I'm personally a big fan of all this expansion talk in the conference. Really gets me excited to think there's interesting opportunities abound for the SLC which may help us contend better nationally in various sports with these new programs that could come on in. Below is an article from Little Rock about UCA.

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LITTLE ROCK - Fans of University of Central Arkansas athletics may soon come to realize that Natchitoches is in Louisiana and Nacogdoches is in Texas.

Northwestern State is in Natchitoches and Stephen F. Austin is in Nacogdoches and both are in the Southland Conference, a likely league for UCA if the Conway school proceeds with plans to move up to Division I-AA.

Last weekend, UCA president Lu Hardin and athletic director Vance Strange were in Houston, meeting with Southland Conference presidents and a couple of athletic directors. Playing football as an independent in I-AA is a certain loser and joining a conference is only possible if a league needs teams.

The Missouri Valley, the Ohio Valley and the Sun Belt are also I-AA, but UCA has no plans to approach any other conference at this point.

In addition to Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin, the Southland has four other football-playing schools - Sam Houston State, Texas State, Nicholls State and McNeese State. Tarleton State, Corpus Christi and Pan-American also made presentations to the Southland during the weekend, but only Tarleton plays football.

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http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/...ng/321817.html