One day after losing Tulane as a future full-fledged member and East Carolina as a football-only member, Conference USA is on the verge of filling both of its membership holes.
While the conference has yet to confirm the additions, multiple media outlets are reporting that Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee State will become the newest members of Conference USA. MTSU’s announcement is expected to come Thursday, while there’s been no word on when an announcement from FAU is forthcoming.
Both schools are currently members of the Sun Belt and are expected to join Conference USA in 2013.
Like the Big East, Conference USA has undergone much turnover and upheaval the past year that left the league scrambling for replacements. Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF will be leaving for the Big East in 2013, which would’ve left Conference USA with just Marshall, Rice, Southern Miss, Tulsa, UAB and UTEP.
However, it had previously been announced that UNC-Charlotte, FIU, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Old Dominion and UT-San Antonio would all move to Conference USA in 2013. North Texas and FIU are currently Sun Belt members, meaning that conference has lost four members that will be replaced by the trio of Georgia State, Texas State and UT-Arlington next season and damn this makes my head hurt.
Once the expansion dust settles -- for now -- Conference USA will be left with just two of the original 12 members of a league that was founded just 16 years ago: Southern Miss and UAB.