Missouri State set to join Conference USA
Missouri State announced Friday morning it will depart the Missouri Valley Conference and join Conference USA as a full-league member beginning in July 2025.
The school will hold a news conference on Monday at 1 p.m. to formally reveal its transition plans. It will be the 12th member of CUSA.
By joining Conference USA, Missouri State will become a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision program for the first time.
Conference USA programs also include:
h Florida International University
(FIU) | Miami, Florida
h Jacksonville State University
(Jax State) | Jacksonville, Alabama
h Liberty University | Lynchburg, Virginia
h Louisiana Tech University (LA Tech) | Ruston, Louisiana
h Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, Tennessee
h New Mexico State University | Las Cruces, New Mexico
h Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, Texas
h University of Texas at El Paso
(UTEP) | El Paso, Texas
h Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, Kentucky
h Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, Georgia (joining July 2024)
h University of Delaware | Newark, Delaware (joining July 1, 2025)
“We are so excited for the opportunities that CUSA membership will bring to our university, our studentathletes, our coaches and our fans,” Kyle Moats, Missouri State’s athletics director, said in a release. “This move represents a transition to a national brand and a platform that will help raise the profile of Missouri State University and the city of Springfield. The steps we have taken over the past 15 years to invest in a successful broadbased athletics program have prepared us for this long-awaited moment.”
The Bears will compete in CUSA sports including football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, women’s soccer, women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, women’s tennis, women’s track and field and beach volleyball.
Moats said in the release that the anticipated increase in revenue from joining an FBS conference will ultimately make the move to a budgetneutral transition. He also noted more financial resources for student-athletes and travel upgrades as significant factors in the university’s decision.
“This move will absolutely open doors for us,” Moats said. “For our student-athletes, they will have less bus travel and more flights which will get them back to campus in a safer and | 1,