JACKSONVILLE – The next era of Jacksonville State Athletics got underway on Saturday, when the Gamecocks' officially became members of Conference USA.
 
Jax State accepted CUSA's invitation to join the league in November of 2021 and immediately got to work on its application for the league and specifically Football's Bowl Subdivision. The Gamecocks saw that work come to fruition on Saturday, when they joined eight other programs to make up the new-look conference that has been a force in Division I athletics since 1995.
 
Joining Jax State as new members in CUSA are Liberty, New Mexico State and Sam Houston. They team up with FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP and Western Kentucky to make up the nine-school membership for the 2023-24 academic year. Kennesaw State will join as the conference's 10^th team in 2024.

CUSA is Jax State's third Division I conference home after spending 18 years in the Ohio Valley Conference and 10 total years in the ASUN, which was the Gamecocks' first Div. I conference home from 1995-03 and again from 2021-23. 
 
The Gamecocks have had tremendous success in their previous Div. I leagues, winning more than 80 total conference titles since making the move from Div. II in 1993. Jax State Football has seen a great deal of that success at the FCS level, where it won 10 conference titles in the past 20 years, including the first ASUN Football Championship in 2022.
 
Jax State's move to FBS and CUSA has already paid off, with the league announcing a new multimedia rights deal with CBS Sports and ESPN that will begin with the 2023-24 academic year. The multi-year agreement positions CBS Sports Network with tier one selection status for C-USA football (18 games annually) and men's basketball (18 games annually) over the length of the partnership, while also televising the football championship, men's basketball semifinal and championship games, the women's basketball championship game, and baseball and softball championship games.
 
The Gamecocks will play at least six football games on national television in 2023, with the possibility of up to four more being picked up during the season. CUSA will be able to stand alone in front of its national television audience in October, when all league games will be played on weeknights and on linear networks.
 
Jax State will begin competition as a member of CUSA this fall, when the Gamecock soccer team begins its season on Aug. 17. Jax State Volleyball will open its campaign on Aug. 25. Football will play the first-ever CUSA game for Jax State on Aug. 26, when the Gamecocks host UTEP to open the 2023 season at Burgess-Snow Field.
 
In conjunction with its new membership coming on board for July 1, CUSA unveiled a new brand identity that included a new logo and refreshed identity to celebrate the league's 29^th year.


ABOUT CONFERENCE USA
Conference USA is an NCAA Division I conference championing success in college athletics through dedicated leadership, dynamic partnership, and diverse membership. Founded in 1995 and based in Dallas, CUSA is home to nine schools: FIU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, UTEP, and WKU. Kennesaw State joins the league in 2024.
 
ABOUT JAX STATE
Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State is a public university located in Jacksonville, Alabama. The campus is home to nearly 10,000 students and offers 101 academic programs and concentrations, including bachelor's, master's, post-baccalaureate, doctoral and advanced certificate programs. Athletically, the Gamecocks compete in 18 sports and have won a total of 146 conference championships in their proud athletic history, including 82 as members of the Ohio Valley Conference that resulted in over 50 trips to NCAA postseason play. Football has won 25 conference titles in program history, while softball has claimed 18, baseball has won 23 and men's basketball has captured 20.
Men's sports at JSU include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, rifle and tennis. Gamecocks' women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball and beach volleyball.