Conference USA

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"C-USA" redirects here. For the defunct American soccer club, see Chivas USA.
Conference USA
Conference USA logo
Established1995[1]
AssociationNCAA
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFBS
Members14
Sports fielded
  • 19[2]
    • men's: 9
    • women's: 10
RegionSouthern United States
HeadquartersDallas, Texas
CommissionerJudy MacLeod (since 2015)
Websitewww.conferenceusa.com
Locations
Conference USA locations

Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas.

History[]

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

2005–06 realignment[]

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 C-USA 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, C-USA lured six schools from other conferences: UCF and Marshall from the MAC, as well as Rice, SMU, Tulsa, and later UTEP from the WAC. Note that UCF played in the MAC for football only; for all other sports, it was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

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

2013–14 realignment[]

In 2013, C-USA 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. 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 C-USA and the MW backed away from a full merger. As of April 2012, the likeliest scenario was an all-sports alliance in which both conferences retain 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 C-USA along with the one Sun Belt member (FIU), that sponsor the sport, would play under the C-USA'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 C-USA's three full members that offer the sport (UAB, Marshall, Tulsa), the two SEC members already in C-USA for the sport (Kentucky, South Carolina), and the Sun Belt's FIU.[4] However, the only MW member school that ultimately moved to C-USA men's soccer was New Mexico.

For the 2013–14 season C-USA 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 C-USA joining for men's soccer in 2005), from the Sun Belt Conference. Old Dominion, which already housed five of its sports in C-USA, 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 C-USA does not sponsor those sports) and upgraded its football program from the Football Championship Subdivision. Charter member Charlotte returned from the A-10 and accelerated its recently established football program, which was set to begin play in 2013 as an FCS school, to FBS in 2015 with full conference rights in 2016.

2014–15 realignment[]

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, save for 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 they were 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 that UAB is a member voted to shut down that football program was shut down 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 results of the new study 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 C-USA for the immediate future.[8] The return of football was later pushed back to 2017.[9] The Blazers won the 2018 conference championship their second year back, and won the C-USA title again in 2020.

2015–present[]

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]

First team championship[]

Marshall University's men's soccer program captured the league's first team championship with its 1–0 overtime win over Indiana in the 2020 College Cup in Cary, North Carolina.

Hall of Fame[]

In 2019, Conference USA inducted its first Hall of Fame class, comprising 20 student-athletes, three coaches, and two administrators.[11] The inductees included former University of Cincinnati basketball player Kenyon Martin, baseball player Kevin Youkilis, and men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins.[11]

Members[]

Current members[]

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment
(millions) 		Nickname Colors
University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama 1969 1995[a] Public 21,923[12] $537.3 Blazers          
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida 1961 2013[b] 29,772[13] $227 Owls          
Florida International University University Park, Florida 1965 58,064[14] $216.3 Panthers          
Louisiana Tech University Ruston, Louisiana 1894 12,467[15] $106.9 Bulldogs & Lady Techsters          
Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia 1837 2005 13,204[16] $147.2 Thundering Herd          
Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, Tennessee 1911 2013[c][d] 21,913[17] $105.6 Blue Raiders          
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina 1946 30,146[18] $230.35 49ers          
University of North Texas Denton, Texas 1890 38,087[19] $210.6 Mean Green          
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 24,176[20] $261.7 Monarchs & Lady Monarchs[e]               
Rice University Houston, Texas 1912 2005 Private 7,124[21] $6,480 Owls          
University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, Mississippi 1910 1995 Public 14,509[22] $104.9 Golden Eagles          
University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas 1914 2005 25,151[23] $241.7 Miners               
University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, Texas 1969 2013 30,674[24] $172 Roadrunners               
Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky 1906 2014[f] 19,456[25] $175.2 Hilltoppers & Lady Toppers          
  1. ^ UAB was a full but non-football member at two different times—1995 to 1999, when the school was independent in football, and 2015 to 2017, after UAB discontinued its football program. UAB football returned for the 2017 season.[9]
  2. ^ FIU was a men's soccer affiliate from 2005 to 2013.
  3. ^ Charlotte was a full but non-football member from 1995 to 2005 and again from 2013 to 2015.
  4. ^ Old Dominion was an affiliate in men's golf, women's golf, rowing, men's tennis, and women's tennis in 2012–13; full but non-football member in 2013–14.
  5. ^ Some Old Dominion women's sports use "Monarchs" and others "Lady Monarchs", as follows:
    • Monarchs – Field hockey, lacrosse
    • Lady Monarchs – Basketball, golf, rowing, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis
  6. ^ Western Kentucky was an affiliate in women's swimming & diving in 2013–14.

Affiliate members[]

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.

Current[]

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Nickname Colors Sport Primary
Conference
Coastal Carolina University Conway, South Carolina 1954 2021[26] Public 10,894 Chanticleers                soccer (m) Sun Belt
University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 1865 2005[a] 26,054 Wildcats           SEC
University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina 1801 28,481 Gamecocks          
  1. ^ South Carolina was in the original Metro Conference from 1983-91 for most sports, and men's soccer from 1993-94 along with Charlotte and UAB, but was not part of reunification in 1995. Rejoined C-USA in 2005.

Future[]

Institution Location Founded Joining Type Enrollment Nickname Colors Sport Primary
Conference
West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia 1867 2022[27] Public 26,269 Mountaineers           Soccer (M) Big 12

Former members[]

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Nickname Colors Current
Conference
University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida 1963 2005 2013 Public Knights           The American
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio 1819 1995 2005 Bearcats          
DePaul University Chicago, Illinois 1898 Private Blue Demons           Big East
East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina 1907 2001[a] 2014 Public Pirates           The American
University of Houston Houston, Texas 1927 1996[b] 2013 Cougars          
University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 1798 1995 2005 Cardinals           ACC
Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1881 Private Golden Eagles           Big East
University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee 1912 2013 Public Tigers           The American
Saint Louis University St. Louis, Missouri 1818 2005 Private Billikens           Atlantic 10
University of South Florida Tampa, Florida 1956 Public Bulls           The American
Southern Methodist University University Park, Texas 1911 2005 2013 Private Mustangs          
Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas 1873 2001 2005 Horned Frogs           Big 12
Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana 1834 1995 2014 Green Wave           The American
University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma 1894 2005 Public Golden Hurricane               
  1. ^ East Carolina was an affiliate in football from 1997 to 2001.
  2. ^ Houston was a founding member of C-USA in 1995 but did not begin competition until 1996 because of its commitments to the final year of competition in the Southwest Conference.

Former affiliate members[]

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 Sport Primary
conference
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama 1831 2009 2014 Public Crimson Tide           rowing (w) SEC[a]
United States Military Academy West Point, New York 1802 1998 2005 Federal Black Knights                football Patriot[b]
California State University, Bakersfield Bakersfield, California 1965 2007 2010 Public Roadrunners           swimming & diving (w) Big West
California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, California 1947 2013 2014 Hornets           rowing (w) Big Sky[c]
Colorado College Colorado Springs, Colorado 1874 2006 Private Tigers           soccer (w) Southern Collegiate
(NCAA D-III)[d]
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas 1865 2009 Public Jayhawks           rowing (w) Big 12
Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas 1863 Wildcats          
University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico 1889 2013 2019 Lobos           soccer (m) Mountain West
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota 1883 2008 2011 Fighting Hawks           swimming & diving (w) Summit
University of Northern Colorado Greeley, Colorado 1889 2007 2010 Bears           Big Sky[e]
University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma 1890 2009 2014 Sooners           rowing (w) Big 12
San Diego State University San Diego, California 1947 2013 Aztecs           Mountain West[f]
University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee 1794 2009 Lady Volunteers           SEC[a]
University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas 1883 Longhorns           Big 12
West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia 1867 2012 Mountaineers          
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Rowing affiliate of the Big 12.
  2. ^ Football currently competes as an FBS independent.
  3. ^ Rowing affiliate of The American.
  4. ^ Women's soccer affiliate of the MW.
  5. ^ Women's swimming & diving affiliate of the WAC.
  6. ^ Dropped rowing after the 2020–21 season; had previously been an affiliate of the American Athletic Conference in that sport.

Membership timeline[]

West Virginia UniversityCoastal Carolina UniversityWestern Kentucky UniversityUniversity of New MexicoUniversity of Texas at San AntonioOld Dominion UniversityUniversity of North TexasMiddle Tennessee State UniversityLouisiana Tech UniversityFlorida Atlantic UniversityUniversity of South CarolinaUniversity of KentuckyFlorida International UniversityUniversity of Texas at El PasoRice UniversityMarshall UniversityAmerican Athletic ConferenceUniversity of TulsaAmerican Athletic ConferenceSouthern Methodist UniversityAmerican Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Central FloridaBig 12 ConferenceMountain West ConferenceTexas Christian UniversityUnited States Military AcademyAmerican Athletic ConferenceEast Carolina UniversityAmerican Athletic ConferenceUniversity of HoustonAmerican Athletic ConferenceTulane UniversityAmerican Athletic ConferenceUniversity of MemphisUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamUniversity of Southern MississippiAtlantic 10 ConferenceUniversity of North Carolina at CharlotteAmerican Athletic ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)University of South FloridaAtlantic 10 ConferenceSaint Louis UniversityBig East ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)Marquette UniversityAtlantic Coast ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)University of LouisvilleBig East ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)DePaul UniversityAmerican Athletic ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)University of Cincinnati

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

Commissioners[]

  • Michael Slive 1995–2002
  • Britton Banowsky 2002–2015
  • Judy MacLeod 2015–present

Sports[]

Sports sponsored[]

Conference USA sponsors championship competition in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[28] Three schools are affiliate members for men's soccer, with a fourth joining for that sport in July 2022.

Teams in C-USA competition
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball 12 –
Basketball 14 14
Cross Country 12 13
Football 14 –
Golf 13 12
Soccer 9 14
Softball – 12
Swimming & Diving – 7
Tennis 8 14
Track and Field (Indoor) 10 13
Track and Field (Outdoor) 10 13
Volleyball – 14

Men's sponsored sports by school[]

Member Baseball Basketball XCountry Football Golf Soccer Tennis Indoor
Track
& Field 		Outdoor
Track
& Field 		Total
C-USA
Sports
UAB Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN 7
Charlotte Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
FIU Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY 6
Florida Atlantic Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN 7
Louisiana Tech Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY 7
Marshall Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN 6
Middle Tennessee Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
North Texas Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY 6
Old Dominion Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN 6
Rice Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
Southern Miss Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 7
UTEP Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY 6
UTSA Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
Western Kentucky Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY 7
Total 12 14 11 14 13 6+3[a] 8 9 10 98+3
  1. ^ Affiliate members Coastal Carolina, Kentucky, and South Carolina. West Virginia joins in July 2022.

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by Conference USA which are played by current full C-USA members:

School Swimming
& diving
Florida Atlantic CCSA

Women's sponsored sports by school[]

Member Basketball XCountry Golf Soccer Softball Swimming
& Diving 		Tennis Indoor
Track
& Field 		Outdoor
Track
& Field 		Volleyball Total
C-USA
Sports
UAB Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
Charlotte Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
FIU Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
Florida Atlantic Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
Louisiana Tech Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
Marshall Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
Middle Tennessee Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
North Texas Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
Old Dominion Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY 6
Rice Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY[a] Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
Southern Miss Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
UTEP Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
UTSA Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
Western Kentucky Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
Total 14 13 12 14 12 6 14 13 13 14 125
  1. ^ Rice fields a women's team in swimming but not in diving.

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by Conference USA which are played by current full C-USA members:

School Beach volleyball Bowling Field hockey Lacrosse Rifle[a] Rowing Sailing[b]
FIU CCSA No No No No No No
Florida Atlantic CCSA No No No No No No
Louisiana Tech No SBL No No No No No
Old Dominion No No Big East The American No The American MAISA
Southern Miss CCSA No No No No No No
UAB CCSA MEAC No No SoCon No No
UTEP No No No No PRC No No
  1. ^ Rifle is technically classified as a men's sport by the NCAA, but allows competitors of both sexes, and also allows schools to field any combination of coed and single-sex teams. UTEP fields a women-only team.
  2. ^ Sailing is a coeducational team sport. It is not sanctioned by the NCAA, but instead by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association.

Football[]

Conference USA uses a divisional format only for football.

For the upcoming season, see 2021 Conference USA football season.
Team First
Season 		All-Time
Record 		All-Time
Win % 		Bowl
Appearances 		Bowl
Record 		Conference
Titles 		Head Coach
East Division
Charlotte 2013 29–54 .349 1 0–1 0 Will Healy
Florida Atlantic 2001 92–126 .422 3 3–0 2 Willie Taggart
FIU 2002 83–131 .388 4 2–2 1 Butch Davis
Marshall 1895 591–546–47 .519 14 12–2 13 Doc Holliday
Middle Tennessee 1911 581–430–28 .573 8 2–6 13 Rick Stockstill
Old Dominion 1930 120–83–4 .589 1 1–0 0 Bobby Wilder
Western Kentucky 1908 575–400–30 .587 5 3–2 13 Tyson Helton
West Division
Louisiana Tech 1901 620–462–39 .570 11 7–3–1 25 Skip Holtz
North Texas 1913 516–506–33 .505 10 2–8 24 Seth Littrell
Rice 1912 472–617–32 .435 12 7–5 8 Mike Bloomgren
Southern Miss 1912 590–423–26 .580 23 11–12 8 Will Hall (American football)
UAB 1991 137–161–2 .460 3 1–2 1 Bill Clark
UTEP 1914 391–596–30 .399 14 5–9 2 Dana Dimel
UTSA 2011 41–53 .436 1 0–1 0 Jeff Traylor

[29]

C-USA champions

Main article: Conference USA Football Championship Game

Bowl games

The highest-ranked champion from the so-called "Group of Five" conferences (The American, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt) is guaranteed a berth in one of the non-semifinal bowls of the College Football Playoff if the group's top team is not in the playoff.[30]

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 is guaranteed at least five of the following bowl games.

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 C-USA in conference rivalries:

Teams Rivalry Name Trophy Meetings Record Series Leader Current Streak
Florida Atlantic FIU Shula Bowl Don Shula Award 19 14–4 Florida Atlantic Florida Atlantic won 4
Louisiana Tech Southern Miss Rivalry in Dixie — 46 15–31 Southern Miss Louisiana Tech won 2
Marshall East Carolina East Carolina–Marshall football rivalry — 15 10–5 East Carolina Marshall won 1
Middle Tennessee Western Kentucky 100 Miles of Hate — 65 34–31–1 Middle Tennessee WKU won 2
Middle Tennessee Troy Battle for the Palladium The Palladium 20 12–8 Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee won 1
Western Kentucky Marshall Moonshine Throwdown — 10 6–4 Marshall Marshall won 2
North Texas SMU Safeway Bowl — 34 28–5–1 SMU North Texas won 1
Rice Houston Houston–Rice rivalry Bayou Bucket 40 11–29 Houston Houston won 3
Rice SMU Battle for the Mayor's Cup Mayor's Cup 89 40–48–1 SMU Rice won 1
Southern Miss Memphis Black and Blue Bowl — 63 40–22–1 Southern Miss Memphis won 1
Southern Miss Tulane Battle for the Bell The Bell 30 23–7 Southern Miss Southern Miss won 6

Men's basketball[]

For the upcoming season, see .

See also: Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament and Conference USA Men's Basketball Player of the Year

This list goes through the 2017–18 season.[31]

Team First
Season 		All-Time
Record 		All-Time
Win % 		NCAA Tournament
Appearances 		NCAA Tournament
Record 		Arena Head Coach
UAB 1979 835—511 .620 15 10–15 Bartow Arena Robert Ehsan
Charlotte 1963 856—745 .535 11 7–12 Dale F. Halton Arena Ron Sanchez
Florida Atlantic 1989 356—588 .377 1 0–1 FAU Arena Dusty May
FIU 1982 448—662 .404 1 0–1 Ocean Bank Convocation Center Jeremy Ballard
Louisiana Tech 1910 1394—1042 .572 5 4–5 Thomas Assembly Center Eric Konkol
Marshall 1907 1524—1132 .574 6 1–6 Cam Henderson Center Dan D'Antoni
Middle Tennessee 1914 1252—1090 .535 9 4–9 Murphy Center Nick McDevitt
North Texas 1915 1190—1329 .472 4 1–3 UNT Coliseum Grant McCasland
Old Dominion 1951 1199—757 .613 11 3–11 Ted Constant Convocation Center Jeff Jones
Rice 1915 1128—1458 .436 4 2–5 Tudor Fieldhouse Scott Pera
Southern Miss 1913 1209—1095–1 .525 3 0–3 Reed Green Coliseum Doc Sadler
UTEP 1915 1402—1082 .564 17 14–16 Don Haskins Center Rodney Terry
UTSA 1982 576—578 .499 4 1–4 Convocation Center Steve Henson
Western Kentucky 1915 1815—936 .660 23 19–24 E. A. Diddle Arena Rick Stansbury

Women's basketball[]

See also: Conference USA Women's Basketball Tournament

This list goes through the 2012–13 season.[32]

Team First
Season 		All-Time
Record 		All-Time
Win % 		NCAA Tournament
Appearances 		NCAA Tournament
Record 		Arena Head Coach
UAB 1979 537–495 .520 2 2–2 Bartow Arena Randy Norton
Charlotte 1976 537–398 .574 2 0–2 Dale F. Halton Arena Cara Consuegra
Florida Atlantic 1985 387–419 .480 1 0–1 FAU Arena Jim Jabir
FIU 1976 668–396 .628 6 3–6 Ocean Bank Convocation Center Tiara Malcom
Louisiana Tech 1975 1031–244 .809 27 65–25 Thomas Assembly Center Brooke Stoehr
Marshall 1970 591–597 .497 1 0–1 Cam Henderson Center
Middle Tennessee 1976 764–361 .679 16 5–16 Murphy Center Rick Insell
North Texas 1977 434–602 .419 1 0–1 UNT Coliseum
Old Dominion 1970 959–358 .728 25 34–24 Ted Constant Convocation Center Nikki McCray
Rice 1979 511–503 .504 2 1–2 Tudor Fieldhouse Tina Langley
Southern Miss 1976 618–476 .565 8 4–8 Reed Green Coliseum
UTEP 1975 461–579 .443 2 1–2 Don Haskins Center
UTSA 1982 453–449 .502 2 0–2 Convocation Center
Western Kentucky 1914 848–440 .658 16 17–16 E. A. Diddle Arena

Baseball[]

See also: Conference USA Baseball Tournament

Championships[]

Current C-USA champions[]

"RS" is regular season.

National champions[]

Marshall, which 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), is the only C-USA member to have won a national team championship while a member of the conference.

The following C-USA teams have won national championships when they were not affiliated with C-USA:

School National titles Sport Years
FIU 2 Men's Soccer (Division II) 1982, 1984
Louisiana Tech 5 Football (Division II) 1972, 1973
Women's basketball 1981 (AIAW), 1982, 1988
Marshall 2 Football (Division I FCS) 1992, 1996
North Texas 4 Men's golf 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952
Old Dominion 28 Men's basketball 1975 (Division II)
Women's basketball 1979 (AIAW), 1980 (AIAW), 1985
Women's field hockey 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000
Sailing 1982, 1987, 1989 (Three classes), 1990 (Two classes), 1992, 1996, 1998 (Two classes), 2002 (Two classes), 2003, 2004
Rice 1 Baseball 2003
Southern Miss 2 Football (Division II) 1958, 1962
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
Western Kentucky 1 Football (Division I FCS) 2002
Total 67
See also: List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships and List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships

Facilities[]

School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball park Capacity
UAB Protective Stadium[a] 47,100 Bartow Arena 8,508 Regions Field
Jerry D. Young Memorial Field 		8,500
1,000
Charlotte Jerry Richardson Stadium 15,300 Dale F. Halton Arena 9,105 Hayes Stadium 3,000
Florida Atlantic FAU Stadium 29,419 FAU Arena 2,900 FAU Baseball Stadium 2,000
FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium 20,000 Ocean Bank Convocation Center 5,000 Infinity Insurance Park 2,000
Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium 28,562 Thomas Assembly Center 8,098 J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park 2,000
Marshall Joan C. Edwards Stadium 38,227 Cam Henderson Center 9,048 Appalachian Power Park[b]
Kennedy Center Field
Linda K. Epling Stadium 		4,500
300
2,500
Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium 30,788 Murphy Center 11,802 Reese Smith Jr. Field 2,600
North Texas Apogee Stadium 30,850 UNT Coliseum 10,032 Non-baseball school
Old Dominion S.B. Ballard Stadium 22,480 Chartway Arena 8,639 Bud Metheny Baseball Complex 2,500
Rice Rice Stadium 47,000 Tudor Fieldhouse 5,208 Reckling Park 7,000
Southern Miss M. M. Roberts Stadium 36,000 Reed Green Coliseum 8,095 Pete Taylor Park 5,036
UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium 51,500 Don Haskins Center 12,222 Non-baseball school
UTSA Alamodome 64,000 Convocation Center 4,080 Roadrunner Field 800
Western Kentucky Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium 22,113 E. A. Diddle Arena 7,326 Nick Denes Field 1,500
Notes
  1. ^ Replaces Legion Field (capacity 71,594) for 2021 and beyond.
  2. ^ Marshall is preparing to build a new on-campus ballpark, as yet unnamed (capacity 3,500), and plans to open it in 2024.

Media[]

In 2016, C-USA 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.[33] C-USA 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.[34]

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.[35]

The total values of the 2016 contracts are notably lower than those of the previous contracts (which included Fox Sports).[33]

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, including all Conference USA conference matches. ESPN and the SEC Network will have first rights to all C-USA home men's soccer matches featuring both schools.

In 2017 American Sports Network and Campus Insiders merged creating Stadium.[36] Stadium's C-USA content will be available to stream on Twitter and Pluto TV.[37] In 2017 Stadium completed a deal with Facebook to exclusively stream some C-USA football games.[38] In 2017 C-USA entered an agreement with the streaming subscription service FloSports to stream three football games.[39]

CUSA.tv[]

In 2016 C-USA partnered with SIDEARM Sports to create a subscription based streaming service named CUSA.tv. In a statement C-USA 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."[40] Various sports including football, basketball, and baseball will exclusively air on CUSA.tv when they are not picked up by other networks.

Academics[]

One of the current 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.[41] Six of the Conference's fourteen members are doctorate-granting universities with "very high research activity," the highest classification given by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[42] A majority of the Conference's members are ranked as Tier One National Universities in U.S. News and World Report's 2021 Best Colleges rankings.

University Affiliation Carnegie[42] Endowment[43] US News[44] Forbes[45]
University of Alabama at Birmingham Public (UA System) Research (Very High) N/A[d 1] 153 (National) 518
Florida Atlantic University Public (SUSF) Research (High) $270,933,875 272 (National) 536
Florida International University Public (SUSF) Research (Very High) $230,954,000 187 (National) 487
Louisiana Tech University Public (UL System) Research (High) N/A[d 1] RNP (National)[d 2] 389
Marshall University Public Research (High) $114,742,403 284 (National) N/A[d 3]
Middle Tennessee State University Public (TBR) Doctoral/Professional $75,710,000 RNP (National)[d 2] 635
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Public (UNC System) Research (High) $166,591,692 227 (National) 495
University of North Texas Public (UNT System) Research (Very High) $131,749,714 249 (National) 570
Old Dominion University Public Research (High) $240,900,000 258 (National) 551
Rice University Private Research (Very High) $4,836,728,000 16 (National) 32
University of Southern Mississippi Public Research (Very High) $68,863,000 RNP (National)[d 2] 575
University of Texas at El Paso Public (UT System) Research (Very High) N/A[d 1] RNP (National)[d 2] 491
University of Texas at San Antonio Public (UT System) Research (High) N/A[d 1] RNP (National)[d 2] 642
Western Kentucky University Public Doctoral/Professional $118,396,000 RNP (National)[d 2] 584
Notes
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d UAB, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, and UTSA did not participate in the 2013 NACUBO Endowment Study.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f In the 2020 US News national university rankings, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Southern Miss, UTEP, UTSA and Western Kentucky are listed as Rank Not Published (RNP), otherwise known as Tier Two.
  3. ^ Marshall is not ranked in the 2015 Forbes America's Best 650 Colleges rankings.

Notes[]

References[]

  1. ^ "About C-USA". ConferenceUSA.com. July 1, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ "Digital Library and Archives, University, Virginia Tech". 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b McMurphy, Brett (April 17, 2012). "Conference Mountain West merger "unlikely"". College Football Insider. CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  5. ^ "Western Kentucky announces move to C-USA".
  6. ^ "Tulsa set to join league for 2014-15 season".
  7. ^ "UAB eliminating football for 'greater good'".
  8. ^ Scarborough, Alex (June 1, 2015). "UAB reinstates football for 2016". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "UAB To Resume Rifle This Year, Bowling Next And Football In 2017" (Press release). UAB Athletics. July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  10. ^ "C-USA's MacLeod is 1st female commissioner of FBS league". AP-sports. October 26, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b [2]
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2015-01-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2015-01-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-08-16. Retrieved 2007-05-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ "Preliminary Headcount Enrollment Summary". Louisiana Board of Regents. October 2017. Archived from the original on May 19, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  16. ^ "MU Quick Facts". Marshall University. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  17. ^ "MTSU tops in Tennessee Board of Regents enrollment". September 16, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  18. ^ "UNIVERSITY PROFILE". admissions.uncc.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  19. ^ "UNT fall enrollment remains strong at 38,087 - News- University of North Texas". news.unt.edu.
  20. ^ "University Facts & Figures". Old Dominion University.
  21. ^ "Rice University : Rice University Office of Institutional Research". www.oir.rice.edu.
  22. ^ "Southern Miss Enrolls Most Academically Talented Student Body - Southern Miss Now". www.usm.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
  23. ^ [3]
  24. ^ "Fall 2013 vs Fall 2014 Census Day Report". Utsa.edu. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
  25. ^ "Enrollment holding steady for WKU". The Daily News.
  26. ^ "Coastal Carolina Added as Men's Soccer Member" (Press release). Conference USA. February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  27. ^ "MSOC: West Virginia Added As C-USA Soccer Member For 2022" (Press release). Conference USA. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  28. ^ "Conference USA". www.conferenceusa.com.
  29. ^ All time Division I-A football records Archived 2004-04-06 at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse
  30. ^ McMurphy, Brett (November 13, 2013). "Six bowls in playoff format". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  31. ^ "2013–14 NCAA Men's Basketball Records" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  32. ^ "NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Records Through 2012–13" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b "What Conference USA's new TV deal may tell us about conference expansion". Vanquish the Foe (SBNation). Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  34. ^ "Comprehensive Television Packages Announced For Conference USA". Conference USA. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  35. ^ "Getting to know new C-USA TV partner beIN Sports". The Daily News Journal. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  36. ^ "Stadium Streams to the Web, Twitter and Pluto TV - Multichannel". www.multichannel.com.
  37. ^ "At least 15 Conference USA football games will be broadcast on Twitter through Stadium". 25 May 2017.
  38. ^ "Facebook will live stream over a dozen college football games this year – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com.
  39. ^ "FloSports Expands Division I Football Coverage With Conference USA Games on FloFootball.com - FloSports". 31 August 2017.
  40. ^ "Conference USA - Conference USA Announces Partnership With SIDEARM Sports". conferenceusa.com.
  41. ^ "AAU Member Institutions and Years of Admission". Association of American Universities. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  42. ^ Jump up to: a b "Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup". Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  43. ^ "National Association of College and University Business Officers" (PDF). National Association of College and University Business. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-05-21. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  44. ^ "Best College Rankings and Lists". U.S. News & World Report. 2021. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  45. ^ "Forbes America's Top Colleges 2015". Forbes. 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-21.

External links[]

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