What’s happened in college sports realignment over the past few months has been enough to make your head spin. Oregon and Washington joining a league with Rutgers and Maryland. California, Stanford and SMU in the ATLANTIC Coast Conference, when two of them touch the PACIFIC Ocean. Oregon State and Washington State left to fend for themselves, for no other reason than they’re not in a media market.
But at the lower levels of college athletics, realignment happens because a school genuinely finds a good fit academically, athletically and geographically. That’s what’s happened with the newest member of Division I, West Georgia. Most college sports fans aren’t that familiar with Carrollton, Ga., a town of about 27,000 located about an hour west of Atlanta. But as of 2024, it’s going to be home to Division I football, basketball and more.
Why are the Wolves making this move to join the big boys? Here’s a look at West Georgia’s move and why it makes sense.
A Geographic Fit at The Right Time
Moving from Division II to Division I isn’t like moving from the Group of 5 to the Power 4. Before you’re even allowed to change divisions, you need to have an invitation from a Division I league in hand. West Georgia has that in large part because of being in the right place at the right time. Kennesaw State, located in suburban Atlanta, had been a member of the Atlantic Sun for years and was set to join the A-Sun’s new football conference when that began in 2023.
But when the dominoes started dropping, the Owls were in position to make a move. The SEC grabbing Texas and Oklahoma meant the Big 12 raided the American and the American went after Conference USA, creating space for Kennesaw State to jump to FBS. The Owls’ move meant that the A-Sun would drop to 11 teams, which isn’t ideal for scheduling purposes. Small leagues really don’t like odd numbers, because that means they have to have one team idle instead of playing a home game on each gameday during the season.
From the A-Sun’s perspective, West Georgia is an ideal replacement. The Wolves have become a genuine power in men’s basketball at the Division II level, and they fit perfectly into the A-Sun’s geographic footprint. The league stretches from Louisville to Fort Myers north-south and Little Rock, Arkansas to Jacksonville west to east. No school in the league is more than nine hours by car from West Georgia, and if anyone flies into Atlanta, they’ll simply drive 40 minutes west on Interstate 20 to Carrollton instead of 35 minutes north on Interstate 75 to Kennesaw.
Making the Move Make Financial Sense
Why would the Wolves want to make the step up in competition? As usual, money is involved. The move to Division I and FCS means that West Georgia will be able to play bigger opponents and command higher paydays for those games. When D-II teams play guarantee games, they’re facing FCS opponents. Given that FCS teams are playing guarantee games themselves, they don’t exactly have huge budgets to use on guarantee games of their own. They’ll pay to bring in a Division II team, but it’s going to be five figures or less in almost all situations.
That’s not the case in FCS. FCS teams can get $500,000 or more to play pushover for a Division I team. When facing an SEC team, which happens regularly, payments can creep closer to $1 million. For a school like West Georgia, that kind of financial windfall is huge.
Once again, the Wolves’ location plays a big role in their favor. They’ll have no shortage of opponents that they can play where they can get on a bus and pocket most of the guarantee money. Georgia Tech, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Clemson and South Carolina are all located within four hours of Carrollton. Getting to those schools requires no more than a night in a hotel and a bus ride. Lesser opponents are also available, such as Troy, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee and the Kennesaw State team that gave the Wolves their chance in the first place.
The Wolves can even schedule other FCS opponents in a home-and-home situation. Schools like Mercer, Furman, Chattanooga and Samford might be willing to make a visit to Carrollton. That can bring new fans and more dollars to West Georgia’s program, leading to better recruits and more money.
Knowing Their Fit
This move was made with the long term in mind. West Georgia isn’t going to be eligible to play in the FCS playoffs for the next five years, and it can’t play in the NCAA tournament for the same amount of time. But that means the Wolves have time to get themselves up to the level of their competition. Queens was able to adjust to the A-Sun right away, but that doesn’t always happen.
The Wolves shouldn’t expect to follow the Royals’ example. They should view the next few years as a chance to adjust to their new league and the kinds of players they’ll need to compete at this level. Eventually, West Georgia can and should expect to compete for titles in the A-Sun, but it’s not something they need to rush into. They’re making the right move at the right time, and they’re stabilizing a conference that’s an ideal choice for them geographically. At a time when conference realignment gets crazier every year, it’s nice to see a school make a sensible yet ambitious move for their athletes.