| Conference USA | |
| Founded: | 1995[1] |
| Association: | NCAA |
| Division: | Division I |
| Subdivision: | FBS |
| Teams: | 10 (12 in 2025) |
| Sports: | 19[2] |
| Mens: | 8 |
| Womens: | 11 |
| Region: | Southern United States and Western United States |
| Headquarters: | Dallas, Texas |
| Commissioner: | Judy MacLeod |
| Since: | 2015 |
| Color: |
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| Font Color: |
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| Map Size: | 250 |
Conference USA (CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas.
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.[3] 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.
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.
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., the likeliest scenario was an all-sports alliance in which both conferences retained separate identities.[4] 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.[4] 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.
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.[5] [6]
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.[7] 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.[8] The return of football was later pushed back to 2017 with their first game in September.[9] 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.[10]
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.[11]
See also: 2021–2024 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.[12] ESPN reported the next day that The American had received all six schools' applications,[13] and The American announced all six as future members on October 21, though it did not announce the effective date.[14] The entry date would eventually be confirmed as July 1, 2023.[15]
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.[16] 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,[17] followed later in the week by Marshall.[18] 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.[19]
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.[20] [21]
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.[22] One week later, CUSA officially announced Kennesaw State's 2024 entry.[23]
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.[24] 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,[25] 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;[26] 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.[27]
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.[28] The bowling league added Wichita State when it elevated its club team to varsity status in 2024–25.[29]
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.[30]
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.[31] 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.[32] [33] 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.[34] [35]
In 2019, Conference USA inducted its first Hall of Fame class, comprising 20 student-athletes, three coaches, and two administrators.[36] The inductees included former University of Cincinnati basketball player Kenyon Martin, baseball player Kevin Youkilis, and men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins.[36]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Endowment (millions) | Nickname | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida International University | Miami, Florida | 1965 | 2013 | Public | 58,064[37] | $276 | Panthers | |
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville, Alabama | 1883 | 2023 | 9,238 | $57 | Gamecocks | ||
| Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, Georgia | 1963 | 2024 | 45,152[38] | $100[39] | Owls | ||
| Liberty University | Lynchburg, Virginia | 1971 | 2023 | Private (Evangelical Protestant) | 95,148[40] | $1,714[41] | Flames & Lady Flames | |
| Louisiana Tech University | Ruston, Louisiana | 1894 | 2013 | Public | 12,467[42] | $117.9 | Bulldogs & Lady Techsters | |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | 1911 | 21,913[43] | $108.9 | Blue Raiders | |||
| New Mexico State University | Las Cruces, New Mexico | 1888 | 2023 | 21,694[44] | $235.9 | Aggies | ||
| Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, Texas | 1879 | 21,679[45] | $152.3 | Bearkats | |||
| El Paso, Texas | 1914 | 2005 | 25,151[46] | $241.7 | Miners | |||
| Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, Kentucky | 1906 | 2014 | 19,456[47] | $209.5 | Hilltoppers & Lady Toppers |
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Endowment (millions) | Nickname | Colors | Current conference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Delaware | Newark, Delaware | 1743 | July 1, 2025 | Public | 23,774[48] | $1,770[49] | Blue Hens | CAA | ||
| Missouri State University | Springfield, Missouri | 1905 | July 1, 2025 | Public | 26,000[50] | $193 | Bears & Lady Bears | Missouri Valley |
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.
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.
Period = from:1995 till:2032TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalPlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.6,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two id:OtherC3 value:rgb(0.999,0.859,0.984) # Use this color to denote a team that has move to another conference, when OtherC1 and OtherC2 have already been used
PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:FullxF from:1995 till:1996 text:Cincinnati (1995–2005) bar:1 color:Full from:1996 till:2005 bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:Big East bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2023 text:American bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:Big 12
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2005 text:DePaul (1995–2005) bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:Big East bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:Big East
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1995 till:1996 text:Louisville (1995–2005) bar:3 color:Full from:1996 till:2005 bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:Big East bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2014 text:American bar:3 shift:(15) color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text: ACC
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2005 text:Marquette (1995–2005) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:Big East bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:Big East
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2005 text:Saint Louis (1995–2005) bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:end text:Atlantic 10
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2003 text:South Florida (1995–2003) bar:6 color:Full from:2003 till:2005 text:(2003–2005) bar:6 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:Big East bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:American
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2005 text:Charlotte (1995–2005) bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:end text:Atlantic 10 bar:7 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2015 text:(2013–2015) bar:7 shift:(20) color:Full from:2015 till:2023 text:(2015–2023) bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:American
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1995 till:1996 text:Southern Miss (1995–2022) bar:8 color:Full from:1996 till:2022 bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text:Sun Belt
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1995 till:1999 text:UAB (1995–1999) bar:9 color:Full from:1999 till:2015 text:(1999–2015) bar:9 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2017 text:(2015–2017) bar:9 shift:(20) color:Full from:2017 till:2023 text:(2017–2023) bar:9 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:end text: (Beach volleyball, 2023–present)
bar:10 color:FullxF from:1995 till:1996 text:Memphis (1995–2013) bar:10 color:Full from:1996 till:2013 bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:American
bar:11 color:FullxF from:1995 till:1996 text:Tulane (1995–2014) bar:11 color:Full from:1996 till:2014 bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:2022 text:American bar:11 color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:(Beach volleyball, 2022–present; bowling, 2023–present)
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:1996 text:SWC bar:12 color:Full from:1996 till:2013 text:Houston (1996–2013) bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:American bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:Big 12
bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:1997 text:CAA bar:13 color:AssocF from:1997 till:2001 text:East Carolina (1997–2001) bar:13 shift:(30) color:Full from:2001 till:2014 text:(2001–2014) bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text: American
bar:14 color:AssocF from:1998 till:2005 text:Army (1998–2005)
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:1996 text:SWC bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2001 text:WAC bar:15 color:Full from:2001 till:2005 text:TCU (2001–2005) bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2012 text:Mountain West bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2023 text:Big 12 bar:15 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:2024 text: (Beach volleyball, 2023–2024) bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:
bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2001 text:TAAC bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2005 text:ASUN bar:16 color:Full from:2005 till:2013 text:Central Florida (2005–2013) bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:American bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:Big 12
bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:1996 text:SWC bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2005 text:WAC bar:17 color:Full from:2005 till:2013 text:SMU (2005–2013) bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2024 text:American bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text: ACC
bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:1996 text:MVC bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2005 text:WAC bar:18 color:Full from:2005 till:2014 text:Tulsa (2005–2014) bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text: American
bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:1997 text:SoCon bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:1997 till:2005 text:MAC bar:19 color:Full from:2005 till:2022 text:Marshall (2005–2022) bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text:Sun Belt
bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:1996 text:MVC bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2005 text:WAC bar:20 color:Full from:2005 till:2023 text:Rice (2005–2023) bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:American
bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2005 text:WAC bar:21 color:Full from:2005 till:end text:UTEP (2005–present)
bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:1998 text:TAAC bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:2005 text:Sun Belt bar:22 color:AssocOS from:2005 till:end text:FIU (Men's soccer, 2005–2013) bar:22 color:Full from:2013 till:end text:(2013–present)
bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2001 text:TAAC bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2006 text:ASUN bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:2006 till:2013 text:Sun Belt bar:25 color:Full from:2013 till:2023 text:Florida Atlantic (2013–2023) bar:25 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:end text: (Beach volleyball, 2023–present)
bar:26 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2001 text:Sun Belt bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:2013 text:WAC bar:26 color:Full from:2013 till:end text:Louisiana Tech (2013–present)
bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2000 text:OVC bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2013 text:Sun Belt bar:27 color:Full from:2013 till:end text:Middle Tennessee (2013–present)
bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:1996 text:Southland bar:28 shift:(30) color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2000 text:Big West bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2013 text:Sun Belt bar:28 color:Full from:2013 till:2023 text:North Texas (2013–2023) bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:American
bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2013 text:CAA bar:29 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2014 text:Old Dominion (2013–2022) bar:29 color:Full from:2014 till:2022 bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text:Sun Belt
bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2012 text:Southland bar:30 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2013 text:WAC bar:30 color:Full from:2013 till:2023 text:UTSA (2013–2023) bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:American
bar:31 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2014 text:Sun Belt bar:31 color:Full from:2014 till:end text:Western Kentucky (2014–present)
bar:32 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2001 text:TAAC bar:32 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2003 text:ASUN bar:32 color:OtherC2 from:2003 till:2022 text:OVC bar:32 color:AssocOS from:2022 till:2023 text:Jacksonville State (Beach volleyball, 2022–2023; full, 2023–present) bar:32 color:Full from:2023 till:end
bar:33 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2018 text:Big South bar:33 color:OtherC2 from:2018 till:2023 text:ASUN bar:33 color:Full from:2023 till:end text:Liberty (2023–present)
bar:34 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2000 text:Big West bar:34 color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2005 text:Sun Belt bar:34 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2023 text:WAC bar:34 color:Full from:2023 till:end text:New Mexico State (2023–present)
bar:35 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2021 text:Southland bar:35 color:OtherC2 from:2021 till:2023 text:WAC bar:35 color:Full from:2023 till:end text:Sam Houston (2023–present)
bar:43 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2005 text:Peach Belt bar:43 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2024 text:ASUN bar:43 color:Full from:2024 till:end text:Kennesaw State (2024–present)
bar:44 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2001 text:America East bar:44 color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:2025 text:CAA bar:44 color:Full from:2025 till:end text:Delaware (2025–future)
bar:45 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2023 text:Missouri Valley bar:45 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:2025 text:Missouri State (Beach volleyball, 2023–2025; full, 2025–future) bar:45 color:Full from:2025 till:end
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:1995
TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Conference USA Membership History"
Conference USA sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[53] 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.
| Men's | Women's | ||
| 10 | – | ||
| 10 | 10 | ||
| align=left | – | 9 | |
| align=left | – | 10 | |
| 9 | 10 | ||
| 10 | – | ||
| 9 | 8 | ||
| – | 10 | ||
| – | 10 | ||
| 5 | 10 | ||
| 8 | 10 | ||
| 9 | 10 | ||
| – | 10 |
| Member | Baseball | Basketball | XCountry | Football | Golf | Tennis | Indoor Track & Field | Outdoor Track & Field | Total CUSA Sports | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIU | 5 | |||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 6 | |||||||||
| Kennesaw State | 8 | |||||||||
| Liberty | 8 | |||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 7 | |||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 8 | |||||||||
| New Mexico State | 8 | |||||||||
| Sam Houston | 7 | |||||||||
| UTEP | 6 | |||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 7 | |||||||||
| Affiliate members | ||||||||||
| Dallas Baptist | 1 | |||||||||
| Total | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 71 | |
| Future members | ||||||||||
| Delaware | 5 | |||||||||
| Missouri State | 4 | |||||||||
| Total in 2025 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 80 | |
Incoming members are highlighted in gray.
| School | Lacrosse | Rifle | Soccer | Swimming & diving | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | No | ASUN | |||
| FIU | No | No | No | ||
| Jacksonville State | No | IND | No | No | |
| Liberty | No | No | No | ||
| Missouri State | No | No | MVC |
| Member | Basketball | Beach Volleyball | Bowling | XCountry | Golf | Soccer | Softball | Tennis | Indoor Track & Field | Outdoor Track & Field | Volleyball | Total CUSA Sports | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIU | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kennesaw State | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberty | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sam Houston | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affiliate members | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | Arkansas State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | Florida Atlantic | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | Missouri State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | Stephen F. Austin | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | Tarleton | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | UAB | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | Valparaiso | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | Vanderbilt | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | Wichita State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| align=left | Youngstown State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 107 | ||||||||||||||
| Future members | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri State | 10 | - | Future affiliate members --> | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total in 2025 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 126 | ||||||||||||||
| School | Acrobatics & Tumbling | Equestrian | Field hockey | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Rifle | Rowing | Stunt | Swimming & Diving | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | No | No | No | 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 | No | No | No | No | ||
| Liberty | No | No | No | No | No | No | ASUN | |||
| Missouri State | IND | No | No | No | No | No | No | IND | MVC | |
| New Mexico State | No | IND | No | No | No | No | No | No | WAC | |
| UTEP | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
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 | 5 | 2–3 | 1 | |||
| Jacksonville State | 1904 | 534–392–40 | 1 | 1–0 | 25 | |||
| Liberty | 1973 | 280–248–4 | 4 | 3–1 | 8 | |||
| Louisiana Tech | 1901 | 641–487–38 | 13 | 8–4–1 | 25 | |||
| Middle Tennessee | 1911 | 562–426–28 | 14 | 6–8 | 13 | |||
| New Mexico State | 1893 | 440–664–30 | 5 | 4–0–1 | 4 | |||
| Sam Houston | 1912 | 550–472–35 | 5 | 3–1–1 | 15 | |||
| UTEP | 1914 | 408–623–28 | 15 | 5–10 | 2 | |||
| Western Kentucky | 1908 | 589–409–31 | 15 | 10–5 | 13 |
CUSA champions
See 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.[55] Starting in 2024, at least one Group of Five conference champion will receive a berth in the expanded 12-team CFP.
| width=190 | Name | width=190 | Location | width=190 | Stadium | width=190 | 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.
Rivalries
Current or former CUSA in-conference rivalries:
| Teams | Rivalry Name | Trophy | Meetings | width=55 | Record ! | Series Leader | Current Streak | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Atlantic | FIU | Shula Bowl | Don Shula Award | 19 | 14–5 | Florida Atlantic | Florida Atlantic won 4 | |
| Southern Miss | Rivalry in Dixie | — | 52 | 17–35 | Southern Miss | Louisiana Tech won 2 | ||
| Western Kentucky | 100 Miles of Hate | — | 70 | 35–34–1 | Middle Tennessee | WKU won 2 | ||
| Troy | Battle for the Palladium | The Palladium | 22 | 13–9 | Middle Tennessee | Middle Tennessee won 1 | ||
| Marshall | Moonshine Throwdown | — | 13 | 8–5 | Marshall | Western Kentucky won 1 | ||
| SMU | Safeway Bowl | — | 41 | 34–6–1 | SMU | SMU won 3 | ||
| Houston | Houston–Rice rivalry | Bayou Bucket | 43 | 11–32 | Houston | Houston won 6 | ||
| SMU | Battle for the Mayor's Cup | Mayor's Cup | 90 | 41–48–1 | SMU | Rice won 1 | ||
For the current season, see 2023–24 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.[56]
| Team | First season | All-time record | All-time win % | NCAA Tournament appearances | NCAA Tournament record | Arena | Head coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIU | 1982 | 486–714 | 1 | 0–1 | Ocean Bank Convocation Center | Jeremy Ballard | ||
| Jacksonville State | 1926 | 1238–884 | 2 | 0–2 | Pete Mathews Coliseum | Ray Harper | ||
| Liberty | 1973 | 793–753 | 5 | 1–5 | Liberty Arena | Ritchie McKay | ||
| Louisiana Tech | 1910 | 1452–1074 | 5 | 4–5 | Thomas Assembly Center | Talvin Hester | ||
| Middle Tennessee | 1914 | 1302–1133 | 9 | 4–9 | Murphy Center | Nick McDevitt | ||
| New Mexico State | 1905 | 1302–1133 | 26 | 11–27 | Pan American Center | Jason Hooten | ||
| Sam Houston | 1918 | 1401–1174 | 2 | 0–2 | Bernard Johnson Coliseum | Chris Mudge | ||
| UTEP | 1915 | 1448–1126 | 17 | 14–16 | Don Haskins Center | Joe Golding | ||
| Western Kentucky | 1915 | 1872–973 | 23 | 19–24 | E. A. Diddle Arena | Rick Stansbury |
See also: Conference USA women's basketball tournament. This list goes through the 2022–23 season.[57]
| Team | First season | All-time record | All-time win % | NCAA Tournament appearances | NCAA Tournament record | Arena | Head coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIU | 1976 | 758–606 | 0 | 0–0 | Ocean Bank Convocation Center | Jesyka Burks-Wiley | ||
| Jacksonville State | 1984 | 519–600 | 0 | 0–0 | Pete Mathews Coliseum | Rick Pietri | ||
| Liberty | 1976 | 824–547 | 16 | 2–16 | Liberty Arena | Carey Green | ||
| Louisiana Tech | 1975 | 1193–387 | 30 | 65–28 | Thomas Assembly Center | Brooke Stoehr | ||
| Middle Tennessee | 1976 | 998–450 | 20 | 5–20 | Murphy Center | Rick Insell | ||
| New Mexico State | 1983 | 634–572 | 6 | 0–6 | Pan American Center | Jody Adams-Birch | ||
| Sam Houston | 1970 | 659–834 | 0 | 0–0 | Bernard Johnson Coliseum | Ravon Justice | ||
| UTEP | 1975 | 632–716 | 2 | 1–2 | Don Haskins Center | Keitha Adams | ||
| Western Kentucky | 1915 | 1070–541 | 20 | 17–20 | E. A. Diddle Arena | Greg Collins |
See also: Conference USA Baseball Tournament.
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.Fall 2023
| Sport | School | |
|---|---|---|
| Football | Liberty (RS & Championship Game) | |
| Soccer (W) | New Mexico State (RS) Liberty (T) | |
| Volleyball (W) | Western Kentucky (RS & T) | |
| Cross Country (M) | Middle Tennessee | |
| Cross Country (W) | Middle Tennessee |
| Sport | School | |
|---|---|---|
| Basketball (M) | Sam Houston (RS) Western Kentucky (T) | |
| Basketball (W) | Middle Tennessee (RS & T) | |
| Bowling (W) | Jacksonville State | |
| Indoor Track & Field (M) | Liberty | |
| Indoor Track & Field (W) | Liberty |
| Sport | School | |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Louisiana Tech (RS) Dallas Baptist (T) | |
| Softball | Liberty (RS & T) | |
| Beach Volleyball (W) | TCU | |
| Outdoor Track & Field (M) | Liberty | |
| Outdoor Track & Field (W) | Liberty | |
| Golf (M) | Liberty | |
| Golf (W) | Sam Houston | |
| Tennis (M) | Middle Tennessee | |
| Tennis (W) | FIU |
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.
Future members are denoted in blue.
| Baseball-only member | Horner Ballpark | 3,492 | |||||
| style=" | Delaware Stadium | 18,500 | Bob Carpenter Center | 5,000 | Bob Hannah Stadium | 1,300 | |
| Pitbull Stadium | 20,000 | Ocean Bank Convocation Center | 5,000 | Infinity Insurance Park | 2,000 | ||
| JSU Stadium | 24,000 | Pete Mathews Coliseum | 3,500 | Rudy Abbott Field | 1,000 | ||
| Fifth Third Bank Stadium | 8,300 | KSU Convocation Center | 4,600 | Stillwell Stadium | 900 | ||
| Williams Stadium | 25,000 | Liberty Arena | 4,000 | Liberty Baseball Stadium | 2,500 | ||
| Joe Aillet Stadium | 28,562 | Thomas Assembly Center | 8,098 | J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park | 2,000 | ||
| Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium | 30,788 | Murphy Center | 11,802 | Reese Smith Jr. Field | 2,600 | ||
| Robert W. Plaster Stadium | 17,500 | Great Southern Bank Arena | 11,000 | Hammons Field | 7,986 | ||
| Aggie Memorial Stadium | 28,853 | Pan American Center | 12,482 | Presley Askew Field | 1,000 | ||
| Bowers Stadium | 12,593 | Bernard Johnson Coliseum | 6,110 | Don Sanders Stadium | 1,163 | ||
| Sun Bowl Stadium | 46,670 | Don Haskins Center | 12,222 | Non-baseball school | |||
| Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium | 23,776 | E. A. Diddle Arena | 7,326 | Nick Denes Field | 1,500 |
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.[58]
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 |
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.[59] 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.[60]
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.[61]
The total values of the 2016 contracts are notably lower than those of the previous contracts (which included Fox Sports).[59]
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.[62] Stadium's C-USA content will be available to stream on Twitter and Pluto TV.[63] In 2017 Stadium completed a deal with Facebook to exclusively stream some C-USA football games.[64] In 2017 CUSA entered an agreement with the streaming subscription service FloSports to stream three football games.[65]
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."[66] Various sports including football, basketball, and baseball will exclusively air on CUSA.tv when they are not picked up by other networks.
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.[67] 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.[68] A majority of the Conference's members are ranked as Tier One National Universities in U.S. News & World Reports 2022 Best Colleges rankings.
Of the incoming members:
| University | Affiliation | Carnegie | Endowment[69] | US News[70] | Forbes[71] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public (SUSF) | Research (Very High) | $230,954,000 | 162 | |||
| Public (UL System) | Research (High) | N/A | 277 | |||
| Public (TBR) | Doctoral/Professional | $75,710,000 | 288 | |||
| Public (UT System) | Research (Very High) | N/A | RNP | |||
| Public | Doctoral/Professional | $118,396,000 | RNP |