Appalachian State's wait-and-see approach for potential openings in the NCAA's Football Subdivision is still just that — a wait to see what happens.
The latest move in the collegiate-conference change game — which included Central Florida, Houston and SMU of Conference USA all heading to the Big East — could send more dominoes falling. But nothing seems imminent for Appalachian State, an FBS candidate with potential to benefit from a trickle-down effect if an opening is created in a conference such as Conference-USA.
The latest move might not have any effect. C-USA might not replace its three departed members and instead merge with remnants of the Mountain West. It's unclear if ASU is on C-USA's radar, anyway. Other schools, including some from the Sun Belt, seem to be higher on the list of possible replacements.
Where ASU could land, in regard to an FBS home, remains a subject of speculation. The Mountaineers want to move up from the FCS, but only to the right circumstance. The FBS is the top level in football.
A feasibility committee studied the proposed move to the FBS and recommended it in August, and Charlie Cobb, the Mountaineers' athletics director, said the committee's final report will be available to the public as early as next week.
Cobb, who has said that his approach in the process is to be "actively patient," has said that regional rivals need to be in place to make a move feasible, and that geography is important in terms of natural rivals and controlling travel costs.
But for any existing FCS member aspiring to make the move to an existing FBS conference, any such move is predicated on one thing — an invitation. No matter how much an FCS school wants to move or feels ready to move, it won't matter unless an FBS conference asks it to.
"You've got to have somebody invite you to be a member," Cobb said. "The fact is we're an FCS program trying to make the move to FBS, if possible, and I don't know how much of the discussion we can drive."
Right now, it isn't clear exactly what options ASU will have. But perhaps the latest move will expedite the process of finding out.
"The challenge for the next couple of weeks, and maybe the next couple of months, is to get an understanding of some of these changes occurring and what it means in terms of potential effect for Appalachian — and other schools like us that have expressed an interest in playing FBS football," Cobb said.
There could be other possibilities, including restructuring of existing conferences that could offer a geographical fit for ASU, as well as schools such as Delaware, James Madison and UNC Charlotte that have expressed interest in joining the FBS.
While NCAA restrictions and start-up costs for formation of a new FBS conference make it difficult for like-minded FCS schools to pursue that possibility, perhaps an FBS conference will be restructured or expanded to include current FCS schools.
"I think there are several possibilities, including scenarios that don't exist currently," Cobb said.
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