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Conference USA expands by 5 members

Posted: 12:24 PM May 4, 2012
Reporter: Associated Press

Conference USA announced Friday that it is adding five new schools in 2013.

Commissioner Britton Banowsky said Charlotte, Florida International, Louisiana Tech, North Texas and UT-San Antonio will join the league in all sports, with Charlotte joining in football two years later.

Charlotte is rejoining Conference USA after several years in the Atlantic 10. Louisiana Tech has been in the WAC since 2001, and UTSA will play in the WAC next year before joining CUSA. FIU and North Texas will be leaving the Sun Belt Conference.

Current CUSA members include East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Mississippi, Tulane, Tulsa, Alabama-Birmingham and UTEP.

Conference USA will lose Houston, SMU, Memphis and Central Florida to the Big East in 2013. Banowsky says Conference USA and the Mountain West continue to discuss a merger.