On the edges, there is no doubt in the minds of the league’s coaches and media as to who belongs where. Stony Brook took 15 of 18 first place votes, and are ranked 17th in the TSN Division I FCS pre-season poll as well. Liberty was a clear choice for second, while VMI and Charleston Southern were pretty much uncontested selections for the final two places in the standings. It’s the middle that’s muddy, and we’ll get to that in a bit.
First, though, is the gorilla in the room. The defending champions and prohibitive favorites are playing their final year in the conference, as they and their first-round playoff opponents from last year (Albany) are joining the CAA to shore up the leaks caused by the departures of UMass, Old Dominion, and Georgia State. That will leave the Big South with only six teams, which is still enough to retain the autobid, but… but. Liberty is actively studying a move to FBS. Coastal Carolina is looking for other options. So, what are the Big South’s options if it comes down to it?
Campbell is a member of the conference for basketball, and plays non-scholarship football in the Pioneer League; they could opt to start giving scholarships and bring their program into the fold. Winthrop, also a member of the conference, has pondered adding football in the past. The Atlantic Sun has a few teams either playing football in the PFL, or looking into football. So they’ve got outs if they need them, assuming they can get schools to play along.
Our digression complete, on to the team capsules: