LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Mid-South Conference and The Sun Conference are merging to form the largest football conference in college sports.
Conference officials announced Thursday that beginning with the 2017 season, the Mid-South Conference will include 20 teams and will compete in three divisions. The new, expanded football conference will allow three teams to earn an automatic bid to the NAIA Football Championship Series.
“For me, this is a game-changer for all of us in the Mid-South Conference,” said Ron Pavan, Director of Athletics at Cumberland. “It has three divisions but crosses over so many like-minded schools and helps strengthen not only our football conference but our universities. I believe it will help Cumberland University and other MSC schools market to potential students. This is the powerhouse of NAIA football.”
“I could not be more excited about the expansion to create the largest football conference in the country. This opportunity to promote student-athletes who are learning how to be Champions of Character and the importance of values-based education is important to each school in the Mid-South Conference,” said Dr. Michael Carter, president of Campbellsville University and chair of the Mid-South Conference Board of Directors.
The new conference will include the Mid-South Conference’s 13 members: Bethel Univ., Bluefield College, Campbellsville Univ., Cincinnati Christian, Cumberland Univ., Univ. of the Cumberlands, Faulkner Univ., Georgetown College, Kentucky Christian, Lindsey Wilson, Univ. of Pikeville, Reinhardt Univ. and Union College.
They will be joined by six teams from The Sun Conference: Ave Maria Univ., Edward Waters, Point Univ., Southeastern Univ., Warner Univ. and Webber International. St. Andrews Univ. is scheduled to begin football in 2017.
“This merger strengthens our commitment to our football institutions and their student-athletes,” said Mid-South Conference Commissioner Eric Ward.
Ward said the expanded football conference will make it easier for schools to schedule football games as well as bring together institutions with similar values.
“While the driving force behind this venture is to alleviate the difficulty of scheduling, there are a number of other benefits that will be realized by expanding this football conference. This merger will also increase our football footprint with like-minded schools who share our mission to provide a competitive experience to all student-athletes.”
The Sun Conference Commissioner, Mark Pope, echoed Ward’s sentiments in creating the new football conference.
“Throughout our discussions, Eric and I realized that our respective member institutions were remarkably similar in values, character and strategic vision with regard to football,” said Pope. “We were impressed with the Mid-South’s focus on football as its core product.”
Pope continued, “I see this new merger as the beginning of a remarkable new chapter in college football. Given the tremendous interest in football in the Southeast, I expect that several other institutions will consider adding this sport now that they know they will have a conference which guarantees a full schedule of games.”
Football coaches in the expanded MSC are equally excited about the 2017 season.
“We are already fortunate to be part of one of the top NAIA football conferences in the nation,” said Lindsey Wilson football coach Chris Oliver, chair of the Mid-South Conference football coaches. “This merger will only strengthen and expand the reputation of MSC football. The new conference opponents and alignments will provide greater opportunities for our student-athletes, while simultaneously providing our institutions better exposure. I look forward to this next chapter in the great tradition of football in the Mid-South Conference.”
Founded in 1987, the Mid-South Conference split into East and West football divisions in 2005. The expanded football conference’s divisions will be called the Appalachian, Bluegrass and Sun. Each division will have its own identity, producing a division champion that will earn an automatic bid into the NAIA Football Championship Series.
When the new football arrangement takes place in 2017, teams will play each school within a division once and play four non-division games against other Mid-South Conference teams.
The Mid-South Conference’s new football divisions are:
Bluegrass Division: Bethel Univ., Campbellsville Univ., Cincinnati Christian, Cumberland Univ., Georgetown College, Kentucky Christian and Lindsey Wilson.
Appalachian Division: Bluefield College, Univ. of the Cumberlands, Point Univ., Univ. of Pikeville, Reinhardt Univ., St. Andrews Univ. and Union College.
Sun Division: Ave Maria Univ., Edward Waters Faulkner Univ., Southeastern Univ., Warner Univ. and Webber International.
Courtesy of: Cumberland University