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Conference USA

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"C-USA" redirects here. For the defunct American soccer club, see Chivas USA.

Conference USA
AssociationNCAA
Founded1995[1]
CommissionerJudy MacLeod (since 2015)
Sports fielded
  • 19[2]
    • men's: 8
    • women's: 11
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFBS
No. of teams10 (12 in 2025, 11 in 2026)
HeadquartersDallas, Texas
RegionSouthern United States and Western United States
Official websiteconferenceusa.com
Locations

Conference USA (CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas.

Member schools

[edit]

Current full members

[edit]

  Member departing for the Mountain West Conference in 2026.

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment
(millions) 		Nickname Colors
Florida International University Miami, Florida[a] 1965 2013[b] Public 58,064[3] $276 Panthers    
Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, Alabama 1883 2023[c] 9,955[4] $57 Gamecocks    
Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, Georgia[d] 1963 2024 45,152[5] $100[6] Owls    
Liberty University Lynchburg, Virginia 1971 2023 Private
(Evangelical Protestant) 		95,148[7][e] $1,714[8] Flames & Lady Flames      
Louisiana Tech University Ruston, Louisiana 1894 2013 Public 12,039[9] $117.9 Bulldogs & Lady Techsters    
Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, Tennessee 1911 21,913[10] $108.9 Blue Raiders    
New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico 1888 2023 22,711[11] $235.9 Aggies    
Sam Houston State University Huntsville, Texas 1879 21,039[12] $152.3 Bearkats    
University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas 1914 2005 Public 25,151[13] $241.7 Miners      
Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky 1906 2014[f] Public 17,672[14] $209.5 Hilltoppers & Lady Toppers    
Notes
  1. ^ The FIU main campus is in the suburban Miami-Dade County community of University Park.
  2. ^ FIU was a men's soccer affiliate from the 2005 to 2012 fall seasons (2005–06 to 2012–13 school years).
  3. ^ Jacksonville State was a beach volleyball affiliate during the 2023 spring season (2022–23 school year).
  4. ^ The KSU campus has a Kennesaw mailing address, but is located in unincorporated Cobb County.
  5. ^ Includes online students. On-campus enrollment is approximately 16,000.
  6. ^ Western Kentucky was an affiliate in women's swimming & diving during the 2013–14 season.

Membership map

[edit]
class=notpageimage|
Conference USA Member locations
– Full member
– Departing full member
– Future members
– Affiliate member
– Future affiliate member

Future members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Joining Type Enrollment Endowment
(millions)		 Nickname Colors Current
conference
University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 1743 July 1, 2025 Public[a] 24,221[15] $1,770[16] Blue Hens     CAA[b]
Missouri State University Springfield, Missouri 1905 July 1, 2025[c] Public 26,000[17] $193 Bears & Lady Bears[d]     Missouri Valley[e]
Notes
  1. ^ Delaware is officially chartered as a "privately-governed, state-assisted" institution. This status is broadly similar to that of New York State's statutory colleges, most of which are housed at Cornell University, or institutions in Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of Higher Education.
  2. ^ Delaware football competes in CAA Football, which is administered by the all-sports Coastal Athletic Association but is technically a separate entity.
  3. ^ Missouri State has been a beach volleyball affiliate of CUSA since the 2024 spring season (2023–24 school year).
  4. ^ Missouri State uses Beach Bears instead of Lady Bears for its beach volleyball team, which is currently a CUSA affiliate.
  5. ^ Missouri State football competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, an administratively separate entity from the MVC.

Affiliate members

[edit]

In this table, all dates reflect the calendar year of entry into Conference USA, which for spring sports is the year before the start of competition.

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Nickname Colors CUSA
sport 		Primary
conference
Arkansas State University Jonesboro, Arkansas 1909 2023 Public 14,109 Red Wolves     Bowling Sun Belt
Dallas Baptist University Dallas, Texas 1898 2022 Private 4,487 Patriots       Baseball Lone Star[a]
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida 1961 2023[b] Public 30,808 Owls     Beach volleyball The American
Missouri State University Springfield, Missouri 1905 2023 Public 24,224 Beach Bears     Beach volleyball MVC
(CUSA in 2025)
Stephen F. Austin State University (Stephen F. Austin) Nacogdoches, Texas 1923 2023 Public 11,946 Ladyjacks     Bowling Southland
Tarleton State University (Tarleton) Stephenville, Texas 1899 2023 Public 11,350 Texans     Beach volleyball WAC
Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana 1834 2022 Private 11,722[18] Green Wave     Beach volleyball The American
2023 Bowling
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Birmingham, Alabama 1969 2023[b] Public 22,563 Blazers     Beach volleyball The American
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, Indiana 1859 2023 Private 2,900 Beacons     Bowling MVC
Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee 1873 2023 Private 13,798 Commodores     Bowling SEC
Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas 1895 2024 Public 17,548 Shockers     Bowling The American
Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio 1908 2023 Public 15,058 Penguins     Bowling Horizon
Notes
  1. ^ Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  2. ^ a b Measured from FAU's and UAB's departure from full CUSA membership.

Future affiliate members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Joining Type Enrollment Nickname Colors CUSA
sport 		Primary
conference
University of South Florida Tampa, Florida 1956 2025 Public 50,830[19] Bulls     Beach volleyball The American

Former full members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Nickname Colors Current
conference
University of Alabama at Birmingham[a] Birmingham, Alabama 1969 1995[b] 2023 Public Blazers     The American
University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida[c] 1963 2005 2013 Knights     Big 12
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio 1819 1995 2005 Bearcats    
DePaul University Chicago, Illinois 1898 Private Blue Demons     Big East
East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina 1907 2001[d] 2014 Public Pirates     The American
Florida Atlantic University[a] Boca Raton, Florida 1961 2013 2023 Owls    
University of Houston Houston, Texas 1927 1996[e] 2013 Cougars     Big 12
University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 1798 1995 2005 Cardinals     ACC
Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1881 Private Golden Eagles     Big East
Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia 1837 2005 2022 Public Thundering Herd     Sun Belt
University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee 1912 1995 2013 Tigers     The American
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina 1946 1995 2005 49ers    
2013 2023
University of North Texas Denton, Texas 1890 2013 2023 Mean Green    
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 2013[f] 2022 Monarchs       Sun Belt
Rice University Houston, Texas 1912 2005 2023 Private Owls     The American
Saint Louis University St. Louis, Missouri 1818 1995 2005 Billikens     Atlantic 10
University of South Florida[g] Tampa, Florida 1956 Public Bulls     The American
Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas[h] 1911 2005 2013 Private Mustangs     ACC
University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, Mississippi 1910 1995 2022 Public Golden Eagles     Sun Belt
Texas Christian University[i] Fort Worth, Texas 1873 2001 2005 Private Horned Frogs     Big 12
University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, Texas 1969 2013 2023 Public Roadrunners       The American
Tulane University[j] New Orleans, Louisiana 1834 1995 2014 Private Green Wave    
University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma 1894 2005 Golden Hurricane      
Notes
  1. ^ a b FAU and UAB remain CUSA affiliate members in beach volleyball.
  2. ^ UAB was a full but non-football member at two different times—1995–96 to 1998–99, when the school was independent in football, and 2015–16 to 2016–17, after UAB discontinued its football program. UAB football returned for the 2017 fall season (effective the 2017–18 school year).[20]
  3. ^ The UCF campus has an Orlando mailing address but is entirely located in unincorporated Orange County.
  4. ^ East Carolina was an affiliate in football from the 1997 to 2000 fall seasons (1997–98 to 2000–01 school years).
  5. ^ Houston was a founding member of CUSA in 1995 but did not begin competition until the 1996–97 season because of its commitments to the final year of competition in the Southwest Conference.
  6. ^ Old Dominion was an affiliate in men's golf, women's golf, rowing, men's tennis, and women's tennis in 2012–13; full but non-football member in 2013–14.
  7. ^ South Florida will become an affiliate member for beach volleyball in 2025
  8. ^ The SMU campus has a Dallas mailing address, but is located almost entirely in University Park, a separate city contained within the Dallas city limits.
  9. ^ TCU returned to CUSA as a beach volleyball affiliate in 2023, but left after the 2024 season when the Big 12 began sponsoring that sport.
  10. ^ Tulane returned to CUSA as a beach volleyball affiliate in 2022, and added bowling to its CUSA membership in 2023.

Former affiliate members

[edit]

In this table, all dates reflect each school's actual entry into and departure from Conference USA. For spring sports, the joining date is the calendar year before the start of competition. For fall sports, the departure date is the calendar year after the last season of competition.

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Nickname Colors CUSA
sport 		Primary
conference
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama 1831 2009 2014 Public Crimson Tide     Rowing (w) SEC
United States Military Academy (Army) West Point, New York 1802 1998 2005 Federal Black Knights       Football Patriot[a]
California State University, Bakersfield[b] Bakersfield, California 1965 2007 2010 Public Roadrunners     Swimming & diving (w) Big West
California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) Sacramento, California 1947 2013 2014 Hornets     Rowing (w) Big Sky[c]
Coastal Carolina University Conway, South Carolina 1954 2021 2022 Chanticleers       Beach volleyball[21]
Soccer (m) 		Sun Belt
Colorado College Colorado Springs, Colorado 1874 2006 2014 Private Tigers     Soccer (w) Southern Collegiate[d][e]
Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 1913 2021[21] 2022 Public Panthers     Beach volleyball Sun Belt
Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, Alabama 1883 2022 2023 Gamecocks     Beach volleyball CUSA[f]
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas 1865 2009 2014 Jayhawks     Rowing (w) Big 12
Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas 1863 Wildcats    
University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 1865 2005 2022 Wildcats     Soccer (m) SEC[g]
University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico 1889 2013 2019 Lobos     Mountain West[h]
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota 1883 2008 2011 Fighting Hawks     Swimming & diving (w) Summit
University of Northern Colorado Greeley, Colorado 1889 2007 2010 Bears     Big Sky[i]
University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma 1890 2009 2014 Sooners     Rowing (w) SEC
San Diego State University San Diego, California 1947 2013 Aztecs     Mountain West[j]
(Pac-12 in 2026)
University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina 1801 2005 2022 Gamecocks     Soccer (m) SEC[g]
University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss) Hattiesburg, Mississippi 1910 2021 Golden Eagles     Beach volleyball Sun Belt
Texas Christian University (TCU) Fort Worth, Texas 1873 2023 2024 Private Horned Frogs     Beach volleyball Big 12
University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee 1794 2009 2014 Public Lady Volunteers     Rowing (w) SEC
University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas 1883 Longhorns     SEC
University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) Monroe, Louisiana 1865 2021[21] 2022 Warhawks     Beach volleyball Sun Belt
West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia 1867 2012 2014 Mountaineers     Rowing (w) Big 12
Notes
  1. ^ Football competed as an FBS independent through the 2023 season, and joined The American in 2024.
  2. ^ The university began rebranding its athletic program as the Bakersfield Roadrunners in 2023–24.
  3. ^ Rowing affiliate of the WCC.
  4. ^ Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
  5. ^ Women's soccer affiliate of the Mountain West.
  6. ^ Jacksonville State joined CUSA beach volleyball a year before becoming a full member.
  7. ^ a b Men's soccer affiliate of the Sun Belt.
  8. ^ Dropped men's soccer after the 2018 season (2018–19 school year).
  9. ^ Women's swimming & diving affiliate of the WAC.
  10. ^ Dropped rowing after the 2020–21 season; had previously been an affiliate of the American Athletic Conference in that sport.

Membership timeline

[edit]
Missouri State UniversityMissouri Valley ConferenceUniversity of DelawareCoastal Athletic AssociationAmerica East ConferenceKennesaw State UniversityAtlantic Sun ConferencePeach Belt ConferenceSam Houston State UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceSouthland ConferenceNew Mexico State UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceBig West ConferenceLiberty UniversityAtlantic Sun ConferenceBig South ConferenceJacksonville State UniversityOhio Valley ConferenceAtlantic Sun ConferenceAtlantic Sun ConferenceWestern Kentucky UniversitySun Belt ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Texas at San AntonioWestern Athletic ConferenceSouthland ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceOld Dominion UniversityCoastal Athletic AssociationAmerican Athletic ConferenceUniversity of North TexasSun Belt ConferenceBig West ConferenceSouthland ConferenceMiddle Tennessee State UniversitySun Belt ConferenceOhio Valley ConferenceLouisiana Tech UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceFlorida Atlantic UniversitySun Belt ConferenceAtlantic Sun ConferenceAtlantic Sun ConferenceFlorida International UniversitySun Belt ConferenceAtlantic Sun ConferenceMountain West ConferenceUniversity of Texas at El PasoWestern Athletic ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceRice UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceMissouri Valley ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceMarshall UniversityMid-American ConferenceSouthern ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceUniversity of TulsaWestern Athletic ConferenceMissouri Valley ConferenceAtlantic Coast ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceSouthern Methodist UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceSouthwest ConferenceBig 12 ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Central FloridaAtlantic Sun ConferenceAtlantic Sun ConferenceBig 12 ConferenceMountain West ConferenceTexas Christian UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceSouthwest ConferenceUnited States Military AcademyAmerican Athletic ConferenceEast Carolina UniversityCoastal Athletic AssociationBig 12 ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceUniversity of HoustonSouthwest ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceTulane UniversityAmerican Athletic ConferenceUniversity of MemphisUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamSun Belt ConferenceUniversity of Southern MississippiAmerican Athletic ConferenceAtlantic 10 ConferenceUniversity of North Carolina at CharlotteAmerican Athletic ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)University of South FloridaAtlantic 10 ConferenceSaint Louis UniversityBig East ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)Marquette UniversityAtlantic Coast ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)University of LouisvilleBig East ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)DePaul UniversityBig 12 ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)University of Cincinnati

Full members (all-sports) Full members (non-football) Affiliate members (football-only) Affiliate member (other sport) Other Conference Other Conference

History

[edit]

CUSA (abbreviated "C-USA" before 2023) was founded in 1995 by the merger of the Metro Conference and Great Midwest Conference, two Division I conferences that did not sponsor football. However, the merger did not include either Great Midwest member Dayton or Metro members VCU and Virginia Tech.[22] Since this left an uneven number of schools in the conference, Houston of the dissolving Southwest Conference was extended an invitation and agreed to join following the SWC's disbanding at the end of the 1995–96 academic year. The conference immediately started competition in all sports, except football which started in 1996.

Being the result of a merger, CUSA was originally a sprawling, large league that stretched from Florida to Missouri, Wisconsin to Texas. Many of its original schools were located in major urban centers and had strong basketball traditions, which helped establish the league on a national basis.

2005–06 realignment

[edit]

The conference saw radical changes for the 2005–06 academic year. The Big East Conference had lost several members, and looked to Conference USA to attract replacements. Five CUSA members departed for the Big East, including three football-playing schools (Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida) and two non-football schools (DePaul and Marquette; both joined the New Big East in 2013). Another two schools (Charlotte and Saint Louis) left for the Atlantic 10; TCU joined the Mountain West (and is now in the Big 12 with several other former Southwest Conference members); and a ninth member, Army, which was C-USA football-only, opted to become an independent in that sport again.

With the loss of these members, CUSA lured six schools from other conferences: UCF and Marshall from the MAC, as well as Rice, SMU, Tulsa, and later UTEP from the WAC. UCF played in the MAC for football only; for all other sports, it was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN).

With CUSA's membership now consisting of 12 schools, all of which sponsor football, the conference adopted a two-division alignment.

2013–14 realignment

[edit]

In 2013, CUSA entered its next phase with the departure of four schools (Houston, Memphis, SMU, and UCF) for the American Athletic Conference, the football-sponsoring portion of the former Big East Conference. This was again the result of Big East schools leaving for the ACC, this time being Syracuse and Pittsburgh, as well as Notre Dame for non-football sports. It was announced in early 2012 that Conference USA was in talks with the Mountain West Conference about forming either a football alliance or conference merger in the future.

However, when the conferences discussed their plans with the NCAA, they were told that if they merged, the new league would receive only one automatic bid to NCAA championships; at least one of the former conferences would lose expected future revenues from the NCAA men's basketball tournament; and at least one former conference would lose exit fees from any schools that departed for the new league. As a result, both CUSA and the MW backed away from a full merger. As of April 2012, the likeliest scenario was an all-sports alliance in which both conferences retained separate identities.[23] However, after the MW added more members, the alliance was apparently abandoned.

For men's soccer, there was a chance that the MW, SEC, and CUSA along with the one Sun Belt member (FIU), that sponsor the sport, would play under the CUSA's men's soccer program. The MW, which does not sponsor men's soccer, would take three of the four members that offer the sport (UNLV, Air Force, New Mexico—San Diego State is a Pac-12 associate member in that sport), join CUSA's three full members that offer the sport (UAB, Marshall, Tulsa), the two SEC members already in CUSA for the sport (Kentucky, South Carolina), and the Sun Belt's FIU.[23] However, the only MW member school that ultimately moved to CUSA men's soccer was New Mexico.

For the 2013–14 season CUSA invited five new members to join their conference, with all accepting. UTSA and Louisiana Tech joined from the WAC and North Texas and FIU, (an affiliate member of CUSA joining for men's soccer in 2005), from the Sun Belt Conference. Old Dominion, which already housed five of its sports in CUSA, moved the rest of its athletic program from the CAA (except for field hockey, women's lacrosse and wrestling, with the three sports joining the new Big East, the Atlantic Sun, and the MAC respectively because CUSA does not sponsor those sports) and upgraded its football program from the Football Championship Subdivision. Charter member Charlotte returned from the A-10 and accelerated its recently established football program, which was set to begin play in 2013 as an FCS school, to FBS in 2015 with full conference rights in 2016.

2014–15 realignment

[edit]
Conference USA members after the 2014–15 realignment

On November 27, 2012, it was announced that Tulane would leave the conference to join the Big East in all sports, and East Carolina would join the Big East for football only (ECU's membership was upgraded to all-sports in March 2013 after the Big East's non-football members, except ACC-bound Notre Dame, announced they were leaving to form a new conference which took the Big East name, leaving the football-playing members to become the American Athletic Conference). Conference USA responded by adding Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic, both from the Sun Belt.

On April 1, 2013, Conference USA announced it was adding Western Kentucky, also from the Sun Belt, to offset Tulsa's departure to The American in all sports which was confirmed the next day.[24][25]

2014–2021

[edit]

The board of trustees in the University of Alabama system (of which UAB is a member) voted to shut down that football program on December 2, 2014, in a highly controversial move that many have attributed to a pro-Tuscaloosa bias (including trustees such as Paul Bryant Jr., son and namesake of Alabama football coaching legend Bear Bryant). According to Conference USA bylaws, member schools must sponsor football. In January 2015, UAB announced an independent re-evaluation of the program and the finances involved, leaving open a possible resumption of the program as early as the 2016 season. On January 29, 2015, the conference announced that there was no time pressure in making a decision regarding UAB's future membership. The conference also stated that it would wait for the new study results before any further discussions on the subject.[26] On June 1, UAB announced that it would reinstate football effective with the 2016 season, presumably keeping the school in CUSA for the immediate future.[27] The return of football was later pushed back to 2017[20] with their first game in September.[28] The Blazers won the 2018 conference championship their second year back and won the CUSA title again in 2020.

Commissioner Britton Banowsky stepped down on September 15, 2015, to become the head of the College Football Playoff Foundation. Executive associate commissioner and chief operating officer Judy MacLeod was subsequently named interim commissioner. On October 26 MacLeod was named the conference's third official commissioner, also becoming the first woman to head an FBS conference.[29]

Marshall University's men's soccer program captured the league's first team national championship with its 1–0 overtime win over Indiana in the 2020 College Cup, held in May 2021 due to COVID-19 issues, in Cary, North Carolina.[30]

2020s realignment

[edit]
See also: 2021–2026 NCAA conference realignment

On October 18, 2021, Yahoo Sports reported that the American Athletic Conference, which had been rocked by the impending departure of three of its most prominent schools (Cincinnati, Houston, UCF) for the Big 12 Conference, was preparing to receive applications from six CUSA members: Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA.[31] ESPN reported the next day that The American had received all six schools' applications,[32] and The American announced all six as future members on October 21, though it did not announce the effective date.[33] The entry date would eventually be confirmed as July 1, 2023.[34]

The day after The American announced its expansion, The Action Network reported that Southern Miss had accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference in 2023, a move which was formally announced by the university on October 26.[35] The report added that the Sun Belt was preparing to add two other CUSA members in Marshall and Old Dominion, as well as FCS program James Madison. Old Dominion officially announced its move to the Sun Belt Conference on October 27,[36] followed later in the week by Marshall.[37] On March 29, 2022, CUSA agreed to allow Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss to move to the Sun Belt beginning July 1, 2022, a year earlier than initially announced.[38]

In response to these losses, on November 5, Conference USA announced the addition of four new members to start the 2023 athletic season. These included two ASUN schools, Liberty and Jacksonville State, along with two from the WAC, New Mexico State and Sam Houston. Liberty and New Mexico State previously played football as FBS independents, while Jacksonville State and Sam Houston played at the FCS level in their respective conferences.[39][40]

On October 7, 2022, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that current football-sponsoring ASUN member Kennesaw State was in talks to become the tenth member of Conference USA for the 2024 season.[41] One week later, CUSA officially announced Kennesaw State's 2024 entry.[42]

This was followed by the Sun Belt Conference adding beach volleyball for the 2023 season (2022–23 school year), taking with it the three full SBC members that had previously housed that sport in CUSA: Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, and Louisiana–Monroe. Southern Miss also left CUSA beach volleyball as part of its full-time move to the SBC.[43] CUSA would add three new beach volleyball members for that season; Jacksonville State joined CUSA for beach volleyball in advance of full membership that July,[44] Tulane became an associate member, and full member UTEP added a new beach volleyball program. Tarleton announced on April 24, 2023, that it would join CUSA as an associate member for the school's first season of varsity beach volleyball in 2024;[45] CUSA confirmed this on May 11, adding that Missouri State and TCU would also join in beach volleyball for the 2024 season, and that Florida Atlantic and UAB would remain in CUSA beach volleyball after otherwise departing for The American.[46]

On May 10, 2023, CUSA announced that it would add bowling, a women-only sport in the NCAA, effective in 2023–24. The Southland Bowling League, a single-sport conference established by the Southland Conference, was merged into CUSA.[47] The bowling league added Wichita State when it elevated its club team to varsity status in 2024–25.[48]

The conference unveiled a "brand refresh" on July 1, 2023, the same day that Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston joined. The former abbreviation of "C-USA" was retired in favor of "CUSA", and the logo was slightly updated.[49]

On November 27, 2023, Pete Thamel reported on X that Conference USA was expected to add Delaware as a new member for the 2025–26 season.[50] On Tuesday, November 28, 2023, both CUSA and Delaware announced on their websites and social the official move to make Delaware the eleventh all-sports member of the conference.[51][52] Six months later, on May 10, 2024, both CUSA and Missouri State University jointly announced on their respective websites that Missouri State would also join the league for the 2025–26 season, bringing league membership up to 12.[53][54] The 12-member lineup will last only one year, as UTEP, the longest-tenured current member, will leave for the Mountain West Conference in 2026.[55]

On November 5, 2024, the conference announced that former full member South Florida would join as an affiliate member in beach volleyball in 2025.[56]

Hall of Fame

[edit]

In 2019, Conference USA inducted its first Hall of Fame class, comprising 20 student-athletes, three coaches, and two administrators.[57] The inductees included former University of Cincinnati basketball player Kenyon Martin, baseball player Kevin Youkilis, and men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins.[57]


Commissioners

[edit]

Sports

[edit]

Sports sponsored

[edit]

Conference USA sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[58] Twelve schools are affiliate members—one in baseball, four in beach volleyball, six in bowling, and one in both beach volleyball and bowling. The most recent changes in sports sponsorship were the dropping of men's soccer and women's swimming and diving after the 2021–22 season, plus the addition of bowling in 2023–24.

Teams in CUSA competition[a]
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball 10 –
Basketball 10 10
Beach volleyball – 9
Bowling – 10
Cross Country 9 10
Football 10 –
Golf 9 8
Soccer – 10
Softball – 10
Tennis 5 10
Track and Field (Indoor) 8 10
Track and Field (Outdoor) 9 10
Volleyball – 10
  1. ^ Numbers of teams are as of the 2023–24 school year.

Men's sponsored sports by school

[edit]
Member Baseball Basketball XCountry Football Golf Tennis Indoor
Track
& Field 		Outdoor
Track
& Field 		Total
CUSA
Sports
FIU Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes 5
Jacksonville State Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No 6
Kennesaw State Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
Liberty Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
Louisiana Tech Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes 7
Middle Tennessee Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
New Mexico State Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
Sam Houston Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes 7
UTEP No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes 6
Western Kentucky Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes 7
Affiliate members
Dallas Baptist Yes No No No No No No No 1
Total 10 10 10 10 9 5 8 9 71
Future members
Delaware Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No 5
Missouri State Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No No 4
Total in 2025 12 12 10 12 11 6 8 9 80
Total in 2026 12 11 9 11 10 6 7 8 74

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by Conference USA

[edit]

Incoming members are highlighted in gray.

School Lacrosse Rifle[a] Soccer Swimming & diving
Delaware A-10 No Summit ASUN
FIU No No American No
Jacksonville State No IND No No
Liberty No No OVC No
Missouri State No No American MVC[b]
  1. ^ NCAA rifle is a coeducational team sport, with men and women competing with and against one another as equals. Jacksonville State fields a single coed team.
  2. ^ Missouri State has not announced conference affiliations for men's swimming & diving.

Women's sponsored sports by school

[edit]
Member Basketball Beach
Volleyball 		Bowling XCountry Golf Soccer Softball Tennis Indoor
Track
& Field 		Outdoor
Track
& Field 		Volleyball Total
CUSA
Sports
FIU Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Jacksonville State Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 11
Kennesaw State Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Liberty Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
Louisiana Tech Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Middle Tennessee Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
New Mexico State Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Sam Houston Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 11
UTEP Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Western Kentucky Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Affiliate members
Arkansas State Yes 1
Florida Atlantic Yes 1
Missouri State Yes 1
Stephen F. Austin Yes 1
Tarleton Yes 1
Tulane Yes Yes 2
UAB Yes 1
Valparaiso Yes 1
Vanderbilt Yes 1
Wichita State Yes 1
Youngstown State Yes 1
Total 10 9 10 10 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 107
Future members
Delaware Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Missouri State Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Future affiliate members
South Florida Yes 1
Total in 2025 12 9 10 12 10 12 12 12 12 12 12 126
Total in 2026 11 9 10 11 9 11 11 11 11 11 11 117

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by Conference USA

[edit]
School Acrobatics
& Tumbling[a]		 Equestrian[a] Field hockey Ice Hockey Lacrosse Rifle[b] Rowing Stunt[a] Swimming
& Diving
Delaware No No CAA[c] AHA[d] ASUN No MAC No ASUN
FIU No No No No No No No No American
Jacksonville State No No No No No IND No No No
Kennesaw State No No No No ASUN No No No No
Liberty No No Big East No ASUN No No No ASUN[e]
Missouri State IND[f] No No No No No No IND[f] MVC[g]
New Mexico State No IND No No No No No No WAC
UTEP No No No No No PRC No No No
  1. ^ a b c Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.
  2. ^ Rifle is technically classified as a men's sport by the NCAA, but allows competitors of both sexes, and also allows schools to field any combination of coed and single-sex teams. Jacksonville State and UTEP respectively field coed and women-only teams.
  3. ^ Delaware has not announced a conference affiliation for field hockey.
  4. ^ Delaware will add women's ice hockey in the 2025–26 season, coinciding with its arrival in CUSA.
  5. ^ Joining the American Athletic Conference in 2025.
  6. ^ a b Missouri State added acrobatics & tumbling and stunt in the 2024–25 season.
  7. ^ Missouri State has not announced conference affiliations for women's swimming & diving.

Football

[edit]

Conference USA used a divisional format for football from 2005 to 2021.

For the upcoming season, see 2024 Conference USA football season.
Team First
season 		All-time
record 		All-time
win % 		Bowl
appearances 		Bowl
record 		Conference
titles 		Head coach
FIU 2002 72–156 .316 5 2–3 1 Mike MacIntyre
Jacksonville State 1904 534–392–40 .573 1 1–0 25 Rich Rodriguez
Liberty 1973 280–248–4 .530 4 3–1 8 Jamey Chadwell
Louisiana Tech 1901 641–487–38 .566 13 8–4–1 25 Sonny Cumbie
Middle Tennessee 1911 562–426–28 .567 14 6–8 13 Derek Mason
New Mexico State 1893 440–664–30 .401 5 4–0–1 4 Tony Sanchez
Sam Houston 1912 573–489–36 .538 5 3–1–1 15 K. C. Keeler
UTEP 1914 408–623–28 .398 15 5–10 2 Scotty Walden
Western Kentucky 1908 589–409–31 .587 15 10–5 13 Tyson Helton

[59]

CUSA champions

Main article: Conference USA Football Championship Game

Bowl games

Through the 2023 season, the highest-ranked champion from the so-called "Group of Five" conferences (The American, CUSA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt) was guaranteed a berth in one of the non-semifinal bowls of the College Football Playoff if the group's top team was not in the playoff.[60] Starting in 2024, at least one Group of Five conference champion will receive a berth in the expanded 12-team CFP.

Name Location Stadium Opposing Conference
Cotton Bowl Classic Arlington, Texas AT&T Stadium at-large
Fiesta Bowl Glendale, Arizona State Farm Stadium at-large
Peach Bowl Atlanta, Georgia Mercedes-Benz Stadium at-large

For the 2014–19 seasons, Conference USA was guaranteed at least five of the following bowl games. Stadiums and names reflect those in use during that period.

Name Location Stadium Opposing Conference
Arizona Bowl Tucson, Arizona Arizona Stadium Mountain West
Armed Forces Bowl Fort Worth, Texas Amon G. Carter Stadium The American
Army
Big 12
Big Ten
Mountain West
Bahamas Bowl Nassau, Bahamas Thomas Robinson Stadium The American
MAC
Sun Belt
Boca Raton Bowl Boca Raton, Florida FAU Stadium The American
MAC
First Responder Bowl Dallas, Texas Cotton Bowl Big 12
Big Ten
Frisco Bowl Frisco, Texas Toyota Stadium The American
Hawaii Bowl Honolulu, Hawaii Aloha Stadium Mountain West
Independence Bowl Shreveport, Louisiana Independence Stadium ACC
SEC
Miami Beach Bowl Miami, Florida Marlins Park The American
New Mexico Bowl Albuquerque, New Mexico Dreamstyle Stadium Mountain West
New Orleans Bowl New Orleans, Louisiana Mercedes-Benz Superdome Sun Belt
Gasparilla Bowl Tampa, Florida Raymond James Stadium The American

Rivalries

Current or former CUSA in-conference rivalries:

Teams Rivalry Name Trophy Meetings Record Series Leader Current Streak
Florida Atlantic FIU Shula Bowl Don Shula Award 19 14–5 Florida Atlantic Florida Atlantic won 4
Louisiana Tech Southern Miss Rivalry in Dixie — 52 17–35 Southern Miss Louisiana Tech won 2
Middle Tennessee Western Kentucky 100 Miles of Hate — 70 35–34–1 Middle Tennessee WKU won 2
Middle Tennessee Troy Battle for the Palladium The Palladium 22 13–9 Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee won 1
Western Kentucky Marshall Moonshine Throwdown — 13 8–5 Marshall Western Kentucky won 1
North Texas SMU Safeway Bowl — 41 34–6–1 SMU SMU won 3
Rice Houston Houston–Rice rivalry Bayou Bucket 43 11–32 Houston Houston won 6
Rice SMU Battle for the Mayor's Cup Mayor's Cup 90 41–48–1 SMU Rice won 1

Men's basketball

[edit]

For the current season, see 2024–25 Conference USA men's basketball season.

See also: Conference USA men's basketball tournament and Conference USA Men's Basketball Player of the Year

This list goes through the 2022–23 season.[61]

Team First
season[a] 		All-time
record 		All-time
win % 		NCAA Tournament
appearances[b] 		NCAA Tournament
record 		Arena Head coach
FIU 1982 486–714 .405 1 0–1 Ocean Bank Convocation Center Jeremy Ballard
Jacksonville State 1926 1238–884 .583 2 0–2 Pete Mathews Coliseum Ray Harper
Liberty 1973 793–753 .513 5 1–5 Liberty Arena[c] Ritchie McKay
Louisiana Tech 1910 1452–1074 .575 5 4–5 Thomas Assembly Center Talvin Hester
Middle Tennessee 1914 1302–1133 .535 9 4–9 Murphy Center Nick McDevitt
New Mexico State 1905 1302–1133 .535 26 11–27 Pan American Center Jason Hooten
Sam Houston 1918 1401–1174 .544 2 0–2 Bernard Johnson Coliseum Chris Mudge
UTEP 1915 1448–1126 .563 17 14–16 Don Haskins Center Joe Golding
Western Kentucky 1915 1872–973 .658 23 19–24 E. A. Diddle Arena Rick Stansbury
  1. ^ Reflects the calendar year in which the first season ended.
  2. ^ Division I only.
  3. ^ Liberty also schedules occasional games at the Vines Center.

Women's basketball

[edit]
See also: Conference USA women's basketball tournament

This list goes through the 2022–23 season.[62]

Team First
season[a] 		All-time
record 		All-time
win % 		NCAA Tournament
appearances[b] 		NCAA Tournament
record 		Arena Head coach
FIU 1976 758–606 .556 0 0–0 Ocean Bank Convocation Center Jesyka Burks-Wiley
Jacksonville State 1984 519–600 .464 0 0–0 Pete Mathews Coliseum Rick Pietri
Liberty 1976 824–547 .601 16 2–16 Liberty Arena[c] Carey Green
Louisiana Tech 1975 1193–387 .755 30 65–28 Thomas Assembly Center Brooke Stoehr
Middle Tennessee 1976 998–450 .689 20 5–20 Murphy Center Rick Insell
New Mexico State 1983 634–572 .526 6 0–6 Pan American Center Jody Adams-Birch
Sam Houston 1970 659–834 .441 0 0–0 Bernard Johnson Coliseum Ravon Justice
UTEP 1975 632–716 .469 2 1–2 Don Haskins Center Keitha Adams
Western Kentucky 1915 1070–541 .664 20 17–20 E. A. Diddle Arena Greg Collins
  1. ^ Reflects the calendar year in which the first season ended.
  2. ^ Division I only,
  3. ^ Liberty also schedules occasional games at the Vines Center,

Baseball

[edit]
See also: Conference USA Baseball Tournament

Championships

[edit]

Current CUSA champions

[edit]

Champions from the previous school year are indicated with the calendar year of their title. "RS" is regular season, "T" is tournament. Women's swimming & diving was dropped after the 2021–22 season.

  1. ^ No regular-season championship is awarded because teams do not play the same number of conference matches. TCU was the top seed in the CUSA tournament.

National champions

[edit]

The only current CUSA member to have won a national team championship while a member of the conference is Jacksonville State, which won the 2024 bowling championship in its first season of both varsity bowling and CUSA membership. The only other school to have won such a championship while a CUSA member is Marshall, which moved to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. Marshall won the 2020–21 men's soccer championship in May 2021 (with the tournament having moved from its normal schedule in fall 2020 to spring 2021 due to COVID-19).

The following current and future CUSA teams have won national championships when they were not affiliated with CUSA. Current associate members, indicated in italics, are listed with championships they won in their CUSA sports.

School National titles Sport Years
Delaware 17 Equestrian 1997
Figure Skating 2002, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Field Hockey 2016
Football (Division I FCS) 2003
Football (Division II) 1979
Football (College Division) 1946, 1963, 1971, 1972
Women's Lacrosse 1983
Women's Lacrosse (AIAW Division II) 1981, 1982
FIU 2 Men's Soccer (Division II) 1982, 1984
Jacksonville State 6 Baseball (Division II) 1990, 1991
Men's basketball (Division II) 1985
Football (Division II) 1992
Women's gymnastics (Division II) 1984, 1985
Kennesaw State 5 Baseball (Division II) 1996
Men's basketball (Division II) 2004
Women's soccer (Division II) 2003
Softball (Division II) 1995, 1996
Louisiana Tech 5 Football (Division II) 1972, 1973
Women's basketball 1981 (AIAW), 1982, 1988
Missouri State 3 Field hockey (AIAW Division II) 1979
Men's golf (Division II) 1983
Softball (AIAW) 1974
Sam Houston 2 Bowling 2014
Football (Division I FCS) 2020
Stephen F. Austin 2 Bowling 2016, 2019
UTEP 21 Men's basketball 1966
Men's outdoor track and field 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982
Men's indoor track and field 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982
Men's cross country 1969, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981
Vanderbilt 3 Bowling 2007, 2018, 2023
Western Kentucky 1 Football (Division I FCS) 2002
Total 84
See also: List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships and List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships

Facilities

[edit]

Future members are denoted in blue. Departing members are denoted in red.

School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball park Capacity
Dallas Baptist Baseball-only member Horner Ballpark 3,492
Delaware Delaware Stadium 18,500 Bob Carpenter Center 5,000 Bob Hannah Stadium 1,300
FIU Pitbull Stadium 20,000 Ocean Bank Convocation Center 5,000 Infinity Insurance Park 2,000
Jacksonville State JSU Stadium 24,000 Pete Mathews Coliseum 3,500 Rudy Abbott Field 1,000
Kennesaw State Fifth Third Stadium 10,200 KSU Convocation Center 4,600 Fred Stillwell Stadium 900
Liberty Williams Stadium 25,000 Liberty Arena[a] 4,000 Liberty Baseball Stadium 2,500
Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium 28,562 Thomas Assembly Center 8,098 J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park 2,000
Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium 30,788 Murphy Center 11,802 Reese Smith Jr. Field 2,600
Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium 17,500 Great Southern Bank Arena 11,000 Hammons Field 7,986
New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium 28,853 Pan American Center 12,482 Presley Askew Field 1,000
Sam Houston Bowers Stadium[b] 12,593 Bernard Johnson Coliseum 6,110 Don Sanders Stadium 1,163
UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium 51,500 Don Haskins Center 12,222 Non-baseball school
Western Kentucky Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium 23,776 E. A. Diddle Arena 7,326 Nick Denes Field 1,500
Notes
  1. ^ Liberty also schedules basketball games at the Vines Center (capacity 9,547).
  2. ^ Sam Houston schedules one nominal home game each season at NRG Stadium (capacity 72,220) in Houston.

Athletic department revenue by school

[edit]

Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.

Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.

The following table shows institutional reporting to the United States Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2021–22 academic year.[63]

Incoming school in light gray.

Institution 2021–22 Total Revenue from Athletics 2021–22 Total Expenses on Athletics
Liberty University $57,423,638 $57,423,638
University of Delaware $41,625,478 $41,625,478
Florida International University $39,299,776 $35,610,534
Middle Tennessee State University $35,614,512 $35,614,512
New Mexico State University $31,168,241 $31,168,241
Western Kentucky University $28,545,295 $28,545,295
University of Texas at El Paso $26,215,359 $25,236,319
Louisiana Tech University $25,976,375 $25,579,294
Kennesaw State University $25,178,544 $20,022,946
Sam Houston State University $20,600,321 $19,861,089
Jacksonville State University $18,344,447 $18,344,447

Media

[edit]

In 2016, CUSA began a long-term television contract with lead partners ESPN and CBS Sports Network, with ESPN carrying 5 football games and the football championship game; and CBSSN carrying 6 football games, 5 basketball games, and both the men's and women's basketball championship games.[64] CUSA also renewed and expanded its partnership with American Sports Network; owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, ASN will carry between 15 and 30 football games; between 13 and 55 men's basketball games; and between 2 and 5 women's basketball games. ASN will also carry 10 events in other C-USA sports.[65]

The conference also entered into a contract with beIN Sports for 10 football games (marking the first domestic American football rights the network has ever acquired, and the first broadcast rights deal it had ever entered into with a college conference), 10 men's and 10 women's basketball games, 12 baseball and 12 softball games, 10 men's and 10 women's soccer games (excluding conference men's soccer games at Kentucky and South Carolina, covered by their primary conference's contract), and 10 women's volleyball games.[66]

The total values of the 2016 contracts are notably lower than those of the previous contracts (which included Fox Sports).[64]

Former men's soccer associate members Kentucky and South Carolina have an agreement with their primary conference for other sports to carry all home matches online through the SEC Network service. This included all of those teams' matches against CUSA opponents before the two schools moved men's soccer to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. ESPN and the SEC Network had first rights to all CUSA home men's soccer matches featuring both schools.

In 2017 American Sports Network and Campus Insiders merged creating Stadium.[67] Stadium's C-USA content will be available to stream on Twitter and Pluto TV.[68] In 2017 Stadium completed a deal with Facebook to exclusively stream some C-USA football games.[69] In 2017 CUSA entered an agreement with the streaming subscription service FloSports to stream three football games.[70]

CUSA.tv

[edit]

In 2016 CUSA partnered with SIDEARM Sports to create a subscription based streaming service named CUSA.tv. In a statement CUSA Commissioner Judy MacLeod said, "Thanks to our partnership with SIDEARM Sports, this new site showcases a clean modern look with easy access to information and we are proud to offer live content and original feature stories through our CUSA.tv."[71] Various sports including football, basketball, and baseball will exclusively air on CUSA.tv when they are not picked up by other networks.

Academics

[edit]

One of the departing member schools, Rice University, is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada.[72] Six of the Conference's 14 members are doctorate-granting universities with "very high research activity," the highest classification given by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; however, four of these six schools (Charlotte, North Texas, Rice, UTSA) are leaving for the American Athletic Conference in July 2023.[73] A majority of the Conference's members are ranked as Tier One National Universities in U.S. News & World Report's 2022 Best Colleges rankings.

Of the incoming members:

  • Delaware is in the Carnegie Foundation's "very high research activity" classification, and tied for #76 in US News' "National Universities" classification.
  • Jacksonville State is in the Carnegie Foundation's "Master's Colleges and Universities (Larger Programs)" classification, and is not ranked by US News as a national university, instead being classified as a Southern "Regional University".
  • Kennesaw State is in the Carnegie Foundation's "high research activity" classification, and ranked between 331 and 440 in US News' "National Universities" classification.
  • Liberty is in the Carnegie Foundation's "Doctoral/Professional" classification, and also ranked between 331 and 440 in US News' "National Universities" classification.
  • New Mexico State is in the Carnegie Foundation's "high research activity" classification, and tied for #263 in US News' "National Universities" classification.
  • Sam Houston is in the Carnegie Foundation's "high research activity" classification, and also in a tie for #263 in US News' "National Universities" classification.
University Affiliation Carnegie[73] Endowment[74] US News[75] Forbes[76]
Florida International University Public (SUSF) Research (Very High) $230,954,000 162 145
Louisiana Tech University Public (UL System) Research (High) N/A[d 1] 277 494
Middle Tennessee State University Public (TBR) Doctoral/Professional $75,710,000 288 362
University of Texas at El Paso Public (UT System) Research (Very High) N/A[d 1] RNP [d 2] 547
Western Kentucky University Public Doctoral/Professional $118,396,000 RNP [d 2] 521
Notes
  1. ^ a b Louisiana Tech and UTEP did not participate in the 2013 NACUBO Endowment Study.
  2. ^ a b In the 2022 US News national university rankings, UTEP and Western Kentucky are listed as Rank Not Published (RNP), otherwise known as Tier Two.

References

[edit]
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  25. ^ "Tulsa set to join league for 2014–15 season". April 2, 2013.
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  27. ^ Scarborough, Alex (June 1, 2015). "UAB reinstates football for 2016". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
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  31. ^ Thamel, Pete (October 18, 2021). "Sources: The AAC is close to massive 6-school expansion to reshape conference". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  32. ^ Dinich, Heather (October 19, 2021). "Source: Six schools officially apply to join American Athletic Conference". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
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  34. ^ "American Announces Entrance Agreements With Incoming Members for 2023–24 Season" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  35. ^ "Southern Miss Accepts Invitation to the Sun Belt Conference". Southern Miss. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
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[edit]
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