UNC-Charlotte to start football

[Stumpy Stew]

The Charlotte Observer has reported that the UNCC board of trustees has voted to go ahead and start football at the school starting in 2013. They'll start up as FCS with hopes of moving up to FBS later on.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/347975.html

[Bucs90]

Great move. They have an outstanding recruiting base in Western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina, both traditional hotbeds for high school football.

Should follow the South Florida model.

[Blue Hen]

That team to be is probably already on some SEC future schedules ( and other bowl division schedules )

[Bucs90]

Hen, UNC-Charlotte will be another 1-AA power in that area.

North Carolina and South Carolina, while not highly successful states in 1-A, have produced far better 1-AA success. Furman, Wofford, App State and SC State all currently in the 1-AA top 20. Coastal Carolina, while down this year, has been a top 25 team in recent years, and Charleston Southern, The Citadel, Gardner-Webb, NC A&T have all claimed conference championships since 1990.

If only Clemson, USC, UNC, Duke, Wake, NC State, ECU had the same type of relative success as the 1-AA programs in NC and SC.

[Blue Hen]

Will UNC-Charlotte be invited to join the SoCon ?

[Stumpy Stew]

According to the SoCon officials, UNCC would only be invited if they join the conference for all sports. No part-time, one sport only membership.

At least, that's what they say now.