Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox sports league

Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate 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 schoolsEdit

Current full membersEdit

Template:Color box Member departing for the Mountain West Conference in 2026.

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment
(millions)
Nickname Colors
Florida International University Miami, FloridaTemplate:Efn 1965Template:Efn 2013Template:Efn Public citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

$276 Panthers Template:College color boxes
Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, Alabama 1883 2023Template:Efn citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

$57 Gamecocks Template:College color boxes
Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GeorgiaTemplate:Efn 1963 2024 citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Owls Template:College color boxes
Liberty University Lynchburg, Virginia 1971 2023 Private
(Evangelical Protestant)
citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>Template:Efn

$1,714<ref name=endowment>As of June 30, 2020. Template:Cite report</ref> Flames & Lady Flames Template:College color boxes
Louisiana Tech University Ruston, Louisiana 1894 2013 Public citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

$117.9 Bulldogs & Lady Techsters Template:College color boxes
Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, Tennessee 1911 21,913<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> $108.9 Blue Raiders Template:College color boxes
New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico 1888 2023 citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

$235.9 Aggies Template:College color boxes
Sam Houston State University Huntsville, Texas 1879 citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

$152.3 Bearkats Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort El Paso, Texas 1914 2005 Public citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

$241.7 Miners Template:College color boxes
Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky 1906 2014Template:Efn Public citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

$209.5 Hilltoppers & Lady Toppers Template:College color boxes
Notes

Template:Notelist

Membership mapEdit

Template:Location map+

Future membersEdit

Institution Location Founded Joining Type Enrollment Endowment
(millions)
Nickname Colors Current
conference
University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 1743 July 1, 2025 PublicTemplate:Efn citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Blue Hens Template:College color boxes CAATemplate:Efn
Missouri State University Springfield, Missouri 1905 July 1, 2025Template:Efn Public citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

$193 Bears & Lady BearsTemplate:Efn Template:College color boxes Missouri ValleyTemplate:Efn
Notes

Template:Notelist

Affiliate membersEdit

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 Template:College color boxes Bowling Sun Belt
Dallas Baptist University Dallas, Texas 1898 2022 Private 4,487 Patriots Template:College color boxes Baseball Lone StarTemplate:Efn
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida 1961 2023Template:Efn Public 30,808 Owls Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball The American
Missouri State University Springfield, Missouri 1905 2023 Public 24,224 Beach Bears Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball MVC
Template:Small
Stephen F. Austin State University (Stephen F. Austin) Nacogdoches, Texas 1923 2023 Public 11,946 Ladyjacks Template:College color boxes Bowling Southland
Tarleton State University (Tarleton) Stephenville, Texas 1899 2023 Public 11,350 Texans Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball WAC
Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana 1834 2022 Private 11,722<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Green Wave Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball The American
2023 Bowling
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Birmingham, Alabama 1969 2023Template:Efn Public 22,563 Blazers Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball The American
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, Indiana 1859 2023 Private 2,900 Beacons Template:College color boxes Bowling MVC
Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee 1873 2023 Private 13,798 Commodores Template:College color boxes Bowling SEC
Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas 1895 2024 Public 17,548 Shockers Template:College color boxes Bowling The American
Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio 1908 2023 Public 15,058 Penguins Template:College color boxes Bowling Horizon
Notes

Template:Notelist

Future affiliate membersEdit

Institution Location Founded Joining Type Enrollment Nickname Colors CUSA
sport
Primary
conference
Template:Sort Tampa, Florida 1956 2025 Public citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Bulls Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball The American

Former full membersEdit

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Nickname Colors Current
conference
Template:SortTemplate:Efn Birmingham, Alabama 1969 1995Template:Efn 2023 Public Blazers Template:College color boxes The American
Template:Sort Orlando, FloridaTemplate:Efn 1963 2005 2013 Knights Template:College color boxes Big 12
Template:Sort Cincinnati, Ohio 1819 1995 2005 Bearcats Template:College color boxes
DePaul University Chicago, Illinois 1898 Private Blue Demons Template:College color boxes Big East
East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina 1907 2001Template:Efn 2014 Public Pirates Template:College color boxes The American
Florida Atlantic UniversityTemplate:Efn Boca Raton, Florida 1961 2013 2023 Owls Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort Houston, Texas 1927 1996Template:Efn 2013 Cougars Template:College color boxes Big 12
Template:Sort Louisville, Kentucky 1798 1995 2005 Cardinals Template:College color boxes ACC
Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1881 Private Golden Eagles Template:College color boxes Big East
Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia 1837 2005 2022 Public Thundering Herd Template:College color boxes Sun Belt
Template:Sort Memphis, Tennessee 1912 1995 2013 Tigers Template:College color boxes The American
Template:Sort Charlotte, North Carolina 1946 1995 2005 49ers Template:College color boxes
2013 2023
Template:Sort Denton, Texas 1890 2013 2023 Mean Green Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort Norfolk, Virginia 1930 2013Template:Efn 2022 Monarchs Template:College color boxes Sun Belt
Rice University Houston, Texas 1912 2005 2023 Private Owls Template:College color boxes The American
Saint Louis University Template:Sort 1818 1995 2005 Billikens Template:College color boxes Atlantic 10
Template:SortTemplate:Efn Tampa, Florida 1956 Public Bulls Template:College color boxes The American
Southern Methodist University Dallas, TexasTemplate:Efn 1911 2005 2013 Private Mustangs Template:College color boxes ACC
Template:Sort Hattiesburg, Mississippi 1910 1995 2022 Public Golden Eagles Template:College color boxes Sun Belt
Texas Christian UniversityTemplate:Efn Fort Worth, Texas 1873 2001 2005 Private Horned Frogs Template:College color boxes Big 12
Template:Sort San Antonio, Texas 1969 2013 2023 Public Roadrunners Template:College color boxes The American
Tulane UniversityTemplate:Efn New Orleans, Louisiana 1834 1995 2014 Private Green Wave Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort Tulsa, Oklahoma 1894 2005 Golden Hurricane Template:College color boxes
Notes

Template:Notelist

Former affiliate membersEdit

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
Template:Sort Tuscaloosa, Alabama 1831 2009 2014 Public Crimson Tide Template:College color boxes Rowing (w) SEC
Template:Sort (Army) West Point, New York 1802 1998 2005 Federal Black Knights Template:College color boxes Football PatriotTemplate:Efn
California State University, BakersfieldTemplate:Efn Bakersfield, California 1965 2007 2010 Public Roadrunners Template:College color boxes Swimming & diving (w) Big West
Template:Sort (Sacramento State) Sacramento, California 1947 2013 2014 Hornets Template:College color boxes Rowing (w) Big SkyTemplate:Efn
Coastal Carolina University Conway, South Carolina 1954 2021 2022 Chanticleers Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball<ref name="BV21">Template:Cite press release</ref>
Soccer (m)
Sun Belt
Colorado College Colorado Springs, Colorado 1874 2006 2014 Private Tigers Template:College color boxes Soccer (w) Southern CollegiateTemplate:EfnTemplate:Efn
Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 1913 2021<ref name=BV21/> 2022 Public Panthers Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball Sun Belt
Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, Alabama 1883 2022 2023 Gamecocks Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball CUSATemplate:Efn
Template:Sort Lawrence, Kansas 1865 2009 2014 Jayhawks Template:College color boxes Rowing (w) Big 12
Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas 1863 Wildcats Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort Lexington, Kentucky 1865 2005 2022 Wildcats Template:College color boxes Soccer (m) SECTemplate:Efn
Template:Sort Albuquerque, New Mexico 1889 2013 2019 Lobos Template:College color boxes Mountain WestTemplate:Efn
Template:Sort Grand Forks, North Dakota 1883 2008 2011 Fighting Hawks Template:College color boxes Swimming & diving (w) Summit
Template:Sort Greeley, Colorado 1889 2007 2010 Bears Template:College color boxes Big SkyTemplate:Efn
Template:Sort Norman, Oklahoma 1890 2009 2014 Sooners Template:College color boxes Rowing (w) SEC
San Diego State University San Diego, California 1947 2013 Aztecs Template:College color boxes Mountain WestTemplate:Efn
Template:Small
Template:Sort Columbia, South Carolina 1801 2005 2022 Gamecocks Template:College color boxes Soccer (m) SECTemplate:Efn
Template:Sort (Southern Miss) Hattiesburg, Mississippi 1910 2021 Golden Eagles Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball Sun Belt
Texas Christian University (TCU) Fort Worth, Texas 1873 2023 2024 Private Horned Frogs Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball Big 12
Template:Sort Knoxville, Tennessee 1794 2009 2014 Public Lady Volunteers Template:College color boxes Rowing (w) SEC
Template:Sort Austin, Texas 1883 Longhorns Template:College color boxes SEC
Template:Sort (ULM) Monroe, Louisiana 1865 2021<ref name=BV21/> 2022 Warhawks Template:College color boxes Beach volleyball Sun Belt
West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia 1867 2012 2014 Mountaineers Template:College color boxes Rowing (w) Big 12
Notes

Template:Notelist

Membership timelineEdit

<timeline> DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20

Period = from:1995 till:2032 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = 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:6  color:AssocOS  from:2025 till:end text: (Beach volleyball, 2025–present)
  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:2026 text:UTEP (2005–2026)
  bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Mountain West
  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 =

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   pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center)
   text:^"Conference USA Membership History"
  1. > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color <# </timeline>

Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color

HistoryEdit

Template:Chronological 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.<ref name="auto1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 realignmentEdit

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 realignmentEdit

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. Template:As of, the likeliest scenario was an all-sports alliance in which both conferences retained separate identities.<ref name="McMurphy 2012-04-17">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="McMurphy 2012-04-17"/> 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 realignmentEdit

File:Conference USA Locations 3.png
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2014–2021Edit

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.<ref name="ESPN">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Return of UAB football">Template:Cite news</ref> The return of football was later pushed back to 2017<ref name="UAB football in 2017"/> with their first game in September.<ref>UAB rolls FCS Alabama A&M in first game since 2014 season ESPN (Associated Press)</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

2020s realignmentEdit

Template:See also 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> ESPN reported the next day that The American had received all six schools' applications,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and The American announced all six as future members on October 21, though it did not announce the effective date.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The entry date would eventually be confirmed as July 1, 2023.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> followed later in the week by Marshall.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> One week later, CUSA officially announced Kennesaw State's 2024 entry.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> 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,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> 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;<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The bowling league added Wichita State when it elevated its club team to varsity status in 2024–25.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name=utepmw>Template:Cite press release</ref>

On November 5, 2024, the conference announced that former full member South Florida would join as an affiliate member in beach volleyball in 2025.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bowling affiliate Stephen F. Austin announced on May 22, 2025 that it had dropped the sport effective immediately.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Hall of FameEdit

In 2019, Conference USA inducted its first Hall of Fame class, comprising 20 student-athletes, three coaches, and two administrators.<ref name="local12.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The inductees included former University of Cincinnati basketball player Kenyon Martin, baseball player Kevin Youkilis, and men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins.<ref name="local12.com"/>


CommissionersEdit

SportsEdit

Sports sponsoredEdit

Conference USA sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 competitionTemplate:Efn
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

Template:Notelist

Men's sponsored sports by schoolEdit

Member Baseball Basketball XCountry Football Golf Tennis Indoor
Track
& Field
Outdoor
Track
& Field
Total
CUSA
Sports
FIU Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Template:No Template:Yes 5
Template:LeftJacksonville State Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:No 6
Template:LeftKennesaw State Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 8
Template:LeftLiberty Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 8
Louisiana Tech Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes 7
Middle Tennessee Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 8
Template:LeftNew Mexico State Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 8
Template:LeftSam Houston Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes 7
UTEP Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes 6
Western Kentucky Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes 7
Affiliate members
Template:LeftDallas Baptist Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Template:No Template:No Template:No Template:No Template:No 1
Total 10 10 10 10 9 5 8 9 71
Future members
Template:LeftDelaware Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:No 5
Template:LeftMissouri State Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Template: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

Template:Notelist

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by Conference USAEdit

Incoming members are highlighted in gray.

School Lacrosse RifleTemplate:Efn Soccer Swimming & diving
Template:LeftDelaware A-10 No Summit ASUN
Template:LeftFIU No No American No
Template:LeftJacksonville State No IND No No
Template:LeftLiberty No No OVC No
Template:LeftMissouri State No No American MVCTemplate:Efn

Template:Notelist

Women's sponsored sports by schoolEdit

Departing members in pink.

Member Basketball Beach
Volleyball
Bowling XCountry Golf Soccer Softball Tennis Indoor
Track
& Field
Outdoor
Track
& Field
Volleyball Total
CUSA
Sports
FIU Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 10
Template:LeftJacksonville State Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 11
Template:LeftKennesaw State Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 9
Template:LeftLiberty Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 8
Louisiana Tech Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 9
Middle Tennessee Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 9
Template:LeftNew Mexico State Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 9
Template:LeftSam Houston Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 11
UTEP Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:YesTemplate:Efn Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 10
Western Kentucky Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 9
Affiliate members
Arkansas State Template:Yes 1
Florida Atlantic Template:Yes 1
Missouri State Template:Yes 1
Stephen F. Austin Template:Yes 1
Tarleton Template:Yes 1
Tulane Template:Yes Template:Yes 2
UAB Template:Yes 1
Valparaiso Template:Yes 1
Vanderbilt Template:Yes 1
Wichita State Template:Yes 1
Youngstown State Template:Yes 1
Total 10 9 10 10 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 107
Future members
Template:LeftDelaware Template:Yes Template:No Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 9
Template:LeftMissouri State Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes 10
Future affiliate members
South Florida Template:Yes 1
Total in 2025 12 9 9 12 10 12 12 12 12 12 12 125
Total in 2026 11 9 9 11 9 11 11 11 11 11 11 116

Template:Notelist

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by Conference USAEdit

School Acrobatics
& TumblingTemplate:Efn
EquestrianTemplate:Efn Field hockey Ice Hockey Lacrosse RifleTemplate:Efn Rowing StuntTemplate:Efn Swimming
& Diving
Template:LeftDelaware No No CAATemplate:Efn AHATemplate:Efn ASUN No MAC No ASUN
Template:LeftFIU No No No No No No No No American
Template:LeftJacksonville State No No No No No IND No No No
Template:LeftKennesaw State No No No No ASUN No No No No
Template:LeftLiberty No No Big East No ASUN No No No ASUNTemplate:Efn
Template:LeftMissouri State INDTemplate:Efn No No No No No No INDTemplate:Efn MVCTemplate:Efn
Template:LeftNew Mexico State No IND No No No No No No WACTemplate:Efn
UTEP No No No No No PRC No No No

Template:Notelist

FootballEdit

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

File:AmericanFootball current event.svg For the upcoming season, see 2025 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 Template:Winpct 5 2–3 1 Template:Sortname
Jacksonville State 1904 534–392–40 Template:Winpct 1 1–0 25 Template:Sortname
Liberty 1973 280–248–4 Template:Winpct 4 3–1 8 Template:Sortname
Louisiana Tech 1901 641–487–38 Template:Winpct 13 8–4–1 25 Template:Sortname
Middle Tennessee 1911 562–426–28 Template:Winpct 14 6–8 13 Template:Sortname
New Mexico State 1893 440–664–30 Template:Winpct 5 4–0–1 4 Template:Sortname
Sam Houston 1912 573–489–36 Template:Winpct 5 3–1–1 15 Template:Sortname
UTEP 1914 408–623–28 Template:Winpct 15 5–10 2 Template:Sortname
Western Kentucky 1908 589–409–31 Template:Winpct 15 10–5 13 Template:Sortname

<ref>All time Division I-A football records Template:Webarchive, College Football Data Warehouse</ref>

CUSA champions

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

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.<ref name="espn-seeds">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 basketballEdit

File:Basketball current event.svg For the most recent season, see 2024–25 Conference USA men's basketball season.

Template:See also This list goes through the 2022–23 season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Team First
seasonTemplate:Efn
All-time
record
All-time
win %
NCAA Tournament
appearancesTemplate:Efn
NCAA Tournament
record
Arena Head coach
FIU 1982 486–714 Template:Winning percentage 1 0–1 Ocean Bank Convocation Center Jeremy Ballard
Jacksonville State 1926 1238–884 Template:Winning percentage 2 0–2 Pete Mathews Coliseum Ray Harper
Liberty 1973 793–753 Template:Winning percentage 5 1–5 Liberty ArenaTemplate:Efn Ritchie McKay
Louisiana Tech 1910 1452–1074 Template:Winning percentage 5 4–5 Thomas Assembly Center Talvin Hester
Middle Tennessee 1914 1302–1133 Template:Winning percentage 9 4–9 Murphy Center Nick McDevitt
New Mexico State 1905 1302–1133 Template:Winning percentage 26 11–27 Pan American Center Jason Hooten
Sam Houston 1918 1401–1174 Template:Winning percentage 2 0–2 Bernard Johnson Coliseum Chris Mudge
UTEP 1915 1448–1126 Template:Winning percentage 17 14–16 Don Haskins Center Joe Golding
Western Kentucky 1915 1872–973 Template:Winning percentage 23 19–24 E. A. Diddle Arena Rick Stansbury

Template:Notelist

Women's basketballEdit

Template:See also This list goes through the 2022–23 season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Team First
seasonTemplate:Efn
All-time
record
All-time
win %
NCAA Tournament
appearancesTemplate:Efn
NCAA Tournament
record
Arena Head coach
FIU 1976 758–606 Template:Winning percentage 0 0–0 Ocean Bank Convocation Center Jesyka Burks-Wiley
Jacksonville State 1984 519–600 Template:Winning percentage 0 0–0 Pete Mathews Coliseum Rick Pietri
Liberty 1976 824–547 Template:Winning percentage 16 2–16 Liberty ArenaTemplate:Efn Carey Green
Louisiana Tech 1975 1193–387 Template:Winning percentage 30 65–28 Thomas Assembly Center Brooke Stoehr
Middle Tennessee 1976 998–450 Template:Winning percentage 20 5–20 Murphy Center Rick Insell
New Mexico State 1983 634–572 Template:Winning percentage 6 0–6 Pan American Center Jody Adams-Birch
Sam Houston 1970 659–834 Template:Winning percentage 0 0–0 Bernard Johnson Coliseum Ravon Justice
UTEP 1975 632–716 Template:Winning percentage 2 1–2 Don Haskins Center Keitha Adams
Western Kentucky 1915 1070–541 Template:Winning percentage 20 17–20 E. A. Diddle Arena Greg Collins

Template:Notelist

BaseballEdit

Template:See also

ChampionshipsEdit

Current CUSA championsEdit

"RS" is regular season, "T" is tournament. Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break Fall 2024

Sport School
Football Jacksonville State (RS & Championship Game)
Soccer (W) FIU (RS & T)
Liberty (RS)
Volleyball (W) Western Kentucky (RS & T)
Cross Country (M) Liberty
Cross Country (W) Liberty

Template:Col-break Winter 2024–25

Sport School
Basketball (M) Liberty (RS & T)
Basketball (W) Liberty (RS & T)
Middle Tennessee (RS)
Bowling (W) Wichita State
Indoor Track & Field (M) Kennesaw State
Indoor Track & Field (W) Liberty

Template:Col-break Spring 2025

Sport School
Baseball Dallas Baptist (RS)
Western Kentucky (T)
Softball Liberty (RS & T)
Beach Volleyball (W) Florida AtlanticTemplate:Efn
Outdoor Track & Field (M) Kennesaw State
Outdoor Track & Field (W) Liberty
Golf (M) Sam Houston
Golf (W) Western Kentucky
Tennis (M) Middle Tennessee
Tennis (W) FIU

Template:Col-end

Template:Notelist

National championsEdit

Only two current CUSA members, one full member and one associate, have won national team championships while representing the conference, both in bowling. Full member Jacksonville State won the 2024 NCAA championship in its first season of both varsity bowling and CUSA membership, and associate member Youngstown State won the 2025 NCAA title. The only other school to have won such a championship while a CUSA member at any level 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
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
Youngstown State 1 Bowling 2025
Total 85

Template:See also

FacilitiesEdit

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

Template:CollegePrimaryHeader
style="Template:NCAA secondary color cell"| [[Dallas Baptist Patriots baseball|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Dallas Baptist]] Baseball-only member Horner Ballpark 3,492
style=Template:NCAA color cell"| [[Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Delaware]] Delaware Stadium 18,500 Bob Carpenter Center 5,000 Bob Hannah Stadium 1,300
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| [[FIU Panthers|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">FIU]] Pitbull Stadium 20,000 Ocean Bank Convocation Center 5,000 Infinity Insurance Park 2,000
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| [[Jacksonville State Gamecocks|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Jacksonville State]] AmFirst Stadium 22,500 Pete Mathews Coliseum 3,500 Rudy Abbott Field 1,000
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| [[Kennesaw State Owls|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Kennesaw State]] Fifth Third Stadium 10,200 KSU Convocation Center 4,600 Fred Stillwell Stadium 900
style="Template:NCAA secondary color cell"| [[Liberty Flames and Lady Flames|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Liberty]] Williams Stadium 25,000 Liberty ArenaTemplate:Efn 4,000 Liberty Baseball Stadium 2,500
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| [[Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Lady Techsters|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Louisiana Tech]] Joe Aillet Stadium 28,562 Thomas Assembly Center 8,098 J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park 2,000
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| [[Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Middle Tennessee]] Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium 27,303 Murphy Center 11,802 Reese Smith Jr. Field 2,600
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| [[Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Missouri State]] Robert W. Plaster Stadium 17,500 Great Southern Bank Arena 11,000 Hammons Field 7,986
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| [[New Mexico State Aggies|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">New Mexico State]] Aggie Memorial Stadium 28,853 Pan American Center 12,482 Presley Askew Field 1,000
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| [[Sam Houston Bearkats|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Sam Houston]] Bowers StadiumTemplate:Efn 12,593 Bernard Johnson Coliseum 6,110 Don Sanders Stadium 1,163
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| [[UTEP Miners|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">UTEP]] Sun Bowl Stadium 51,500 Don Haskins Center 12,222 Non-baseball school
style="Template:NCAA color cell"| [[Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers|Template:Ifsubst style="color:white">Western Kentucky]] Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium 23,776 E. A. Diddle Arena 7,326 Nick Denes Field 1,500
Notes

Template:Notelist

Athletic department revenue by schoolEdit

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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

MediaEdit

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.<ref name="sbnation-cusa16">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref name="dnj-beincusa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The total values of the 2016 contracts are notably lower than those of the previous contracts (which included Fox Sports).<ref name="sbnation-cusa16"/>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Stadium's C-USA content will be available to stream on Twitter and Pluto TV.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2017 Stadium completed a deal with Facebook to exclusively stream some C-USA football games.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2017 CUSA entered an agreement with the streaming subscription service FloSports to stream three football games.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CUSA.tvEdit

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."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Various sports including football, basketball, and baseball will exclusively air on CUSA.tv when they are not picked up by other networks.

Return to ESPN and CBS Sports NetworkEdit

In 2022, CUSA signed a new media rights agreement establishing CBS Sports Network and ESPN as primary rights holders beginning in 2023. As part of this agreement, CUSA agrees to schedule eight midweek football games per season during the month of October, to be aired on ESPN platforms including both linear ESPN channels and the ESPN+ streaming outlet. CBS Sports Network continues with tier 1 selection status for CUSA football and men's basketball <ref> {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} </ref>

AcademicsEdit

A majority of the Conference's members are ranked as Tier One National Universities in U.S. News & World ReportTemplate:'s 2025 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.
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Template:Sort Public (SUSF) Template:NtshResearch (Very High) Template:Ntsh$230,954,000 Template:Ntsh162 Template:Nts
Template:Sort Public (UL System) Template:NtshResearch (High) Template:NtshN/ATemplate:Refn Template:Ntsh277 Template:Nts
Template:Sort Public (TBR) Template:NtshDoctoral/Professional Template:Ntsh$75,710,000 Template:Ntsh288 Template:Nts
Template:Sort Public (UT System) Template:NtshResearch (Very High) Template:NtshN/ATemplate:Refn Template:NtshRNPTemplate:Refn Template:Nts
Template:Sort Public Template:NtshDoctoral/Professional Template:Ntsh$118,396,000 Template:NtshRNPTemplate:Refn Template:Nts
Notes

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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