“With the addition of four new institutions last week, Conference USA remains a great fit for Middle Tennessee,” C-USA commissioner Judy MacLeod said in a statement.
Middle Tennessee and WKU will remain a fixture of the new-look conference for the time being. Prior to the MAC’s announcement, Middle Tennessee withdrew from expansion dialogue by declaring its commitment to remain in Conference USA on Wednesday morning.Ĭ-USA announced the additions of FBS independents Liberty and New Mexico State, as well as FCS programs Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State last week after losing the majority of its members to the American Athletic Conference and Sun Belt in the latest rounds of conference realignment. “Today’s announcement is intended to end the speculation that has been occurring.” “Our focus will continue to be on building upon the strengths of our conference – providing a student-centered academic and athletics experience, celebrating long-standing relationships and rivalries, and maintaining our tight geographic proximity to one another,” Steinbrecher said. Geography was one of several reasons Steinbrecher provided for maintaining the status quo.
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WKU and Middle Tennessee would have operated as the southernmost teams in the conference, distanced by over four hours on the road from any current MAC institution, as most of the current membership is situated in the “Rust Belt” of the Midwest. While a number of institutions have expressed interest, we never requested any institution to apply for membership nor did we have a formal or informal vote concerning any institutions.”
“For some time we have been examining the FBS landscape, and certainly our discussions have been more focused over the past several months as our conference was contacted by other institutions.
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“Following analysis and evaluation by the membership, it has been determined our best interests are served in the Conference remaining at 12 full member institutions,” Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a press release Wednesday evening. All 12 of its current members have resided in the league since the 1990s, and after news dropped Wednesday evening, stability will remain the way of the future.Īfter expansion scenarios involving Conference USA members WKU and Middle Tennessee gained initial steam, the MAC decided to maintain its current 12-team structure. The Mid-American Conference holds the title as the most stable league in college football.
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