Conference USA

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Conference USA
(C-USA)
Conference USA logo
Established 1995
Association NCAA
Division Division I FBS
Members 12 (16 beginning July 1, 2013)
Sports fielded 20[1] (men's: 9; women's: 11)
Region Southern United States
Headquarters Irving, Texas
Commissioner Britton Banowsky (since 2002)
Website conferenceusa.com
Locations
Conference USA locations

Conference USA (C-USA) is a college athletic conference whose 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 the Las Colinas business district of the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas.

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. To even out at 12 members (because Dayton, VCU, and Virginia Tech were left out of the merger[2]) the conference invited the University of Houston, but UH could not start C-USA play for a year due to committing to being in the Southwest Conference in its final year. The conference immediately started competition in all sports, except football which started in 1996.

In 2011, Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference announced a plan for a football only alliance.[3] Then on February 12, 2012, the league announced that it would dissolve in order to form an new legal entity merging its remaining members, the Mountain West and two to eight more schools.[4] However, because of financial issues related to NCAA rules, both conferences backed away from a full merger; as of April 2012, the likeliest scenario is now an all-sports alliance in which both conferences retain their separate identities.[5]

Contents

Member schools [edit]

Current members [edit]

Institution Location
(Metro Population)
Founded Type Enrollment U.S. News Ranking[6] Joined Nickname Mascot Varsity
Sports
East Division
University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama
(1,128,047)
1969 Public 18,498 7002151000000000000151
(National)
1995 Blazers Blaze 17
University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida
(2,134,411)
1963 Public 58,698 7002174000000000000174
(National)
2005 Knights Knightro 16
East Carolina University Greenville, North Carolina
(192,690)
1907 Public 27,386 7002199000000000000199
(National)
2001 Pirates PeeDee 19
Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia
(286,012)
1837 Public 14,196 700230700000000000041
(Regional: South)
2005 Thundering Herd Marco 15
University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee
(1,316,100)
1912 Public 22,725 7002205000000000000205–270
(National)
1995 Tigers TOM III 18
University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, Mississippi
(148,546)
1910 Public 16,506 7002205000000000000205–270
(National)
1995 Golden Eagles Seymour d'Campus 14
West Division
University of Houston Houston, Texas
(6,086,538)
1927 Public 39,824 7002184000000000000184
(National)
1996* Cougars Shasta 16
Rice University Houston, Texas
(6,086,538)
1912 Private 6,082 700117000000000000017
(National)
2005 Owls Sammy the Owl 16
Southern Methodist University University Park, Texas
(6,371,773)
1911 Private 10,982 700158000000000000058
(National)
2005 Mustangs Peruna 17
University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas
(820,790)
1914 Public 22,640 7002205000000000000205–270
(National)
2005 Miners Paydirt Pete 15
Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana
(1,167,764)
1834 Private 13,359 700151000000000000051
(National)
1995 Green Wave Riptide/Gumby 16
University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma
(946,962)
1894 Private 4,256 700183000000000000083
(National)
2005 Golden Hurricane Captain 'Cane 18

Pink denotes schools that will be departing for the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2013.
Yellow denotes schools that will be departing for the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2014.
* - 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.

Future members [edit]

On May 4, 2012, C-USA announced that Charlotte, FIU, LA Tech, North Texas, and UTSA would join the league on July 1, 2013.[7] A couple weeks later on May 17, 2012, Old Dominion announced they would join C-USA on July 1, 2013.[8] Old Dominion will play eight conference opponents in football 2014 and be eligible for the C-USA championship, but will not be eligible for postseason play as the team is transitioning to FBS. Charlotte will officially begin conference play in football in the 2015 season. On November 28, 2012, it was announced that Middle Tennessee State University of Murfreesboro, Tennessee and Florida Atlantic University of Boca Raton, Florida would make the move to C-USA, joining FIU and North Texas universities as recent Sun Belt conference defectors.[9] On April 1, 2013, it was officially announced that Western Kentucky would depart the Sun Belt Conference for C-USA, effective July 1, 2014.[10]

Institution Nickname Location
(Metro Population)
Founded Type Enrollment U.S. News
Ranking[11]
Joining
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers Charlotte, North Carolina
1,758,038
1946 Public 25,144 7002199000000000000199
(National)
20131
Florida Atlantic University Owls Boca Raton, Florida
5,564,635
1961 Public 29,290 7002205000000000000205–270
(National)
2013
Florida International University Panthers Miami, Florida
5,564,635
1965 Public 47,966 7002205000000000000205–270
(National)
2013 2
Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs (men's)
Lady Techsters (women's)
Ruston, Louisiana
58,349
1894 Public 11,581 7002199000000000000199
(National)
2013
Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders Murfreesboro, Tennessee
1,589,934
1911 Public 24,192 7002205000000000000205–270
(National)
2013
University of North Texas Mean Green Denton, Texas
6,526,548
1890 Public 35,722 7002205000000000000205–270
(National)
2013
Old Dominion University Monarchs (men's)
Lady Monarchs (women's)
Norfolk, Virginia
1,671,683
1930 Public 24,125 7002205000000000000205–270
(National)
2013
University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners San Antonio, Texas
2,194,297
1969 Public 31,114 7002205000000000000205–270
(National)
2013
Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers Bowling Green, Kentucky
162,231
1906 Public 21,048 700229900000000000033
(Regional: South)
2014

1 - Charlotte was a non-football member of the Conference from the original reunification in 1995 until 2005, and will re-join C-USA in 2013 as the school begins its football program, which becomes a full C-USA member in 2015.
2 - FIU joined C-USA initially in 2005 for men's soccer only and in 2013 will move all sports C-USA sponsors to the conference.

Affiliate members [edit]

Institution Nickname Location Founded Type Enrollment Primary Conference C-USA Sport
University of Alabama Crimson Tide Tuscaloosa, Alabama 1831 Public 31,747 SEC Women's rowing
Colorado College Tigers Colorado Springs, Colorado 1874 Private 2,011 SCAC
(NCAA Division III)
Women's soccer
Florida International University Panthers Miami, Florida 1965 Public 47,966 Sun Belt Men's soccer
University of Kansas Jayhawks Lawrence, Kansas 1865 Public 30,004 Big 12 Women's rowing
Kansas State University Wildcats Manhattan, Kansas 1863 Public 23,588 Big 12 Women's rowing
University of Kentucky Wildcats Lexington, Kentucky 1865 Public 26,054 SEC Men's soccer
University of Oklahoma Sooners Norman, Oklahoma 1890 Public 29,721 Big 12 Women's rowing
Old Dominion University Monarchs Norfolk, Virginia 1930 Public 24,125 CAA Multiple
University of South Carolina Gamecocks Columbia, South Carolina 1801 Public 28,481 SEC Men's soccer
University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers Knoxville, Tennessee 1794 Public 27,523 SEC Women's rowing
University of Texas at Austin Longhorns Austin, Texas 1883 Public 51,195 Big 12 Women's rowing
West Virginia University Mountaineers Morgantown, West Virginia 1867 Public 29,306 Big 12 Women's rowing

[12]

Future affiliate members [edit]

Institution Nickname Location Founded Type Enrollment Primary Conference C-USA Sport Joining
California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) Hornets Sacramento, California 1947 Public 27,972 Big Sky Women's rowing 2013[13]
University of New Mexico Lobos Albuquerque, New Mexico 1889 Public 35,211 Mountain West Men's soccer 2013[14]
San Diego State University Aztecs San Diego, California 1947 Public 28,789 Mountain West Women's rowing 2013[13]

Former members [edit]

Institution Nickname Location Joined Left Current Conference
United States Military Academy
(football only)
Black Knights West Point, New York 1998 2005 Patriot League (all sports)
NCAA D-I FBS Independent (football)
University of Cincinnati Bearcats Cincinnati, Ohio 1995 2005 Big East[f 1]
DePaul University Blue Demons Chicago, Illinois 1995 2005 Big East ("New" Big East in 2013)
University of Louisville Cardinals Louisville, Kentucky 1995 2005 Big East[f 1] (ACC in 2014)
Marquette University Golden Eagles Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1995 2005 Big East ("New" Big East in 2013)
Saint Louis University Billikens St. Louis, Missouri 1995 2005 Atlantic 10 (A-10)
University of South Florida Bulls Tampa, Florida 1995 2005 Big East[f 1]
Texas Christian University Horned Frogs Fort Worth, Texas 2001 2005 Big 12
  1. ^ a b c The conference that will retain the charter of the original Big East Conference will operate as the American Athletic Conference starting in July 2013.

Membership timeline [edit]

Western Kentucky University University of Texas at San Antonio Old Dominion University University of North Texas Middle Tennessee State University Louisiana Tech University Florida International University Florida Atlantic University University of Texas at El Paso Rice University Marshall University American Athletic Conference University of Tulsa American Athletic Conference Southern Methodist University American Athletic Conference University of Central Florida Big 12 Conference Mountain West Conference Texas Christian University NCAA Division I FBS Independent Schools United States Military Academy American Athletic Conference East Carolina University American Athletic Conference University of Houston American Athletic Conference Tulane University American Athletic Conference University of Memphis University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Southern Mississippi Atlantic 10 Conference University of North Carolina at Charlotte American Athletic Conference Big East Conference (1979–2013) University of South Florida Atlantic 10 Conference Saint Louis University Big East Conference (2013) Big East Conference (1979–2013) Marquette University Atlantic Coast Conference American Athletic Conference Big East Conference (1979–2013) University of Louisville Big East Conference (2013) Big East Conference (1979–2013) DePaul University American Athletic Conference Big East Conference (1979–2013) University of Cincinnati

Full members (all-sports) Full members (non-football) Associate members (football-only) Other Conference Other Conference

History [edit]

Locations of Conference USA member institutions as of July 1, 2013.

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. To even out at 12 members (because Dayton, VCU, and Virginia Tech were left out of the merger[2]) the conference invited the University of Houston, but UH could not start C-USA play for a year due to committing to being in the Southwest Conference in its final year. The conference immediately started competition in all sports, except football which started in 1996.

The conference saw radical changes for the 2005–06 academic year. The stage for these changes was set in 2003, when the Atlantic Coast Conference successfully lured Miami and Virginia Tech to make a move from the Big East Conference in 2004. Boston College would later make the same move, joining the ACC in 2005. In response to that series of moves, which depleted the Big East football conference, the Big East 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). Another two schools (Charlotte and Saint Louis) left for the Atlantic 10; TCU joined the Mountain West; 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 teams, C-USA lured six teams 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 has adopted a two-division alignment.

In 2013, C-USA will enter its next phase with the departure of four schools for the Big East Conference (Houston, Memphis, SMU, and UCF). 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.[5] 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, 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 Florida International (also in C-USA for the sport).[5] 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 will join from the WAC. North Texas will join from the Sun Belt. Old Dominion, which already houses five of its sports in C-USA, will move the rest of its athletic program from the CAA (except for field hockey and wrestling, which are respectively joining the American (the football-sponsoring part of the former Big East) and MAC because C-USA does not sponsor those sports) and upgrade its football program from the Football Championship Subdivision. Charlotte will return from the A-10 and accelerate its recently established football program set to begin play in 2013 as an FCS school to FBS in 2015 with full conference rights in 2016. Also Florida International, another Sun Belt member that joined C-USA for men's soccer in 2005, will become a full all-sports member in 2013.

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 will take 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 to offset Tulsa's departure to the American in all sports which was confirmed the next day.[15][16]

Commissioners [edit]

Sports [edit]

Sponsorship [edit]

Conference USA sponsors championship competition in nine men's and eleven women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[17] Twelve schools, including future members Florida International and Old Dominion, are Affiliate members for six sports.

Teams in C-USA Conference competition
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball
9
-
Basketball
12
12
Cross Country
8
12
Football
12
-
Golf
12
11
Rowing
-
10
Soccer
9
12
Softball
-
9
Swimming & Diving
-
6
Tennis
10
13
Track and Field (Indoor)
8
12
Track and Field (Outdoor)
8
12
Volleyball
-
12

Men's sponsored sports by school

Member Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Golf Soccer Tennis Indoor Track & Field Outdoor Track & Field Total C-USA Sports
Charlotte Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
East Carolina Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
FIU Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY 7
Florida Atlantic Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN 7
Houston Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY 7
Kentucky Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
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
Memphis Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
Middle Tennessee Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
New Mexico Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
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
SMU Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN 5
South Carolina Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
Southern Miss Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 7
Tulane Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY 6
Tulsa Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
UAB Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN 6
UCF Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN 6
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
WKU Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
Total (2012–13) 9 12 8 12 12 9 10 7 8
Total (2013–14) 13 16 13 14 14 10 11 11 12
Total (2014–15) 12 14 11 13 13 9 9 10 10
Total (2015–16) 12 14 11 14 13 9 9 10 10

Notes:

  • Old Dominion will begin C-USA play in football for the 2014–15 season, and Charlotte will begin C-USA play in football for the 2015–16 season.
  • Kentucky and South Carolina are affiliate members for men's soccer. FIU is an affiliate member for men's soccer for the 2012–13 season before they become a full member. New Mexico will begin C-USA play as an affiliate member in men's soccer for the 2013–14 season.
  • Old Dominion is an affiliate member for men's golf and men's tennis for the 2012–13 season.

Women's sponsored sports by school

Member Basketball Cross Country Golf Rowing Soccer Softball Swimming & Diving Tennis Indoor Track & Field Outdoor Track & Field Volleyball Total C-USA Sports
Alabama Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
Charlotte Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
Colorado College Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
East Carolina Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
FIU Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
Florida Atlantic Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
Houston Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
Kansas Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
Kansas State Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
Louisiana Tech Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
Marshall Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
Memphis Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
Middle Tennessee Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
North Texas Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
Oklahoma Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
Old Dominion Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN 6
Rice Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
Sacramento State Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
San Diego State Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
SMU Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
Southern Miss Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
Tennessee Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
Texas Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
Tulane Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 8
Tulsa Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
UAB Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
UCF Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
UTEP Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
UTSA Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 9
West Virginia Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN 1
WKU Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY 10
Total (2012–13) 12 12 11 11 12 9 6 13 12 12 12
Total (2013–14) 16 15 13 11 16 13 9 16 15 15 15
Total (2014–15) 14 13 11 10 14 12 7 14 13 13 13
Total (2015–16) 14 13 11 10 14 12 7 14 13 13 13

Notes:

  • Eight schools are affiliate members in women's rowing as of 2012–13. Three of these, Alabama, Old Dominion, and Tennessee, compete solely as C-USA affiliates. The five Big 12 members that sponsor the sport—Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia—have dual membership, competing among themselves for a Big 12 title and also separately contesting the C-USA championship. Old Dominion will become a full member in 2013–14, and Sacramento State and San Diego State will become rowing affiliates at the same time.
  • Colorado College is an affiliate member in women's soccer.
  • Old Dominion is also an affiliate member in women's golf and women's tennis for the 2012–13 season.
  • Rice fields a women's team in swimming but not in diving.

Football [edit]

For the most recent season, see 2012 Conference USA football season.

Team First
Season
All-Time
Record
All-Time
Win %
Bowl
Appearances
Bowl
Record
Conference
Titles
Stadium Head Coach
East Division
UAB 1991 110–137–2 .446 1 0–1 0 Legion Field Garrick McGee
UCF 1979 204–185–1 .524 5 2–3 2 Bright House Networks Stadium George O'Leary
East Carolina 1932 408–376–11 .520 13 5–8 7 Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Ruffin McNeill
Marshall 1895 542–520–48 .510 10 7–3 12 Joan C. Edwards Stadium Doc Holliday
Memphis 1912 442–489–33 .476 6 3–3 6 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Justin Fuente
Southern Miss 1912 560–385–27 .590 20 10–10 8 M. M. Roberts Stadium Todd Monken
West Division
Houston 1946 388–341–15 .532 20 8–11–1 10 Reliant Stadium Tony Levine
Rice 1912 444–571–32 .439 10 6–4 7 Rice Stadium David Bailiff
SMU 1915 469–500–54 .485 15 7–7–1 11 Gerald J. Ford Stadium June Jones
UTEP 1914 376–546–28 .411 13 5–8 2 Sun Bowl Stadium Sean Kugler
Tulane 1893 495–603–38 .452 10 4–6 9 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Curtis Johnson
Tulsa 1895 594–458–27 .563 19 9–10 35 Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium Bill Blankenship
Future Members
Charlotte 2013 0–0 0 0–0 0 McColl-Richardson Field Brad Lambert
Florida Atlantic 2001 61–83 .424 2 2–0 1 FAU Stadium Carl Pelini
FIU 2002 42–88 .323 2 1–1 1 FIU Stadium Ron Turner
Louisiana Tech 1901 571–430–37 .568 6 2–3–1 25 Joe Aillet Stadium Skip Holtz
Middle Tennessee 1911 535–398–28 .571 3 1–2 20 Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Rick Stockstill
North Texas 1913 481–466–35 .508 6 1–5 24 Apogee Stadium Dan McCarney
Old Dominion 1930 79–46–4 .628 0 0–0 0 Foreman Field Bobby Wilder
UTSA 2011 12–10 .545 0 0–0 0 Alamodome Larry Coker
WKU 1908 511–349–30 .594 1 0–1 11 Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bobby Petrino

[18]

C-USA champions

Bowl games

The C-USA champion will receive an automatic berth in one of the five Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl games if they are the highest ranked non-automatic qualifying conference champion and either of the following:

  • Ranked in the top 12 of the BCS Rankings.
  • Ranked in the top 16 of the BCS Rankings and its ranking is higher than that of an automatic qualifying conference champion.

Any C-USA team ranked in the top 14 of the BCS Rankings and that has at least nine wins is eligible to be selected for an at-large BCS berth by the individual bowl committees.

For the 2013 season, Conference USA has five primary bowl tie-ins and two secondary bowl tie-ins:[19][20]

Pick Name Location Opposing Conference Opposing Pick
1 Liberty Bowl Memphis, Tennessee SEC or American 7/8 or 5
2 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg, Florida American 6
3 Heart of Dallas Bowl Dallas, Texas Big Ten 7
4 New Orleans Bowl New Orleans, Louisiana Sun Belt 1
5 Hawai'i Bowl Honolulu, Hawaii Mountain West 5

For the 2013 season, C-USA has secondary agreements with the Armed Forces Bowl and Military Bowl to select any additional C-USA bowl-eligible teams if a primary contracted conference cannot fill its bowl spot in the aforementioned bowl games.

Rivalries

Football rivalries involving C-USA teams include:

Teams Rivalry Name Trophy Meetings Record Series Leader Current Streak
UAB Memphis Battle for the Bones The Bones 15 10–5 UAB Memphis won 1
UCF South Florida The war on I-4 4 0–4 South Florida South Florida won 4
East Carolina NC State East Carolina–NC State rivalry 27 11–16 NC State East Carolina won 1
FIU Florida Atlantic Shula Bowl Don Shula Award 10 2–8 Florida Atlantic FIU won 1
Louisiana Tech Fresno State Battle for the Bone 11 4–7 Fresno State Louisiana Tech won 1
Marshall Ohio Battle for the Bell The Bell 55 19–30–6 Ohio Ohio won 1
Marshall West Virginia Friends of Coal Bowl Governor's Trophy 11 0–11 West Virginia West Virginia won 11
Memphis Arkansas State Paint Bucket Bowl Paint Bucket 57 29–23–5 Memphis Arkansas State won 2
Middle Tennessee Troy Battle for the Palladium Palladium 20 12–8 Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee won 1
Rice Houston Bayou Bucket Classic 38 11–27 Houston Houston won 1
Rice SMU Battle for the Mayor's Cup Mayor's Cup 89 40–48–1 SMU SMU won 3
SMU Navy Gansz Trophy 16 7–9 Navy Navy won 5
SMU North Texas Safeway Bowl 33 28–4–1 SMU SMU won 1
SMU TCU Battle for the Iron Skillet Iron Skillet 91 40–44–7 TCU SMU won 1
Southern Miss Louisiana Tech Rivalry in Dixie 44 31–13 Southern Miss Southern Miss won 3
Southern Miss Memphis Black and Blue Bowl 63 40–22–1 Southern Miss Memphis won 1
Southern Miss Tulane Battle for the Bell 30 23–7 Southern Miss Southern Miss won 6
UTEP New Mexico State The Battle of I-10 Silver Spade
Mayor's Cup (Brass Spittoon)
89 52–35–2 UTEP UTEP won 3
Tulane LSU Battle for the Rag Tiger Rag (LSU)
Victory Flag (Tulane)
98 22–69–7 LSU LSU won 18

Men's basketball [edit]

For the most recently completed season, see 2012–13 Conference USA men's basketball season.

Team First
Season
All-Time
Record
All-Time
Win %
NCAA Tournament
Appearances
NCAA Tournament
Record
Arena Head Coach
UAB 1979 664–385 .633 14 19–14 Bartow Arena Jerod Haase
UCF 1970 701–536 .567 4 0–4 UCF Arena Donnie Jones
Charlotte 1966 747–608 .551 11 7–12 Dale F. Halton Arena Alan Major
East Carolina 1932 981–1024 .489 2 0–2 Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum Jeff Lebo
Florida Atlantic 1 0–1 FAU Arena Mike Jarvis
FIU 1982 326–527 .382 1 0–1 U.S. Century Bank Arena Vacant
Houston 1946 1132–773 .594 19 26–24 Hofheinz Pavilion James Dickey
Louisiana Tech 1926 1201–957 .557 5 4–5 Thomas Assembly Center Michael White
Marshall 1907 1387–999–2 .581 5 0–5 Cam Henderson Center Tom Herrion
Memphis 1921 1410–833–1 .629 23 32–23 FedExForum Josh Pastner
Middle Tennessee 7 2–7 Murphy Center Kermit Davis
North Texas 1915 1067–1193 .472 3 0–3 UNT Coliseum Tony Benford
Old Dominion 1951 1041–646 .617 11 3–11 Ted Constant Convocation Center Vacant
Rice 1915 1034–1297 .444 4 2–5 Tudor Fieldhouse Ben Braun
SMU 1917 1190–1148 .509 10 10–12 Moody Coliseum Larry Brown
Southern Miss 1913 1144–962–1 .543 3 0–3 Reed Green Coliseum Donnie Tyndall
UTEP 1915 1269–959 .570 17 14–16 Don Haskins Center Tim Floyd
UTSA 1982 475–423 .529 4 1–4 Convocation Center Brooks Thompson
Tulane 1906 1131–1160 .494 3 3–3 Devlin Fieldhouse Ed Conroy
Tulsa 1908 1321–1065 .554 14 12–14 Reynolds Center Danny Manning
WKU 1914 1679–843 .666 23 19–24 E. A. Diddle Arena Ray Harper

Women's basketball [edit]

Team First
Season
All-Time
Record
All-Time
Win %
NCAA Tournament
Appearances
NCAA Tournament
Record
Arena Head Coach
UAB 1979 519–482 .518 2 2–2 Bartow Arena Audra Smith
UCF 1978 483–517 .483 4 0–4 UCF Arena Joi Williams Felton
Charlotte 1976 511–392 .566 2 0–2 Dale F. Halton Arena Cara Consuegra
East Carolina 1979 505–478 .514 2 0–2 Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum Heather Macy
Florida Atlantic 1 0–1 FAU Arena Kellie Lewis-Jay
FIU 1976 649–383 .629 6 3–6 U.S. Century Bank Arena Cindy Russo
Houston 1977 578–465 .554 5 1–5 Hofheinz Pavilion Todd Buchanan
Louisiana Tech 1975 1017–227 .818 27 65–25 Thomas Assembly Center Teresa Weatherspoon
Marshall 1970 582–576 .503 1 0–1 Cam Henderson Center Matt Daniel
Memphis 1972 714–528 .575 7 2–7 Elma Roane Fieldhouse Melissa McFerrin
Middle Tennessee 16 Murphy Center Rick Insell
North Texas 1977 423–583 .420 1 0–1 UNT Coliseum Mike Petersen
Old Dominion 1970 940–346 .731 25 34–24 Ted Constant Convocation Center Karen Barefoot
Rice 1979 497–487 .505 2 1–2 Tudor Fieldhouse Greg Williams
SMU 1976 552–493 .528 7 3–7 Moody Coliseum Rhonda Rompola
Southern Miss 1976 603–460 .567 8 4–8 Reed Green Coliseum Joye Lee-McNelis
UTEP 1975 439–569 .436 2 1–2 Don Haskins Center Keitha Adams
UTSA 1982 437–435 .501 2 0–2 Convocation Center Rae Rippetoe-Blair
Tulane 1981 467–340 .579 10 3–10 Avron B. Fogelman Arena/Devlin Fieldhouse Lisa Stockton
Tulsa 1977 257–457 .360 1 1–1 Reynolds Center Matilda Mossman
WKU 1914 852–441 .659 16 17–16 E. A. Diddle Arena Michelle Clark-Heard

Baseball [edit]

Championships [edit]

Current C-USA champions [edit]

Fall 2012

Sport School
Football Tulsa
Soccer (M) SMU (Regular Season)
Tulsa (Tournament)
Soccer (W) Colorado College-Rice (Regular Season)
UCF (Tournament)
Volleyball (W) Tulsa
Cross Country (M) Tulsa
Cross Country (W) SMU

Winter 2012

Sport School
Basketball (M) Memphis
Basketball (W) UTEP
Indoor Track & Field (M) Tulsa
Indoor Track & Field (W) East Carolina
Swimming & Diving (W) SMU

Spring 2012

Sport School
Baseball Rice
UAB
Softball Tulsa
Outdoor Track & Field (M) Houston
Outdoor Track & Field (W) UCF
Golf (M) Memphis
Golf (W) Tulsa
Tennis (M) Tulsa
Tennis (W) Tulsa
Rowing (W) Tennessee

National champions [edit]

No team has won an NCAA team championship as a member of C-USA.

However, the following current and future C-USA teams have won national championships when they were not affiliated with C-USA:

School National titles Sport Years
Houston 17 Men's golf 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1977, 1982, 1984, 1985
Men's cross country 1960
Louisiana Tech 3 Women's basketball 1981, 1982, 1988
Marshall 2 Football (Division I-AA) 1992, 1996
North Texas 4 Men's golf 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952
Old Dominion 10 Women's basketball 1985
Women's field hockey 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000
Rice 1 Baseball 2003
SMU 4 Men's outdoor track and field 1983, 1986
Men's indoor track and field 1983
Men's golf 1954
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
Tulane 1 Men's tennis 1959
Tulsa 1 Women's golf 1982
WKU 1 Football (Division I-AA) 2002

Facilities [edit]

School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball park Capacity
UAB Legion Field 71,594 Bartow Arena 8,508 Jerry D. Young Memorial Field 1,000
UCF Bright House Networks Stadium 45,301 UCF Arena 10,045 Jay Bergman Field 1,980
Charlotte McColl-Richardson Field 15,300 Dale F. Halton Arena 9,105 Hayes Stadium 3,000
East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium 50,000 Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum 8,000 Clark-LeClair Stadium 5,000
Florida Atlantic FAU Stadium 30,000 FAU Arena 5,000 FAU Baseball Stadium 3,000
FIU FIU Stadium 23,500 U.S. Century Bank Arena 5,000 FIU Baseball Stadium 2,000
Houston Reliant Stadium 71,054 Hofheinz Pavilion 8,479 Cougar Field 5,000
Louisiana Tech Joe Aillet Stadium 30,600 Thomas Assembly Center 8,098 J.C. Love Field 3,000
Marshall Joan C. Edwards Stadium 38,019 Cam Henderson Center 9,048 Appalachian Power Park
Kennedy Center Field
4,500
300
Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium 62,380 FedExForum (men)
Elma Roane Fieldhouse (women)
18,400
2,500
FedExPark 2,000
Middle Tennessee Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium 31,000 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 Foreman Field 19,818 Ted Constant Convocation Center 8,639 Bud Metheny Baseball Complex 2,500
Rice Rice Stadium 47,000 Tudor Fieldhouse 5,208 Reckling Park 5,368
SMU Gerald J. Ford Stadium 32,000 Moody Coliseum 8,998 Non-baseball school
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 65,000 Convocation Center 5,100 Roadrunner Field 800
Tulane Mercedes-Benz Superdome (2013)
Yulman Stadium (2014)
76,468
30,000
New Orleans Arena (men)
Devlin Fieldhouse (men and women)
18,500
3,600
Greer Field at Turchin Stadium 5,000
Tulsa H. A. Chapman Stadium 30,000 Reynolds Center 8,355 Non-baseball school
WKU Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium 22,113 E. A. Diddle Arena 7,326 Nick Denes Field 1,500

Media [edit]

In 2005, C-USA began a long-term television contract with CBS Sports Network (formerly known as CBS College Sports Network and before known as CSTV) to carry a variety of sports. The deal largely replaced the one it had with ESPN and ESPN Plus, though some C-USA football and men's basketball games are still carried by the ESPN networks. The college basketball men's championship game can be seen on CBS Sports Network. Beginning in 2011-12, CBS Sports Network will be joined by FSN for football and select men's & women's basketball games. Some games, including the C-USA Football Championship game may be moved to Fox or FX.

References [edit]

  1. ^ http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/championships/0910-c-usa-championships.html
  2. ^ a b WITH EYE ON BIG EAST, TECH JOINS ATLANTIC 10 HOKIES REJECT THE COLONIAL, WHICH GRABS VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH
  3. ^ http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7102822/mountain-west-conference-usa-announce-football-only-alliance/
  4. ^ http://www.sunherald.com/2012/02/14/3752922/c-usa-mountain-west-agree-to-merger.html
  5. ^ a b c McMurphy, Brett (April 17, 2012). "Conference Mountain West merger "unlikely"". College Football Insider (CBSSports.com). Retrieved April 21, 2012. 
  6. ^ "Best College Rankings and Lists". Retrieved 2012-09-04. 
  7. ^ http://www.conferenceusa.com/genrel/050412aab.html
  8. ^ http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/17/old-dominion-reportedly-set-to-move-to-c-usa-press-conference-thursday/
  9. ^ http://www.dnj.com/article/20121128/BLUERAIDERS/311280035/MTSU-accepts-invitation-Conference-USA?odyssey=nav%7Chead
  10. ^ "WKU Enters Athletic Membership Agreement with Conference USA Beginning July 1, 2014" (Press release). Western Kentucky University Athletics. April 1, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013. 
  11. ^ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings
  12. ^ "Conference USA Adds Affiliate Members for 2012-13 and 2013-14". 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2012-09-04. 
  13. ^ a b "C-USA Rowing Welcomes Sacramento State and San Diego State" (Press release). Conference USA. March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2013. 
  14. ^ "Conference USA Adds Affiliate Members for 2012-13 and 2013-14" (Press release). Conference USA. September 4, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2013. 
  15. ^ Western Kentucky announces move
  16. ^ Tulsa set to join league for 2014-15 season
  17. ^ http://www.conferenceusa.com/
  18. ^ All time Division I-A football records, College Football Data Warehouse
  19. ^ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/c-usa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/2013FBProspectus.pdf
  20. ^ http://www.conferenceusa.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/m-footbl-format.html

External links [edit]