No Sun Belt invitation yet for Georgia State

Apr 4, 2012 - 4:44 PM Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - It doesn't appear Georgia State football will receive an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference this week, although the move appears quite possible in the future.

CBSSports.com reported Tuesday that the third-year program is expected to join the Sun Belt for the 2013 season.

But Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution that his previously planned trip to Georgia State on Thursday has been postponed, perhaps to next week.

"No invitations have been extended, no decisions have been made," he said. "We have had a continued dialogue."

Georgia State has a June 1 deadline to declare to the NCAA whether its program is going to make the move from the FCS to the FBS. If it joins the Sun Belt in 2013, the Panthers would play a full conference schedule in 2013, but not be eligible for the conference title or a bowl bid until 2014.

This fall, Georgia State will be playing in CAA Football for the first time after starting its program as an FCS independent the last two seasons.

Georgia State is coached by Bill Curry, the former head coach at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky. The Panthers, who play home games at the Georgia Dome, finished 6-5 in their inaugural season in 2010 and 3-8 this past season.

The university would be subject to a $250,000 exit fee if it leaves the Colonial Athletic Association, where its Olympic sports teams have been a member since 2005.