15 Teams contacted by the Sun Belt about expansion

According to the Las Cruces newspaper, there were 15 schools that got emails from Sun Belt Commish Karl Benson about possible membership. Here is a quick look at the 15 teams in question.

• Appalachian State--The Mountaineers are desperate to move up to the FBS level and are one of the marquee teams of the FCS. The Mountaineers are a 3-time FCS national champion and 18-time conference winner with at least a share of the Southern Conference titles in 7 of the last 8 years. App. State is the #1 ranked FCS team in terms of attendance with an average of 26,358 coming to every game. The Mountaineers are within 100 miles of Charlotte (24th TV market) and within 200 miles of Raleigh-Durham (27th TV market).
• Delaware--The Blue Hens are another team that has looked at the possibility of moving to the FBS level in the extended future. The Blue Hens claim 6 total national championships in FCS, D-II, and other divisions in school history to go along with  16 conference championships. The Blue Hens are a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and currently average 18,452 in attendance per game. The school rests within 100 miles of Philadelphia (4th TV market) , Baltimore (26th TV market), and Washington DC (9th TV market).
• Georgia Southern--The Eagles have been very serious about the move to the FBS stating their intentions very clear in April of 2012. The Eagles are a 6-time FCS national champion and 9-time conference champion. The Eagles are a member of the Southern Conference (same as Appalachian State) and currently rank 7th in the FCS with an attendance of 18,487 per game. The biggest detriment for the move to the Sun Belt is the fact that the Eagles are only have two top 100 TV markets within reasonable distance being Savannah (96th TV market) and Charleston (99th TV market).
• Idaho--The Vandals are currently a FBS team that is without a conference for the 2013 season after the dissolution of the WAC following the 2012 football season. The Vandals do have a recent history with the Sun Belt as they were members of the Sun Belt from 2000 till 2004 when they made the move to the WAC. The Vandals left on good terms with the Sun Belt with distance being a major factor for the move. This would be a move out of necessity for the Vandals as they are not able to survive as an independent for too long as a FBS team. The Vandals do not bring much to the table on the TV side as the only top 100 TV market reasonably close is Spokane, Washington (75th TV market).
• Illinois State--The Redbirds are currently an FCS program that is a long shot to make the jump to the FBS, much less making a move to the Sun Belt. The Redbirds have not had extended success in football with only three total trips to the FCS playoffs and 1 conference title. The Redbirds rank 72nd nationally in the FCS in attendance with 6512 fans attending per game in 2012. The Redbirds only filled 43.4% of their stadium per game. The Redbirds do bring something to the table on the TV side with two top 100 TV markets within 150 miles, Chicago (3rd TV market) and Davenport, IA (97th TV market).
• Jacksonville State--The Gamecocks are an FCS team out of the Ohio Valley Conference that has began to make a name for themselves nationally with some impressive wins in a football crazy state of Alabama. The Gamecocks have been a historically impressive D-II team claiming a national championship in 1992 including four overall trips to the title game. The Gamecocks moved to the FCS in 1996 and have been a top 25 team multiple times recently. The Gamecocks have a built in rivalry with Troy that is Jacksonville State currently leads 32-29-3 although the last meeting was in 2001. The Gamecocks were 13th nationally in average attendance with 16,006 fans per home game. The Gamecocks fit almost directly between two top 100 TV markets with Atlanta to the east (8th TV market) and Birmingham (40th TV market) to the west.
• James Madison--The Dukes are an FCS team currently in the Colonial Athletic Association with a rich and recent tradition despite only having a football program since 1972. The Dukes have won 1 national championship in 2004 as well as four conference championships (1975, 1999, 2004, 2008). The Dukes are the third best attended FCS program in the nation with an average of 22,783 per game in 2012. The Dukes haven't publicly said if they are looking at moving up to the FBS soon. The Dukes are in a great TV market with three top 100 TV markets within their range; Washington DC (9th TV market), Baltimore (26th TV market), and Richmond (58th TV market).
• Lamar--The Cardinals are an FCS team currently playing in the Southland conference. The Cardinals have been around since 1923 in a way. The Cardinals are one of the historically oldest teams that the Sun Belt has contacted. The Cardinals have disbanded several times with the school bringing back the program in 2010. This would be a huge jump for a team that disbanded for over 20 years recently due to losing significant amounts of money. The Cardinals are the 27th ranked team in the FCS in terms of attendance with 11,119 fans crossing the turnstiles per game in 2012. The Cardinals have a built-in Sun Belt rivialry with Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns with 34 total games played between the two teams. The Cardinals bring in the lofty market of Houston (10th TV market).
• Liberty--The Flames are currently an FCS team playing in the Big South Conference after working themselves up the ranks from NAIA to D-II to the FCS. The Flames have won four total conference titles but have yet to make it to the playoffs in any division. The Flames have a fervent fan base with the 11th ranked FCS attendance averaging 16,318 fans per home game. The Flames are part of the 67th TV market as well as within range of Richmond (58th TV market).
• Missouri State--The Bears are an FCS team of the Missouri Valley Football Conference around since 1909 with an overall 631-408-40 record. The Bears have a solid stadium with a capacity of 16,000 that could easily be added on to get in the 25,000+ range in capacity. The Bears are 47th nationally in attendance with 8,710 patrons per game which is slightly disappointing considering that is only 53.4% of the capacity of the stadium. The Bears would bring in the 74th ranked TV market to the Sun Belt if selected.
• New Mexico State--The Aggies are currently a FBS team that will be an independent in 2013 after playing in the WAC for the recent 8 seasons. The Aggies are very familiar with the Sun Belt being members of the conference from 2001-2004 after making their move from the Big West. The Aggies have several historical rivals in the Mountain West but are in desperate need of conference affiliation after the WAC folded after last season. The Sun Belt is very wary of the Aggies after some bad blood between some Sun Belt teams and NMSU after their departure in 2004. The Aggies would bring in the Albuquerque market (44th TV market) to the Sun Belt.
• Richmond--The Spiders are a historically ancient football program compared to the rest of the FCS with the first season taking place in 1881. The Spiders play in the Colonial Athletic Conference of the FCS and have recently been very successful with a national championship in 2008 as well as 13 conference titles. The Spiders are surprisingly lower on the attendance rankings than expected ranked 48th nationally with 8,700 patrons showing up per game. The Spiders have the 58th national TV market in their wheelhouse making them very appetizing to the Sun Belt.
• Sam Houston State--The Bearkats are an FCS team coming out of the Southland Conference (same as Lamar) that have been one of the best FCS teams recently. The Bearkats have been playing football since 1912 and claim 5 conference championships overall. The Bearkats have a built-in rivalry with the Sun Belt's Texas State Bobcats with 89 overall meetings between the schools. The Bearkats have the 44th best attendance in the FCS with 8,782 patrons per game. That number is a slight deterrent for the Sun Belt expansion opportunities. The Bearkats are in a great spot for TV markets with Dallas (5th TV market), Houston (10th TV market), San Antonio (37th TV market), and Austin (49th TV market).  
• Towson--The Tigers are yet another Colonial Athletic Association member of the FCS that got an email from the Sun Belt about expansion. The Tigers have been around since 1969 building themselves from D-III, to D-II, to the FCS in 1987. The Tigers have been to the playoffs six times in school history although their first and only FCS playoff appearance was in 2011. The Tigers are the 46th ranked team in the FCS with attendance  averaging 8,691 fans per game. The Tigers are in the outskirts of Baltimore giving them the markets of Baltimore (26th TV market) and Washington DC (9th TV market).
• Tennessee-Chattanooga--The Mocs are an FCS team of the Southern Conference. The Mocs play in Findley Stadium, former home of the FCS title game that holds 20,668. The Mocs have been around since 1909 with an overall record of 466-480-32. The Mocs had the 35th best attendance of the FCS with 9,521 fans per game but only holding 46% of the stadium capacity. The Mocs are in an interesting geographical position in the middle of Birmingham, Nashville, Knoxville, and Atlanta. Tennessee-Chattanooga is part of the 86th TV market with Knoxville (59th TV market) only 115 miles away.