Missouri State will advance to the highest level of Division I college football and join Conference USA in 2025, the league announced.
Missouri State becomes the 12th full member of CUSA and the third school to move from the Championship Subdivision to the Bowl Subdivision and join the league for the next two seasons.
Conference USA will add Kennesaw State this season and Delaware will join in 2025. Both schools also move up in Division I from FCS to FBS.
Missouri State is a long-time member of the Missouri Valley Conference and has competed in FCS/I-AA since 1981. The Bears have reached the NCAA playoffs four times, including most recently in 2020 and ’21 under then-coach Bobby Petrino.
“The institution boasts a great tradition in athletics and academics that will strengthen and further position our membership for long-term success on the national landscape,” said CUSA Commissioner Judy MacLeod.
Conference USA lost six members to the American Athletic Conference and rebuilt last year by adding former independents such as Liberty and New Mexico State and former FCS schools Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State.
The rest of Conference USA includes Louisiana Tech, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State, UTEP and Florida International.
