Sun Belt Conference Presidents and Chancellors announced Tuesday that the conference will be a 10-team football league following the end of the 2017 season. The committee chose not to extend the membership agreements in place with New Mexico State University and the University of Idaho, citing location as the main factor in the decision.

“The Sun Belt’s Presidents and Chancellors strongly believe it is in the best interest of the conference to have a core membership of 10 football teams that are geographically located within the ‘footprint’ of the conference” Sun Belt Conference President Dr. Denise Trauth said. “This decision … will reduce travel demands and missed class time for all Sun Belt student-athletes - while also furthering the development of regional rivalries within the conference.”

The nine current football-playing members of the conference - Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, and Troy - will be joined by Coastal Carolina in 2017 to complete the 10-team league.

Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson believes the new configuration will push the conference into the national spotlight, stating the league will “maximize the Sun Belt’s on-field performance, push us to the top ranking of our four peer conferences, and will give us the best opportunity to soon place a team in one of the College Football Playoff New Year’s Day bowl games.”

Benson also revealed that the committee will be discussing the possibility of a conference championship game. Discussions regarding this will take place in the spring, and a decision is expected in the near future.