Report: Sun Belt votes Idaho, NM State out after 2017 season

While the Sun Belt Conference seems to be on the verge of expanding their reach for football in the coming seasons, they have just voted two teams out of their conference over the next two years.

The conference announced on Wednesday that its member schools had voted to kick out both Idaho and New Mexico State out following the 2017 football season. The two football-only members have been making their case to stay in after they joined in 2013.

“We are disappointed by the Sun Belt’s decision,” Idaho president Chuck Staben said in a statement, confirming that the Vandals were voted out of the conference. “But we are optimistic about the options before us, and we are continuing to diligently consider our future affiliation as an opportunity to find the stability and full participation we have not experienced in the Sun Belt. We will make a decision in the coming months.”

The Sun Belt has been considering not bringing back the Vandals and Aggies since the NCAA ruled that football conferences no longer need 12 teams to field a conference championship game.

However, the Sun Belt has already confirmed that it will add FCS powerhouse Coastal Carolina in the 2017 season, which would give them a total of 10 teams following that season.

The Vandals will now consider accepting an invitation to the FCS Big Sky Conference, which would make them the first team in history to move down from the FBS.

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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports

Da’Mario Jones releases statement on departure on program
Da’Mario Jones releases statement on departure on program