MOBILE, Ala. — Middle Tennessee has accepted an invitation to join Conference USA, according to multiple media reports Wednesday, a move that would cost South Alabama’s league, the Sun Belt Conference, another member.
The reports came shortly after Tulane and East Carolina announced they would join the Big East. East Carolina will join the Big East in football only.
Florida Atlantic Also Mentioned
Florida Atlantic, another Sun Belt member, was also mentioned in the reports as a possible Conference USA addition as that league works to replace departing members.
The Big East has been reshaping its membership after Rutgers announced its move to the Big Ten, part of a chain of moves that has now reached Conference USA and the Sun Belt.
Second Straight Year of Change for the Sun Belt
The Sun Belt went through realignment a year ago when FIU and North Texas accepted invitations to join Conference USA. The Sun Belt responded by adding Georgia State and Texas State as full members, including football. It also added Texas-Arlington, which does not sponsor football, to replace Denver.
Georgia Southern recently voted on a possible move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision and has expressed interest in the Sun Belt in the past. Appalachian State and Lamar have also been mentioned as possible Sun Belt candidates.
South Alabama’s Place in the League
South Alabama, coached by Joey Jones, played its first season of Sun Belt Conference football in 2012 and plays its home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic are both current conference opponents of the Jaguars in football and other sports.
Any departure by Middle Tennessee or Florida Atlantic would affect future Sun Belt schedules, including South Alabama’s. Neither school had made an official announcement as of Wednesday.
Update
Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic scheduled news conferences for Thursday, Nov. 29, at which both schools were expected to announce that they had accepted invitations to join Conference USA.
The moves follow announcements that Maryland and Rutgers will join the Big Ten. Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson has said throughout the season that the league wants to remain a regional conference.
The departure of two more members would leave the Sun Belt close to the eight-school minimum required of a football conference.
