The Evolution of Conference USA Football: A History of Innovation, Realignment, and Resilience

Conference USA (CUSA) stands as an intercollegiate athletic conference with member institutions primarily located within the Southern United States. Participating in the NCAA's Division I across all sports, with football competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), CUSA has carved a unique identity in the landscape of collegiate athletics. The conference prides itself on upholding standards of success and integrity, adapting to the ever-changing dynamics of college sports.

Formation and Early Years: A Merger of Aspirations

CUSA was founded in 1995 through the merger of the Metro Conference and the 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. Houston, from the dissolving Southwest Conference, was invited to join following the SWC's disbanding at the end of the 1995-96 academic year. As a result of this merger, CUSA became a sprawling league, stretching from Florida to Missouri, and Wisconsin to Texas.

The Impact of Conference Realignment in the early 2000s

The conference experienced radical changes in the early 2000s. The Big East Conference, seeking to expand its membership, targeted Conference USA, leading to the departure of five CUSA members. Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida (football-playing schools) along with DePaul and Marquette (non-football schools) left for the Big East. To compensate for these losses, CUSA brought in six schools from other conferences: UCF and Marshall from the MAC, as well as Rice, SMU, Tulsa, and UTEP from the WAC.

Navigating Further Shifts: The 2010s and Beyond

In 2013, CUSA entered its next phase with the departure of Houston, Memphis, SMU, and UCF for the American Athletic Conference. To counter these losses, CUSA invited five new members to join: UTSA and Louisiana Tech from the WAC, North Texas and FIU from the Sun Belt Conference, and Old Dominion from the CAA.

On November 27, 2012, Tulane announced its departure, effective in the 2014 season, to join the Big East in all sports, and East Carolina announced it would join the Big East for football only. The board of trustees in the University of Alabama system voted to shut down UAB's football program on December 2, 2014. 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.

Commissioner Britton Banowsky stepped down on September 15, 2015, and executive associate commissioner and chief operating officer Judy MacLeod was subsequently named interim commissioner.

Recent Realignment and Expansion (2020s)

In the fall of 2021, CUSA faced a near collapse due to membership losses. The American Athletic Conference announced that Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA would move to that league in 2023. Soon after, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss accepted invitations to the Sun Belt Conference and left in 2022.

CUSA responded by adding FBS independents Liberty and New Mexico State, plus FCS upgraders Jacksonville State and Sam Houston, in 2023, with Kennesaw State joining in 2024. CUSA continued its expansion by bringing in Delaware and Missouri State for 2025. During this time, UTEP announced it would leave for the Mountain West Conference in 2026. Louisiana Tech became a prime candidate for a Sun Belt invite following Texas State's impending move to the reconfigured Pac-12; that shoe dropped in July 2025, as they have announced plans to leave CUSA no later than 2027-28 (but most likely 2026-27). In turn, CUSA has been evaluating candidates for a potential replacement, with yet another FCS program, Tarleton State, seen as the frontrunner.

Current Membership and Sports Sponsorship

Conference USA sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. There are also affiliate members in sports such as baseball, beach volleyball, and bowling.

Media Coverage and Partnerships

CUSA has established media partnerships to enhance the visibility of its athletic programs. In 2016, CUSA began a long-term television contract with ESPN and CBS Sports Network. CUSA also renewed and expanded its partnership with American Sports Network. In 2022, CUSA signed a new media rights agreement establishing CBS Sports Network and ESPN as primary rights holders beginning in 2023.

Read also: SEC Football: By the Numbers

Football Championship Game: A Showcase of Conference Talent

The Championship game from 2005 to 2021 showcased the CUSA East Division regular season champion against the West Division regular season champion. From the 2022 season, the game pits the number one (1) team in the season standings versus the number two (2) team. The game is typically played on the first Saturday of December. The Conference USA Football Championship game has featured a rematch of a regular-season game in eleven of the twenty-one times it's been played (2006, 2007, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025).

Key Programs and Their Trajectories

Delaware Blue Hens

The University of Delaware, joining CUSA in 2025, brings a rich history in college football. The Blue Hens have been a strong team in college football's lower ranks for decades. The university is notable for its unusual governance-it's defined in state law as "privately governed, state-assisted".

FIU Panthers

Florida International University's Panthers, located in Miami, started playing football in 2002 and fast-tracked their move to the FBS level in just three years. Their most recent claim to fame is striking a deal with Miami-based rapper Pitbull to rename their stadium after him starting in 2024.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Jacksonville State University's football team has been active for over a century. The Gamecocks reached FBS in 2023, winning a bowl in its first year and followed it up with a CUSA championship in 2024.

Kennesaw State Owls

Kennesaw State University, a relatively new FBS member, has one of the youngest overall athletic programs in Division I. The Owls saw surprising success in FCS, with winning records in each of their first seven seasons, plus three conference titles. They managed to snag a CUSA invite when that conference was on life support after being raided by other leagues.

Read also: The Big 12 Conference

Liberty Flames

Liberty University, one of the more recent additions to FBS football, began its life in 1971. After a slow and steady climb to moderate FCS success, they finally pulled the trigger on their long-expected move to the FBS level by joining the independent ranks in 2018. With Conference USA having been raided to within an inch of its life in 2021, Liberty became attractive to that league, and it joined in 2023; the Flames immediately posted their first-ever undefeated regular season, won the conference title game, and picked up the G5 New Year's Six bid.

Conference USA: A Constantly Evolving Landscape

Conference USA has experienced significant membership turnover, particularly in the 2020s. With all of the membership turnover, most dramatically in the 2020s, an ESPN writer said in 2025 that "Conference USA's purpose is to serve as the official FBS welcome mat," and also called CUSA "the Ellis Island of FBS". Nearly one-fourth of all FBS teams have been CUSA members at one time or another, and eight of the 12 teams that moved up from FCS from 2014-2025 made CUSA their initial FBS conference home.

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