According to CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy, the Georgia State Panthers are set to announce their move to the Sun Belt conference on Monday. According to sources, the official announcement is set to be made at 2 p.m. (ET) at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson is expected to be on hand to welcome the Panthers into their new conference as well.
According to McMurphy, the school's announcement that they're leaving the Colonial Athletic Association is coming one day before the CAA's vote to increase the exit fee.
Georgia State will join the Sun Belt in 2013 after spending the past seven seasons in the Colonial Athletic Association. The timing of Georgia State's announced move to the Sun Belt from the CAA on Monday will come a day before the CAA will vote to substantially increase its exit fee. CAA commissioner Tom Yeager told CAAHoops.com that the league will vote Tuesday to increase the exit fee from $250,000 to "at least a million dollars."
Georgia State has spent the last seven years in the CAA and will now be joining schools in the Sun Belt including UALR, Arkansas State, Florida International, North Texas, Troy and Western Kentucky. While they are likely excited about the move and how it improves their athletics, the Sun Belt could eventually be picked apart if Conference USA and Mountain West merge and look to add some Sun Belt schools.
For more on Georgia State's jump to the Sun Belt Conference, follow SB Nation Atlanta's StoryStream.