The eight Division III southeastern colleges forming a new league have chosen the name Southern Athletic Association.

Seven of the schools broke away from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The new conference will begin competition with the 2012-13 and would be eligible for an automatic bid as early as 2014-15 in any sports in which automatic bids are offered and the school has seven or more competing schools. 

As currently configured, the conference would not have an automatic bid in football. When Hendrix adds football it will bring the total to six teams.

The schools in the new league are Berry, Birmingham-Southern, Centre, Hendrix, Millsaps, Oglethorpe, Rhodes and Sewanee. All but Berry currently are members of the SCAC.