NEW ORLEANS -- Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson wont rule out Big 12 expansion plans affecting his own conference. Alton Lister Jersey .Still, Benson called the Sun Belts planned membership perfect in terms of geography, and he stressed that he envisions a period of stability in which member institutions will enjoy budding regional rivalries and see their football programs prosper.I truly hope that we can focus on 2016, what we know, what we can control, what we can achieve -- and not get bogged down in speculation and rumors about conference membership, Benson said Monday in his state-of-the-Sun Belt address at the conferences annual preseason football media day. Obviously, if the Big 12 or SEC or ACC made that phone call to a Sun Belt president or chancellor, he or she would be foolish not to have that discussion.However, Ive said more than once that I will know that the Sun Belt has reached a level of sustainability and stability when a phone call comes from the president or chancellor of one of the Sun Belts peer conferences to a Sun Belt president or chancellor, and the answer will be, Thank you very much, but my university is very happy where we are. Thats exactly where I believe the Sun Belt is today.Football-only members Idaho and New Mexico State are leaving the Sun Belt after 2017. Coastal Carolina, now in transition from the NCAAs Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision, becomes a full football member in 2018. At that point, the Sun Belt will have 10 teams in seven Southern states: Alabama (South Alabama and Troy), Arkansas (Arkansas State), Georgia (Georgia Southern and Georgia State), Louisiana (Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe), North Carolina (Appalachian State), South Carolina (Coastal Carolina) and Texas (Texas State).All you have to do is look at the map, Benson said. Its perfect, it works and we believe in long run it will allow the Sun Belt to grow and thrive and prosper.Stability is something the Sun Belt, now entering its 16th season as a Division I FBS conference, hasnt had in a while. Five teams -- North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Florida International, Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky -- have left the Sun Belt since 2013. Since then, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State have joined, while longtime member South Alabama moved up to FBS in football and Coastal Carolina joined with its football upgrade now in progress.But Benson hopes the Sun Belt will begin a new era of stability by 2018, when the league also will host its inaugural championship game.Benson has said the conference likely would be split into two five-team divisions, with each division winner meeting in the title game. But as of Monday, he said the conference still has not decided whether it wants to go that route, or simply have every team play once -- meaning nine league games -- with the top two meeting in what would be a rematch for the championship. The difficulty with the latter option is that it would limit teams to three non-league games.Without finalizing it, it appears that we would be headed toward the divisions just because we have so many game contracts that go beyond 2018 that call for a fourth non-conference games, Benson said. If we made the decision to eventually go to a single division and play nine conference games, it would take several years to phase that in.This season, the Sun Belt will have tie-ins to five bowl games, with the newest being the Arizona Bowl in Tucson. The league also has agreements with the New Orleans, GoDaddy (Mobile, Alabama), Camellia (Montgomery, Alabama) and Cure (Orlando, Florida) bowls.Benson applauded member institutions for financial commitments in the form of stadium and practice facility improvements in recent years, and said those investments have paid off in the form of growing exposure and revenues for the league.While stopping short of getting into specifics, Benson said Sun Belt revenues have increased tenfold in the past three years, meaning that member institutions now receive distributions exceeding $1 million annually from the league.Benson also reaffirmed his commitment to a strategy he stressed a year ago of scheduling fewer non-conference games against BCS programs and more against peer conferences, even though that path effectively reduces individual programs revenues by cutting back on the number of big paydays they could get from playing at BCS schools.This season, the Sun Belt is reducing BCS opponents by two while playing two more non-league games against similar mid-major programs.That strategy is working, Benson said. Thats the model, thats the non-conference strategy that we need, to allow our football programs and our student athletes an opportunity to succeed, an opportunity to achieve, an opportunity to rise in standings, rise in the polls.---AP College Football: http://collegefootball.ap.org Sam Perkins Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Seattle Supersonics Store . LUCIE, Fla. https://www.supersonicsjerseys.com/ . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Hawthorn champion Sam Mitchell has expressed interest in joining AFL rivals West Coast.The star midfielder, a member of four premiership-winning teams across 307 games with the Hawks, has been secretly working on the move for weeks on the back of a suggestion from coach Alastair Clarkson.A couple of weeks ago, it was actually Brownlow day, Clarko [Clarkson] came over, and to be honest Clarko has just been so honest and such a good friend for such a long time, hes in a sense looking out for me, Mitchell told SEN Breakfast with Frank and Ox.He came over to my house on Brownlow day and said, look I know you want to go into coaching, youre not going to play forever with Hawthorn, would it be something youd be interested in to maybe go and play there for a little bit and then go into coaching?You could have knocked me over with a feather at the point as youd imagine, but we chatted for about an hour, really just chatting away about life and where were going to finish up, about where Hawthorns list was at and what Im gonna do with my future.Mitchell said there was still much to be discussed and plenty to play out if he was to leave the Hawks, but revealed he and his wife had always planned to move away at some point.If this goes through because theres no certainty to it, I mean its still earrly in trade period and all those things, Mitchell said. Shawn Kemp Jersey. ?But I guess the way we look at it, if it could be a win for Hawthorn and help free up some salary cap stuff and not have to move on all the guys that are being talked about at the moment; and hopefully I can go over and help West Coast if thats what happens.Its in a bit of a funny spot to be honest because if I stay at Hawthorn thats okay because Ive had a great career there and will continue to do so.?If I move to West Coast then Id be really excited by something new and a new prospect; and I feel like Ive done the right thing by Hawthorn if thats what eventuates.His future in a limbo of sorts, Mitchell said he wasnt really leaning either way at this point.At the moment I cant mentally commit to either; so the last two weeks Ive had one foot in either camp, its been a bit awkward, he told SEN.But these are the things, its the first time in my 15-year career that Ive ever been in this position with anything even slightly remotely a chance to be in a trade.?So its a bit of an awkward situation and I cant really jump into either camp at the moment until something happens one way or the other. 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