The standoff between Conference USA and the Sun Belt Conference over when three schools could leave C-USA for the Sun Belt has reached a resolution.
On Tuesday, C-USA announced it is allowing Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss to leave for the Sun Belt at the end of this academic year and thus be part of the Sun Belt in time for fall sports.
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) March 29, 2022
The announcement comes after a drama-filled saga which saw the trio of schools fight with C-USA over when it could leave.
There was initially an understanding that they wouldn’t join the Sun Belt until 2023, as they announced their intention to leave C-USA last October and C-USA bylaws require 14 months advance notice of a school leaving.
But the trio wanted to leave sooner and the Sun Belt wanted them, leading to a standoff that saw both conferences include the three teams on their football schedules for this fall.
A legal process ensued before Tuesday’s resolution.
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) March 29, 2022
C-USA will now have to revise its schedule for this fall.
The Sun Belt will now have 14 football member schools, while C-USA will have 11 in the 2022 season before seeing a bunch of change in 2023.