Speaking of the Southland

The host of the Division I Football Championship game could be decided next Thursday when teams from Frisco and Chattanooga make their final presentations. Though the results will not be known until early March, next Thursday's presentation will be the final chance for the two bid teams to make their pitch.

In order to help their case, the Southland Conference is making their final push to get fans to visit [url=http://www.collegefootballfrisco.com]CollegeFootballFrisco.com[/url]. The site has been the home of the online ticket pledge effort to show the committee that there is interest near and far to support the game.

To help with the final drive, SLC commissioner Tom Burnett tweeted last night that it is the "last chance to help Frisco land the NCAA DI Football Championship! Ticket pledge website closes Mon., Feb 22: www.collegefootballfrisco.com".

The tweet was followed shortly thereafter by an e-mail to those who have expressed their support in Frisco landing the game through the web site. The e-mail featured a press release regarding Frisco's efforts to land the game, including next Thursday's presentation in Indianapolis.

Though it is unknown at this point how successful these efforts are, we have discussed in the past how critical it is for Frisco to show local and regional interest in the game, especially in light of Chattanooga's inconsistent ability to fill their stadium yearly.

An earlier column on [URL=http://collegesportingnews.com/content.php?171-The-Division-I-Football-Championship-Could-Have-A-New-Home]Frisco vs Chattanooga[/url] is available on College Sporting News.

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In our other big conversation point of the off-season, one school that has not been mentioned as of late in starting up a football program is UT-Arlington.

Five years ago, current university president James D. Spaniolo stated that the issue of football would be re-examined in five years. The five years from that Jan. 20, 2005 have now passed and [url=http://collegesportingnews.com/content.php?178-CSN-Down-South-More-Than-Five-Years-Later-Nothing-Has-Changed-at-UT-Arlington]nothing has changed at UT-Arlington[/url].

Will UT-Arlington finally act on football? Or will they sit on the sidelines while schools like Cleveland State and Stetson seriously review their prospects of adding the sport? Time may be of the essence for Spaniolo as any athletic director that you talk to knows that change is forthcoming. The goal now is for schools to be well-positioned and adding football, especially in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, could be necessary for future success.

The hourglass has been tipped over and like the championship game, the countdown may very well have started on the window for UT-Arlington to revive their football program.

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Southland Conference Quick Hits

• One of the big news items of the week was the $1 million donation that [URL=http://www.lamarcardinals.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/021510aaa.html]Lamar received from Education First[/url]. The donation will allow Education First to have the role of the sole, static sponsor name on the scoreboard. Since adding football, it is clear that the sport has generated the kind of revenue that makes the decision makers in Beaumont look as if they had accomplished something. With enrollment on the rise at LU and increased giving, the school could also be well-positioned in the future to have a successful football program.

• Sam Houston State [url=http://www.gobearkats.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=19900&ATCLID=204890477]announced the 2010 spring schedule[/url]. The camp will be the first for head coach Willie Fritz, who looks to have 70 players participating, of which includes 42 letterwinners. The spring game is set for Apr. 24.

• This blog is a very large proponent of Southland schools that take advantage of different forms of social media. Southeastern Louisiana athletic director Bart Bellairs became the most recent this past January and has continued with a [URL=http://www.lionsports.net/sports/2010/2/18/GEN_0218101653.aspx?id=38]February letter from the AD[/url]. The SHSU sports information office does a fairly active [url=http://bearkatbytes.blogspot.com/?DB_OEM_ID=19900]Bearkat Bytes[/url] blog and Northwestern State may have been the first blog in the SLC with their [url=http://thedailydemon.blogspot.com/]Daily Demon[/url]. Kudos to all schools making use of social media!

• UTSA and DOCUmation will have a [url=http://www.goutsa.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13100&ATCLID=204890352]five-year deal[/url] per a press release put out by the Roadrunner athletic department. The five-year deal will provide up to $260,000 in services for the UTSA athletic department. The deal also includes the renatal of a 16-seat suit at the Alamodome for Roadrunner games. Does UTSA have more deals up their sleeves? Anything positive like this that they announce only further helps their chances at achieving their dreams of playing at the FBS level.