Does the Big South Pose a Threat to the Atlantic Sun?

The difference between nine and seven may not seem like much, but in conference realignment, the gap between the two numbers is massive. Last week, I argued for the stability of the Atlantic Sun Conference due to its members’ general undesirability and heavy Florida leaning. However, it is worth looking at the other side and discussing a possible threat in the region. One on the edge of instability pending another realignment round.

In the ever-changing Division I landscape, stability is everything for conferences. The more members the better, until a certain point. The Big South Conference is stable for now with nine members, but the next realignment craze could create a perilous situation. The conference currently has the leverage of more stability over the nearby Atlantic Sun Conference. Stability is everything for conferences especially after one conference nearly disbanded, while another died in the past two years alone.

This alone could cause any Atlantic Sun member to jump and create a realignment crisis. Queens University in Charlotte arguably has the most to gain from moving from the Atlantic Sun to the Big South. The longest trip for Queens in the Big South is the 228-mile trek to Longwood. This pales to the long, nearly 700-mile trips Queens has to make to Florida Gulf Coast in the Atlantic Sun. Trips of over 400 miles to Lipscomb and Bellarmine also do not help the Royals cut costs.

Although less revenue sharing is a draw of staying in the Atlantic Sun. The travel costs could negate this benefit for Queens. Furthermore, the tight footprint of the Big South could create natural rivals for Queens. All of the Big South’s members are in states that border North Carolina, creating more engaging atmospheres for Queens fans than they have in the Atlantic Sun.

Although the perception of fewer mouths to feed benefits the Atlantic Sun’s members, its low membership could be its undoing. Queens has a better geographic option in the Big South and could create an existential crisis for the Atlantic Sun.