(STATS) -- Innovative thinking continues to be an integral part of FCS football as it tries to remain strong across the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.While fighting for relevancy in the subdivision, the Big South Conference has turned to a conference that doesnt sponsor football to establish a unique member partnership.Under the arrangement, announced Tuesday, current or future Atlantic Sun Conference scholarship-football members within the geographic footprint of the Big South will automatically be admitted to the conference as associate football members.With Coastal Carolina leaving this year for the Sun Belt on the FBS level, the Big South has dropped to six football programs -- the FCS low and the NCAA minimum for a conference to have its champion automatically qualify for the 24-team national playoffs. There are four full-time members in Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Liberty and Presbyterian, and two associate members in Kennesaw State and Monmouth.But the two-conference partnership provides a guaranteed home for Kennesaw State, an Atlantic Sun member in other sports, and a potential guaranteed home for other football programs, including Atlantic Sun members Jacksonville and Stetson and Big South member Campbell. Those three play on the FCS level in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League, and each program would join Big South football should it move to the scholarship level.Were excited about it for a couple of reasons, Big South commissioner Kyle Kallander said. Number one, it can certainly enhance Big South football from a membership perspective. Weve had an awful lot of success in the Big South and the 15 years weve been playing FCS football. Entering into a creative partnership like this can really continue that success and growth of the Big South. Certainly it helps the Atlantic Sun in what theyre trying to do with their membership.The other reason Im excited about it is I really think collaboration is important, especially in this day and age in Division I. All the challenges that we have, whether its conference realignment or financial challenges, scheduling, travel, all those kinds of things, I think its going to be very really important moving forward that everybody takes a look at how can we work together rather than just working on our own.The agreement doesnt change the conference name as the football teams will play under the banner of the Big South. The conference, which spans the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, was formed in 1983, but didnt sponsor football until 2002. Liberty is the conferences long-time remaining power and Charleston Southern is the defending champion. Pro Bowlers Justin Bethel, Josh Norman and Mike Tolbert are among 12 former Big South players on NFL rosters to begin the 2016 season.We have really good football teams in our league and weve started to get a little bit of a national footprint, Presbyterian coach Harold Nichols said, so I would think that would be pretty inviting to teams to be able to come and be a part of that.Schools in the 10-member Big South that dont sponsor football are High Point, Longwood, Radford, North Carolina-Asheville and Winthrop.Two ASUN members, North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast, have conducted feasibility studies for the addition of football, but have no immediate plans for starting programs. ASUN members Lipscomb, New Jersey Institute of Technology and South Carolina Upstate also dont sponsor football.The Big South has received multiple postseason berths, earned multiple postseason wins and had many postseason hosting opportunities for its football members, ASUN commissioner Ted Gumbart said. We plan to contribute strongly and significantly to the continued growth of our joint football league and look forward to enhancing the winning tradition of Big South football.I think there will be (change), Kallander said, but Im not suggesting any is going to be imminent. Athletics Jerseys China .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Custom Athletics Jerseys . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. http://www.customathleticsjersey.com/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Custom Athletics T-shirts .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Custom Tony Phillips Jersey . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. Washington State sophomore linebacker Logan Tago has been charged with second-degree felony robbery and fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor, stemming from a June incident.Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy made the announcement Monday.Washington State coach Mike Leach told the media he hopes for Tago, an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2015, to play on Saturday when the Cougars host UCLA.Athletic director Bill Moos previously has said that any players charged with a crime will not be allowed to play.If I have anything to do with it, hell play til hes proven guilty, Leach said. Were going to presume people innocent until proven guilty around here.Tago is scheduled to appear in Whitman County Superior Court on Oct.dddddddddddd 28.According to multiple reports, a 23-year-old Pullman man was mugged June 4 by a group of men who demanded the case of beer he was carrying. When the man refused, he allegedly was assaulted and suffered a concussion. The man identified Tago as one of the assailants.The felony robbery carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. The maximum penalty for the misdemeanor assault is a $5,000 fine, one year in jail or both.Tago has 12 total tackles with a sack and two tackles for a loss this season. ' ' '