With the excitement of football season comes questions, concerns and intriguing ideas for what the new football year holds. Southland Conference Football Media Days kicked off on Wednesday, July 20 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, making the unofficial start to the 2022 football season.
Entering his first year as commissioner, Chris Grant embraces the traditions of the Southland as well as staying up-to-date with everything going on in the Division 1 side of news.
“We’re finally united as a front,” Grant said in his opening statement. “We’re going to celebrate the eight teams that are going on the gridiron and go at it.”
Commissioner @Chris_____Grant gives his opening remarks at Southland 🏈 Media Day, presented by https://t.co/Rhr6zvdRYa❗️#Southland60 | #FCS | @B1Patch pic.twitter.com/mhNiZAR8FU
— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) July 20, 2022
A new team emerges and teams come back
More connection, closer destinations and cheaper travel were the biggest goals amidst the Southland’s newest teams. Lamar, Texas A&M Commerce and University of incarnate Word are the three new teams that will reside in the Southland in 2022. Lamar and UIW were longtime Southland names that make their return back.
TAMUC, however, is upgrading from Division II to Division I and is excited to play on a bigger stage. Residing in Commerce, Texas close to Dallas, the addition puts the landscape of games in one region.
.@CoachBailiffFB expresses his and the university's excitement about the transition to Division I❗️#Southland60 | #FCS | @Lions_FB pic.twitter.com/zVMyarpiE1
— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) July 20, 2022
Bragging rights…
The Battle of the Border will be back as Lamar and McNeese will face each other once again on November 19. Since 1951, the rivalry has become one of the biggest rivalries that stay in the Southland Conference. McNeese leads in wins with 27.
Those new teams are all looking to make waves, but affect the returning teams in different ways. For Northwestern State, rivalries are not a part of their season and sparks a weird new in the NSU program.
…or no bragging rights
The Chief Caddo game between Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin stopped when SFA left the Southland and resided in the Western Athletic Conference. Lamar’s return changed the schedule from Northwestern State playing McNeese at the end of the season to play UIW.
“When you have Lamar coming back, we still had teams that had to go get games,” Grant said. “As a commissioner, my job is to look at the total landscape. I want to take care of everyone independently, but it was an impossible situation.”
Northwestern State head coach Brad Laird’s stance on not playing McNeese is similar to everyone’s: the history is not easy to get rid of. “You look at Northwestern State & McNeese, you go back to 1951,” Laird said. “We’re just happy to have this discussion [of rivalry].”
Longevity matters
Being a conference that’s lasted 60 years, the Southland’s strive to be a tradition-based conference has seen ups and downs, but still excel in maintaining membership. The conference is not only one of the longest in the NCAA, but the changes Grant and the SLC are making will supersede the new era of the NCAA.
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