Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information / Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. ^ Back to Top ^ © 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. Sun Belt Conference officially welcomes new members Published 1:50 pm Friday, JBy Josh Boutwell July 1 marked the official start of the Sun Belt Conference’s expansion with James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss joining the conference. "The Sun Belt's geographic footprint will create new regional rivalries and will encourage more visitors to Mississippi, further increasing our athletics programs' $41 million annual economic impact on the state." "This move will allow Southern Miss student-athletes to compete in what is fast-becoming the best Group of Five conference in the country and will provide greater visibility for the university's championship athletics programs," Southern Miss president Rodney Bennett said in a prepared statement. Southern Miss has teams in 17 varsity sports, and all but one - beach volleyball - are sponsored by the Sun Belt. Potential Sun Belt expansion targets Old Dominion and Marshall also are in Conference USA, while James Madison is one of the top FCS programs and competes in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Golden Eagles are the latest team to depart Conference USA, which last week lost UAB, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Rice, North Texas and UTSA to the American Athletic Conference. News Analysis Teams 1 Connecticut 2 San Diego State 3 Miami (FL) 4 Alabama 5 Florida Atlantic 6 Houston. Southern Miss has been a member of Conference USA since 1996, after competing as an independent from 1952 to 1995. James Madison's board scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday, according to Harrisonburg, Virginia, paper the Daily News-Record, and Marshall is set to name a new university president on Thursday. The Sun Belt should add Old Dominion later this week, while James Madison and Marshall could come later, sources said. Sources say the Sun Belt also is close to adding Marshall, Old Dominion and James Madison, which would increase the football membership to 14. The electric atmosphere surrounding their games is a tradition we are proud to now be a part of." They are competitive across all of their sports, have a strong brand and are supported by a great fan base. "Southern Miss brings a host of strengths to our conference. "This is a big day for our conference," Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill said in a prepared statement. The addition gives the Sun Belt 11 football-playing members (Little Rock and Texas-Arlington are also in the league). Southern Miss has joined the Sun Belt Conference and will enter the league as a full member no later than July 1, 2023, the league announced Tuesday. Southern Miss officially joins Sun Belt, will enter league no later than July 2023Ĭollege Football, Men's College Basketball, Women's College Basketball, NCAA - Other, Southern Miss Golden Eagles, Southern Miss Golden Eagles, Southern Miss Golden Eagles Troy was to be a 5.5 point favorite on the road in Mobile.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser NEW ORLEANS The Sun Belt Conference begins a new chapter in its history on Friday, July 1, as it officially welcomes James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss to its 14-member conference. The Trojans have won five of the eight games played in the series including the last two, all of which have taken place since the Jaguars joined the Sun Belt in 2012. The schools are separated by about three hours driving distance, and this is the only cross-divisional “protected” rivalry in the Sun Belt Conference, meaning the teams are guaranteed to play each season despite being in separate divisions. 10 at Veterans Memorial Stadium kickoff is set for 11 a.m. Troy will now turn its focus to its home opener against Texas State on Oct. Troy, South Alabama and the Sun Belt Conference will work together to determine if there is a mutual date that the game could be rescheduled later in the season. 10 when we host Texas State in our home opener.” We look forward to welcoming our great fans back to The Vet on Oct. “This is a tremendous rivalry game for both teams and fan bases, and I appreciate South Alabama Athletics Director Joel Erdmann and the Sun Belt Conference for their open lines of communication during this process. “We are obviously disappointed for our team but certainly respect this decision,” Director of Athletics Brent Jones said. The Battle for The Belt between the Troy Trojans and South Alabama Jaguars won’t happen on Saturday, as USA has halted practice due to Covid-19.
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