Missouri Valley Football Conference member announces move to Conference USA

May 10, 2024

Springfield, Mo.–Missouri State University has accepted an invitation to join Conference USA (C-USA) as a full-league member, effective July 1, 2025.

A news conference will be held at 1 p.m. May 13 at Great Southern Bank Arena on the Springfield campus to formally announce the transition plans.

The announcement will officially place Missouri State University in the NCAA’s exclusive Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the first time.

Missouri State has been a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, of which South Dakota State and the University of South Dakota are members.

“This is an exciting day for Missouri State,” said MSU President Clif Smart. “The opportunities associated with membership in an FBS conference allows us to continue to expand as a university and raise our reputation to the next level. We have valued our membership in the Missouri Valley Conference – a premier conference in the NCAA – and look forward to a final year in the league before we transition to C-USA.”

Missouri State will become the 12th full-time member of C-USA, which is comprised of the following universities:

Florida International University

Jacksonville State University

Liberty University

Louisiana Tech University

Middle Tennessee State University

New Mexico State University

Sam Houston State University

University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky

Kennesaw State University

University of Delaware

“We are so excited for the opportunities that C-USA membership will bring to our university, our student-athletes, our coaches and our fans,” said Director of Athletics Kyle Moats. “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 broad-based athletics program have prepared us for this long-awaited moment.”

The Bears will compete in C-USA in the sports of 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.

More on the Missouri Valley Football Conference can be found here: https://valley-football.org/