![]() ULM Football | 2022 Sun Belt Media Days Notes ![]() We will take the necessary time to add future members that will be the best fit from an athletic and academic standpoint and allow prospective institutions time to complete their process.2022 Sun Belt Conference Football Media Days: ULM Press Conference (July 27)Ģ022 Sun Belt Conference Football Media Days Photo Gallery "Every step we take will be deliberate, strategically sound, and intentional. There are several institutions interested in joining Conference USA, both across FBS and FCS, some of whom we've already met with in person," said MacLeod in a Friday afternoon statement. "We have a strong core of members to build around and are continuing to work to strengthen our league as we move forward. C-USA commissioner Judy MacLeod has been frantically trying to keep her existing members together while reaching out to candidates to replace departing programs, multiple sources tell CBS Sports. ![]() If nine schools ultimately leave, that would add $36 million in the coffers to help entice new members. Something working in Conference USA's favor is the $4 million exit fee. "To say that is not wounded would be to deny ," a source close to the discussions tells CBS Sports. The C-USA television deal with CBS expires after the 2022-23 academic year, and the conference also has separate deals with Stadium and ESPN (mostly streaming on ESPN+). If a collection of teams in the newly-formed C-USA does not draw enough interest from networks, it could go away completely. At that point, the league's future would be decided by its worth to media rights holders. As such, Conference USA faces the prospect of losing nine of its 14 members within in a week. Prior to that, the last FBS - then Division I-A - conference to go away was the Southwest Conference in 1995.ĭecisions could be made in the next three days, sources tell CBS Sports. The 26-year-old league could be the first FBS conference to fold since the Big East in 2013 with the football remnants of the old Big East eventually serving as the foundation for the AAC. As proposed, the top six ranked conference champions would receive an automatic berth in a hypothetical 12-team bracket, but that's based on the 10 existing leagues continuing That could potentially impact ongoing talks regarding College Football Playoff expansion. Should Conference USA lose the three aforementioned programs and ultimately dissolve, the result would be the number of FBS conferences shrinking from 10 to nine. It is believed they will start playing in the AAC as soon as the 2023-24 athletic season. At least six members of a conference are needed to determine a league champion to earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.ĬBS Sports previously reported James Madison was choosing between Conference USA and the Sun Belt with its decision potentially determining the future of Old Dominion and Marshall.Ĭonference USA lost six of its 14 members on Thursday when Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA announced that they were joining the American Athletic Conference. Should Marshall and Old Dominion join Southern Miss in departing, Conference USA would be reduced from eight to five members, putting the league in dire straits. Those schools, along with FCS power James Madison, are expected to be invited to join the Sun Belt as early as next week. Southern Miss accepted a Sun Belt invitation on Friday, while Marshall and Old Dominion have yet to formally decide. At issue is what appears to be the impending defection of three Conference USA schools ot the Sun Belt. Concern has emerged that the future viability of Conference USA is "hanging on by a thread" as college football conference realignment continues to play out, sources tell CBS Sports.
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