Appalachian State not ready to make decision on jump to Div. 1-A

Eight months after it became public knowledge that Appalachian State was considering a move from Div. 1-AA to 1-A, any momentum that had been gained, at least for the moment, has stalled.

The school announced Friday afternoon that the “athletics feasibility study committee... will continue its work and not make a recommendation to ASU Chancellor Dr. Kenneth E. Peacock at this time.”

There are two reasons for delaying a decision on a move up a level as stated in the release issued by North Carolina school, with one appearing to be the uncertainty over whether Appalachian could find a proper conference fit.

First, any potential major tuition increases at Appalachian must be accurately accounted for in financial models, as athletics pays tuition bills for 400-plus ASU student-athletes. Secondly, many NCAA Division I conferences and institutions are in the process of evaluating potential changes in membership and/or football-subdivision affiliation and Appalachian must continue to monitor and analyze these evaluations in order to determine its own place in the changing Division I landscape.

From the sounds of it, a final decision on whether to make the move up a level doesn’t appear to be in the cards until the end of this year at the earliest, thanks in large part to state budgetary issues.

“Chancellor Peacock’s ultimate recommendation to the Board of Trustees needs serious reflection and discussion that cannot occur while he and the other UNC leaders are focused primarily on advocating in Raleigh for state support of higher education,” ASU director of athletics Charlie Cobb said. “Over the next several months, his focus and the focus of our other University leaders will be — and should be — on the state budget.”