Says comfortable with the 12 football members.- Geoff Grammer October 20, 2021 Re: conference realignment: "We're going to stand pat." Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson says Board of Directors met last night. For UTEP, that would likely mean becoming an FBS Independent in football for an unspecified amount of time, while joining the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) for all other sports. If the league is not able to stay together, its remaining member institutions would be left to forge on however they can. However, it would be necessary for the survival of the league. UTEP and FIU (located in Miami), playing in a league with New Mexico State, Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.) and UMass (Amherst, Mass.), as well as Louisiana Tech, Western Kentucky would no doubt be strange and difficult travel-wise. However, as FCS programs, those two universities would require a two-year transition to FBS football, as would James Madison if it does indeed join the Sun Belt.Īny league that Conference USA will be able to salvage at this point would be geographically challenging. Colin Deaver October 22, 2021ĬBS Sports also reported on Friday that FCS programs McNeese State and Sam Houston State have had contact with Conference USA about joining the league. Add NMSU/Liberty/UMass and maybe UConn for 8/9 schools in football UMass/UConn wouldn’t come for other sports, so add UA-Little Rock and UT-Arlington for all other sports, as they’ve been rumored to be getting booted from the Sun Belt. The Thundering Herd were previously in the Mid-American Conference from 1997-2005.Interesting potential CUSA move here. Joining the Sun Belt means Marshall will be a member of three conferences in less than 20 years. In 2013, FIU, Middle Tennessee and WKU left the Sun Belt to join C-USA. The loss of Marshall, ODU and Southern Miss leaves C-USA with five members: Florida International, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP and Western Kentucky. The East will be made up of: Marshall, ODU, James Madison, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State and Georgia Southern. JMU took a big step toward moving up Friday when the school’s board of visitors executive committee passed a motion that allows the Dukes to pursue joining the FBS as they look for an invitation from the Sun Belt.īrett McMurphy of The Action Network previously reported a 14-team Sun Belt would be split into an East division and West division. In addition to Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss, the Sun Belt is expected to add a 14th member in James Madison, which would be moving up from the FCS to FBS level in football. Little Rock and UT Arlington are non-football playing members and expected to be out of the league before the new additions from C-USA. The Sun Belt is currently a 12-team league comprised of Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama, Troy, Arkansas State, Little Rock, Louisiana, UL Monroe, UT Arlington and Texas State. In turn, C-USA lost six members to the AAC: Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA. ☀️ /i4rzZf543yĪfter Texas and Oklahoma announced their intentions to bolt the Big 12 for the SEC, the Big 12 added four new members: BYU and a trio of AAC schools - Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston. brings the state of West Virginia into the Sun Belt Conference footprint. Marshall had been in Conference USA since 2005, but the ever-changing climate of college athletics ultimately forced MU officials into a belief that joining what is expected to be a 14-member Sun Belt was best.Įarlier Friday, Marshall president-elect Brad Smith confirmed on MetroNews “Talkline” he would be involved Friday in meetings with university officials on conference realignment, though Smith declined to confirm Marshall was joining the Sun Belt. Let’s have some fun! ☀️ #RiseAsOne | /JcEKiQu2QZ Southern Mississippi and Old Dominion recently announced they would become Sun Belt members no later than July 1, 2023, and it is expected Marshall will follow that time frame. The Thundering Herd will leave behind Conference USA, which is losing six schools to the American Athletic Conference and soon after discovered three others are moving on to the Sun Belt. In the latest conference realignment shake-up throughout college athletics, Marshall has accepted membership into the Sun Belt Conference.
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