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College football realignment is moving fast and not stopping

By Ryan Kay

CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 11: A flag is flown displaying the Cincinnati Bearcats and Big 12 logos during the game between the Murray State Racers and Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium on September 11, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 11: A flag is flown displaying the Cincinnati Bearcats and Big 12 logos during the game between the Murray State Racers and Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium on September 11, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Nov 23, 2019; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of the American Athletic Conference logo on the field during the game between the Temple Owls and the Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2019; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of the American Athletic Conference logo on the field during the game between the Temple Owls and the Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

What the Group of Five may look like in 2023

This potential 2023 conference map is based on Conference USA becoming what the Big East was in football and not having enough members to have a league for its football members.

AAC

East

  • Temple
  • East Carolina
  • South Florida
  • Memphis
  • Navy
  • Charlotte
  • FAU

West

  • SMU
  • Tulsa
  • Tulane
  • North Texas
  • Rice
  • UAB
  • UTSA

Mountain West

Mountain

  • Utah State
  • Air Force
  • Colorado State
  • Wyoming
  • New Mexico
  • UTEP
  • Louisiana Tech

West

  • San Diego State
  • Fresno State
  • San Jose State
  • UNLV
  • Hawai’i
  • Nevada
  • Boise State

MAC

North

  • Western Michigan
  • Central Michigan
  • Kent State
  • Buffalo
  • Toledo
  • Bowling Green
  • Eastern Michigan
  • Northern Illinois

South

  • Akron
  • Ball State
  • Western Kentucky
  • Marshall
  • Middle Tennessee
  • Miami (OH)
  • Ohio
  • Old Dominion

Sun Belt

East

  • Appalachian State
  • Coastal Carolina
  • Troy
  • Georgia State
  • Georgia Southern
  • Florida International

West

  • Louisiana
  • Texas State
  • South Alabama
  • UL Monroe
  • Arkansas State
  • Southern Miss

Conference USA has to be careful that they don’t become the next Big East of college football. The Big East in its last season of FBS football had some good teams in the conference like Louisville, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Temple, and South Florida. However, other conferences took some of their teams and they no longer had the minimum number of schools to compete as a conference at the FBS level.

Conference USA somewhat similar to the WAC that also folded before the 2013 season as the Big East had done has not much time to regroup and add some members.

Time will tell if Conference USA will survive as an FBS or not but they will try to add some schools so that it can remain alive. The projected conferences above for 2023 heavily favor the MAC with them being a perfect home for displaced Conference USA teams.

However, within the next calendar year, we should know more about Conference USA intentions and if they are going to remain a football conference at the FBS level.

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