RFC Summer Semester--Southern Conference Preview (FCS)

What it is: With a history and tradition that both pre-date the current Southeastern and Atlantic Coast Conferences of BCS fame, the Southern Conference was founded in 1921 as the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, or the SIAA, for short. Many of the current ACC and SEC members, such as Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Georgia Tech--just to name a few--got started in what's now the SoCon. Additionally, current non-BCS and Conference USA member East Carolina spent 13 seasons (1964-76) in the league.



Since the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) was formed in 1978, the Southern Conference has become one of the strongest leagues in the nation. In fact, since 1982, current members Appalachian State, Furman, and Georgia Southern have combined to win 10 FCS national championships all-time. Georgia Southern leads the way with six titles (1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000), followed by ASU with three (2005, 2006, 2007), and Furman with one (1988). Additionally, another former SoCon turned C-USA member Marshall took home two I-AA titles in 1992 and 1996.



Among current members, Furman and Appalachian State have the most Southern Conference titles between them at 22, with the Purple Paladins winning 12 league championships between 1978 and 2004, while the Mountaineers have captured 10 crowns between 1986 and 2009. Georgia Southern is third with eight titles, the most recent coming in 2004.



Finally, when it comes to pulling off the big upset over big-time college football programs, the SoCon ranks among the best as far as current FCS conferences go. Perhaps the biggest of those shocking victories came on September 1, 2007. That's when Appalachian State upset then No. 5 (Associated Press) Michigan, 34-32, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That win helped put the FCS on the map.



Website: http://www.soconsports.com/



Predicted order of finish (2009 overall record, projected champion in BOLD type)



1. Appalachian State (11-3): With Armanti Edwards no longer taking the snaps at quarterback, ASU must start over in 2010. While they'll play six home games this season, including key SoCon showdowns against Elon (October 9), and Furman (October 30), ASU must pay a visit to the swamp to close out the season against the Florida Gators on November 20.



2. Furman (6-5): The Purple Paladins football program received recognition from the Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association for the having the highest academic progress rate in the Southern Conference in late May. As for doing something similar on the football field, the Paladins hope to make a triumphant return to the SoCon elite after struggling to a 5-3 finish in conference play last season.



3. Elon (9-3): After finishing second in the SoCon at 7-1, and earning their first-ever FCS playoff berth in 2009, the Phoenix face a huge challenge in making it back-to-back postseason appearances, as they must play Richmond and Appalachian State on the road in 2010.



4. Chattanooga (6-5): The Mocs return nine starters on offense, as well as seven on defense.



5. Georgia Southern (5-6): New head coach Jeff Monken hopes to restore a winning tradition to an Eagles program that hasn't reached postseason play since 2005.



6. Samford (5-6): Ironically, the Bulldogs begin the post-Bobby Bowden era on September 4, against Florida State, on September 4. Bowden once coached the Samford program from 1959-1962. His replacement, Jimbo Fisher, was a former Bulldog quarterback and assistant coach.



7. Citadel (5-6): The Bulldogs from Charleston, South Carolina haven't won a SoCon title since 1992. That was also their last trip to the playoffs.

8. Wofford (3-8): After making back-to-back trips to postseason play in 2007 and 2008, the Terriers hope to re-group after a disappointing 2009 campaign.

9. Western Carolina (2-9): The Catamounts haven't made the playoffs since losing to Southern Illinois in the 1983 I-AA title game. Their last winning season came in 2005, at 5-4.

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