NM State to Join Conference USA on July 1, 2023

After being affiliated with the Western Athletic Conference for nearly 20 years, NM State will be bearing a new conference flag beginning on Saturday, July 1, 2023.

In an announcement issued Friday afternoon by NM State and Conference USA, NM State has accepted an invitation to join the league in the summer of 2023.

NM State is one of four institutions which are set to join the ranks of Conference USA beginning in 2023-24. Along with NM State, Jacksonville State, Liberty University and Sam Houston State University will trade in their current league affiliations for the C-USA flag.

"We are incredibly excited about adding these four new members and feel there is tremendous upside in these moves for our conference," Conference USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod said. "This is a quality mix of established and emerging universities that provides us with a compelling group to continue to build with, focusing on competing for and winning championships well into the future. We have been deliberate in our efforts for the past few weeks to get us to this point and will continue to evaluate and consider our additional options for membership."

Friday afternoon's announcement means NM State's football program, which is currently one of seven FBS independent teams, will be affiliated with a conference for the first time since being a part of the Sun Belt from 2014-17. In addition to the Aggies' football team, all 15 of NM State's other NCAA Division I men's and women's athletic programs will become full-fledged members of C-USA.

"We're delighted to be counted among the outstanding universities that make up Conference USA," said NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu. "Finding a home for all of our athletic teams, in a league that sponsors FBS football, has been a priority for us for many years. Today's agreement puts our university in the best position for success and we are looking forward to the bright future ahead of us."

NM State has been a part of the Western Athletic Conference since 2005. Upon becoming a member of C-USA beginning in the 2023-24 academic year, NM State will have been a part of a total of five conferences in the history of its university including the Border Conference (1931-62), Missouri Valley Conference (1971-83), the Pacific Coast Athletic Association/Big West Conference (1983-2001), the Sun Belt Conference (2001-05), the Western Athletic Conference (2005-23) and Conference USA (2023-present).

"Ever since our last football game we played as a conference member, the 2017 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl win in front of 25,000 members of Aggie Nation, my primary goal for that program was to return to a conference," commented NM State Director of Athletics Mario Moccia. "Today that goal has become a reality. Playing football as an FBS Independent in 2018, 2019 and this season has been a challenging experience.  Becoming a member of Conference USA is a significant day in our athletic department's history."

NM State's addition, as well as the addition of the three other universities from around the country, was approved unanimously by the C-USA's Board of Directors.

"Conference USA is a founding member of the College Football Playoff and will provide access to funding that will help all our athletic teams and 400 Aggie student-athletes," Moccia continued. "We look forward to all of our teams competing for Conference USA championships in the not so distant future and our fans becoming acquainted with new conference opponents. I know Aggie Nation is anxious to create new rivalries with programs from around the nation, especially when it comes to our men's basketball program which has long been one of the premier mid-majors in the land."

Conference USA is an NCAA Division I athletic conference based in Dallas, Texas. Now in its third decade, Conference USA has adapted to the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics with an unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity and leadership in competition, academics and community.

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