HUNTINGTON — Marshall University will officially become a member of the Sun Belt Conference on July 1, 2022, after the university and Conference USA agreed to a settlement in the league’s lawsuit for seeking to leave the league early for the Sun Belt.
The involved parties released a joint statement announcing the end of the legal battle Tuesday night.
“Conference USA, Marshall University, Old Dominion University and the University of Southern Mississippi have reached a resolution that allows the schools to withdraw as members at the end of the academic year,” the statement said. “Conference USA will move forward into the 2022-23 academic year with 11 members. The universities will compete as members of the Sun Belt Conference.”
Details of the settlement were not disclosed, but sources with knowledge of the situation said all three universities involved — Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss — were going to pay the same amount to C-USA, which is believed to be less than $2 million per institution.
With its future resolved, Marshall will be able to rekindle old rivalries with programs such as Appalachian State, James Madison and Georgia Southern, while continuing those forged with Old Dominion and Southern Miss in C-USA.
In addition to the renewal of past rivalries, sources said one of the biggest advantages in the shift of conferences was the savings in travel costs.
It is expected that Marshall’s savings in travel costs across all sports could help the university recoup its buyout figure to Conference USA in two to three years.
The sides have been working toward a resolution for weeks — since Marshall filed for and received a temporary restraining order in February to block Conference USA’s demand for arbitration, which came in reference to Marshall announcing its intent to leave Conference USA for the Sun Belt Conference early.
Signs of the resolution had surfaced in recent days, according to The Athletic’s Chris Vannini. A hearing in Norfolk (Virginia) Circuit Court involving Conference USA and Old Dominion had been postponed earlier this week, and last week C-USA had not submitted documents for discovery in Mississippi for its case against Southern Miss.
Also this week, Marshall’s temporary restraining order against Conference USA had been extended to April 6.
Tuesday’s announcement solidified Marshall’s football schedule for the 2022 season, which the Sun Belt released March 1.
The Herd’s Sun Belt Conference opener comes Sept. 24 at Troy, while the team’s first home game as a member of the Sun Belt is a rematch of the 2021 New Orleans Bowl against Louisiana in a midweek prime-time game Wednesday, Oct. 12.
Other conference home games include Coastal Carolina (Oct. 29), Appalachian State (Nov. 12) and Georgia State (Nov. 26). Marshall also has two FCS home games — the season opener against Norfolk State on Sept. 3 and an Oct. 1 matchup with Gardner-Webb.
As a result of Tuesday’s announcement, Conference USA will move forward with 11 members for the 2022-23 season.
C-USA also released a statement regarding its future with the 11 members for this year.
“Conference USA is excited about the future with our 11 institutions in the 2022-23 academic year, and is committed to the long-term growth of the league as we usher in new members in the coming years,” the statement said.
Following the 2022-23 academic year, Conference USA will lose six more schools — UAB, North Texas, Rice, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic and UTSA — to the American Athletic Conference.
Upon the exit of those schools, however, C-USA will gain four other institutions in Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State.
Grant Traylor is the sports editor of The Herald-Dispatch, who also covers Marshall athletics for HD Media. Follow him on Twitter @GrantTraylor.
