Where fans fuel champions.
Simple. Secure. Direct.
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Where fans fuel champions.
Simple. Secure. Direct.
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Where fans fuel champions.
Simple. Secure. Direct.
Where fans fuel champions.
Simple. Secure. Direct.
17 Schools•Division I•Est. 1995
The Conference USA (CUSA), founded in 1995, fields 12 full members for the 2025-26 academic year: Delaware, FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Missouri State, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, UTEP, and Western Kentucky. Membership will shrink to 11 in 2026-27 (with UTEP departing for the Mountain West) and to 10 by 2027-28 (Louisiana Tech heading to the Sun Belt, pending any exit fee resolutions). Realignment is familiar—CUSA has seen 23 former members depart, including prominent ones like Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. The conference sponsors 19 sports (eight men's, 11 women's) and includes 14 affiliate members, mainly in bowling and beach volleyball. Only two representatives have won NCAA team titles under CUSA banners, both in bowling: Jacksonville State claimed the 2024 women's championship in its debut full season, while associate member Youngstown State won in 2025 (defeating Jax State in the final). Former member Marshall earned CUSA's first team title in the delayed 2020 men's soccer College Cup (played May 2021 due to COVID) before leaving for the Sun Belt in 2022-23. Football venues are modest (12,000–28,000 seats typically), but UTEP's Sun Bowl stands out at 51,500. In basketball, New Mexico State's Pan American Center (12,482 seats) is the largest dedicated arena, though Sam Houston hosts one annual game at NRG Stadium (72,220 capacity). CUSA holds multi-year media rights deals with ESPN and CBS Sports Network as primary partners (covering football, including weeknight games, and other sports), plus a smaller agreement with American Sports Network. Conference USA athletes benefit from the NCAA's revenue-sharing model (introduced via the House v. NCAA settlement and effective since July 2025), which allows schools to directly distribute up to approximately $20.5 million annually to athletes across sports, supplemented by third-party NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals. In CUSA—a Group of Six league with solid but non-Power programs—schools allocate funds strategically, often prioritizing football and basketball to compete for talent and visibility amid ongoing realignment. Rivalries center on football's regional battles. The "100 Miles of Hate" (Middle Tennessee vs. Western Kentucky) headlines the list with over a century of history and intense proximity. Other notables include Liberty vs. Jacksonville State (newer but growing), Sam Houston vs. New Mexico State (distant travel clashes), and Louisiana Tech vs. UTEP (pre-departure Southwest flavor). Holdovers like FIU vs. Western Kentucky add spice, while emerging ones (e.g., Missouri State vs. others post-FCS transition) promise fresh intensity in the shrinking league.
Official Website
The Conference USA (CUSA), founded in 1995, fields 12 full members for the 2025-26 academic year: Delaware, FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Missouri State, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, UTEP, and Western Kentucky. Membership will shrink to 11 in 2026-27 (with UTEP departing for the Mountain West) and to 10 by 2027-28 (Louisiana Tech heading to the Sun Belt, pending any exit fee resolutions). Realignment is familiar—CUSA has seen 23 former members depart, including prominent ones like Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. The conference sponsors 19 sports (eight men's, 11 women's) and includes 14 affiliate members, mainly in bowling and beach volleyball. Only two representatives have won NCAA team titles under CUSA banners, both in bowling: Jacksonville State claimed the 2024 women's championship in its debut full season, while associate member Youngstown State won in 2025 (defeating Jax State in the final). Former member Marshall earned CUSA's first team title in the delayed 2020 men's soccer College Cup (played May 2021 due to COVID) before leaving for the Sun Belt in 2022-23. Football venues are modest (12,000–28,000 seats typically), but UTEP's Sun Bowl stands out at 51,500. In basketball, New Mexico State's Pan American Center (12,482 seats) is the largest dedicated arena, though Sam Houston hosts one annual game at NRG Stadium (72,220 capacity). CUSA holds multi-year media rights deals with ESPN and CBS Sports Network as primary partners (covering football, including weeknight games, and other sports), plus a smaller agreement with American Sports Network. Conference USA athletes benefit from the NCAA's revenue-sharing model (introduced via the House v. NCAA settlement and effective since July 2025), which allows schools to directly distribute up to approximately $20.5 million annually to athletes across sports, supplemented by third-party NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals. In CUSA—a Group of Six league with solid but non-Power programs—schools allocate funds strategically, often prioritizing football and basketball to compete for talent and visibility amid ongoing realignment. Rivalries center on football's regional battles. The "100 Miles of Hate" (Middle Tennessee vs. Western Kentucky) headlines the list with over a century of history and intense proximity. Other notables include Liberty vs. Jacksonville State (newer but growing), Sam Houston vs. New Mexico State (distant travel clashes), and Louisiana Tech vs. UTEP (pre-departure Southwest flavor). Holdovers like FIU vs. Western Kentucky add spice, while emerging ones (e.g., Missouri State vs. others post-FCS transition) promise fresh intensity in the shrinking league.
Official Website