birmingham decided to give up football for fiscal or soap opera reasons depending on who you want to believe. However, UAB was a member of Conference USA which is where the Charlotte 49ers are headed next year. Are the 49ers going into a doomed situation?
The answer, happily, is no. Conference USA might not be a league of vitality, but it is a league with depth. It had 13 teams before UAB decided to suspend football. 12 teams will allow to keep its Championship game.
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It probably did hope for balance when the Charlotte 49ers entered the league so that it could field two seven team divisions. So there could be an effort by the Conference to go get a 14th member or maybe they will just go with 13 like they did this season.
If the Conference USA does look for an extra member there are several options. They could try to raid the Sun Belt for a team. If they care about regional balance then Texas State could be grabbed. If they are looking for a good sports mix then maybe they would grab Appalachian State. Another option would be to have Army rejoin the conference just like Navy will join the American next year.
So don’t worry Charlotte 49ers fans, losing UAB will not prevent you from being trampled by the Thundering Herd next year.