Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a collegiate NCAA conferences|athletic conference] that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The 14 member institutions of the Sun Belt are distributed across the Southern United States.
History
1970s and 1980s
The Sun Belt Conference was founded on August 4, 1976, with the University of New Orleans, the University of South Alabama, Georgia State University, Jacksonville University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the University of South Florida. Over the next ten years the conference would add Kentucky University">Kentucky Wildcats men's soccer">Kentucky University, Old Dominion University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Virginia Commonwealth University. New Orleans was forced out of the league in 1980 due to its small on-campus gymnasium that the conference did not deem suitable for conference competition. New Orleans competed as an independent before joining the newly formed American South Conference in 1987.1990s
After the 1990–91 basketball season, all members of the Sun Belt, except Western Kentucky, South Alabama, and Jacksonville, departed for other conferences. The Sun Belt, including incoming member the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, then merged with the American South Conference, made up of Arkansas State University, Louisiana Tech University, the University of Southwestern Louisiana, the University of Texas–Pan American, New Orleans, Lamar University, and the University of Central Florida. Although the American South was the larger conference, the merged league retained the Sun Belt name. In 1991, the league first began to explore the idea of sponsoring football.Central Florida left the league following the 1991–92 academic year due to a dispute over television rights, among other reasons. Lamar, Texas–Pan American, and Jacksonville departed at the end of the 1997–98 academic year. Florida International University joined the Sun Belt in 1998, and the University of Denver was added in 1999. Louisiana Tech departed after the 2000–01 academic year.
2000s
The conference did not sponsor football until 2001, when the league added former Big West Conference members New Mexico State University and the University of North Texas and former Ohio Valley Conference member Middle Tennessee State University as full members and added FBS Independent Louisiana at Monroe">2021 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team">Louisiana at Monroe and Big West member University of Idaho as football-only members. These new members gave the Sun Belt seven football playing members in their first season, as Arkansas State and Louisiana were already full members which sponsored football. Another Big West school, Utah State University, was added as a football-only member in 2003, then departed in 2005 with Idaho and New Mexico State for the Western Athletic Conference.In 2004, Troy University became a football-only member before joining for all sports in the 2005–06 academic year. In 2005, Florida Atlantic became a football-only member before joining for all sports in the 2006–07 academic year. In 2006, Louisiana–Monroe joined the conference as an all-sports full member when the Warhawks left their former home, the Southland Conference.
Longtime Sun Belt member Western Kentucky joined the Sun Belt's football conference in 2009 after its board of regents voted to upgrade the school's football program to Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|FBS].
On November 11, 2009, New Orleans announced it was investigating a move from Division I to the NCAA's Division III. In order to maintain athletic scholarships, UNO instead opted for entry into Division II. On April 20, 2011, UNO officially received transition approval from the NCAA Division II Membership Committee.
2010s
On April 9, 2012, Georgia State, one of the founding members of the Sun Belt Conference, announced that it would be returning to the conference as a full member in 2013. As part of the move, the football program began a transition from FCS to FBS in the 2012 season; it played a full Sun Belt schedule as a "transitional" FBS member in 2013, and became a full FBS member, with bowl eligibility, in 2014. On May 2, 2012, Texas State University announced it would leave the WAC after just one year and join the Sun Belt in July 2013 to begin play for the 2013–14 academic year. At the press conference to announce Texas State's addition, Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson also hinted that more changes could be on the way for the conference. On May 25, 2012, the conference announced that the University of Texas at Arlington had accepted an invitation to join the conference and would become a full member by 2013.On May 4, 2012, FIU and North Texas announced that they would be leaving the Sun Belt for Conference USA on July 1, 2013, as part of a Conference USA expansion effort involving four other schools. On November 29, 2012, Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee State announced that they would also leave the Sun Belt for Conference USA. The move for Florida Atlantic and MTSU was originally scheduled to take place in 2014; however, the two schools announced on January 28, 2013, that they would leave for Conference USA a year early, departing on July 1, 2013, with FIU and North Texas. Western Kentucky also accepted an invitation to join Conference USA on April 1, 2013, and departed from the Sun Belt on July 1, 2014.
These moves depleted the Sun Belt and made the need to expand their membership more urgent than ever, as the Sun Belt was left with ten full members and only eight members that sponsor football for the 2013 season. Appalachian State University accepted an invitation on March 27, 2013, to join the Sun Belt effective July 1, 2014. Georgia Southern University accepted a similar Sun Belt invitation at the same time as Appalachian State. Appalachian State and Georgia Southern both joined for all sports from the Southern Conference on July 1, 2014. Both schools had been very successful within the Football Championship Subdivision, combining to win nine national championships since 1985. They upgraded to the Football Bowl Subdivision, and were eligible for Sun Belt conference championships in 2014, but were not postseason-eligible in football until 2015.
The Sun Belt also granted football-only invites to Idaho and New Mexico State on March 28, 2013. Idaho and New Mexico State were both former Sun Belt members from 2001 to 2005. The large number of defections from the WAC forced that conference to drop football after the 2012 season. Idaho and New Mexico State were the only remaining WAC members that sponsored football, and competed as FBS independents for the 2013 season before competing in the Sun Belt in 2014. Idaho is located by far the farthest away from the other Sun Belt conference members, but it was rejected by the Mountain West Conference, leaving it with no other choice.
On September 1, 2015, Coastal Carolina University accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference. The university joined in all sports except for football starting July 1, 2016, with football joining in 2017.
The conference announced on March 1, 2016, that the affiliation agreement with Idaho and New Mexico State would not be extended past the 2017 season.
The conference announced that beginning in 2018, the conference would be divided into two divisions for football: East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and Troy; West: Arkansas State, Louisiana, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, and Texas State. The winner of each division will meet in the Sun Belt Championship game.
2020s
Following the July 30, 2021 announcement of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Oklahoma both moving from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference, the world of college athletics faced the prospect of realignment once again. The Big 12 responded on September 10 by adding three schools from the American Athletic Conference and BYU, an NCAA [Division I FBS independent schools|FBS independent] and otherwise a member of the non-football West Coast Conference, effective in 2023. The American in turn responded on October 21 by adding six schools from Conference USA, with 2023 as the most likely entry date. Following this move, rumors began to circulate that the Sun Belt was planning to take on another three members from C-USA, likely in response to that conference's remaining teams worried of the conference folding. These moves would help to establish the market areas for the Sun Belt and The American, which cover similar geographic footprints. The American would now have most of its members in metropolitan areas, while the Sun Belt would instead have its members in smaller college towns.On October 22, The Action Network reported that Southern Miss had been accepted as a new Sun Belt member, with 2023 as the likely entry date. The report also stated that the Sun Belt would add three more members—the aforementioned Marshall and Old Dominion, plus James Madison University, a member of the FCS Colonial Athletic Association. Southern Miss and Old Dominion were respectively announced as incoming members on October 26 and 27. At the time, both were to join no later than 2023. On October 29, the day after Marshall named its next president, both the Sun Belt and Marshall issued tweets announcing that school's entry; a formal announcement followed the next day and an introductory press conference was held on November 1. As for James Madison, its board met on October 29 to discuss a potential Sun Belt invitation, but its timeline was also affected by a Virginia state law that requires legislative approval for a four-year public school to move upward in athletic classification, including FCS to FBS. The legislative committee that must review the move did not meet until November 5, after the state's gubernatorial election. The committee unanimously approved JMU's move from FCS to FBS, and the Sun Belt move was officially announced on November 6. The original Action Network report also stated that the two full non-football SBC members, Little Rock and UT Arlington, would no longer be members of the conference after the 2022–23 school year.
Initial plans were for James Madison to compete as a de facto Sun Belt affiliate in sports other than football and men's soccer during the 2022–23 season. However, those plans would eventually change, with JMU and the SBC jointly announcing on February 2, 2022, that JMU would become a full SBC member, including football, in 2022–23.
By the end of January 2022, both non-football members would announce their departures for other conferences, effective that July. On December 8, 2021, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted to accept an invitation for Little Rock to join the Ohio Valley Conference, and UT Arlington, which had been a Western Athletic Conference member in the 2012–13 school year, announced its return to that conference on January 21, 2022.
Shortly thereafter, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss announced that they planned to leave C-USA for the Sun Belt in July 2022. They claimed to have notified C-USA of their plans in December 2021, apparently seeking to negotiate a 2022 exit. C-USA had indicated in late January 2022 that it expected the three schools to remain in that league through the 2022–23 school year. Marshall escalated the situation by filing suit against C-USA in its local court in an attempt to force a 2022 move. On March 29, Conference USA agreed to let Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss move to the Sun Belt starting July 1, 2022.
On April 6, with the entrance of three new men's soccer-sponsoring schools in James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion, the Sun Belt announced that men's soccer would be reinstated as a sponsored sport. The three aforementioned programs joined current Sun Belt members Coastal Carolina as well as Georgia State and Georgia Southern. Additionally, it was announced that Kentucky, South Carolina, and West Virginia would join as men's soccer affiliate members beginning in fall 2022, giving the conference an inaugural soccer membership of 9. Kentucky and South Carolina were previously also affiliated with C-USA, while West Virginia was affiliated with the MAC. The SBC later announced it would add UCF as a men's soccer affiliate when that school joined the Big 12 Conference in 2023. In men's soccer, the conference is not a "mid-major" conference, but a "power" conference due to the quasi-alliance of the Big 12 and SEC schools, plus the presence of Marshall, which has played in two national championship games in the 2020s, winning one.
On June 6, the SBC presidents & chancellors approved adding two new women's sports, beach volleyball and swimming & diving, no later than the 2023–24 school year. They also announced that the conference would explore adding another women's sport, field hockey, at an undetermined future date.
On January 18, 2023, the SBC officially announced that its beach volleyball league would launch that spring, with the four full members sponsoring the sport joined by Charleston, Mercer, UNC Wilmington, and Stephen F. Austin as affiliate members.
On August 17, 2023, the SBC officially announced the return of women's swimming and diving as a sponsored sport. However, the SBC would only sponsor the sport for two seasons before dropping it after the 2024–25 season.
On June 30, 2025, Texas State accepted an offer to join the Pac-12 Conference by July 1, 2026, following the unanimous approval of the Texas State University System board of regents. On July 14, the SBC voted to replace Texas State with another regional member, Louisiana Tech of Conference USA, by as early as 2026. This addition would keep the installment of conference divisions intact, with Louisiana Tech replacing Texas State in the West Division.
Member schools
Current full members
Member departing for the Pac-12 Conference in 2026.;Notes:
Future members
;NotesFormer full members
;Notes:Former affiliate members
;Notes:Membership timeline
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1976 till:2032
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:50 top:5
Colors =
id:line value:black
id:Full value:rgb # all sports
id:FullxF value:rgb # all sports except for football
id:AssocF value:rgb # football only
id:AssocOS value:rgb # some sports, but not all
id:OtherC1 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference
id:OtherC2 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two
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bar:1 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1981 text:Georgia State
bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1981 till:1983
bar:1 shift: color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:2005 text:TAAC
bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:CAA
bar:1 color:Full from:2013 till:end text:
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1998 text:Jacksonville
bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:end text:TAAC
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1980 text:New Orleans
bar:3 shift: color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:1987 text:Independent
bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text:ASC
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2010 text:
bar:3 shift: color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:2012 text:Independent
bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:end text:Southland
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1991 text:North Carolina–Charlotte
bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text:Metro
bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2005 text:CUSA
bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:A-10
bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2023 text:CUSA
bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:American
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1976 till:2012 text:South Alabama
bar:5 color:Full from:2012 till:end
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1991 text:South Florida
bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text:Metro
bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2005 text:CUSA
bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:Big East
bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:American
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1991 text:Alabama–Birmingham
bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text:GMC
bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2023 text:CUSA
bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:American
bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1979 text:Indep.
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1991 text:VCU
bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text:Metro
bar:8 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2012 text:CAA
bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:A-10
bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1979 text:Indep.
bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:1982 text:CAA
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1982 till:1991 text:Old Dominion
bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:2013 text:CAA
bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2022 text:CUSA
bar:9 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:
bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1982 text:OVC
bar:10 color:FullxF from:1982 till:2009 text:Western Kentucky
bar:10 color:Full from:2009 till:2014
bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text:CUSA
bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1987 text:Southland
bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text:ASC
bar:11 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2001 text:Arkansas State
bar:11 color:Full from:2001 till:end
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1977 text:AIC
bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1977 till:1979 text:Indep.
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1979 till:1991 text:TAAC
bar:12 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2022 text:Little Rock
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text:OVC
bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1984 till:1990 text:Independent
bar:13 shift: color:OtherC2 from:1990 till:1991 text:ASC
bar:13 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1992 text:UCF
bar:13 shift: color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:2005 text:TAAC/ASUN
bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2013 text:CUSA
bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:American
bar:13 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:end text:
bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1987 text:Southland
bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text:ASC
bar:14 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1998 text:Lamar
bar:14 shift: color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:1999 text:Indep.
bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:1999 till:2021 text:Southland
bar:14 shift: color:OtherC1 from:2021 till:2022 text:WAC
bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:end text:Southland
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1987 text:Southland
bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text:ASC
bar:15 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2001 text:Louisiana Tech
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2013 text:WAC
bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2027 text:CUSA
bar:15 color:Full from:2027 till:end text:
bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1982 text:Southland
bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:1987 text:Independent
bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1987 till:1991 text:ASC
bar:16 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2001 text:Louisiana-Lafayette
bar:16 color:Full from:2001 till:end
bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1978 text:Indep.
bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:1978 till:1980 text:TAAC
bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:1987 text:Independent
bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text:ASC
bar:17 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1998 text:Texas–Pan American
bar:17 shift: color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2009 text:Independent
bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:2009 till:2013 text:GWC
bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:WAC
bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1988 text:DII Independent
bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:1988 till:1991 text:DI Indep.
bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1998 text:TAAC
bar:18 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2005 text:Florida International
bar:18 color:Full from:2005 till:2013
bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:CUSA
bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1980 text:DI Indep.
bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:1980 till:1990 text:NAIA Indep.
bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1990 till:1998 text:DII Indep.
bar:19 shift: color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:1999 text:DI Indep.
bar:19 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2012 text:Denver
bar:19 shift: color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2013 text:WAC
bar:19 shift: color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:Summit
bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:2000 text:OVC
bar:20 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2001 text:Middle Tennessee State
bar:20 color:Full from:2001 till:2013
bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:CUSA
bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1983 text:MVC
bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:2000 text:PCAA/Big West
bar:21 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2001 text:New Mexico State
bar:21 color:Full from:2001 till:2005
bar:21 shift: color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2014 text:WAC
bar:21 color:AssocF from:2014 till:2018 text:
bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2018 till:2023 text:WAC
bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:CUSA
bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1982 text:Independent
bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:1996 text:Southland
bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2000 text:Big West
bar:22 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2001 text:North Texas
bar:22 color:Full from:2001 till:2013
bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:CUSA
bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:American
bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1996 text:Big Sky
bar:23 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2001 text:Big West
bar:23 color:AssocF from:2001 till:2005 text:Idaho
bar:23 shift: color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2012 text:WAC
bar:23 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2014 text:Indep.
bar:23 color:AssocF from:2014 till:2018 text:
bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:2018 till:end text:Big Sky
bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1982 text:Independent
bar:24 color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:2001 text:Southland
bar:24 color:AssocF from:2001 till:2006 text:Louisiana–Monroe
bar:24 color:Full from:2006 till:end
bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1978 text:Indep.
bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:1978 till:2003 text:PCAA/Big West
bar:25 color:AssocF from:2003 till:2005 text:Utah State
bar:25 shift: color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:WAC
bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2026 text:MWC
bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12
bar:26 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1991 text:GSC
bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:1991 till:1993 text:Division II independent schools|Ind.]
bar:26 shift: color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:1994 text:ECC
bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:1994 till:1997 text:Mid-Continent
bar:26 shift: color:OtherC1 from:1997 till:2004 text:TAAC/ASUN
bar:26 color:AssocF from:2004 till:2005 text:Troy
bar:26 color:Full from:2005 till:end
bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1983 text:NAIA Independent
bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:1993 text: DII Independent
bar:27 color:AssocF from:2005 till:2006 text:Florida Atlantic
bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:2006 text:TAAC/ASUN
bar:27 color:Full from:2006 till:2013
bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:CUSA
bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:American
bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1983 text:LSC
bar:28 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:1987 text:GSC
bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:1987 till:2012 text:Southland
bar:28 shift: color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2013 text:WAC
bar:28 color:Full from:2013 till:2026 text:Texas State
bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12
bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:2012 text:Southland
bar:29 shift: color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2013 text:WAC
bar:29 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2022 text:UT Arlington
bar:29 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:2026 text:WAC
bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:UAC
bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:2014 text:SoCon
bar:30 color:Full from:2014 till:end text:Appalachian State
bar:31 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1980 text:Independent
bar:31 color:OtherC2 from:1980 till:1992 text:TAAC
bar:31 color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:2014 text:SoCon
bar:31 color:Full from:2014 till:end text:Georgia Southern
bar:32 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1983 text:Independent
bar:32 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:2016 text:Big South
bar:32 color:FullxF from:2016 till:2017 text:Coastal Carolina
bar:32 color:Full from:2017 till:end
bar:37 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1979 text:Indep.
bar:37 color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:2022 text:CAA
bar:37 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:James Madison
bar:38 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1997 text:SoCon
bar:38 color:OtherC2 from:1997 till:2005 text:MAC
bar:38 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2022 text:CUSA
bar:38 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:Marshall
bar:39 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1982 text:Independent
bar:39 color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:1995 text:Metro
bar:39 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2022 text:CUSA
bar:39 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:Southern Miss
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1976
Commissioners
In addition to the five Sun Belt commissioners, three future league leaders served on the Sun Belt staff prior to becoming conference commissioners, including Doug Elgin, John Iamarino, and Tom Burnett.On October 12, 2011, ESPN reported that Wright Waters would retire, effective July 1, 2012. On February 15, 2012, Karl Benson was hired as the new commissioner of the Sun Belt, after having been the commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference for 17 years. Waters would later move his departure date to March 15, allowing Benson to take over at that time.
Keith Gill was named the commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference on March 18, 2019. He is the first African American to lead any FBS conference.
Sports
As of the current 2025–26 school year, the Sun Belt Conference sponsors championship competition in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The most recent change to sports sponsorship was the reinstatement of women's swimming and diving in 2023–24.When Marshall was formally introduced as an incoming Sun Belt member, SBC commissioner Keith Gill also announced that the conference would reinstate men's soccer once all new members joined. Men's soccer resumed play in 2022–23 with six full members joined by three associates; a fourth associate joined in 2023–24. Beach volleyball started play with eight members, evenly divided between full members and associates.
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
| Baseball | 14 | – |
| Basketball | 14 | 14 |
| Beach volleyball | – | 8 |
| Cross country | 9 | 13 |
| Football | 14 | – |
| Golf | 14 | 13 |
| Soccer | 10 | 14 |
| Softball | – | 12 |
| Tennis | 9 | 14 |
| Track and field indoor | 7 | 13 |
| Track and field outdoor | 10 | 13 |
| Volleyball | – | 14 |
Men's sponsored sports by school
Member-by-member sponsorship of the nine men's SBC sports for the 2025–26 academic year.Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Sun Belt
| School | Sailing | Swimming & diving | Wrestling |
| Appalachian State | SoCon | ||
| Old Dominion | MAISA | ASUN |
Women's sponsored sports by school
Member-by-member sponsorship of the 10 women's SBC sports for the 2025–26 academic year.Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Sun Belt
| School | Bowling | Field hockey | Lacrosse | Rifle | Rowing | Sailing | Swimming & diving |
| Appalachian State | MAC | ||||||
| Arkansas State | CUSA | ||||||
| Coastal Carolina | ASUN | ||||||
| Georgia Southern | SoCon | ASUN | |||||
| James Madison | MAC | American | American | ||||
| Louisiana Tech | CUSA | ||||||
| Marshall | American | ||||||
| Old Dominion | Big East | American | Big 12 | MAISA | ASUN |
Championships
"RS" is regular season, "T" is tournament. Championships from the previous academic year are flagged with the calendar year in which the most recent season or tournament ended.Current Sun Belt champions
;Fall 2025| Sport | School |
| Cross Country | Appalachian State Appalachian State |
| Football | James Madison Troy |
| Soccer | Kentucky UCF |
| Soccer | Old Dominion ULM Texas State |
| Volleyball | James Madison Arkansas State & South Alabama Arkansas State |
;Winter 2024–25
| Sport | School |
| Basketball | Arkansas State, James Madison, South Alabama, & Troy Troy |
| Basketball | James Madison Arkansas State |
| Swimming & Diving | James Madison |
| Track & Field Indoor | Louisiana Texas State |
;Spring 2025
| Sport | School |
| Baseball | Coastal Carolina |
| Beach Volleyball | Coastal Carolina Georgia State |
| Golf | Coastal Carolina Southern Miss |
| Softball | Texas State Coastal Carolina |
| Tennis | Old Dominion |
| Tennis | Old Dominion |
| Track & Field Outdoor | Texas State Texas State |
Vic Bubas Cup
The Sun Belt also has an all-sports competition called the Vic Bubas Cup, which is awarded to the school with the best performance across every sport the Sun Belt Conference sponsors. South Alabama has won the most Bubas Cups, with 16.NCAA champions
The only school to have won a national title while an SBC member is Old Dominion, which won one title in women's basketball and five in the non-SBC sport of field hockey during its first conference tenure from 1982 to 1991. Six other current members have won NCAA Division I team championships prior to joining the conference. Coastal Carolina won its only D-I national title on the day before it officially joined the SBC, while representing the Big South Conference.| School | NCAA titles | Sport | Years |
| Old Dominion | 10 | Women's basketball | 1985 |
| Old Dominion | 10 | Field hockey | 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1988 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1998 • 2000 |
| Georgia Southern | 6 | Football | 1985 • 1986 • 1989 • 1990 • 1999 • 2000 |
| James Madison | 5 | Field hockey | 1994 |
| James Madison | 5 | Archery | 1995 |
| James Madison | 5 | Football | 2004 • 2016 |
| James Madison | 5 | Women's lacrosse | 2018 |
| Appalachian State | 3 | Football | 2005 • 2006 • 2007 |
| Marshall | 3 | Football | 1992 • 1996 |
| Marshall | 3 | Men's soccer | 2020 |
| Louisiana–Monroe | 1 | Football | 1987 |
| Coastal Carolina | 1 | Baseball | 2016 |
| Total | 29 |
See also:
List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships,
List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships, and
NCAA Division I FBS Conferences
Football
For more information see Sun Belt Conference football. For the current season, see 2025 Sun Belt Conference football season.The Sun Belt first began sponsoring football in 2001. It originally consisted of seven football playing schools, three of which are still members of the conference. Up until 2009, the conference only had a contract with one bowl, the New Orleans Bowl. Following the Sun Belt's improved football success and geographical membership changes, other bowls began to sign contracts with the Sun Belt Conference., the conference had seven bowl game tie-ins
Throughout the years, the conference has experienced flux in membership changes, similar to many other FBS conferences. The conference announced that beginning in 2018, the conference would be divided into two divisions for football: East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and Troy; West: Arkansas State, Louisiana, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, and Texas State. The divisional alignments changed again with the 2022 expansion, with the new dividing line being the Alabama–Georgia border. The winner of each division will meet in the Sun Belt Championship game.
| Team | First season | All-Time record | All-Time win % | Bowl appearances | Bowl record | All-Time Conference titles | Current Head Coach |
| Appalachian State | 1928 | 668–363–28 | 8 | 7–1 | 22 | Shawn Clark | |
| Arkansas State | 1911 | 503–530–37 | 12 | 5–7 | 14 | Butch Jones | |
| Coastal Carolina | 2003 | 172–96 | 5 | 2–3 | 9 | Tim Beck | |
| Georgia Southern | 1924 | 426–258–10 | 7 | 3–4 | 11 | Clay Helton | |
| Georgia State | 2010 | 64–115 | 6 | 4–2 | 0 | Dell McGee | |
| James Madison | 1972 | 378–228-4 | 2 | 1–1 | 10 | Bob Chesney | |
| Louisiana | 1901 | 582–568–34 | 12 | 8–4 | 13 | Michael Desormeaux | |
| Louisiana–Monroe | 1931 | 330–471–8 | 1 | 0–1 | 5 | Bryant Vincent | |
| Marshall | 1895 | 638–574–47 | 20 | 13–7 | 13 | Tony Gibson | |
| Old Dominion | 2009 | 97–86–0 | 3 | 1–2 | 0 | Ricky Rahne | |
| Southern Miss | 1912 | 618–473–27 | 25 | 12–13 | 8 | Charles Huff | |
| South Alabama | 2009 | 90–98 | 5 | 2–3 | 0 | Kane Wommack | |
| Texas State | 1904 | 548–511–25 | 3 | 3–0 | 12 | G. J. Kinne | |
| Troy | 1909 | 581–437–28 | 10 | 6–4 | 21 | Gerard Parker |
;Notes:
Sun Belt champions
Since the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS season, the Sun Belt Conference has held a football championship game.| Season | Champion | Conference record |
| 2001 | Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team|Middle Tennessee] North Texas | 5–1 |
| 2002 | North Texas | 6–0 |
| 2003 | North Texas | 7–0 |
| 2004 | North Texas | 7–0 |
| 2005 | Arkansas State Louisiana–Lafayette Louisiana–Monroe | 5–2 |
| 2006 | Middle Tennessee Troy | 6–1 |
| 2007 | Florida Atlantic Troy | 6–1 |
| 2008 | Troy | 6–1 |
| 2009 | Troy | 8–0 |
| 2010 | Florida International Troy | 6–2 |
| 2011 | Arkansas State | 8–0 |
| 2012 | Arkansas State | 7–1 |
| 2013* | Arkansas State | 5–2 |
| 2014 | Georgia Southern | 8–0 |
| 2015 | Arkansas State | 8–0 |
| 2016 | Appalachian State Arkansas State | 7–1 |
| 2017 | Appalachian State Troy | 7–1 |
| 2018 | Appalachian State | 7–1 |
| 2019 | Appalachian State | 7–1 |
| 2020* | Coastal Carolina Louisiana | 8–0 7–1 |
| 2021 | Louisiana | 8–0 |
| 2022 | Troy | 7–1 |
| 2023 | Troy | 7–1 |
| 2024 | Marshall | 7–1 |
;Notes
- Louisiana–Lafayette vacated 2013 shared Sun Belt Conference co-championship due to major NCAA violations.
- The 2020 championship game was canceled due to COVID-19 issues; the divisional champions were declared league co-champions.
Bowl games
As of the 2024–25 NCAA football bowl games, the Sun Belt Conference had tie-ins with the following bowl games:Football rivalries
Football rivalries involving Sun Belt teams include:;Notes:
Basketball
Men's basketball
This list goes through the 2021–22 season.| Team | First season | All-time record | All-time win % | NCAA Tournament appearances | NCAA Tournament record | Arena | Head coach |
| Appalachian State | 1919–20 | 1263–1162 | 3 | 0–3 | Holmes Center | Dustin Kerns | |
| Arkansas State | 1926–27 | 1183–1184 | 1 | 0–1 | First National Bank Arena | Bryan Hodgson | |
| Coastal Carolina | 1974–75 | 711–680 | 4 | 0–4 | HTC Center | Justin Gray | |
| Georgia Southern | 1926–27 | 1289–1014 | 3 | 0–3 | Hill Convocation Center | Brian Burg | |
| Georgia State | 1963–64 | 668–954 | 6 | 2–6 | Georgia State Convocation Center | Jonas Hayes | |
| James Madison | 1969–70 | 787–714 | 6 | 5–6 | Atlantic Union Bank Center | Preston Spradlin | |
| Louisiana | 1911–12 | 1449–1124 | 11 | 4–11 | Cajundome | Bob Marlin | |
| Louisiana–Monroe | 1951–52 | 1014–937 | 7 | 0–7 | Fant–Ewing Coliseum | Keith Richard | |
| Marshall | 1906–07 | 1539–1139–2 | 6 | 1–6 | Cam Henderson Center | Cornelius Jackson | |
| Old Dominion | 1950–51 | 1214–765 | 12 | 3–12 | Chartway Arena | Mike Jones | |
| South Alabama | 1968–69 | 857–682 | 8 | 1–8 | Mitchell Center | Richie Riley | |
| Southern Miss | 1912–13 | 1279–1112–1 | 3 | 0–3 | Reed Green Coliseum | Jay Ladner | |
| Texas State | 1920–21 | 1357–1184 | 2 | 0–2 | Strahan Arena | Terrence Johnson | |
| Troy | 1950–51 | 1086–933 | 2 | 0–2 | Trojan Arena | Scott Cross |
Women's basketball
This list goes through the 2022–23 season.| Team | First season | All-time record | All-time win % | NCAA Tournament appearances | NCAA Tournament record | Arena | Head coach |
| Appalachian State | 1970–71 | 689–726 | 4 | 0–4 | Holmes Center | Alaura Sharp | |
| Arkansas State | 1974–75 | 770–602 | 0 | 0–0 | First National Bank Arena | Destinee Rogers | |
| Coastal Carolina | 1974–75 | 572–732 | 0 | 0–0 | HTC Center | Kevin Pederson | |
| Georgia Southern | 1973–74 | 707–679 | 2 | 0–2 | Hill Convocation Center | Hanna Haden | |
| Georgia State | 1975–76 | 630–692 | 3 | 0–3 | Georgia State Convocation Center | Gene Hill | |
| James Madison | 1920–21 | 1176–578–5 | 12 | 8–12 | Atlantic Union Bank Center | Sean O'Regan | |
| Louisiana | 1982–83 | 466–684 | 1 | 0–1 | Cajundome | Gary Broadhead | |
| Louisiana–Monroe | 1974–75 | 632–682 | 4 | 4–4 | Fant–Ewing Coliseum | Missy Bilerback | |
| Marshall | 1969–70 | 715–737 | 2 | 0–2 | Cam Henderson Center | Juli Fulks | |
| Old Dominion | 1969–70 | 1121–480 | 25 | 34–24 | Chartway Arena | DeLisha Milton-Jones | |
| South Alabama | 1974–75 | 666–701 | 1 | 0–1 | Mitchell Center | Yolisha Jackson | |
| Southern Miss | 1975–76 | 780–589 | 8 | 4–8 | Reed Green Coliseum | Joye Lee-McNelis | |
| Texas State | 1982–83 | 565–576 | 2 | 0–2 | Strahan Arena | Zenarae Antoine | |
| Troy | 1975–76 | 670–677 | 4 | 0–4 | Trojan Arena | Chanda Rigby |
Championships
Since the 2022–23 season, the Sun Belt Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments, held in early March, have involved all 14 of the conference's teams, and have been bracketed in a semi-stepladder format. The bottom four seeds play in the first round; seed 5 through 10 receive byes to the second round, and the top 4 seeds to the quarterfinals. All rounds are held in Pensacola, Florida at Pensacola Bay Center since 2022. Winners of the tournaments earn automatic bids to their respective NCAA Division I basketball tournament.Baseball
The Sun Belt Conference has sponsored an annual baseball tournament to determine the conference winner since 1978. South Alabama has won the most championships, at 13.- Teams in bold represent current conference members.
| School | Tourney titles | Title Years |
| South Alabama | 13 | 1980 • 1981 • 1983 • 1984 • 1987 • 1992 • 1996 • 1997 • 2000 • 2001 • 2005 • 2017 • 2021 |
| Louisiana | 5 | 1998 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2022 |
| Coastal Carolina | 3 | 2018 • 2019 • 2025 |
| New Orleans | 3 | 1978 • 1979 • 2007 |
| South Florida | 3 | 1982 • 1986 • 1990 |
| FIU | 2 | 1999 • 2010 |
| Lamar | 2 | 1993 • 1995 |
| Middle Tennessee | 2 | 2003 • 2009 |
| Southern Miss | 2 | 2023 • 2024 |
| Western Kentucky | 2 | 2004 • 2008 |
| Arkansas State | 1 | 1994 |
| Florida Atlantic | 1 | 2013 |
| Jacksonville | 1 | 1989 |
| Little Rock | 1 | 2011 |
| New Mexico State | 1 | 2002 |
| Old Dominion | 1 | 1985 |
| Troy | 1 | 2006 |
| UAB | 1 | 1991 |
| ULM | 1 | 2012 |
| VCU | 1 | 1988 |
Facilities
;NotesAthletic department revenue by school
Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.
The following table shows institutional reporting to the United States Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2023–24 academic year.
| Institution | 2023–24 Total Revenue from Athletics | 2023–24 Total Expenses on Athletics |
| James Madison University | $66,110,281 | $66,110,281 |
| Old Dominion University | $51,827,948 | $51,827,948 |
| Texas State University | $46,310,998 | $46,310,998 |
| Marshall University | $45,966,327 | $45,966,327 |
| Coastal Carolina University | $43,509,290 | $43,509,290 |
| Appalachian State University | $43,110,256 | $43,110,256 |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | $42,952,287 | $42,952,287 |
| Georgia State University | $39,204,432 | $39,204,432 |
| Georgia Southern University | $36,967,213 | $36,967,213 |
| Troy University | $36,937,664 | $36,937,664 |
| University of South Alabama | $30,591,632 | $30,591,632 |
| Louisiana Tech University | $30,305,928 | $30,305,928 |
| Arkansas State University | $28,162,528 | $28,162,528 |
| University of Southern Mississippi | $28,107,301 | $28,107,301 |
| University of Louisiana at Monroe | $20,253,458 | $20,253,458 |
Academics
Four of the Sun Belt's member schools, Georgia State, Louisiana, Old Dominion and Southern Miss are doctorate-granting universities with "very high research activity," the highest classification given by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.Appalachian State is also currently ranked as one of the Top 10 regional schools in the South by the U.S. News & World Report.
| University | Affiliation | Carnegie | Endowment | US News | Forbes |
| Public | Research | $99,593,000 | 6 | 301 | |
| Public | Research | $66,217,000 | 317 | N/A | |
| Public | Master's | $39,432,000 | 38 | N/A | |
| Public | Research | $50,999,000 | 331-440 | N/A | |
| Public | Research | $155,303,000 | 234 | 367 | |
| Public | Research | $116,700,000 | 151 | 139 | |
| Public | Research | $178,300,000 | 331-440 | N/A | |
| Public | Doctoral/Research | $28,787,795 | 331-440 | N/A | |
| Public | Research | $192,000,000 | 299 | N/A | |
| Public | Research | $265,800,000 | 299 | 472 | |
| Public | Research | $555,735,000 | 331-440 | N/A | |
| Public | Research | $136,300,000 | 331-440 | N/A | |
| Public | Research | $1,602,000,000 | 257 | 298 | |
| Public | Doctoral/Research | $191,458,000 | 44 | N/A |