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9 schools forming new Great American Conference
The Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Six Arkansas schools and three in Oklahoma said Tuesday they have agreed to form the Great American Conference that should begin Division II competition next year.

A joint statement from the presidents and chancellors of the nine schools said the name was chosen to "reflect the diversity of the league's geographic regions, from the Mississippi Delta of southeast Arkansas to the plains of western Oklahoma."

The new conference plans to begin competition in the fall of 2011 after receiving approval from the NCAA.

The Arkansas members of the new conference include Arkansas Tech in Russellville; Harding in Searcy; Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia; Southern Arkansas in Magnolia; and the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Members from Oklahoma would be East Central in Ada; Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant; and Southeastern Oklahoma State in Weatherford.

The Arkansas members are currently members of the Gulf South Conference, which has members from Arkansas to Georgia. The Oklahoma schools are in the Lone Star, whose members are located in cities from Oklahoma to far southern Texas to New Mexico.

The statement said travel costs and travel time away from classes for student athletes was a factor in formation of the new league.

Will Prewitt, former associate commissioner of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was recently named commissioner of the new conference.

Apparently, one of the conditions of joining this conference was having suffered regular beatdowns by the UCA Bears during the NAIA days.

What will happen to the GSC?

Have 6 less teams

GSC will be down to 8 teams overall, but only 5 football schools. Lambuth is trying to move from NAIA to D2 and is rumored to be invited to join, but the school is facing severe financial difficulty and they have to repeat their first NCAA transition year.

Schools Left w/ Football:
Delta State
North Alabama
West Alabama
West Georgia
Valdosta State

Others:
Christian Brothers
Alabama-Huntsville
West Florida

It's really a three-team football league anyway with an occasional Arkansas school making it interesting...I'm pretty sure there is no AQ for DII playoffs, it's all based on regional rankings.

In other sports, West Florida is pretty much dominant in everything. UAH has been good in men's hoops and softball and sometimes volleyball.

Can you imagine how difficult it is going to be for a GSC school to put together a non-conference schedule?

Delta should join the new con or, better yet, join SLC.

I don't think they've got the fan base to leap to D1.

Um, have you seen our attendance this year?
They get 4-5,000 and even had over 7,000 for Harding (homecoming?). If we were counting actual butts in seats, we may not have exceeded that by much if at all the last few home games. Just saying.

Yeah, what he said.