Another domino in college football realignment has fallen with the Missouri State Bears announcing a move from the Missouri Valley Conference. They will join the ranks of the FBS with Conference USA starting in 2025.
According to the Springfield News-Leader, the school will hold a news conference on Monday to reveal its transition plans.
This makes Missouri State the 12th member of the conference and that recently brought Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State up form the FCS ranks in 2023.
“We are so excited for the opportunities that CUSA membership will bring to our university, our student-athletes, our coaches and our fans,” Kyle Moats, Missouri State’s athletics director, said in a release. “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 now participate in a conference that covers 11 states now that Missouri is in the fold. Only state with two teams is Texas with UTEP and Sam Houston State.
Conference realignment was sent into chaos mode when the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns announced they would move to the SEC. Since that time the Pac-12 has all but folded with 10 of their members finding new homes just in time for the 2024 college football season.