The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate

athletic conference An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams which play competitively against each other in a sports league. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller Division (sport), divisions, with the best teams competing at successively ...

that has been affiliated with the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

teams participate in the Division I

Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

(FBS). The 14 member institutions of the Sun Belt are distributed across the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

History

The Sun Belt Conference was founded on August 4, 1976, with the University of New Orleans, the University of South Alabama,

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is al ...

, Jacksonville University, the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte, or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs thr ...

, and the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...

. Over the next ten years the conference would add

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

, the

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1969 and part of the University of Alabama System, UAB has grown to be the state's largest employer, with more than ...

, and Virginia Commonwealth University. New Orleans was forced out of the league in 1980 due to its small on-campus gymnasium that the conference did not deem suitable for conference competition (the conference rejected UNO's offer to play all conference home games at the

Louisiana Superdome Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the Southern United States, southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...

). New Orleans competed as an independent before joining the newly formed American South Conference in 1987. After the 1990–91 basketball season, all members of the Sun Belt, except Western Kentucky, South Alabama, and Jacksonville, departed for other conferences. The Sun Belt, including incoming member the

University of Arkansas at Little Rock The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock, UALR) is a Public university, public research university in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. Established as Little Rock Junior College by the Little Rock School District in 1927, the ...

, then merged with the American South Conference, made up of

Arkansas State University Arkansas State University (A-State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. It is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System and the second-largest university in the st ...

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public university, public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and Carnegie Classification of Institu ...

, the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the

University of Louisiana at Lafayette The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a Public university, public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus Universi ...

), the University of Texas–Pan American (now merged into the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley), New Orleans (re-joined),

Lamar University Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the ...

, and the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

. Although the American South was the larger conference, the merged league retained the Sun Belt name. In 1991, the league first began to explore the idea of sponsoring football. Central Florida left the league following the 1991–92 academic year due to a dispute over television rights, among other reasons. Lamar, Texas–Pan American, and Jacksonville departed at the end of the 1997–98 academic year.

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

joined the Sun Belt in 1998, and the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

was added in 1999. Louisiana Tech departed after the 2000–01 academic year. The conference did not sponsor football until 2001, when the league added former

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's NCAA Division I, Division I. The conference was origina ...

members

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution of higher education, and was the original land-g ...

and the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

and former

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...

member (an FBS Independent on football)

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...

as full members (all three of them joined a year earlier for all sports in the 2000-01 school year) and added FBS Independent

University of Louisiana at Monroe The University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it becam ...

and Big West member

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

as football-only members. These new members gave the Sun Belt seven football playing members in their first season, as Arkansas State and Louisiana were already full members which sponsored football. Another Big West school,

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...

, was added as a football-only member in 2003, then departed in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

with Idaho and New Mexico State for the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...

(WAC). In 2004, Troy University became a football-only member before joining for all sports in the 2005–06 academic year. In 2005, Florida Atlantic became a football-only member before joining for all sports in the 2006-07 academic year. In 2006, Louisiana–Monroe joined the conference as an all-sports full member when the Warhawks left their former home, the

Southland Conference The Southland Conference (SLC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in ...

. Longtime Sun Belt member Western Kentucky joined the Sun Belt's football conference in 2009 after its board of regents voted to upgrade the school's football program to Division I FBS. On November 11, 2009, New Orleans announced it was investigating a move from Division I to the NCAA's Division III. In order to maintain athletic scholarships, UNO instead opted for entry into Division II. On April 20, 2011, UNO officially received transition approval from the NCAA Division II Membership Committee. (UNO later decided to remain in Division I, and joined the

, which has four other members in Louisiana, in 2013.)

Early 2010s realignment

On April 9, 2012, Georgia State, one of the founding members of the Sun Belt Conference, announced that it would be returning to the conference as a full member in 2013. As part of the move, the football program began a transition from FCS to FBS in the 2012 season; it played a full Sun Belt schedule as a "transitional" FBS member in 2013, and became a full FBS member, with bowl eligibility, in 2014. On May 2, 2012,

Texas State University Texas State University (TXST) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock, Texas, Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has ...

announced it would leave the WAC after just one year and join the Sun Belt in July 2013 to begin play for the 2013–14 academic year. At the press conference to announce Texas State's addition, Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson also hinted that more changes could be on the way for the conference. On May 25, 2012, the conference announced that the University of Texas at Arlington (a non-football member) had accepted an invitation to join the conference and would become a full member by 2013. On May 4, 2012, FIU and North Texas announced that they would be leaving the Sun Belt for

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

on July 1, 2013 as part of a Conference USA expansion effort involving four other schools. On November 29, 2012, Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee State announced that they would also leave the Sun Belt for Conference USA. The move for Florida Atlantic and MTSU was originally scheduled to take place in 2014; however, the two schools announced on January 28, 2013 that they would leave for

a year early, departing on July 1, 2013 with FIU and North Texas. Western Kentucky also accepted an invitation to join Conference USA on April 1, 2013, and departed from the Sun Belt on July 1, 2014. Sun Belt Conference logo

These moves depleted the Sun Belt and made the need to expand their membership more urgent than ever, as the Sun Belt was left with ten full members and only eight members that sponsor football (the minimum number required for a conference to sponsor football at the FBS level) for the 2013 season.

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (), or App State, is a Public university, public research university in Boone, North Carolina, United States. It was founded as a normal school, teachers' college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and th ...

accepted an invitation on March 27, 2013 to join the Sun Belt effective July 1, 2014.

Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University (informally known as Southern or Georgia Southern) is a public university, public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The largest campus is in Statesboro, Georgia, Statesboro, with ...

accepted a similar Sun Belt invitation at the same time as Appalachian State. Appalachian State and Georgia Southern both joined for all sports from the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

on July 1, 2014. Both schools had been very successful within the Football Championship Subdivision, combining to win nine national championships since 1985. They upgraded to the Football Bowl Subdivision, and were eligible for Sun Belt conference championships in 2014, but were not postseason-eligible in football until 2015. The Sun Belt also granted football-only invites to

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

and

New Mexico State New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a Public university system, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution ...

on March 28, 2013. Idaho and New Mexico State were both former Sun Belt members (Idaho for football only, New Mexico State for all sports) from 2001 to 2005. The large number of defections from the WAC forced that conference to drop football after the 2012 season. Idaho and New Mexico State were the only remaining WAC members that sponsored football, and competed as FBS independents for the 2013 season before competing in the Sun Belt in 2014. Idaho is located by far the farthest away from the other Sun Belt conference members, but it was rejected by the

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...

, leaving it with no other choice. On September 1, 2015, Coastal Carolina University accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference. The university joined in all sports except for football starting July 1, 2016, with football joining in 2017. The conference announced on March 1, 2016, that the affiliation agreement with Idaho and New Mexico State would not be extended past the 2017 season. The conference announced that beginning in 2018, the conference (10 teams) would be divided into two divisions for football: East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

; West: Arkansas State,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, and Texas State. The winner of each division will meet in the Sun Belt Championship game.

Early 2020s realignment

Following the July 30, 2021 announcement of the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

and the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

both moving from the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

to the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

, the world of college athletics faced the prospect of realignment once again. The Big 12 responded on September 10 by adding three schools from the

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...

(The American) and BYU, an FBS independent and otherwise a member of the non-football

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting o ...

, effective in 2023. The American in turn responded on October 21 by adding six schools from

(C-USA), with 2023 as the most likely entry date. Following this move, rumors began to circulate that the Sun Belt was planning to take on another three members (the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

(Southern Miss or USM),

Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...

, and former Sun Belt member

) from C-USA, likely in response to that conference's remaining teams worried of the conference folding. These moves would help to establish the market areas for the Sun Belt and The American, which cover similar geographic footprints. The American would now have most of its members in metropolitan areas, while the Sun Belt would instead have its members in smaller

college town A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...

s. On October 22, The Action Network reported that Southern Miss had been accepted as a new Sun Belt member, with 2023 as the likely entry date. The report also stated that the Sun Belt would add three more members—the aforementioned Marshall and Old Dominion, plus

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

, a member of the FCS

Colonial Athletic Association The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...

(CAA). Southern Miss and Old Dominion were respectively announced as incoming members on October 26 and 27. At the time, both were to join no later than 2023. On October 29, the day after Marshall named its next president, both the Sun Belt and Marshall issued tweets announcing that school's entry; a formal announcement followed the next day and an introductory press conference was held on November 1. As for James Madison, its board met on October 29 to discuss a potential Sun Belt invitation, but its timeline was also affected by a Virginia state law that requires

legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

approval for a four-year public school to move upward in athletic classification, including FCS to FBS. The legislative committee that must review the move did not meet until November 5, after the state's gubernatorial election. The committee unanimously approved JMU's move from FCS to FBS, and the Sun Belt move was officially announced on November 6. The original Action Network report also stated that the two full non-football SBC members, Little Rock and UT Arlington, would no longer be members of the conference after the 2022–23 school year. Initial plans were for James Madison to compete as a de facto Sun Belt affiliate in sports other than football and men's soccer during the 2022–23 season. However, those plans would eventually change, with JMU and the SBC jointly announcing on February 2, 2022 that JMU would become a full SBC member, including football, in 2022–23. By the end of January 2022, both non-football members would announce their departures for other conferences, effective that July. On December 8, 2021, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted to accept an invitation for Little Rock to join the

, and UT Arlington, which had been a

member in the 2012–13 school year, announced its return to that conference on January 21, 2022. Shortly thereafter, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss announced that they planned to leave C-USA for the Sun Belt in July 2022. They claimed to have notified C-USA of their plans in December 2021, apparently seeking to negotiate a 2022 exit. C-USA had indicated in late January 2022 that it expected the three schools to remain in that league through the 2022–23 school year. Marshall escalated the situation by filing suit against C-USA in its

local Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

court in an attempt to force a 2022 move. On March 29, Conference USA agreed to let Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss move to the Sun Belt starting July 1, 2022. On April 6, with the entrance of three new men's soccer-sponsoring schools in James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion, the Sun Belt announced that men's soccer would be reinstated as a sponsored sport. The three aforementioned programs joined current Sun Belt members Coastal Carolina (previously affiliates with Conference USA) as well as Georgia State and Georgia Southern (previously affiliates with the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

). Additionally, it was announced that

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

would join as men's soccer affiliate members beginning in fall 2022, giving the conference an inaugural soccer membership of 9. Kentucky and South Carolina were previously also affiliated with C-USA, while West Virginia was affiliated with the MAC. The SBC later announced it would add UCF as a men's soccer affiliate when that school joined the

in 2023. In men's soccer, the conference is not a "mid-major" conference, but a "power" conference due to the quasi-alliance of the Big 12 and SEC schools, plus the presence of

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

, which has played in two national championship games in the 2020s, winning one. On June 6, the SBC presidents & chancellors approved adding two new women's sports, beach volleyball and swimming & diving, no later than the 2023–24 school year. They also announced that the conference would explore adding another women's sport, field hockey, at an undetermined future date. On January 18, 2023, the SBC officially announced that its beach volleyball league would launch that spring, with the four full members sponsoring the sport joined by Charleston, Mercer, UNC Wilmington, and Stephen F. Austin as affiliate members. On August 17, 2023, the SBC officially announced the return of women's swimming and diving as a sponsored sport. However, the SBC would only sponsor the sport for two seasons before dropping it after the 2024–25 season.

Member schools

Full members

;Notes:

Affiliate members

Former full members

;Notes:

Former affiliate members

;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1976 till:2030 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:50 top:5 Colors = id:line value:black id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # some sports, but not all id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two PlotData = width:15 textcolor:darkblue shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1981 text:Georgia State (1976–1981) bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1981 till:1983 bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:2005 text: TAAC bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text: CAA bar:1 color:Full from:2013 till:end text: (2013–present) bar:2 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1998 text:Jacksonville (1976–1998) bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:end text: TAAC bar:3 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1980 text:New Orleans (1976–1980) bar:3 shift:(65) color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:1987 text:Independent bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text: ASC bar:3 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2010 text: (1991–2010) bar:3 shift:(-25) color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:2012 text:Independent bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:end text: Southland bar:4 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1991 text:North Carolina–Charlotte (1976–1991) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text: Metro bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2005 text:

C-USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern United States, Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text: A-10 bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2023 text:

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text: American bar:5 color:FullxF from:1976 till:2012 text:South Alabama (1976–present) bar:5 color:Full from:2012 till:end bar:6 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1991 text:South Florida (1976–1991) bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text: Metro bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2005 text:

bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text: American bar:7 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1991 text:Alabama–Birmingham (1979–1991) bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text: GMC bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2023 text:

bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text: American bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1979 text:Indep. bar:8 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1991 text:VCU (1979–1991) bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text: Metro bar:8 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2012 text: CAA bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text: A-10 bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1979 text:Indep. bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:1982 text: CAA bar:9 color:FullxF from:1982 till:1991 text:Old Dominion (1982–1991) bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:2013 text: CAA bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2022 text:

bar:9 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:(2022–present) bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1982 text: OVC bar:10 color:FullxF from:1982 till:2009 text:Western Kentucky (1982–2014) bar:10 color:Full from:2009 till:2014 bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text:

bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1987 text: Southland bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text: ASC bar:11 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2001 text:Arkansas State (1991–present) bar:11 color:Full from:2001 till:end bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1977 text: AIC bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1977 till:1979 text:Indep. bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1979 till:1991 text: TAAC bar:12 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2022 text:Little Rock (1991–2022) bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text: OVC bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1984 till:1990 text:Independent bar:13 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:1990 till:1991 text: ASC bar:13 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1992 text:UCF (1991–1992) bar:13 shift:(120) color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:2005 text: TAAC/ASUN bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2013 text:

bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text: American bar:13 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:end text:(2023–present) bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1987 text: Southland bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text: ASC bar:14 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1998 text:Lamar (1991–1998) bar:14 shift:(-10) color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:Indep. bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:1999 till:2021 text: Southland bar:14 shift:(-8) color:OtherC1 from:2021 till:2022 text: WAC bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:end text: Southland bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1987 text: Southland bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text: ASC bar:15 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2001 text:Louisiana Tech (1991–2001) bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2013 text: WAC bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:

bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1982 text: Southland bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:1987 text:Independent bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1987 till:1991 text: ASC bar:16 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2001 text:Louisiana-Lafayette (1991–present) bar:16 color:Full from:2001 till:end bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1978 text:Indep. bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:1978 till:1980 text: TAAC bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:1987 text:Independent bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text: ASC bar:17 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1998 text:Texas–Pan American (1991–1998) bar:17 shift:(50) color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2009 text:Independent bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:2009 till:2013 text: GWC bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text: WAC bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1988 text:DII Independent bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:1988 till:1991 text:DI Indep. bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1998 text: TAAC bar:18 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2005 text:Florida International (1998–2013) bar:18 color:Full from:2005 till:2013 bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:

bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1980 text:DI Indep. bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:1980 till:1990 text:NAIA Indep. bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1990 till:1998 text:DII Indep. bar:19 shift:(-20) color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:1999 text:DI Indep. bar:19 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2012 text:Denver (1999–2012) bar:19 shift:(-5) color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2013 text: WAC bar:19 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:2000 text: OVC bar:20 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2001 text:Middle Tennessee State (2000–2013) bar:20 color:Full from:2001 till:2013 bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:

bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1983 text: MVC bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:2000 text: PCAA/Big West bar:21 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2001 text:New Mexico State (2000–2005) bar:21 color:Full from:2001 till:2005 bar:21 shift:(60) color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2014 text: WAC (FB Indep. 2013) bar:21 color:AssocF from:2014 till:2018 text:(2014–2018) bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2018 till:2023 text: WAC (FB Indep.) bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:

bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1982 text:Independent bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:1996 text: Southland bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2000 text: Big West bar:22 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2001 text:North Texas (2000–2013) bar:22 color:Full from:2001 till:2013 bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:

bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text: American bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1996 text: Big Sky bar:23 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2001 text: Big West bar:23 color:AssocF from:2001 till:2005 text:Idaho (2001–2005) bar:23 shift:(25) color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2012 text: WAC bar:23 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2014 text:Indep. bar:23 color:AssocF from:2014 till:2018 text:(2014–2018) bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:2018 till:end text: Big Sky bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1982 text:Independent bar:24 color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:2001 text: Southland; FB Indep. (1994–2000) bar:24 color:AssocF from:2001 till:2006 text:Louisiana–Monroe (2001–present) bar:24 color:Full from:2006 till:end bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1978 text:Indep. bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:1978 till:2003 text: PCAA/Big West; FB Indep. (2001–2003) bar:25 color:AssocF from:2003 till:2005 text:Utah State (2003–2005) bar:25 shift:(85) color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text: WAC bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2026 text: MWC bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text: Pac-12 bar:26 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1991 text: GSC bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:1991 till:1993 text: Ind. bar:26 shift:(-5) color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:1994 text: ECC bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:1994 till:1997 text: Mid-Continent bar:26 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:1997 till:2004 text: TAAC/ASUN (FB Ind.) bar:26 color:AssocF from:2004 till:2005 text:Troy (2004–present) bar:26 color:Full from:2005 till:end bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1983 text:NAIA Independent bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:1993 text: DII Independent bar:27 color:AssocF from:2005 till:2006 text:Florida Atlantic (2005–2013) bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:2006 text: TAAC/ASUN bar:27 color:Full from:2006 till:2013 bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:

bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text: American bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1983 text: LSC bar:28 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:1987 text: GSC bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:1987 till:2012 text: Southland bar:28 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2013 text: WAC bar:28 color:Full from:2013 till:end text:Texas State (2013–present) bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:2012 text: Southland bar:29 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2013 text: WAC bar:29 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2022 text:UT Arlington (2013–2022) bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text: WAC bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:2014 text: SoCon bar:30 color:Full from:2014 till:end text:Appalachian State (2014–present) bar:31 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1980 text:Independent bar:31 color:OtherC2 from:1980 till:1992 text: TAAC bar:31 color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:2014 text: SoCon bar:31 color:Full from:2014 till:end text:Georgia Southern (2014–present) bar:32 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1983 text:Independent bar:32 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:2016 text: Big South bar:32 color:FullxF from:2016 till:2017 text:Coastal Carolina (2016–present) bar:32 color:Full from:2017 till:end bar:37 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1979 text:Indep. bar:37 color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:2022 text: CAA bar:37 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:James Madison (2022–present) bar:38 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1997 text: SoCon bar:38 color:OtherC2 from:1997 till:2005 text: MAC bar:38 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2022 text:

bar:38 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:Marshall (2022–present) bar:39 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1982 text:Independent bar:39 color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:1995 text: Metro bar:39 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2022 text:

bar:39 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:Southern Miss (2022–present) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1976

Commissioners

* Vic Bubas (1976–1990) * Jim Lessig (1990–1991) *

Craig Thompson Craig Matthew Thompson (born September 21, 1975) is an American graphic novelist best known for his books ''Good-bye, Chunky Rice'' (1999), ''Blankets (graphic novel), Blankets'' (2003), ''Carnet de Voyage'' (2004), ''Habibi (graphic novel), Hab ...

(1991–1998) * Wright Waters (1999–2012) * Karl Benson (2012–2019) * Keith Gill (2019–present) In addition to the five Sun Belt commissioners, three future league leaders served on the Sun Belt staff prior to becoming conference commissioners, including Doug Elgin (Missouri Valley), John Iamarino (Northeast, Southern), and Tom Burnett (Southland). On October 12, 2011, ESPN reported that Wright Waters would retire, effective July 1, 2012. On February 15, 2012, Karl Benson was hired as the new commissioner of the Sun Belt, after having been the commissioner of the

for 17 years. Waters would later move his departure date to March 15, allowing Benson to take over at that time. Keith Gill was named the commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference on March 18, 2019. He is the first African American to lead any FBS conference.

Sports

As of the current 2024–25 school year, the Sun Belt Conference sponsors championship competition in nine men's and eleven women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The most recent change to sports sponsorship was the reinstatement of women's swimming and diving in 2023–24. When Marshall was formally introduced as an incoming Sun Belt member, SBC commissioner Keith Gill also announced that the conference would reinstate men's soccer once all new members joined. Men's soccer resumed play in 2022–23 with six full members joined by three associates; a fourth associate joined in 2023–24. Beach volleyball started play with eight members, evenly divided between full members and associates.

Men's sponsored sports by school

Member-by-member sponsorship of the nine men's SBC sports for the 2023–24 academic year.

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Sun Belt

Women's sponsored sports by school

Member-by-member sponsorship of the 11 women's SBC sports for the 2024–25 academic year.

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Sun Belt

Championships

"RS" is regular season, "T" is tournament. Championships from the previous academic year are flagged with the calendar year in which the most recent season or tournament ended.

Current Sun Belt champions

;Fall 2024 ;Winter 2024–25 ;Spring 2025

NCAA champions

The only school to have won a national title while an SBC member is Old Dominion, which won one title in women's basketball and five in the non-SBC sport of field hockey during its first conference tenure from 1982 to 1991. Six other current members have won NCAA Division I team championships prior to joining the conference. Coastal Carolina won its only D-I national title on the day before it officially joined the SBC, while representing the Big South Conference. See also:

List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships Listed below are the colleges or universities with the most NCAA Division I (NCAA), Division I-sanctioned team championships, individual championships, and combined team and individual championships, as documented by information published on offi ...

, List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships, and NCAA Division I FBS Conferences

Football

''For more information see Sun Belt Conference football. For the most recent season, see 2024 Sun Belt Conference football season.'' The Sun Belt first began sponsoring football in 2001. It originally consisted of seven football playing schools, three of which are still members of the conference. Up until 2009, the conference only had a contract with one bowl, the New Orleans Bowl. Following the Sun Belt's improved football success and geographical membership changes, other bowls began to sign contracts with the Sun Belt Conference. , the conference had seven

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

tie-ins (

Cure A cure is a substance or procedure that resolves a medical condition. This may include a medication, a surgery, surgical operation, a lifestyle change, or even a philosophical shift that alleviates a person's suffering or achieves a state of heali ...

Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...

LendingTree LendingTree, Inc. is an online lending marketplace, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The business platform allows potential borrowers to connect with multiple lender, loan operators to find optimal terms for loans, ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...

, Frisco, and

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...

) Throughout the years, the conference has experienced flux in membership changes, similar to many other FBS conferences. The conference announced that beginning in 2018, the conference (10 teams after the departure of

and

) would be divided into two divisions for football: East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and

; West: Arkansas State,

, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, and Texas State. The divisional alignments changed again with the 2022 expansion, with the new dividing line being the Alabama–Georgia border. The winner of each division will meet in the Sun Belt Championship game. ;Notes:

Sun Belt champions

Since the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS season, the Sun Belt Conference has held a football championship game. ;Notes * Louisiana–Lafayette vacated 2013 shared Sun Belt Conference co-championship due to major NCAA violations. * The 2020 championship game was canceled due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

issues; the divisional champions were declared league co-champions.

Bowl games

As of the 2024–25 NCAA football bowl games, the Sun Belt Conference had tie-ins with the following bowl games:

Football rivalries

Football rivalries involving Sun Belt teams include: ;Notes:

Basketball

Men's basketball

This list goes through the 2021–22 season.

Women's basketball

This list goes through the 2022–23 season.

Championships

Since the 2022–23 season, the Sun Belt Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments, held in early March, have involved all 14 of the conference's teams, and have been bracketed in a semi-stepladder format. The bottom four seeds play in the first round; seed 5 through 10 receive byes to the second round, and the top 4 seeds to the quarterfinals. All rounds are held in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

at Pensacola Bay Center since 2022. Winners of the tournaments earn automatic bids to their respective NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

Baseball

The Sun Belt Conference has sponsored an annual baseball tournament to determine the conference winner since 1978. South Alabama has won the most championships, at 13. * Teams in bold represent current conference members.

Facilities

Old Dominion Monarchs versus Louisiana Ragin Cajuns football game at SB Ballard Stadium 9-9-2023

;Notes

Athletic department revenue by school

Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties. Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance. The following table shows institutional reporting to the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2021–22 academic year.

Academics

Four of the Sun Belt's member schools, Georgia State,

, Old Dominion and Southern Miss are doctorate-granting universities with "very high research activity," the highest classification given by the

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most not ...

. Appalachian State is also currently ranked as one of the Top 10 regional schools in the South by the '' U.S. News & World Report''.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sun Belt Conference Organizations based in New Orleans Sports organizations established in 1976 Sports in the Southern United States College sports in Alabama College sports in Arkansas College sports in Georgia (U.S. state) College sports in Louisiana College sports in Mississippi College sports in North Carolina College sports in South Carolina College sports in Texas College sports in Virginia College sports in West Virginia