24 Schools•Division I•Est. 1995
Conference USA competes in NCAA Division I, with football in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The league office sits in Dallas, and member schools stretch across the southern and southwestern United States.
The conference was formed in 1995 through the merger of the Metro and Great Midwest conferences, announced in Chicago that April. Competition began immediately in most sports, with football following the next fall. Many of the early members sat in major urban centers and brought strong basketball traditions, which established the league nationally from the start.
The headquarters moved from Chicago to Dallas in 2004. Judy MacLeod became the league's third commissioner in 2015 and the first woman to lead a Football Bowl Subdivision conference.
Marshall's overtime win at the College Cup gave CUSA its first team national championship, and bowling has since produced more, with the league adding the sport in 2023.
The Olympic footprint runs through track and field especially, with current and former CUSA athletes competing in Paris for the United States, Jamaica, Nigeria, Canada, Hungary, Iceland and Great Britain.
The signature rivalry is 100 Miles of Hate, played by Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky since 1914.
Official Website
Conference USA competes in NCAA Division I, with football in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The league office sits in Dallas, and member schools stretch across the southern and southwestern United States.
The conference was formed in 1995 through the merger of the Metro and Great Midwest conferences, announced in Chicago that April. Competition began immediately in most sports, with football following the next fall. Many of the early members sat in major urban centers and brought strong basketball traditions, which established the league nationally from the start.
The headquarters moved from Chicago to Dallas in 2004. Judy MacLeod became the league's third commissioner in 2015 and the first woman to lead a Football Bowl Subdivision conference.
Marshall's overtime win at the College Cup gave CUSA its first team national championship, and bowling has since produced more, with the league adding the sport in 2023.
The Olympic footprint runs through track and field especially, with current and former CUSA athletes competing in Paris for the United States, Jamaica, Nigeria, Canada, Hungary, Iceland and Great Britain.
The signature rivalry is 100 Miles of Hate, played by Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky since 1914.
Official Website