Karl Benson first opened the possibility for a Sun Belt Conference championship game without it adding a 12th member in January.
Almost eight months later, there doesn't appear to be anymore traction.
Benson, the Sun Belt Conference commissioner, opened Monday's media day event at the Superdome with an address that touched on a variety of topics. One of which was the status of a championship game that would be possible if the NCAA lifts its requirement of a conference having 12 teams in order to hold a championship game.
It's still not a sure thing even if that were to happen. Benson said the league's first serious talks about the subject came in May and he's been given instructions to gauge financial benefit and what it would mean for scheduling and the league's existing bowl tie-ins.
"Right now it's mixed," said Benson, who added serious discussion will continue after the season.
Arkansas State Coach Blake Anderson said he's on "both sides of the fence." A possible national stage can benefit a program, but Anderson was an offensive coordinator at Southern Mississippi in 2011, when his team upset Houston and knocked it out of a potential BCS game.
"The details around the game are of more concern for me than anything," Anderson said.
Louisiana-Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth said he had similar thoughts.
"I think if we can get a great TV contract for that on a national stage in a primetime spot, I think it would be great for our conference," he said.
Still searching
Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson said the league is still searching for a 12th member -- it just won't be done with football in mind.
"We now need to focus on what's in the best interest of our other sports," Benson said. "If we're going to be a conference that stretches from San Marcos, Texas, to Boone, N.C. and Little Rock to Statesboro, Ga., we need to get to divisions for other sports."
The Sun Belt has 11 football members and 11 all-sports members (Idaho and New Mexico State are football only members, while UALR and Texas-Arlington are full members without football). The focus now, Benson said, is finding a 12th member to be a travel partner for Appalachian State, a quest that has been continuing since Western Kentucky left for Conference USA in 2013.
"We know that the options aren't numerous, but we will continue to explore," he said. "It's not fair to Appalachian State and it's not fair to our student athletes to make that single trip. That's our goal in terms of membership."
No TV, no problem
Arkansas State's home opener against Missouri on Sept. 12 wasn't selected to be televised by ESPN's family of networks. Instead, it can be seen on ESPN3, the network's online arm that will broadcast dozens of Sun Belt games this season.
ASU Athletic Director Terry Mohajir said Monday he's not disappointed that the game wasn't selected for TV, even though the game will christen an expanded Centennial Bank Stadium, a new press box and luxury seating areas.
Missouri, the two-time defending SEC East champion, is 23-5 over the past two seasons, has won the Cotton Bowl and the Citrus Bowl and has two top-15 finishes in the final Associated Press polls.
It will also be the first time a standing member of the SEC visits Jonesboro since Ole Miss did in 2001.
"It doesn't bother me a bit," he said. "I'm so excited that Missouri is coming, but I grew up in Kansas City, I don't look at Missouri the same way everybody else looks at Missouri. ... I think everybody is looking at Missouri as that's our whole season. That's all anybody really wants to talk about. We've got a whole season. We've got 12 games."
Familiar voices
Arkansas State's coaching turnover is well documented. This year, it hasn't had any. Blake Anderson is its first head coach to return for his second season since Steve Roberts in 2003. What Anderson said is just as important is the return of every assistant coach.
"To have it from the top down, I think in recruiting we're seeing signs of how that's paying dividends," Anderson said.
Senior tight end Darion Griswold said he's felt it during summer workouts, too.
"They expect more out of us," he said. "The first year, you're trying to feel your way and learn all your players. Now the standards are higher. We're accepting the challenge."
Arkansas' Warhawks
Seven native Arkansans were on the all-Sun belt teams released Monday. Three of them went south of the Arkansas border to play college football.
In addition to Arkansas State's Fredi Knighten (Little Rock), Darion Griswold (Dumas), Colton Jackson (Ozark) and Luke Ferguson (Jonesboro), three players from Louisiana-Monroe were selected to the first or second All-Sun Belt teams Monday.
Warhawks senior safety Mitch Lane, from Watson Chapel, was a first-team selection while wide receiver Ajalen Holley, a Hot Springs Lakeside graduate and linebacker Hunter Kissinger, who went to Springdale Har-Ber.
Louisiana-Monroe Coach Todd Berry said recruiting in Arkansas has been fruitful.
"Arkansas has been really good for us," he said. "We don't have the money to fly somewhere to recruit, or fly somebody in. So, consequently, it had to be within driving distance, thusly Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas have been really significant to us in recruiting."
Sports on 07/21/2015