Appalachian State close to accepting Sun Belt invite?

Mar 25, 2013 - 6:07 PM Boone, NC (Sports Network) - Appalachian State's premier FCS program could be ready to move up to the FBS level.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported Monday that a source at Appalachian State said the Southern Conference program will accept an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference this week, possibility announcing a move on Wednesday.

Neither ASU nor the Sun Belt has made such an announcement.

The Mountaineers have been a member of the FCS, formerly Division I-AA college football, since 1981. They are the only program in FCS history to win three straight national titles - from 2005 to '07 under former coach Jerry Moore - and have won at least a share of seven of the last eight Southern Conference titles.

ASU appears suited for the transition. The Mountaineers have led the FCS in attendance in five of the past six years, including an average of 26,358 fans per game this past season, when the Mountaineers had an 8-4 record and made the national playoffs for the eighth straight season.

The SoCon's other's big power in football, six-time FCS national champion Georgia Southern, also is pursuing a move up to the FBS.