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  • Bluefield State Wants To Join The CIAA

    In the past some of us have talked about the possibility of Bluefield State joining the CIAA. Bluefield State has been an indpendent since the WVIAC split, and during those years they seem to constantly pop up on the schedules of CIAA schools. They also now have football, and the writing is on the wall that Conference Carolinas could sponsor football soon which would see Chowan leave.

    The one issue is that Bluefield sponsors a lot of sports that the CIAA doesn't sponsor so you have to wonder how comfortable they would be still practically being an independent for so many of their sports. Another concern is that Bluefield could be using the CIAA to become more attractive in hopes that the MEC will one day give them an invite.

    I am not exactly opposed to this as a contingency plan for if/when Chowan leaves, as our only other options are try to purge Benedict from the SIAC or get Christopher Newport to move up to D2.

    https://www.wvnstv.com/news/local-ne...t-of-the-ciaa/

  • #2
    Good for Bluefield State to be in a conference again but this will be a repeat of when Chowan was a full member. The same would be true for Christopher Newport, their best D2 fit is Carolinas. Bluefield State will sponsor 23 sports in 2022-23 with 4 men's, 3 women's, and both current and future emerging sports not sponsored by the CIAA including men's tennis which has had success at BSC. The Mountain East, Carolinas, or South Atlantic would be the best fits for BSC based only on the mix of sports sponsored.

    I once looked at Benedict as a possibility for the CIAA but now they would probably need to be a package deal with Allen. Also, Benedict has 3 men's sports (baseball, tennis, volleyball) that are not sponsored by the CIAA.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Tech Boys View Post
      Good for Bluefield State to be in a conference again but this will be a repeat of when Chowan was a full member. The same would be true for Christopher Newport, their best D2 fit is Carolinas. Bluefield State will sponsor 23 sports in 2022-23 with 4 men's, 3 women's, and both current and future emerging sports not sponsored by the CIAA including men's tennis which has had success at BSC. The Mountain East, Carolinas, or South Atlantic would be the best fits for BSC based only on the mix of sports sponsored.

      I once looked at Benedict as a possibility for the CIAA but now they would probably need to be a package deal with Allen. Also, Benedict has 3 men's sports (baseball, tennis, volleyball) that are not sponsored by the CIAA.
      This may cause the CIAA to rethink what sports they will sponsor in order to attract some of these other schools.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by gsutiger2002 View Post

        This may cause the CIAA to rethink what sports they will sponsor in order to attract some of these other schools.
        In order for that to happen, the members will need to add those sports first.

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        • #5
          Conference Carolinas has been getting ready to add football and talked about since I joined this board almost. Of course, there were folks who thought SAC schools would leave (like Newberry) and join the CC. Other than travel saving, I don't see why North Greenville would leave the GSC for that league either.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by canadarican View Post
            Conference Carolinas has been getting ready to add football and talked about since I joined this board almost. Of course, there were folks who thought SAC schools would leave (like Newberry) and join the CC. Other than travel saving, I don't see why North Greenville would leave the GSC for that league either.
            Would North Greenville have a choice? If their primary conference sponsors a sport then they will have to play that sport in the primary conference. But then they could choose to move all sports to the GSC.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Tech Boys View Post

              Would North Greenville have a choice? If their primary conference sponsors a sport then they will have to play that sport in the primary conference. But then they could choose to move all sports to the GSC.
              I think they'd have a choice...step down to Conference Carolinas or move everything to the GSC. That's an easy choice IMO for football reasons alone.

              Notre Dame is an ACC member in everything else but does football separately. ACC offers football, so IDK.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by canadarican View Post

                I think they'd have a choice...step down to Conference Carolinas or move everything to the GSC. That's an easy choice IMO for football reasons alone.

                Notre Dame is an ACC member in everything else but does football separately. ACC offers football, so IDK.
                North Greenville is quite happy being being in Conference Carolinas with all of their 'other sports programs', and will certainly embrace CC - Football when it gets rolling. The GSC really did NGU a big favor and opportunity to step up with their football program when needed, but you can count on NGU being a completed CC member. CC may do Bluefield State a favor.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Tech Boys View Post

                  In order for that to happen, the members will need to add those sports first.
                  A few CIAA schools still sponsor men's tennis and baseball, so we'd only need a couple of schools to bring those sports back so that the conference could start sponsoring those respective sports again.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by LegalRam View Post

                    A few CIAA schools still sponsor men's tennis and baseball, so we'd only need a couple of schools to bring those sports back so that the conference could start sponsoring those respective sports again.
                    Yes, the CIAA has 3 each of baseball and men's tennis schools and Bluefield State would be the 4th for both; 6 is needed for AQ status. That is a start but BSC will still have 7 sports not in the CIAA. Other non-CIAA sports sponsored by members are Lincoln (PA) with women's soccer and Shaw with men's and women's soccer. Bluefield State also has women's soccer for a possible 3 teams in that sport.

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                    • #11
                      If Bluefield State's new sports had been added a few years sooner, they might be in the MEC now.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Eagle74 View Post

                        North Greenville is quite happy being being in Conference Carolinas with all of their 'other sports programs', and will certainly embrace CC - Football when it gets rolling. The GSC really did NGU a big favor and opportunity to step up with their football program when needed, but you can count on NGU being a completed CC member. CC may do Bluefield State a favor.
                        Yeah they did them a favor, but hey...it's NGU's own fault they aren't a SAC member.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by canadarican View Post

                          Yeah they did them a favor, but hey...it's NGU's own fault they aren't a SAC member.
                          I was told that there was a time when NGU was more than willing to join the SAC, but at the time the SAC required the option of all it's members playing conference games on the Sabbath, to which (due to religious reasons) NGU was opposed to. There was also some stubbornness on both sides at that time. Once the SAC completely snubbed NGU in favor of adding Brevard, well NGU has never forgotten and never looked back as they moved forward.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by canadarican View Post
                            Conference Carolinas has been getting ready to add football and talked about since I joined this board almost. Of course, there were folks who thought SAC schools would leave (like Newberry) and join the CC. Other than travel saving, I don't see why North Greenville would leave the GSC for that league either.
                            If Conference Carolinas adds football then UNC Penbroke football would leave the MEC. When do you think they'll actually add football, or is it just talk?
                            Last edited by crixus; 01-17-2022, 02:20 PM.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by crixus View Post

                              If Conference Carolinas adds football then UNC Penbroke football would leave the MEC. When do you think they'll actually add football, or is it just talk?
                              I can't think of anything stopping the CC from adding football now. But if they did, it would likely be more harm than good. It is difficult enough to fill a schedule with 1 or 2 OOC games and starting a conference with 5 teams means finding 7 OOC games. Barton spoke out about CC football 1.5 years ago and the preference was to wait until they were at 8 teams. Going by how the CC has been working with the SAC on South Atlantic Conference Carolinas over the years and the CC's bowling partnership with the GMAC I get the feeling that the CC is working to not put its members in a non-advantageous position and maybe that's what might happen today if the CC started football. Bluefield State had an 8-game schedule; 1 cancelled, 1 NAIA, and 2 club teams.

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