Comparison of James Madison, Liberty, and Lamar for the Sun Belt

I was asked for a comparison of the three teams many expect to be the favorites to get the final Sun Belt spot in 2014. This should help.
Just to clear one thing up... I am not saying these are the official finalists. They are just the only three schools to really make sense as favorites for expansion.

James Madison:

• School Founded: 1908
• Football Founded: 1972
• Location: Harrisonburg, Virginia
• Current Conference: Colonial Athletic Association
• Sports: (17) Football, Baseball, M-Basketball, W-Basketball, W-Cross Country, Field Hockey, W-Lacrosse, W-Soccer, W-Swimming and Diving, W-Tennis, W-Volleyball, W-Golf, M-Soccer, Softball, M-Tennis, W-Track and Field.
• Football All-time Record: 256-194-4 4 conference titles.
• Claimed National Championships: One (2004 FCS National Champions)
• Football Stadium: Bridgeforth Stadium and Zane Showker Field 25,000 Seats.
• TV Market(s): Richmond (58th TV market)**
• Rivalries: (Richmond, William & Mary, Delaware)
• Student Population: 19,927 (18,107 Undergraduate)
• Endowment: $59.6 Million
• Athletic Budget:  $31.1 million

The James Madison Dukes are an interesting case of a school that wants to move up to the FBS level but may be too picky for its own good. The Dukes have a $31.1 million dollar athletic budget that would vault them into having the highest athletic budget of any team in the Sun Belt. James Madison supports 17 sports with three of those sports (Field Hockey, W-Lacrosse, and M-Soccer) not supported by the Sun Belt. The sports not supported by the Sun Belt would pose some problems but should not be a huge deal as conferences in those sports tend to be much different than in the main sports. The Dukes have a more recent football history with the school only having a football program since 1972 (41 years this fall).

Compared to the current FCS teams, James Madison has what could easily be determined to be the best facilities by far in the subdivision. The Dukes have a 25,000 season football stadium that could be upgraded to 40,000-50,000 seats with some creative work. The basketball arena holds just over 7,100 people and a baseball stadium that holds 1,500 fans. The Dukes also have incredible on-campus fields for soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse. http://www.jmusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=14400&ATCLID=205667931

James Madison ranked as the #6 regional university in the South by the yearly US News best colleges ranking system. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/jmu-3721

Geography tends to be a huge issue for the Dukes as they would be by far the most northeast team in the Sun Belt. The Sun Belt recently added Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina which could be a bit of a connector but the traveling for sports other than football could end up to be quite costly especially with trips to Texas to face Texas State and UT-Arlington.

Why James Madison would be a good fit: James Madison has a FBS ready football stadium that would need little to no renovation to move to the Sun Belt and would give the Sun Belt a better foothold on the east coast. The Sun Belt recently added it's two most eastern schools with Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. Continuing to add on the east coast seems to be a big priority of the Sun Belt. JMU is far and away the #1 choice for the Sun Belt after adding it's most recent schools. The SBC believes that James Madison fits the schools size, sports commitment, and overall up-and-coming conference beliefs of the Sun Belt.

Why James Madison would not be a good fit: James Madison is very worried about the geography issues facing the school if they do join. Trips to Texas for all sports as well as trips to New Mexico and Idaho for football seems to be giving the Dukes cold feet. The other issue for James Madison is the belief that they would be a better fit with the MAC. The MAC is currently at 13 teams and realistically could add another team in the near future to even out divisions but the MAC has made no public overtures toward expansion. James Madison seems to want to wait until September or later to even make a decision on any conference jumps.

Overall Assessment: Of the remaining contenders for the 12th football and 14th overall Sun Belt team for 2014, James Madison has the best resume by far. The Dukes have money, facilities, a location coveted by the Sun Belt, and the academic prestige that would help the Sun Belt. The issue tends to be whether James Madison want to drag their feet about making a decision. If the Dukes are steadfast about not discussing possible conference invites till the fall, they will miss out and end up stuck in a CAA conference that is constantly being raided and weakened year after year. I would guess the Sun Belt is putting the full court press on the Dukes trying to get acceptance but until the Dukes say anything, it is hard to tell.

Liberty:

• School Founded: 1971
• Football Founded: 1973
• Location: Lynchburg, Virginia
• Current Conference: Big South
• Sports: (18) Baseball, M-Basketball, W-Basketball, Football, M-Cross Country, W-Cross Country, M-Golf, M-Soccer, M-Tennis, M-Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, Field Hockey, W-Lacrosse, W-Soccer, Softball, W-Swimming, W-Tennis, W-Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, Volleyball
• All-time Record: 198-198-4  4 conference titles.
• Claimed National Championships: None
• Football Stadium: 19,200 seat Williams Stadium.
• TV Market(s): Roanoke-Lynchburg (67th TV market)**
• Rivalries: (Coastal Carolina)
• Student Population: 19,214 (13,400 Undergraduate)
• Endowment: $54.1 Million
• Athletic Budget:  $20 million

Liberty is an interesting case because they Flames are very forthcoming about their interest in the Sun Belt and want everyone to know how badly they want to move up to the FBS. The Flames have only been around as a university since 1971 with football founded only 2 years later. The Flames are on the east coast giving them that coveted area of the east coast that the Sun Belt seems to want so badly. The Flames have a $20 million athletic budget which would put them right at the top of the Sun Belt. The Flames have a more limited football history with this fall being their 39th year of the program.

Similar to James Madison, the Liberty Flames have some of the best facilities in all of the FCS. The Flames have a 19,200 seat football stadium that has room for expansion and would probably need to be upgraded to 30,000 or so seats if invited to the Sun Belt. The Flames have a basketball arena that holds just over 8,000 fans, a baseball stadium holding 2,500 as well as a volleyball facility, multiple field hockey and lacrosse fields, indoor and outdoor track complexes and a 12-court tennis facility. http://www.liberty.edu/flames/index.cfm?PID=16998

Liberty has a good academic reputation ranked as the 65th best Southern University according to the US News best colleges rankings. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/liberty-university-10392

The Flames have a similar geography issue as James Madison but do not seem to be as worried about it. The Flames want to be the most northeast team of the Sun Belt and are willing to travel to Texas, New Mexico, and even Idaho for football. The cost may be expensive but the Flames seem to be willing to foot the bill to join the Sun Belt.

Why Liberty would be a good fit: Simply, Liberty has made no secret their desire to be in the Sun Belt. Commissioner Karl Benson has stated on multiple occasions that he wants a group of schools that want to be in the Sun Belt rather than a group constantly looking for a better option. Liberty fits the bill on that prerequisite with the administration making it quite clear that they are doing everything in their power to convince the Sun Belt to take them in.

Why Liberty would be a bad fit: The Falwell problem. The university was started by Jerry Falwell in 1971 and requires students to adhere to a strict moral code somewhat similar to the code at BYU. Many people outright dislike the university for those reasons but others worry about Liberty's intentions with going out to the media to make sure everyone knew they were working for the Sun Belt. The need for attention from the university is a worrisome issue for the Sun Belt who want a group of schools working for a common goal rather than singular glory.

Overall Assessment: Liberty can only sit back and use the wait-and-see approach regarding the potential move to the Sun Belt. The Flames are believed by nearly everyone to be the number 2 choice for the Sun Belt behind James Madison and any decision will be made after James Madison makes its decision. If JMU in fact turns down the offer from the Sun Belt and Liberty gets the call, the Flames will immediately accept the offer and a press conference would be imminent. All the Flames can do is wait to see what happens.

Lamar Cardinals:

• School Founded: 1923
• Football Founded: 1924
• Location: Beaumont, Texas
• Current Conference: Southland
• Sports: (14) Baseball, M-basketball, M-Cross Country, Football, M-Golf, M-Tenis, M-Track and Field, W-Basketball, W-Cross Country, W-Golf, W-Soccer, Softball, W-Tennis, W-Track and Field, Volleyball
• All-time Record: 180-238-9 (13-21 since the program was reinstated for the 2010 season). 4 conference championships.
• Claimed National Championships: None
• Football Stadium: Provost Umphrey Stadium 16,000 capacity
• TV Market: Houston (10th TV market)**
• Rivalries: (McNeese State Cowboys, Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns)
• Student Population: 13,773 (Undergraduate 10,500)
• Endowment: $287 Million
• Athletic Budget:  $10.8 Million

The Lamar Cardinals have been surprisingly quiet on the realignment front recently and seem to be either out of the running or doing everything in secrecy in the opposite manner of Liberty. Lamar has the oldest program of the candidates overall dating back to 1924 but also have the youngest program as the football program was disbanded from 1990-2009. The Cardinals restarted the program in 2010 as an independent before rejoining the Southland football conference in 2011. The Cardinals have a history with the Sun Belt as they were members in every sport except for football from 1991-1998. Lamar then made what was a controversial decision and left the Sun Belt for the Southland Conference. It is hard to determine whether the time in the Sun Belt will help Lamar in its candidacy.

The facilities for Lamar have been recently improved significantly and are in the range of both James Madison and Liberty but slightly lagging behind. The Cardinals built a state of the art athletic complex in 2010 which has very much improved the overall view of the athletic department. The Cardinals play in a 16,000 seat football stadium that is one of the nicest in all of the FCS but will have to be expanded upon for the FBS level. Lamar also has a basketball arena holding over 10,000 and a baseball stadium holding 3,500 fans. The Cardinals have a volleyball only facility, a soccer field, a tennis facility and an outdoor track and field complex. http://www.lamarcardinals.com/facilities/lama-facilities.html

Lamar is not ranked academically in the same category as the James Madison or Liberty programs. Lamar is ranked as a National University rather than on the regional scale so it is difficult to compare the academic rankings. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/lamar-university-3581

Lamar does not fit the geographic role that Liberty and James Madison fit but could be a better geographical fit than either of those programs. The Cardinals are located in Beaumont, Texas, making them a bit of a connector to the east and west of the Sun Belt. If added, the Cardinals would be between the University of Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and the Texas State Bobcats. In a purely geographical sense, the addition of Lamar makes the most sense.

Why Lamar would be a good fit: Lamar has a history with the Sun Belt being a member from 1991-1998 and having a historical rivalry with their good friends from Lafayette, Louisiana playing them 34 times with a 11-23 overall record. The Cardinals have played 6 games since football was reintroduced in 2010 versus current Sun Belt members (South Alabama, Texas State, Louisiana). The historical angle and level of familiarity with the Sun Belt should work in the Cardinals favor.

Why Lamar would not be a good fit: The geography. Many would believe that the location of Lamar would be a huge positive for potential entrance to the Sun Belt but it seems to be the exact opposite. The Sun Belt seems to want to get more members from the east coast with the two most recent full members becoming the most eastern teams of the conference. The other worrisome aspect is that no one is talking about Lamar as a possibility for the recently vacated WKU spot for the 2014 season. The public sentiment is that if they are not being mentioned in the media about inclusion, they have been passed over.

Overall Assessment: This is by far the toughest team to judge about their inclusion in the Sun Belt. The Sun Belt historians would love to see the team with Sun Belt ties get the 12th football and 14th overall Sun Belt spot. Location seems to be the sticking point that may hold the Cardinals in the FCS and that would be a shame. The Sun Belt is playing things close to the vest and may still be targeting Lamar but that isn't of significant importance until the Sun Belt hears an official decision from front runner James Madison.

**TV Markets are the closest top 100 V market to the school**