Georgia State joins the Sun belt

It appears as if the CAA will let Georgia State leave the league without much of a fight as the school officially announced its admission to the Sun Belt on Monday.

The primary reason for Georgia State's desire to leave is reportedly based on wanting its football team to make a move to the FBS level. The Sun Belt plays in the FBS.

Georgia State, a charter member of the Sun Belt in 1976 before leaving five years later, will begin in the league in 2013 and will be immediately eligible to compete for championships.

The Sun Belt currently has 10 football members. Georgia State will make 11 in 2013. The league desires to have 12 teams, according to league commissioner Karl Benson.

"We want to be a player on the FBS and BCS levels," Benson said on the Georgia State website.

The CAA didn't put up much of a fight to keep Georgia State.

"Georgia State's withdrawal from the CAA and CAA Football is predicated on the university's desire to reclassify to FBS football which requires membership in an FBS league," CAA commissioner Tom Yeager said in a statement. "We've been aware that GSU was having discussions with the Sun Belt Conference as the CAA could not accommodate that desire within GSU's timeframe. The conference wishes the university well as it pursues these new interests."

Georgia State leaving the CAA would be another blow to a conference that has loss several football schools the last several years. Hofstra and Northeastern dropped football, Richmond is leaving the league for the NEC and UMASS left the CAA for the MAC. Villanova has had internal discussions on moving its football to FBS and joining the Big East.

The defections notwithstanding, Yeager believes the league will survive and thrive.

Said Yeager: "The CAA and CAA Football are well positioned to continue to build on our recent accomplishments including two Final Four appearances in men's basketball, five national championships in football and new national television contracts all of which have been prominent benchmarks during ongoing membership discussions."

Although Hofstra doesn't play football, Georgia State leaving the CAA could have an imapct locally. Stony Brook, which has gone through a significant upgrade in football, could eventually end up on the CAA's shortlist.

The Seawolves made a big statement in the FCS playoffs last season as it won its first-round game against Albany and lost by a touchdown to FCS national championship runner-up Sam Houston State.