Tomorrow marks the first official day when university athletic departments officially join their new conferences.
There have been so many rumors and so much haggling over media rights deals and exit fees that it almost felt as if the actual realignments may never occur. But we made it.
Much of the focus has been around Power 5 conferences (Pac-12, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, ACC). The biggest conference realignment news of the past year was probably the defections of UCLA and USC to the Big Ten – and that move does not even become official until July 1, 2024. The Big 12 welcomes four new classmates to its conference tomorrow – BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston – but those are hardly the only schools that are moving tonight once the clock strikes midnight.
Here is a full list of conferences that will look a bit different beginning tomorrow:
American Athletic Conference (AAC):
- The AAC loses three of its members: UCF, Cincinnati and Houston.
- The AAC adds six members from C-USA: Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA.
Big 12:
- Big 12 adds three members from the AAC: UCF, Cincinnati and Houston.
- Big 12 adds one member from the WCC: BYU.
- According to CBS Sports, BYU has the toughest football schedule of the four newcomers (ninth toughest schedule overall in conference), followed closely by Houston, UCF and Cincinnati.
Conference USA
- C-USA loses six members to the AAC: Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, UTSA.
- C-USA adds two members from the Atlantic Sun: Jacksonville State and Liberty.
- C-USA adds two members from the WAC: New Mexico State and Sam Houston.
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA):
- CAA adds two members from the Big South: Campbell and North Carolina A&T (NCAT joined effective July 1, 2022 in all sports other than football.
- NCAT football officially joins CAA July 1, 2023).
Northeast Conference (NEC):
- NEC adds one member from Division II Northeast-10: Le Moyne College.
- NEC adds 21 sports from Le Monye, a year after adding Division II Stonehill College which also came from the Northeast-10.