I think the CAA could be a landing spot for us. The football conference is separate from the rest of their sports. I don't think it is likely but maybe they would see us as a local school in the middle of the conference footprint that is committed to improving.

I agree with SlyFox that we must get men's basketball to a consistently high level in order to have our best shot at moving up. I'm glad we are getting into FBS as soon as we can because that will only help us as we look to move to a conference. To get where we want to go (SEC, ACC, any P5, etc.), we have to put the time in and the resources to make it work and prove our worth. The AAC won't invite us or anyone straight from FCS. They basically have their pick from the G5 and they wouldn't require a transition period.

I've seen JMU fans argue that it isn't worth it to go to the Sun Belt or C-USA now because they believe the AAC will invite them from FCS and I find that so unrealistic. The only school they did that for was UConn and that's because they were already a member (a founding one I believe) of the Big East at the time. They were debating whether to do that for Villanova as well but obviously it didn't work out. To think JMU will get that treatment as an outsider is unlikely to the highest degree for me. And if they want to be apart of an FBS reshuffle that results in an eastern conference, I think it would make sense for them to go FBS now (assuming a conference would invite them now) so that they wouldn't have a two year transition when the time came. To dissolve the Sun Belt, C-USA, MAC, etc., the conferences would need 75% or so of the membership to approve of the disbanding of the conference and they will only do that if they have a home locked in. JMU may miss out due to schools like Charlotte, UTEP, ULM, EMU needing homes and there having to be a spot for most everyone. I'm glad Liberty is taking the plunge now to start making the connections and hopefully land a home even though I don't mind football independence.