The college athletics landscape is evolving faster than ever. Conference USA operates under the belief that in times of change, original thinking can lead to inspiring outcomes.
Source: Conference USA
Conference USA: “No Limits On Us”
New Mexico State University is settling into Conference USA membership. Joining C-USA in 2023, the Aggies have quickly become a team to be reckoned with in several sports.
Conference USA provides New Mexico State University a Window Into the Broader World of Full-Spectrum NCAA Athletics
The college athletics landscape is evolving faster than ever. Conference USA operates under the belief that in times of change, original thinking can lead to inspiring outcomes. They’re pairing a proud legacy with new perspectives to take a steadfast, future-focused position, and maximizing the good we bring to our schools, student-athletes, and fans. In three decades, they’ve achieved numerous football bowl appearances, basketball tournament berths and postseason championship bids. They’ve also been a mainstay of academic achievement, garnering numerous academic honors and thousands of diplomas, while cultivating relationships and service in our communities. They intend to continue building on all that has been accomplished through the strength of our 10 members: FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, UTEP, and WKU. [Dallas Baptist (baseball); Florida Atlantic, Missouri State, TCU, Tarleton State, Tulane and UAB (beach volleyball) and Arkansas State, Stephen F. Austin, Tulane, Valparaiso, Vanderbilt, Wichita State and Youngstown State (bowling) are also affiliate members.] Delaware and Missouri State begin competition in 2025.
COMPETITIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Football
- 144 teams have earned bowl bids
- Liberty earned the league’s first New Year’s Six Bowl appearance in 2023, versus Oregon in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
- Eligible for the College Football Playoff
- Conference USA has seven guaranteed bowl selections for the 2024 season and associations with 17 different bowls. CUSA will send teams to the Bahamas Bowl, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, and easypost Hawai’i Bowl in 2024.
Men’s Basketball
- 149 postseason teams (58 NCAA, 55 NIT, 19 CBI, 14 CIT, 2 LV16)
- One National Championship title game appearance
- Four Final Four teams
- Eight Elite Eight NCAA Tournament teams
- Two NIT Champions and nine NIT semifinalists
- Three CBI Champions
- One CIT Championship
- Inaugural Las Vegas 16 Champion
Women’s Basketball
- 140 postseason teams (58 NCAA, 72 WNIT, 10 WBI)
- One Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament team
- Three WNIT semifinalists
- Two WBI Champions
Baseball
- 81 NCAA appearances
- Six College World Series appearances (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2001)
- 14 Super Regional appearances
- Has produced at least four teams in 11 of the past 17 NCAA Tournaments
Bowling
- Inaugural season brought NCAA National Championship (Jax State), national runner up (Arkansas State) and remaining Final Four teams (Sam Houston, Youngstown State)
- CUSA occupied nine of the top 17 spots in the latest NTCA Coaches Poll
In addition to the numerous NCAA Tournament berths, CUSA has sent three softball teams to the Women’s College World Series and four volleyball teams to the NCAA Sweet 16. CUSA has had five College Cup appearances in men’s soccer, highlighted by the 2020 National Champion (Marshall). The league has also had 41 national champions in NCAA track and field competitions, one national champion in diving, and numerous NCAA individual and team competitors in beach volleyball, cross country, golf, swimming, tennis, and track and field. The Michael L. Slive Athlete of the Year Award, named after the league’s first commissioner, recognizes the most outstanding male and female student-athlete each season.
COMPETITION
Conference USA sponsors competition in 19 sports – eight for men (baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field) and 11 for women (basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, and volleyball).
ACADEMICS
C-USA schools are among the nation’s best in academic performance of student-athletes, bolstered by the fact that student-athletes at league schools have a higher graduation rate than the general student population. Each year the league names recipients to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and awards the Commissioner’s Academic Medal, indicative of outstanding achievement in the classroom. Honor Roll is awarded to student-athletes in conference-sponsored sports that have achieved a 3.0 cumulative GPA or above, while Academic Medal recipients have achieved a 3.75 cumulative GPA or above. C-USA annually awards each institution a Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarships, along with the Sport Academic Awards, Scholar-Athletes of the Year and the Institutional Academic Excellence Award.
COMMUNITY
C-USA emphasizes the relationships our student-athletes form with our member communities through volunteer service and has implemented several initiatives designed to maintain strong ties within our communities, as well as with fans and alumni across the country. Individually, student-athletes are recognized each season through the Spirit of Service award.
MULTIMEDIA PARTNERS
C-USA enjoys significant exposure through a new multimedia rights deal that launches in 2023-24. These partnerships, which include long term partners CBS Sports Network and ESPN, emphasize accessibility, opportune scheduling models, along with increased national linear and digital exposure for football, men’s and women’s basketball and conference Olympic sports. Through a partnership with Sidearm Sports, the league’s official website, ConferenceUSA.com, features a nationally recognized content management system providing a place for fans, members, and media to connect with us. Additionally, a partnership with industry-leader INFLCR supplies a content delivery platform for our student-athletes.
GOVERNANCE
C-USA has significant representation in the NCAA governance structure. The presidents and/or chancellors of the member institutions serve as the league’s Board of Directors. Commissioner Judy MacLeod is the third commissioner in league history, appointed on October 26, 2015. She was the first female commissioner of a Football Bowl Subdivision athletics conference.
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