Entering the season, there were seven FBS football teams that were classified as independents, i.e. they didn’t have a conference.
That number dropped to six when BYU accepted an invitation to join the Big 12, and it may soon drop even further.
According to a report Thursday from the Athletic’s Chris Vannini, UConn, Liberty and New Mexico State — all independents — are in negotiations to join Conference USA.
Per Vannini, both Liberty and New Mexico State would join as full members, competing in all sports, while UConn would join only for football.
Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel later reported that while UConn has spoken with Conference USA, Yahoo Sports’ sources say the school and conference haven’t begun negotiations yet, nor are the Huskies primed to join the league soon.
Last Friday, Conference USA commissioner Judy MacLeod said in a statement that the conference was looking to expand in the wake of losing eight teams to other conferences — six to the the American Athletic Conference and two to the Sun Belt Conference.
“We have a strong core of members to build around and are continuing to work to strengthen our league as we move forward,” MacLeod said. “There are several institutions interested in joining Conference USA, both across FBS and FCS, some of whom we’ve already met with in person. Every step we take will be deliberate, strategically sound, and intentional.”
Per Vaninini, the additions of UConn, Liberty and New Mexico State would be the first step for Conference USA as it strives to reman a viable FBS league.
“By adding three schools that currently have independent football programs, the league would begin to restock with (FBS) members,” Vannini wrote. “The potential additions of these three schools would be just the first step as the conference works to reshape itself, and the league will have significant resources to grow its programs through a combination of exit fees from departing members and entrance fees from new members.”
Current Conference USA members (excluding the eight whose departures have been announced) are:
- Marshall
- Western Kentucky
- Middle Tennessee
- FIU
- UTEP
- Louisiana Tech
Per Thamel, Marshall all but holds the fate of Conference USA in its hands. The Thundering Herd have been reported to be a Sun Belt target, but if they stay in their current league, Conference USA should be able to successfully expand.
“The pivot point moving forward for C-USA expansion will be Marshall’s decision,” Thamel wrote on Twitter. “ If they stay in C-USA, it’s likely that Liberty would join Conference USA with New Mexico State as the seventh and eighth teams.
“If Marshall goes to the Sun Belt, things are less certain. It’s likely that C-USA would look to the FCS for at least one program. Sam Houston State appears to lead the pack of FCS schools that Conference USA is evaluating.”