2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment

The 2010–12 NCAA conference realignment refers to several proposed and actual conference expansion plans among various NCAA conferences, beginning in the 2010-11 academic year and continuing into the next academic year. While conferences in all three NCAA divisions—Division I, Division II, and Division III—experienced change during this period, media attention focused on extensive conference movement in Division I.

Most of these changes involved conferences in the top Football Bowl Subdivision, with all of the current eleven FBS conferences, as well as the ranks of FBS independents, either gaining or losing football members. Two of these conferences discussed a merger, but due to likely revenue losses resulting from specific provisions in NCAA rules, these leagues are now planning to enter into an alliance that falls short of a full merger. In addition, one school announced it would start a football program in advance of a move to Conference USA.

The second-tier Football Championship Subdivision also saw changes, with eleven schools changing their football affiliation, and four other schools announcing that they would establish football programs at that level. The most significant change to the FCS landscape was the demise of the Great West Conference as a football entity after the 2011 season, as all five of its football members departed for more established conferences. Four schools accepted invitations to join the Big Sky Conference—two as full members and two as affiliate members in football only. The other, which had already announced its intent to join The Summit League (which does not sponsor football), opted to join the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Two members of the Southland Conference upgraded their football programs to FBS level to facilitate their moves to FBS conferences, while one non-football school announced that it would start a football program and eventually place it in that conference. Four football-playing schools in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) announced major moves. One football-only member upgraded to FBS and became a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference; two full CAA members announced FBS upgrades in advance of moves to Conference USA and the Sun Belt Conference; and another football-only member remained in FCS but announced its departure for the Northeast Conference. Two non-football schools in FCS conferences announced moves to football-sponsoring FCS conferences, but did not add the sport.

Additionally, Division I men's ice hockey underwent major realignment, with the Big Ten beginning sponsorship of men's hockey, the formation of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and the demise of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Every men's hockey conference, except for the ECAC, was ultimately affected.

Background

Talk of conference expansion began in December 2009, when Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany announced that the league would consider adding one or more teams. Media reports indicated that the Big Ten had two major motives for expansion. First, adding one or more schools would increase the reach of the conference's cable network, the Big Ten Network. The conference reportedly receives as much as 88 cents per month for every subscriber to the network in the Big Ten member states, and in the 2008–09 fiscal year, the Big Ten Network alone distributed $6.4 million to each of the conference's 11 schools. Second, expanding to 12 or more schools would allow the conference to launch a potentially lucrative conference championship game in football.

Shortly after the Big Ten announced its intention to explore expansion, the Pacific-10 Conference, under new commissioner Larry Scott, announced similar plans. As with the Big Ten, television played a major role in the Pac-10's plans, although for a different reason. The conference's then-current deal with Fox Sports Net was set to expire at the end of the 2010–11 school year, and in the wake of lucrative TV deals recently signed by the ACC and SEC, the Pac-10 apparently felt a need to expand its footprint to gain more leverage in broadcast negotiations.

While television was undeniably a factor in the realignment speculation, it was not the only one. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick stated in an interview with Pat Forde, then of ESPN.com, that at most schools, realignment was being driven primarily by university administrators who saw an opportunity to improve the academic image of their schools—not by athletic directors. Also, for at least two schools—Hawaiʻi and Belmont—travel costs played a major role in their decisions to change conferences; both cases are discussed in greater detail later.

The realignment process has consumed much of the resources of conference administrators. Karl Benson, who was commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) when the cycle started and since March 2012 has held the same position with the Sun Belt Conference, stated in a May 2012 interview that about 90 percent of his workload since taking over the Sun Belt position has been taken up by realignment-related issues—either recruiting new members or trying to keep current members in the conference.

Conferences affected

Big Ten Conference

See also: Big Ten Conference

After Delany's initial announcement that the Big Ten was looking at expansion, rumors about possible expansion targets began to circulate, and by April 2010, it was reported that the Big Ten was considering expanding to as many as 14 or 16 teams.

On June 11, 2010, Nebraska applied for membership in the Big Ten and was unanimously approved as the conference's 12th school. Its membership became effective July 1, 2011.

Big Ten officials later stated that they had no plans to expand beyond 12 teams in the near future.

Pacific-10 Conference

See also: Pacific-12 Conference

On June 7, 2010, the universities that comprise the Pac-10 approved potential expansion plans and authorized commissioner Larry Scott to move ahead with expansion and issue invitations to six prospective teams: Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.

On June 10, 2010, the Pac-10 announced that Colorado would be joining the conference in 2012. For several days, rumors circulated that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State might follow suit and join the Pac-10 as soon as June 15, 2010, though Texas had not yet made a final decision and Texas A&M was also considering a move to the SEC.

On June 14, Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott revealed that Texas had rejected the offer to join the conference. Shortly thereafter Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech pledged to stay in the Big 12 conference. This led to widespread belief that Utah would be offered an invitation to become the 12th member of the Pac-10 in order to even out the conference and allow the Pac-10 to have a football conference championship game.

On June 17, Utah accepted an invitation to join the conference as its 12th member.

On September 21, 2010, Colorado and the Big 12 reached an agreement to allow Colorado to join the Pac-10 a year earlier in 2011.

Big East Conference

See also: Big East Conference

On November 2, 2010, the Big East Conference officially announced its plans to expand from 8 to 10 football-playing schools. ESPN.com named TCU and UCF as leading candidates, along with the upgrade of current member Villanova's FCS football program to the FBS level. Other candidates included former Big East member and current football-only MAC member Temple and C-USA members Houston and Marshall.

On November 29, 2010, TCU officially announced that it would be joining the Big East Conference as an all-sports member starting in 2012. TCU was not subject to an exit fee from the Mountain West; under MWC bylaws at that time, a member was allowed to leave with no penalty if it registered its intention to leave with the conference office by September 1 of the calendar year before its departure.

The original idea that TCU should join the Big East reportedly came from a somewhat unexpected source—Pitt men's basketball coach Jamie Dixon. On September 18, Dixon, a former basketball player at TCU, attended the TCU–Baylor football game and suggested the idea to TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte. After the discussion, Dixon then went to Big East commissioner John Marinatto, which started the league's expansion talks. Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti pushed especially hard for the conference to invite TCU.

At first glance, the entry of TCU—a school located more than 750 miles (1100 km) from its nearest Big East neighbor in Louisville—would put huge financial pressure on both its athletic program and those of other Big East schools, specifically with regard to travel expenses for non-revenue sports. However, Marinatto pointed out to ESPN.com Big East reporter Brian Bennett that this issue was less serious than perceived. The Big East does not require that its member schools play other league schools in the regular season in sports based on individual competition (such as swimming and diving, track, golf, and tennis). Conference teams in those sports can compete against local schools or in meets in their region and still compete in the Big East tournament. The conference only requires travel to other league schools in pure team sports (such as football, basketball, and soccer). By contrast, the MWC has such a requirement in all sports. The distance between TCU and the other conference members is less than the 1,300 miles between football members South Florida and Syracuse and comparable to the distance between Louisville and Providence.

The TCU move put pressure on Villanova to decide whether to accept its invitation to join the Big East in football. Marinatto indicated that he expected word from Villanova no later than the school's next scheduled board meeting in April 2011, and preferred to see a decision by the end of 2010. If Villanova decided not to upgrade to FBS, UCF and Houston were seen at the time as leading candidates for future expansion.

At that time, speculation was rampant that the Big East might be able to attract a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which was in the midst of negotiating a new media deal. However, according to one industry source, "At that point when the Big East was intact, the only school the Big East could have legitimately added that made sense was UCF. Maryland and Boston College? They wouldn't even return the Big East's calls. But the Big East couldn't add UCF because Judy Genshaft [president of UCF in-state rival South Florida] kept shooting down UCF." A source within the Big East added that Genshaft's insistence on keeping UCF out of the conference was a major contributing factor to the instability that would soon plague the Big East.

The trigger for this instability proved to be the negotiations for a new television deal that took place in April 2011, when TCU was on board. Marinatto and the conference reached a nine-year, $1.4 billion deal and recommended that the conference presidents, who had the final say on the deal, accept it. The presidents reportedly voted 12–4 to accept in a preliminary vote. However, while the conference was going over the final details, the presidents had second thoughts upon learning of the deal that the Pac-12 had just reached with ESPN and Fox, reportedly worth $250 million annually, and in a second vote turned down the deal 16–0. In May 2012, one Big East source told Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com that turning down the deal "was the stupidest decision ever made in college athletics. To have the equity of ESPN as your brand and the stability that would have gone with it." Another source added, "If the TV deal was accepted and UCF had been added, who knows if Pitt and Syracuse ever leave. Everyone left because of stability and right there was your stability with that TV deal."

Five months after the aborted media deal, McMurphy reported on September 16, 2011 that two of the conference's mainstays—the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University—would leave for the ACC. He recalled in May 2012 that he tried to contact Marinatto for a quote, but could not reach him, and found out several weeks later that Marinatto first learned of the two schools' plans from McMurphy's report. In fact, no one at the conference office or at any other Big East school knew that Pitt and Syracuse were leaving until this report.

On September 18, Pitt and Syracuse submitted formal applications to join the ACC, which were accepted later that day.

Marinatto's next attempt to stabilize the league was a dramatic increase in the conference exit fee. On October 2, he recommended to the conference presidents that the exit fee be increased from $5 million to a minimum of $12 million, and as much as $15 million. The presidents voted against Marinatto's proposal.

Days after the presidents rejected the increased exit fees, TCU reversed its acceptance on October 10 and decided not to join the Big East. Instead, TCU announced that it would accept a new invitation from the Big 12 Conference. The Big 12 is home to several former conference rivals of TCU from the Southwest Conference.

On October 28, 2011, West Virginia University was officially invited to join the Big 12 and accepted the same day. They aimed to become a full member effective July 1, 2012. To enforce this move, the university filed a lawsuit against the Big East, and blamed Marinatto for the departures of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and TCU. The Big East also filed a counter-suit against WVU to enforce the 27-month waiting period. By contrast, Pitt and Syracuse made no attempt to overturn the waiting period.

The Big East invited nine schools - four (University of Houston, Southern Methodist University, University of Memphis, University of Central Florida) as full members, five as football-only members (United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, Boise State University, Brigham Young University, San Diego State University). To further stabilize the conference, members unanimously agreed to double the exit fee from $5 million to $10 million, contingent on any one accepted invitation. Of the schools, all four invited to full membership accepted, as well as football-only Boise State, Navy, and San Diego State. BYU and the Big East were unable to come to terms; the conference insisted that BYU relinquish its TV rights for its home games as a condition of membership, and BYU was unwilling to do so.

On February 10, 2012, the Charleston Daily Mail, one of the two daily newspapers of West Virginia's largest city of Charleston, reported that the Big East and WVU had settled their legal dispute. The settlement, which allowed WVU to join the Big 12 in July 2012, was officially made public on February 14. Under its terms, WVU would pay $11 million and the Big 12 $9 million. These amounts include the Big East's $5 million exit fee, half of which WVU had previously paid. By comparison, the Big 12 received a total of $24.8 million from Missouri and Texas A&M, which by that time had announced their departure for the Southeastern Conference.

With WVU's departure, the Big East was temporarily left with only seven football programs. In an attempt to fill the Mountaineers' place, the conference first sought to have Boise State football join a year early. However, the school turned the offer down because it would have been subject to steep financial penalties from both the Mountain West and WAC had the football team left for the Big East in 2012. The conference then entered into talks with Temple—which had been a football member of the Big East from 1991 until being expelled after the 2004 season. The Owls were then one of the worst programs in major-college football, but had since achieved respectability in the MAC, appearing in two bowl games in the previous three seasons.

On March 7, the Big East and Temple announced that the Owls would return to Big East football in 2012, and would become a full conference member in 2013. Temple will pay exit fees of $6 million to the MAC and $1 million to its current all-sports conference, the Atlantic 10, with the Big East picking up an undisclosed portion via future revenue distributions. Temple's move caused increased speculation that Villanova may soon choose to upgrade to FBS and join the Big East football conference. Villanova had been contemplating such a move in 2011 before the Big East backed out. During the discussions between the conference and Temple, Villanova was reportedly given $1 million earmarked toward upgrading its football facilities, with a possible $2 million more available if it chose to join for football. In addition, the Big East football entry fee, a reported $2.5 million, would be waived if Villanova joined within the next three years.

The next significant event in the Big East was Marinatto's forced resignation on May 7, 2012. According to one league source, "He was the human pin cushion. Nobody in the world could have made this work. Look at the things he was dealt." McMurphy remarked that Marinatto "was set up to fail by the league's presidents because they handcuffed his ability to make any relevant changes."

Two days later, ESPN's Andy Katz reported that Louisville AD Tom Jurich told the Big East board of directors that it was looking to join either the Big 12 or ACC. Katz added that although Connecticut is on public record as wishing to stay in the conference, sources within the school said privately that they wanted to be in the ACC with Notre Dame. As for Notre Dame, it remains publicly committed to football independence and the Big East for other sports, but Katz reported that the school was evaluating the new Big East landscape.

Arguing that by allowing West Virginia to purchase their early departure the Big East had effectively negated the 27-month waiting period for departing schools, both Pittsburgh and Syracuse sued the conference demanding their own early departure. On July 16, 2012, Syracuse and the Big East announced that they had reached an agreement for Syracuse to leave the Big East after the 2012-13 season. They will be joining the ACC for the 2013-14 season. At the time, Pitt stated that they had no comment regarding any developments related to their upcoming departure from the Big East. Three days later on July 19, Pitt and the Big East announced they had also settled their dispute, allowing the Panthers to leave for the ACC after the 2012–13 season. Pitt and Syracuse paid $7.5 million each for their 2013 exits, which includes their $5 million exit fee.

Big 12 Conference

See also: Big 12 Conference

First wave

Colorado was originally going to transfer to the Pac-10 for the 2012-13 season, but agreed to depart a year early. Nebraska announced that it would leave the Big 12 Conference for the Big Ten Conference effective 2011, becoming the second Big 12 member to leave the conference in 2010. With the loss of Colorado (who had been a member of the Big 12 and its predecessor the Big Eight Conference since 1947) to the Pac-10 and Nebraska (whose association with the Big 12 dates back to the 1907 founding of what was to become the Big Eight) to the Big Ten, the Big 12 was reduced to ten teams, and faced more possible attrition.

Other Big 12 schools were rumored to be candidates for expansion by other conferences, including further expansion by the Pac-10 or Big Ten. Speculation and rumors centered on Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State following Colorado to the Pac-10. Texas A&M was also considered as a PAC-10 candidate but was also reportedly considering a move to the SEC.

ESPN reported on June 11 that Texas, Texas Tech, and the two Oklahoma schools were prepared to accept an invitation from the Pac-10. The report also indicated that Texas A&M was torn between the Pac-10 and SEC and was given a 72-hour deadline to decide on its future destination. Meanwhile, Baylor announced that it would wait and see what the final outcome of the Big 12's realignment would be before making any final decision concerning where they would go if the Big 12 dissolved. On June 14, ESPN, citing sources within the Big 12, initially reported that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State would join the Pac-10 no later than June 15, while Texas A&M was now most likely to opt for the SEC. The remaining Big 12 schools Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, and Missouri may have been left to find new leagues, with early speculation pointing to a possible move for some of those schools to the Mountain West or Big East conferences. Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self stated, on the day that Texas Christian announced its entry into the Big East, that had the Big 12 collapsed the Big East would have offered membership to Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Missouri.

On June 14, reports started surfacing that the almost certain departure of Texas (and, along with them, several other schools) from the Big 12 would not happen. Indications were that a last-minute effort by Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe to hold the 10-remaining Big 12 teams together might be successful. Beebe's plan showed that the remaining 10 schools could nearly double their television revenue if they stick with the Big 12. In addition, Beebe said that Texas would be allowed to start its own network if the school stayed with the Big 12—a business move that Texas has wanted to do that would not be allowed in the Pac-10. If Texas decided to stay with the Big 12, that had the potential to effectively end any further realignment in the NCAA, save for one or two moves in the Pac-10 and Mountain West Conference. However, others were saying that while Texas might want to keep the Big 12 together with this deal, the remaining Big 12 South teams that were considering departing the Big 12 (Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State) would not be interested in a deal that would give a school that already has a competitive advantage an even larger one.

Later that day, Andy Katz of ESPN.com, citing an NCAA source with direct knowledge of the negotiations, reported that many prominent figures inside and outside of college athletics, many of whom had no direct stake in their outcome, had worked to broker a deal that would satisfy Texas and keep the Big 12 viable with 10 members. The group believed that the Pac-10 approach was not in the best interest of the schools involved. In the end, Texas would decide to stay in the truncated Big 12, with the remaining Big 12 South schools pledging their support for the conference shortly thereafter. The Pac-10 was still seeking a 12th member to join with Colorado; early speculation focused on Mountain West member Utah as the next Pac-10 expansion target.

On June 17, twenty-six Texas legislators, spearheaded by Garnet Coleman and Bill Callegari, from the Houston area co-authored an open letter to the Big 12 that asked the conference to consider adding Houston as a member.

Second wave

In July 2011, the Texas A&M board of regents met to discuss the long-term impact of the Longhorn Network, a new TV channel devoted to Texas Longhorns sports that was set to launch a month later. Shortly before the meeting, an official of ESPN, partners with Texas in the network, gave a radio interview in which he strongly hinted that the network would also televise high school games of potential Longhorns recruits. According to Sports Illustrated writer Andy Staples, this "was too much [for A&M] to bear." The Big 12 made new rules to stop the high school telecasts, but the A&M regents decided to pursue an invitation to the Southeastern Conference. A&M announced on August 31, 2011 that it would leave the Big 12 in June 2012 to join the SEC, but the invitation process was prolonged by various moves by the Big 12, which feared that A&M's departure would scuttle the conference. Most notably, Baylor president Ken Starr threatened legal action if the SEC invited A&M.

In early September, the SEC issued a formal invitation to Texas A&M, but it was dependent on the Big 12 and its members dropping any potential lawsuits related to the move. The SEC invitation was not final until September 25. By this time, the Big 12 was already pursuing TCU as a replacement for Texas A&M.

On October 6, 2011, the conference announced that it had invited TCU, with the school's acceptance coming four days later. The Horned Frogs would join the Big 12 on July 1, 2012.

On October 28, 2011, the conference formally invited West Virginia to join. The university accepted the invitation the same day, and also became a full member effective July 1, 2012. The conference's press release also hinted at Missouri's imminent departure, as it was not listed among the "expected" ten members for the 2012–13 school year.

Nine days later, on November 6, 2011, the SEC officially announced that it had added Missouri as its 14th member.

Later developments

West Virginia's entry into the Big 12 was held up by a legal dispute between the school and the Big East Conference, which sought to enforce a 27-month waiting period included in the league's bylaws. The dispute was settled on February 14, 2012, with the Big 12 and WVU paying a combined $20 million.

The next move for the conference was to attempt to find stability in an upgraded TV deal. Before the realignment, the Big 12 had a contract with ESPN and ABC that ran through the 2016 season, and had signed a deal with Fox that would start in 2013 and run through 2025. The Big 12 then negotiated an extension to the ESPN/ABC deal that brought its ending date to 2025 to match the Fox deal. Combined, the two deals will reportedly give the conference a total of $2.6 billion, which translates to $20 million per year for each school if the conference remains at 10 members. More significantly for the stability of the conference, the deal also includes an extension of the league's grant of rights from six to 13 years, to match the duration of the new contract. This means that if a school leaves the Big 12 during the term of the newly extended contract, the league will keep all of that school's broadcast revenues for the duration. It was also reported that the Big 12 may try to expand further, although few candidates were available that would add value to the new TV deal. It is known that current Big East member Louisville is interested in moving to the Big 12.

In May 2012, several Florida State University figures sent decidedly mixed messages about that school's future in the ACC, expressing at least some interest in a move to the Big 12. First, on May 12, as the ACC's annual spring meetings were about to begin, the chairman of the school's board of trustees, Andy Haggard, blasted the conference's newest media rights deal, telling an FSU fan site that the school "unanimously" favored "seeing what the Big 12 might have to offer". However, his statement was inaccurate on some key points of the deal. On the same day, head football coach Jimbo Fisher told the Orlando Sentinel, "There have been no official talks, but I think you always have to look out there to see what's best for Florida State. If that [jumping to the Big 12] is what's best for Florida State, then that's what we need to do." In the meantime, FSU president Eric Barron sent out a statement from his email account that listed four reasons to move to the Big 12, followed by seven reasons why FSU should stay in the ACC. Barron also took a dig at the Big 12, saying that the school's faculty considered it "academically weaker" than the ACC. The mixed messages continued in the following days. Former FSU football All-American Derrick Brooks, also a former member of the FSU board of trustees, appeared on the Tim Brando Show, a national sports talk program, and claimed that the Big 12 was actively pursuing Florida State. All this led CBS Sports' Tony Barnhart to state that "the speculation on Florida State's future is at DEFCON 1." Finally, when FSU athletic director Randy Spetman was asked for comment on the rumors surrounding the school's future plans, all he said was "I don't know how Derrick got that."

Mountain West Conference

See also: Mountain West Conference

First wave

The Mountain West, which had previously announced that their plans for expansion were on hold for a potential expansion including Boise State, announced on June 11, 2010, in advance of a July 1 deadline for WAC teams to withdraw from their conference, that Boise State had joined the conference, and would begin play for the 2011–2012 season. Speculation at the time indicated that the conference would continue to expand if the Big 12 dissolved, in hopes of securing an automatic bid to the BCS. If Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State had left the Big 12 to join the Pac 10, presumably a fatal blow to the Big 12, the MWC would likely attempt to add any combination (or all) of the remaining Big 12 teams (Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri).

With the decision of the Big 12's Texas and Oklahoma public schools to stay in that conference, the Mountain West then became an expansion target itself, with the Pac-10 reportedly focusing on Utah. On June 16, 2010, ESPN announced that the Pac-10 had extended an invitation to Utah to join the conference and the Utes accepted the following day.

Second wave

The June 2010 activity proved to be only the beginning of movement in the Mountain West. On August 18, Andy Katz of ESPN.com, citing multiple sources, reported that Brigham Young was considering leaving the MWC to become an independent in football, while its other sports would rejoin the WAC. According to Katz' sources, BYU was stunned that it did not receive an invitation during the earlier conference shuffle, and the school wanted to further differentiate itself from its archrival Utah. More to the point, some see the school as a potential "Notre Dame of the West". A follow-up report from Katz later that day indicated that such a move was likely, with one source saying, "I'm not sure how it could stop now unless BYU gets nervous." On August 31, the school announced it would indeed leave the MWC in all sports, becoming independent in football, as expected, but would instead join the West Coast Conference in all other sports starting with the 2011–12 academic year.

BYU and Notre Dame share some key similarities. Both are religiously affiliated schools—BYU with the LDS Church, and Notre Dame with the Catholic Church. Both also have their own television affiliations, with BYU owning a cable channel and Notre Dame having its own network deal with NBC. With BYU's move to football independence, its arrangement with the WCC will be similar to Notre Dame's current status as a non-football member of the Big East Conference (although unlike the Big East, the WCC does not sponsor football). Katz reported that BYU is in discussions with ESPN for its football rights.

These reports were not the first to involve a possible affiliation change by BYU; local media in Utah had reported in 2007 that BYU had long considered going independent in all sports, but ultimately decided against it. The current story began to emerge in July 2010, when BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said that the school would consider going independent in football in the wake of not being invited in the earlier conference shuffle. He told reporters at that time, "We have a national base. We can go all over the country and people can see that. That is a very important thing to us right now — exposure." The story, bubbling under the surface for several weeks, erupted when hackers reportedly broke into the Twitter account of the athletic department of another MWC member, Colorado State, and said that an announcement of BYU's plans was imminent, leading the Salt Lake Tribune to publish Holmoe's remarks on August 18.

While Katz' first report indicated that such a move by BYU was unlikely unless it gets access to the BCS similar to that of Notre Dame, his follow-up report noted that this was not a major concern for the school, and that BYU was well aware that it would not likely receive a similar arrangement to Notre Dame from the BCS. BYU had to receive approval for its move from the leadership of the LDS Church, which presumably occurred.

In the wake of BYU's potential move, the MWC responded the same day by inviting WAC members Utah State, Fresno State and Nevada to move to the MWC. The MWC also reportedly studied the feasibility of inviting Houston and UTEP, currently in Conference USA. By the end of the day, Utah State declined while Fresno State and Nevada accepted the MWC's invitations.

The one stumbling block to the departures of Nevada and Fresno State was a buyout provision agreed to by the remaining WAC schools after Boise State's departure. Under its terms, any school leaving the conference in the next five years must pay a $5 million buyout. All reports indicated that Fresno State had signed the agreement, but reports varied as to whether Nevada had done so. Reports also began to surface that BYU might reconsider leaving the MWC, and ESPN also reported that the West Coast Conference had shown interest in inviting BYU's non-football sports.

The WAC buyout agreement, however, included a number of provisions that were initially considered likely to spark legal action.

• The agreement specifically states, "In the event that no written agreement [to join the WAC] is executed by BYU on or before Sept. 1, 2010 ... then this resolution is terminated."
• The agreement reportedly called for only the first school that left the WAC to be penalized. Since Fresno State and Nevada announced their departures at essentially the same time, Fresno State claimed it owed at most half of the $5 million. Nevada claimed it owed nothing.

Although not at issue in the context of Fresno State and Nevada, it is also of note that the agreement also allowed any WAC school to leave for a conference that has an automatic BCS berth without penalty, and the WAC has long said that Louisiana Tech is free to leave the conference if it receives an invitation from C-USA.

Ultimately, the two schools and the WAC came to a settlement, with Fresno State and Nevada agreeing to remain in the conference through the 2011–12 academic year in exchange for a reduced exit fee.

Nevada's move also puts them in the same conference as their in-state rivals, the UNLV Rebels, for the first time since the 1995–96 academic year, in which they were both part of the Big West Conference. As such, this move has made the Battle for the Fremont Cannon all the more significant.

At that time, Utah State had been rumored to have changed its mind since originally declining its invitation, and once again actively sought acceptance into the Mountain West. The Aggies feature solid programs in both men's and women's basketball, and also fit in well with the MWC's geographic footprint. Had BYU stayed in the MWC, Utah State's presence would have given the Cougars a new in-conference local rival to supplement their historic rivalry with Utah. With BYU's departure confirmed, Utah State would secure the state's media market for the MWC.

Third wave

See also: Big West Conference

On November 19, media reports indicated that the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Hawaiʻi) was nearing a deal to join the MWC for football only, with the remainder of its sports joining the Big West Conference—a league which was once home to the school's women's sports. With respect to the MWC, UH system president M. R. C. Greenwood stated in a news conference, "We have a handshake but we have yet to agree on the details." On December 10, Hawaiʻi accepted football-only membership in the MWC, beginning with the 2012 season. Its other sports will compete in the Big West.

Hawaiʻi began seriously looking at its options, including going independent, once Fresno State and Nevada left the WAC. With two schools on or near the West Coast leaving the conference, ultimately being replaced by two Texas schools, travel costs became an increasing concern for Hawaiʻi. The MWC football move would enable the Warriors to maintain a number of existing regional rivalries. The school's other sports, and its athletic budget, were seen as likely to benefit from a move to the Big West; because all of the then-current BWC members were in California and either in or near the Los Angeles and Bay Areas (with the exception of Cal Poly), Hawaiʻi could reach all of its conference opponents by flying only to those two metropolitan areas. The application of CSU Bakersfield and UC San Diego for BWC membership alongside Hawaiʻi did not significantly change the equation, with only the San Diego area added as a potential flight destination. Neither of the latter two schools were invited. As a part of the agreement that brought Hawaiʻi into the Big West, the school will provide an annual total of about $500,000 in travel subsidies to other conference members. However, Hawaiʻi is not required to provide any subsidy to schools that join the Big West after 2012.

The overtures toward Hawaiʻi were at least partially driven by the prospect that TCU would receive an invitation to the Big East Conference, which ultimately came on November 29. Following TCU's impending departure, several current Conference USA members in Texas, especially Houston alongside either UTEP or SMU, as well as WAC member Utah State, were seen as potential MWC targets.

In January 2011, rumors spread that the MWC was considering further expansion. In addition to Utah State (for the second time) and the aforementioned C-USA schools in Texas, San Jose State emerged as a possible candidate. The MWC's board of directors met in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 23 with expansion on the agenda, although no invitations were expected to be issued. On January 25, the board issued a statement unequivocally denying any interest in further expansion.

Conference USA

See also: Conference USA

On October 14, 2011 Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference announced they would enter into a football-only alliance, forming a 22-team league. The league would span 15 states and 5 time zones.

However, following further defections from both conferences, the two leagues decided to enter into talks on a full merger. In early February 2012, ESPN.com reported that the C-USA board of directors was to meet to discuss the merger. This topic had been on the agenda even before the recent announcement that C-USA charter member Memphis had accepted an invitation from the Big East. The two conferences then met on February 12, with media reporting the following day that an official announcement of a full merger was imminent. It was reported at the time that the new conference could begin as early as 2013–14.

C-USA and the MW initially wished to dissolve and form a new association in order to negotiate new television deals. However, the NCAA told the conferences that if they merged, the new league would receive only one automatic bid to NCAA championships; at least one of the merging conferences would not receive its share of so-called "tournament units" (explained below); and at least one of the merging conferences would forfeit its conference exit fees to the departing schools. Conferences receive roughly $250,000 for each round that a member advances in the NCAA men's basketball tournament; the money is paid out after a rolling six-year period. In the event of a dissolution or merger, tournament units revert to the schools that earned them. The revenue loss to the two conferences potentially outweighed any possible gains from a new broadcast deal.

With the option of a complete merger now likely off the table, the commissioners of both C-USA and the MW indicated that all 16 schools that had been committed to those conferences beyond 2013 (15 for all sports, and Hawaiʻi for football only) had entered into binding agreements to form a new alliance. In addition, five subgroups of school presidents had been working on various aspects of the alliance since mid-February. Finally, both commissioners stated that they expected the future membership of their conferences to be set by early June 2012.

On March 12, CBSSports.com reported, citing "college football industry sources", that the MW and C-USA had been in contact with as many as 11 schools regarding the new alliance, including all seven schools that would be football members of the WAC in 2012. Other schools reportedly interested in the alliance included Sun Belt Conference members Florida Atlantic, FIU and North Texas, plus C-USA charter member Charlotte, then a non-football school in the Atlantic 10 but with plans to add a football program in 2013. The following month, CBSSports.com reported that Utah State and San Jose State were the likeliest candidates for MW membership, with the possibility of UTEP switching from C-USA to the MW. It also indicated that FIU, North Texas, and Louisiana Tech—the last of which was also being courted by the Sun Belt—were the top candidates for C-USA.

Due to defections from the MW earlier in the realignment cycle, it had to expand to maintain its FBS status. The NCAA requires that FBS conferences sponsor at least six men's sports and eight women's sports, with at least six schools in each sport. As of April 2012, the MW did not have enough schools committed to the conference beyond 2013 to sponsor championships in baseball and men's cross country. C-USA also needed to expand if it wished to continue sponsoring women's swimming and diving.

On May 4, no fewer than seven schools announced moves to one of the two conferences. Charlotte, FIU, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, and UTSA will join C-USA, with Utah State and San Jose State joining the MW. All moves will take effect in 2013. In addition, Old Dominion, an all-sports member of the CAA, including football, was reportedly considering an invitation from C-USA, which would also require an FBS upgrade. A later report indicated that Old Dominion would announce its decision no later than June 30. The Mountain West reportedly chose not to expand beyond 10 schools because it wanted to keep places open for Boise State and San Diego State to return if their football moves to the Big East did not work out.

CBS Sports reported on May 11 that Boise State was reconsidering its decision to join Big East football. The school had not yet formally withdrawn from the MW; under league bylaws, it was only required to give one year's notice. According to the report, possible concerns for Boise State were:

• The uncertain future of the WAC, where the school planned to place its non-football sports. Boise State's concerns about the WAC were serious enough that Idaho's main daily newspaper, the Idaho Statesman, reported that the school asked the Big East for help in placing its non-football sports.
• The Big East's status in the BCS setup is in flux due to the elimination of automatic qualification for BCS bowls starting in 2014. Specifically, it is unknown whether the conference will receive revenue at the level of a current AQ conference, or at a lower level.
• Because almost $8 billion had been spent on recent college football TV deals, industry sources believe that the next Big East TV deal, to be renegotiated starting September 1, will be worth substantially less than the $155 million per year that the conference turned down in April 2012.

Because Boise State signed a contract to join Big East football, it would have been required to pay an exit fee of $5 million if it decided to stay in the MW. The school waited until the last possible date of June 30 to officially notify the MW of its departure. It paid an exit fee of $2.5 million, which would have risen to $7.5 million had it waited any longer. At the same time, Boise State announced that they were in discussions to place their other sports (except wrestling) into the Big West Conference rather than the WAC, and expect a vote by the Big West presidents by the start of the 2012 academic year. Like Hawaii, they would be required to help the other schools defer their extra travel costs, and the Big East is expected to contribute some of this money.

Old Dominion announced its move to C-USA on May 17. The Monarchs will not start their FBS transition until the 2013 season, matching the plans of fellow C-USA newcomer Charlotte. Both will become C-USA football members in 2015, when their FBS transitions are complete. This will give the conference 14 members in 2013 for all sports except football; as a result, C-USA is expected to split into divisions for all sports (it already uses divisions in football). The dividing line will reportedly be the Mississippi River, with Tulane, located on the east bank of the river in New Orleans, joining the West Division. Since C-USA will continue to have at least 12 football members, its football championship game will continue for the foreseeable future. As for the CAA, reports indicated that it may pursue Davidson and Charleston from the Southern Conference.

Western Athletic Conference

See also: Western Athletic Conference

During the week of June 7, amid the rumors surrounding Boise State, the WAC held a meeting of its athletic directors and university presidents in Las Vegas to discuss contingency options. The conference fully expected to lose Boise State, and according to WAC commissioner Karl Benson, there was no bitterness toward BSU by the rest of the current membership. Benson also added that the WAC was considering expanding itself, with the conference eyeing up to six current members of the second-tier Football Championship Subdivision.

Boise State left the WAC for the Mountain West at the end of the 2010–2011 season. On August 18, 2010, Nevada (Reno) and Fresno State were both extended invitations to join the Mountain West Conference, and subsequently accepted.

Four months later, Hawaiʻi also left for the Mountain West, but as a football-only member. Hawaiʻi's other sports joined the Big West. The most dominant football member of the remaining WAC had been considering football independence. With a guaranteed bowl berth into the Hawaiʻi Bowl each year, the Warriors could have negotiated their own TV deal and kept all of the profits. An NCAA rule that allows any team willing to travel to Hawaiʻi to play a 13th regular-season game (which, in practice, means an extra home game) makes it easier for the Warriors to schedule other opponents.

Utah State turned down an offer from the Mountain West at the same time that Fresno State and Nevada accepted theirs, believing that the WAC schools were going to stay together and even be stronger with the possible addition of BYU. After Fresno State and Nevada accepted invitations to the Mountain West it was reported that the WAC had extended invitations to the University of North Texas and University of Louisiana at Lafayette of the Sunbelt Conference. Both schools however declined the invitations to the WAC.

On Sep. 28, 2010, the WAC heard presentations from five schools in an effort to replenish their ranks after Boise State, Fresno State, and Nevada leave for the Mountain West. The schools that made presentations were:

• Three schools with FCS football programs—Texas State University–San Marcos (Texas State), a full member of the Southland Conference; the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), a non-football member of the Southland Conference that was originally scheduled to start FCS football in that conference in 2011; and the University of Montana from the Big Sky Conference. All three were being considered as football members.
• Two schools that do not sponsor varsity football—Seattle University, a Division I independent, and the University of Denver from the Sun Belt Conference.

The WAC stated at the time that they planned to issue invitations within 30 to 60 days of hearing the presentation. On November 11, the WAC announced that Denver, UTSA, and Texas State would join the WAC for the 2012–13 season for all sports (with the exception of Denver, which does not sponsor varsity football).

During a September interview with WAC commissioner Karl Benson the only school invited to a private meeting for possible expansion of teams was Montana. However, on November 11, Montana decided to remain a Football Championship Subdivision school in the Big Sky Conference.

On June 14, 2011, the WAC added Division I independent Seattle University, who had been seeking membership to the WCC in the past. Exactly one month later on July 14, the WAC added UT-Arlington from the Southland Conference.

On December 7, 2011 Boise State announced it would return its non-football sports to the WAC in 2013 when it begins playing football with the Big East.

This would put the WAC at 11 full members, 7 football and 4 non-football (Seattle, Denver, UT-Arlington, and Boise State), 1 football team short of the 8 required for FBS conferences.

However, in the last days of April 2012, multiple media outlets indicated that six teams—three of which had not yet officially joined the conference—would shortly leave the WAC for other conferences. UTSA, which had yet to join the WAC, declared its intent to join Conference USA in 2013, with Louisiana Tech seen as likely to follow suit. Utah State and San Jose State declared their intent to join the Mountain West Conference in 2013. Another report indicated that Texas State and UT-Arlington, which were set to join the WAC alongside UTSA in 2012, would leave for the Sun Belt Conference effective in 2013. This would leave the WAC with only 5 full members, 2 football and 3 non-football.

The first of these schools to make its departure official was Texas State, which announced its move to the Sun Belt on May 2. Two days later, Louisiana Tech and UTSA accepted invitations from C-USA, and San Jose State and Utah State announced their departure for the Mountain West.

Due to the Western Athletic Conference being "raided" by the Mountain West Conference, Conference USA, and the Sun Belt Conference, it is unknown what path the WAC will take. Some options that have been reported to keep the WAC as a viable conference are for the WAC to no longer sponsor football, add Football Championship Subdivision teams, or allow the conference to dissolve as a whole.

As it stands now, the WAC will be down to just two football programs for the 2013 season - New Mexico State University and the University of Idaho. There has been rumors of possible WAC football expansion, but any such expansion would require programs to upgrade from FCS to FBS, and some of the schools rumored already are preparing to move to other conferences.

West Coast Conference

See also: West Coast Conference

As noted above, the West Coast Conference officially invited BYU on August 31, 2010, following the Cougars' flirtation with a return to the WAC. The conference was ultimately not done with expansion; on March 28, 2012, the WCC welcomed back one of its charter members when it announced that the University of the Pacific would rejoin the conference in July 2013. Pacific had been one of the five original members of what was then the California Basketball Association in 1952, but moved its non-football sports to the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), now the Big West Conference, in 1971 (Pacific's football team, previously an independent, joined the PCAA at the league's founding in 1969).

Both BYU and Pacific fit into the WCC's pre-realignment profile of a conference consisting entirely of private, faith-based institutions. BYU is the flagship school of the LDS Church. Pacific was founded by Methodists in 1851 and retains an affiliation with the United Methodist Church, although it is now officially non-denominational and has not received financial support from the church since 1969.

According to the The Record, the daily newspaper of Pacific's home city of Stockton, California, "Pacific's administration. . . has had a long-stated desire to join the WCC, because they felt it was a better fit academically, geographically and financially." Pacific has been an outlier in the PCAA/Big West throughout its tenure in that conference; despite many membership changes, it is the only private school to have ever been a member. It had joined the PCAA to accommodate football, but after the school dropped the sport in 1995, it had openly sought to rejoin the WCC. However, the WCC, whose membership had been stable with eight schools since 1980, showed no interest because of the lack of available private institutions that would bring the conference membership to 10. Once BYU came on board, the WCC then sought to add a 10th member to ease scheduling, with Pacific becoming an obvious choice.

By moving to the WCC, Pacific will rejoin a conference with institutions closer to its size and mission. BYU, with an enrollment of nearly 33,000, is the only WCC member with an enrollment in five figures. Also, the WCC's profile in Pacific's major revenue sport of men's basketball has steadily increased in recent years, with the conference's highest-profile program of Gonzaga now joined by Saint Mary's and BYU as frequent NCAA tournament entrants. The WCC now has a broadcast contract with ESPN, running through 2018–19, that guarantees each conference member at least three national television appearances per season on one of ESPN's networks.

Big Sky Conference

See also: Big Sky Conference

Conference realignment came to the second-tier Division I FCS in September 2010, when the Big Sky Conference increased its profile in California by inviting two schools from that state—California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly SLO) and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis)—to join as football-only members. Both schools accepted; no firm date was set at that time, but both were expected to play a full Big Sky schedule starting no later than 2013. The two ultimately began Big Sky play in 2012.

Cal Poly SLO and UC Davis are currently full members of the non-football Big West Conference, and at the time of the move had associate football-only memberships in the Great West Conference. Their move to the Big Sky gave them the chance to compete for an automatic bid in the FCS playoffs, which the Great West did not have at any time in its football history. From the Big Sky's perspective, the move expanded their presence in California (Sacramento State was already a full member), and also gave the conference the ability to contend for more at-large berths in the FCS playoffs. In order to accommodate this move, the Big Sky school presidents approved an exception to the league bylaws, which normally require member schools to compete in all conference sports. The addition of Cal Poly SLO and UC Davis tentatively gave the Big Sky 11 football members; at that time, the conference was reportedly planning to expand to 12 football members in the future.

As it turned out, the conference would expand even further, issuing invitations to the University of North Dakota and Southern Utah University to become full members on October 29. On November 1, the Big Sky announced that both schools had accepted and would join effective with the 2012–13 academic year. Southern Utah moved from The Summit League, in which it was a full member, and the Great West football conference. North Dakota previously competed in the Great West for most sports, but was not eligible for Division I postseason competition (except in ice hockey) because it had been in transition from Division II since the 2007–08 academic year. UND completed its transition in 2012, at the same time it joined the Big Sky. The conference also announced that the University of South Dakota was on the verge of becoming a full member as well. South Dakota, then a Great West member, also began its transition to Division I in 2007–08.

A report by the Grand Forks Herald on October 29 shed more light on the second round of Big Sky expansion. Both UND and USD were seeking a stable home for their respective football programs. USD had accepted an invitation to join The Summit League in 2011, and UND was seeking membership in that conference as well. There had been speculation for several months that The Summit League would merge with the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), which would have provided both schools a football home alongside their respective in-state rivals, North Dakota State and South Dakota State. However, no momentum had developed for such a move in fall 2010, which led both UND and USD to reevaluate their options. In the end, USD turned down the Big Sky offer (see below).

The Big Sky expansion also dealt a blow to the single-sport Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC). Before expansion, only five Big Sky members sponsored the sport—one fewer than the six required to qualify for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. All five (Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State, and Weber State) had their softball programs in the PCSC. With both incoming full members sponsoring the sport, the Big Sky announced that it would begin softball competition in the 2013 season (2012–13 academic year). This led the five Big Sky members to withdraw from the PCSC after the 2012 season.

Missouri Valley Football Conference

See also: Missouri Valley Football Conference

Ultimately, South Dakota decided to turn down the offer of Big Sky membership after receiving an invitation to join the MVFC on November 3. Their acceptance, which was officially announced the following day, took effect in 2012, when USD became fully eligible for Division I postseason competition. This move also meant that USD followed through with its announced plans to join The Summit League in 2011.

Mid-American Conference

See also: Mid-American Conference

On April 19, 2011, several media outlets reported that the University of Massachusetts Amherst (also known as UMass) would upgrade its football program to FBS level and become an affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), effective in 2013, for that sport only. The formal announcement came the following day at a joint UMass–MAC press conference; the effective date of UMass' move will be 2012, with full FBS membership and eligibility for the conference championship coming in 2013. The school will continue to maintain all other current conference affiliations, mostly in the Atlantic 10 Conference, also the home of fellow MAC football-only member Temple University.

As a part of this football upgrade, the Minutemen will move from the 17,000-seat Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium on its Amherst campus, whose capacity is only modestly above the NCAA's requirement of 15,000 average attendance for FBS football. Starting in 2012, they will play their home games 93 miles (150 km) away at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, the 69,000-seat home of the NFL's New England Patriots and the New England Revolution of MLS. UMass is expanding McGuirk Stadium to a capacity of 25,000, and hopes to eventually return at least some games to campus, but is contractually obligated to play all of its home games in 2012 and 2013, plus four games in each season from 2014 to 2016, at Gillette Stadium.

Ohio Valley Conference

See also: Ohio Valley Conference

On May 13, 2011, the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and Belmont University jointly announced that Belmont would leave the non-football Atlantic Sun Conference to become the 12th member of the OVC in July 2012. Belmont becomes the second OVC member in Nashville, joining Tennessee State; the OVC headquarters are in the suburb of Brentwood. Three other member schools are located in Tennessee (Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech, and UT–Martin), and a fourth (Murray State) is in a Kentucky county that borders Tennessee.

Belmont had aspirations of joining the OVC while it was transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division I, but could not at the time because the OVC then required all members to sponsor football. This rule does not exist today—one member, Morehead State, plays non-scholarship football in the Pioneer Football League, and another member, SIU Edwardsville, does not sponsor the sport. Belmont president Dr. Robert C. Fisher unequivocally denied any interest in starting a football program, stating "Football is not on the back burner. It’s not on any burner."

Belmont must pay a $200,000 exit fee to the Atlantic Sun. However, Belmont AD Mike Strickland said, "...ballpark, I think it is going to be well over $250,000 a year in savings because we fly a lot in the Atlantic Sun. Half the places in the OVC we won’t spend the night, so it will be a great savings and hopefully we can reinvest that in our programs." Fisher shared that sentiment, adding, "We will more than make that up in travel costs the first year. We don’t have to get on an airplane. The longest trip we have to take in the OVC is about the same distance as our shortest trip outside of Nashville to play an A-Sun team." Although Belmont will leave behind an in-city rival in Lipscomb, all involved with the move were adamant that they wished that rivalry to continue.

Belmont also becomes the first private school in the OVC since Samford University left for the Southern Conference in 2008, and only the third ever to compete in the conference (the University of Evansville was the first).

Southeastern Conference

See also: Southeastern Conference

Multiple schools were rumored to be considering joining the Southeastern Conference (SEC). On August 31, 2011, Texas A&M University announced it would leave the Big 12 Conference to join the SEC. More than two months later, on November 6, 2011, the University of Missouri announced that it would be following Texas A&M from the Big 12 to the SEC.

Atlantic Coast Conference

See also: Atlantic Coast Conference

Facing the threat of one or more of its members leaving for the SEC, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) voted unanimously on September 13, 2011 to raise its exit fees to $20 million. At the same time, multiple schools were rumored as possibilities to join the ACC. On September 18, 2011, the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University officially applied to join the ACC. The applications were accepted later that day. Both teams were from the Big East Conference. They rejoin Virginia Tech, the University of Miami, and Boston College who defected from the Big East in 2003. Even Jim Boeheim, who has played or coached men's basketball at Syracuse for 50 years, did not know about the change in affiliation before it occurred.

Southland Conference

See also: Southland Conference

On October 25, 2011, the conference announced Oral Roberts University would join in 2012 from The Summit League. Nearly a month later, on November 21, the Southland added Houston Baptist University as a member to join one year later, in 2013. Houston Baptist also announced intentions to start a football program, which would begin play in the Southland in 2014.

Atlantic Sun Conference

See also: Atlantic Sun Conference

On December 8, 2011, the conference announced Northern Kentucky University would join in 2012. Because Northern Kentucky is coming to the Atlantic Sun from the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference, the Norse will have to undergo a four-year transition period (with the exception of their cross country, golf, and track and field programs), with all teams gaining postseason eligibility for the 2016-17 academic year.

Sun Belt Conference

See also: Sun Belt Conference

The Sun Belt Conference had seen little effect from the first several rounds of realignment, with the only change being the loss of non-football member Denver to the WAC. Although South Alabama had announced it would establish an FBS football program and join the Sun Belt football league in 2012, this move was finalized before the Big Ten and Pac-10 set the realignment process into motion.

However, reports emerged in March 2012 that the conference considered Charlotte and UTSA "leading candidates" for expansion, and had entered into talks with both schools. One source indicated that both had received informal invitations. In another significant move, the Sun Belt replaced its commissioner Wright Waters, who retired on March 15, with WAC commissioner Karl Benson.

As noted previously, Charlotte is currently a member of the Atlantic 10 that is planning to start a football program in 2013. Due to NCAA rules, the 49ers could not become a full FBS member until the 2015 season. Charlotte had been a charter member of the Sun Belt in 1976, leaving in 1991 to join the Metro Conference. It then became a charter member of Conference USA, formed by the 1995 merger of the Metro and Great Midwest Conferences. The 49ers left for the A10 in 2005. As for UTSA, which at the time was less than four months away from officially joining the WAC, CBSSports.com reported that it was an "an attractive member for the Sun Belt because of [its] location and, more importantly, the Roadrunners' record-setting attendance numbers in their first [football] season." In 2011, UTSA averaged over 35,000 fans at the Alamodome, a record for a first-year NCAA football program. It must also be noted that both Charlotte and UTSA were among the schools in contact with the MW–C-USA alliance, and both ultimately accepted invitations to C-USA.

The Sun Belt's first official move, however, involved neither Charlotte nor UTSA. Instead, CBSSports.com reported on April 3 that conference presidents had voted to extend an invitation to Georgia State University, currently a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, effective in 2013. Four days later, it was reported that Georgia State had accepted the invitation, and that the move would officially be announced on April 9. As a part of this move, the school will move its football program from FCS to FBS, play a full conference schedule in 2013, and become a full FBS member in 2014.

The timing of Georgia State's move was no coincidence. The CAA was set to vote on April 10 to increase its exit fee from $250,000 to at least $1 million. Also, the NCAA has a deadline of June 1 for Division I FCS schools to announce the start of a transition to FBS.

On May 2, the Sun Belt and Texas State announced that the Bobcats would leave the WAC after only one season and join the Sun Belt in 2013. Benson implied that the Sun Belt's invitation to Texas State was in part driven by the then-rumored departure of North Texas to Conference USA:

"It was important that we remain in the state of Texas, and Texas State certainly does that, regardless of what happens with the University of North Texas."

At that time, it was reported by Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson that it would be his goal to expand the SBC to 12 teams in order to sponsor a conference championship game.

The Sun Belt then announced on May 23 that UT Arlington, at the time a non-football school in the Southland Conference that was set to join the WAC that July, had accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt in 2013. The move became official the following day, after approval by the University of Texas Board of Regents. Also on May 23, Benson categorically stated that the Sun Belt would not expand beyond 10 football members—a move that may potentially force Idaho and New Mexico State, the only two football programs remaining in the WAC beyond 2012, to drop to FCS football.

Atlantic 10 Conference

See also: Atlantic 10 Conference

The Atlantic 10 (A10), a non-football conference, had suffered a major blow with the loss of traditional conference power Temple to the Big East in March 2012. Unlike the realignment moves in FBS, which were largely driven by football, the A10 made moves with basketball in mind. When it became clear that Temple was on its way out, the A10 entered into talks with Butler University of the Horizon League and George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) of the CAA.

The first of these schools to make a move was Butler. On May 1, Andy Katz of ESPN.com reported that Butler would formally apply to the A10 the following day, and would join the conference for the 2013–14 season. The move was officially announced on May 2. Butler had been the Horizon League's most dominant men's basketball program in recent years; although the Bulldogs did not make the 2012 NCAA tournament, they reached the championship game in both 2010 and 2011. In addition, Butler's Indianapolis location gave the A10 a geographic bridge between Saint Louis and Ohio members Dayton and Xavier.

At the same time, Mason and VCU were seen as likely to bolt for the A10, giving that conference two more programs with recent Final Four appearances (Mason in 2006 and VCU in 2011). The possible loss of two of the CAA's marquee schools was called "a grim premonition for the CAA" by David Teel, a columnist with the Daily Press of Newport News, Virginia (home to the A10 offices). One source involved with the negotiations told Teel, "I just get a sense that all hell is about ready to break loose." However, Katz reported that the talks with VCU were on hold because athletic director Norwood Teague was soon to take the same position at Minnesota. He also indicated that the A10 was preparing for the upcoming loss of Charlotte.

Mason took itself out of the realignment picture for the time being on May 11, when AD Tom O'Connor told The Washington Post that it was staying in the CAA.

On May 14, CBS Sports reported that VCU would make its move to the A10 official the next day. Initially, VCU planned to move for the 2013–14 season, but when the official announcement came, it stated that the move would take effect with the 2012–13 season. Part of the reason for the immediate move was that under CAA bylaws, a team that announces its departure from the conference becomes immediately ineligible for the CAA men's basketball tournament. The CBS report also indicated that the league did not wish to expand beyond 14 full members, which in turn meant that only one of the two Virginia schools would receive an invitation. One reason cited for the Rams' move was the perception of the CAA as a "one-bid league"—from 2000 through 2012, only four CAA teams had received at-large bids to the NCAA tournament. In the same period, the A10 has had 20 at-large bids, including three to the 2012 tournament. Also, from 2006 to 2012, the A10 collected 36 "tournament units", awarded to a conference for each round advanced by one of its members, worth about $250,000 per unit. Even with Mason making the Final Four in 2006 and VCU doing the same in 2011, the CAA had only amassed 24 in the same period.

On May 29, Butler announced that it had reached an agreement with the Horizon League that allowed the Bulldogs to leave immediately for the A10. According to at least one media report, Butler changed its departure date in reaction to news that the Horizon League would not allow Butler to compete for any conference championships in the 2012–13 season. However, Horizon commissioner John LeCrone stated that unlike the CAA, that league had no such bylaw.

America East Conference and Patriot League

See also: America East Conference and Patriot League

Realignment reached still further into the ranks of mid-major schools when Boston University, a charter member of the America East Conference, announced on June 15, 2012 that it would depart for the Patriot League in 2013. The BU ice hockey teams for both men and women will remain in Hockey East, as the Patriot League does not sponsor the sport. In an irony, the Patriot League—which began in 1986 as the football-only Colonial League before becoming an all-sports conference in 1990—is bringing in a school that dropped football in 1997. The official announcement of the conference move made no mention of football.

According to BU athletic director Mike Lynch, the school had been in exploratory talks with the Patriot League "for four or five years" prior to the announcement. Ultimately, the school's administration saw the move as what Lynch called "an opportunity to go someplace that’s extremely stable with brand-name institutions."

The Terriers' move was seen as a major blow to its former conference. At the time of BU's announcement, it had won the previous seven America East Commissioner's Cups for all-sports performance, collecting 40 conference championships in that period. The departure of BU will leave the America East with eight members; one of them, Stony Brook, is reportedly a CAA expansion target. BU itself had reportedly been a CAA target before announcing its move.

Like the CAA, the America East has a bylaw that allows the conference to prohibit a departing school from participating in any conference postseason tournament. The America East chose to enforce this rule against BU in its lame-duck 2012–13 America East season. In turn, this means that the Terriers cannot receive an automatic bid to any NCAA championship that is linked to an America East tournament, most notably the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments.

Division II

Great American Conference

See also: Great American Conference

Talks of creating a conference for the Oklahoma and Arkansas schools in Division II had in the works since the early 90's. In November 2009, representatives from East Central University, Southwestern Oklahoma, and Southeastern Oklahoma met to discuss forming a new conference. In April 2010, the presidents of the charter universities met to discuss the creation of the conference.

On June 13, the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Arkansas Tech University, East Central University, Harding University, Henderson State University, Ouachita Baptist University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Southern Arkansas, and Southwestern Oklahoma State University agreed to form a new NCAA Division II conference, leaving their conferences; the Gulf South Conference and the Lone Star Conference. On November 23, the league's council of presidents announced that the conference name would be the Great American Conference.

May 10, 2011 - The conference extended provisional memberships to Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Southern Nazarene University. Southern Nazarene will join in 2012, and Northwestern Oklahoma will join in 2013.

West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

See also: West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

On June 18, 2012, it was reported that the 9 football playing schools would form a new conference, breaking ties with the 6 non-football schools.

Division III

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

See also: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, Southern Athletic Association, and American Southwest Conference

For many years, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) was an unusually far-flung conference by Division III standards. Traditionally, its primary membership criterion has been academics, with geography being only secondary—all of its members have been private and anywhere from fairly selective to highly so. Travel issues have therefore been a major factor in schools' decisions to join or leave the conference, and this proved especially true in the early 2010s.

The first move within this conference in the 2010–12 cycle came on June 9, 2010 when DePauw University (located in Indiana) announced it would leave the SCAC for the North Coast Athletic Conference after the 2010–11 academic year, citing its desire for "a less strenuous and more environmentally friendly travel regimen for our teams." DePauw's place was taken by the University of Dallas, which announced on September 22 that it would join three other Texas schools already in the conference. These moves proved to be a harbinger of more extensive movement to come in 2011.

On May 4, 2011, DePauw's student newspaper, The DePauw, reported that four SCAC members—Centre College, Hendrix College, Rhodes College, and Sewanee: The University of the South—had notified the conference that they planned to leave after the 2011–12 school year, also citing travel concerns. Just over a month later, on June 7, seven schools—the four already named, plus Birmingham–Southern College, Millsaps College, and Oglethorpe University—announced that they would leave the SCAC after 2011–12 to form a new conference. These schools were joined by Berry College to form what would eventually be called the Southern Athletic Association.

Despite the departures, the SCAC intended to remain a viable entity, enlisting other schools willing to subscribe to the conference charter. Commissioner Dwayne Hanberry remained with the conference to oversee that effort, which was complicated by the paucity of unaffiliated Division III schools in the SCAC's new region of Texas and Colorado. Reflecting that challenge, the conference sought new members from the American Southwest Conference (ASC), whose geographical footprint is similar to that of the "new" SCAC.

On September 28, 2011, Centenary College of Louisiana, which had used the ASC as its original partner in its transition from Division I to Division III, announced it would join the SCAC beginning in the 2012–13 season. In early 2012, two ASC schools from Texas announced plans to join the SCAC for the 2013–14 season: Schreiner University on January 23, followed by Texas Lutheran University on February 16.

Men's ice hockey

Division I men's ice hockey, as a highly regionalized sport with fewer than 60 teams participating, has traditionally maintained a structure of hockey-only conferences with little relationship to the all-sports conferences. The decision by Penn State to add varsity ice hockey starting in 2012 triggered a series of changes in the conference alignment.

Most significantly, the number of Big Ten universities with men's ice hockey programs will reach six when Penn State takes the ice. As six is the minimum number of teams needed to receive an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, the Big Ten member institutions voted to begin sponsoring ice hockey in 2013. This required the existing ice hockey programs to leave their current conferences to compete in the Big Ten. Minnesota and Wisconsin will leave the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State will leave the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

In response to the departures of those programs—with a total of 23 national championships among them—the members of the WCHA and CCHA feared a loss of national influence and conference strength. In an attempt to create a conference perceived as competitive with the Big Ten, five additional members of the WCHA (and one from the CCHA) decided to break away and form a new conference, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which will also begin play in 2013.

With the departures of Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, and Colorado College, the WCHA would have been reduced to just 5 members (from their current 12), all of which are Division II universities. To avoid losing their Division I status, not to mention their automatic bid, the remaining members of the WCHA invited six of the seven remaining members of the CCHA to join the conference.

The situation finally settled out in autumn 2011, with one additional WCHA and one additional CCHA team each joining the new NCHC and remaining CCHA members Bowling Green and Notre Dame joining the revamped WCHA and Hockey East respectively. As of May 2012, two Division I men's conferences neither gained nor lost members—Atlantic Hockey and ECAC Hockey.

In that month, media reports revealed that Hockey East was in serious talks with Connecticut that could result in the Huskies moving from Atlantic Hockey to become the conference's 12th men's member. From Hockey East's perspective, a 12th member would ease scheduling problems. As for UConn, the move would place the school's men's and women's teams in the same conference. However, it would require a significant upgrade to the men's program, which currently does not offer scholarships and whose on-campus arena holds less than 2,000. Reportedly, the Huskies would play home games at the XL Center in Hartford (already a part-time home for the school's men's and women's basketball teams) until hockey facilities could be upgraded. The team would also award scholarships, and UConn would also add scholarships to some women's programs due to Title IX issues. On June 21, UConn and Hockey East officially announced that the school's men's team would indeed join the conference effective with the 2014–15 season. The UConn men will only play conference home games in the XL Center, with non-conference home games remaining on campus. This left the ECAC as the only men's hockey conference whose membership remained stable.

It should be noted that women's ice hockey was almost completely unaffected by this realignment. Although the Big Ten will have six members with varsity hockey once Penn State takes the ice, only four of these schools will have women's teams. Also, the CCHA does not sponsor women's hockey, and in fact has only one member school with a women's team (Ohio State, whose women's team is in the WCHA). The only change to the women's conference setup was in College Hockey America, which only sponsors women's hockey. CHA lost Niagara, which dropped women's hockey, and added Penn State, Lindenwood and RIT.

Membership changes

Confirmed changes

School	Sport(s)	Former conference	New conference	Date move was announced	Expected year move takes effect
South Dakota Coyotes	Full membership	Great West	The Summit	April 15, 2010	2011
Colorado Buffaloes	Full membership	Big 12	Pac-12	June 10, 2010	2011
Boise State Broncos	Full membership	WAC	Mountain West	June 11, 2010	2011
Nebraska Cornhuskers	Full membership	Big 12	Big Ten	June 11, 2010	2011
Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys	Full membership	Gulf South Conference (D-II)	GAC (D-II)	June 13, 2010	2011
Arkasas-Monticello Boll Weevils and Cotton Blossoms	Full membership	GSC (D-II)	GAC (D-II)	June 13, 2010	2011
East Central Tigers	Full Membership	LSC (D-II)	GAC (D-II)	June 13, 2010	2011
Harding Bisons	Full Membership	GSC (D-II)	GAC (D-II)	June 13, 2010	2011
Henderson State Reddies	Full Membership	GSC (D-II)	GAC (D-II)	June 13, 2010	2011
Ouachita Baptist Tigers	Full Membership	GSC (D-II)	GAC (D-II)	June 13, 2010	2011
Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm	Full Membership	LSC (D-II)	GAC (D-II)	June 13, 2010	2011
Southern Arkansas Muleriders	Full Membership	GSC (D-II)	GAC (D-II)	June 13, 2010	2011
Southwestern Oklahoma Bulldogs	Full Membership	LSC (D-II)	GAC (D-II)	June 13, 2010	2011
Utah Utes	Full membership	Mountain West	Pac-12	June 17, 2010	2011
Creighton Bluejays	Women's rowing	Independent	WCC	August 16, 2010	2010
Fresno State Bulldogs	Full membership	WAC	Mountain West	August 18, 2010	2012
Nevada Wolf Pack	Full membership	WAC	Mountain West	August 18, 2010	2012
Seattle Redhawks	Women's golf	Independent	WCC	August 26, 2010	2010
BYU Cougars	Full membership (non-football)	Mountain West	WCC	August 31, 2010	2011
BYU Cougars	Football	Mountain West	Independent	August 31, 2010	2011
Cal Poly SLO Mustangs	Football	Great West	Big Sky	September 7, 2010	2012
UC Davis Aggies	Football	Great West	Big Sky	September 7, 2010	2012
Kennesaw State Owls	Football	No football program	Unknown	September 15, 2010	2014
Penn State Nittany Lions	Men's ice hockey	ESCHL (Club)	Independent	September 17, 2010	2012
BYU Cougars	Men's and women's swimming and diving	Mountain West	MPSF	October 19, 2010	2012
North Dakota Fighting Sioux	Full membership	Great West	Big Sky	November 1, 2010	2012
Southern Utah Thunderbirds	Full membership	The Summit	Big Sky	November 1, 2010	2012
Southern Utah Thunderbirds	Football	Great West	Big Sky	November 1, 2010	2012
Idaho State Bengals	Softball	PCSC	Big Sky	November 1, 2010	2012
Northern Colorado Bears	Softball	PCSC	Big Sky	November 1, 2010	2012
Portland State Vikings	Softball	PCSC	Big Sky	November 1, 2010	2012
Sacramento State Hornets	Softball	PCSC	Big Sky	November 1, 2010	2012
Weber State Wildcats	Softball	PCSC	Big Sky	November 1, 2010	2012
South Dakota Coyotes	Football	Great West	MVFC	November 3, 2010	2012
UTSA Roadrunners	Full membership	Southland	WAC	November 10, 2010	2012
Texas State Bobcats	Full membership	Southland	WAC	November 10, 2010	2012
Denver Pioneers	Full membership (non-football)	Sun Belt	WAC	November 10, 2010	2012
Mercer Bears	Football	No football program	Pioneer	November 20, 2010	2013
Rhode Island Rams	Football	CAA	NEC	November 22, 2010	2013
TCU Horned Frogs	Full membership	Mountain West	Big East	November 29, 2010	2012
Hawaiʻi (Rainbow) Warriors and Rainbow Wahine	Full membership (non-football)	WAC	Big West	December 10, 2010	2012
Hawaiʻi Warriors	Football	WAC	Mountain West	December 10, 2010	2012
Hawaiʻi Rainbow Wahine	Women's indoor track and field	WAC	MPSF	December 10, 2010	2012
Hawaiʻi Rainbow Wahine	Women's swimming and diving	WAC	MPSF	December 10, 2010	2012
BYU Cougars	Softball	Mountain West	WAC	January 27, 2011	2012
Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks	Full membership	MIAA (Division II)	The Summit	March 12, 2011	2012
Stetson Hatters	Football	No football program	Pioneer	March 14, 2011	2013
BYU Cougars	Men's and women's indoor track and field	Mountain West	MPSF	March 17, 2011	2012
Minnesota Golden Gophers	Men's ice hockey	WCHA	Big Ten	March 21, 2011	2013
Wisconsin Badgers	Men's ice hockey	WCHA	Big Ten	March 21, 2011	2013
Michigan Wolverines	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	Big Ten	March 21, 2011	2013
Michigan State Spartans	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	Big Ten	March 21, 2011	2013
Ohio State Buckeyes	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	Big Ten	March 21, 2011	2013
Penn State Nittany Lions	Men's ice hockey	Independent	Big Ten	March 21, 2011	2013
UMass Minutemen	Football	CAA	MAC	April 20, 2011	2012
Belmont Bruins	Full membership (non-football)	Atlantic Sun	OVC	May 13, 2011	2012
Sacramento State Hornets	Men's soccer	MPSF	Big West	May 24, 2011	2012
Seattle Redhawks	Full membership (non-football)	Independent	WAC	June 14, 2011	2012
North Dakota Fighting Sioux	Women's swimming and diving	Great West	WAC	June 15, 2011	2012
Boise State Broncos	Women's gymnastics	WAC	Independent	July 1, 2011	2011
North Dakota Fighting Sioux	Men's ice hockey	WCHA	NCHC	July 13, 2011	2013
Miami RedHawks	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	NCHC	July 13, 2011	2013
Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks	Men's ice hockey	WCHA	NCHC	July 13, 2011	2013
Denver Pioneers	Men's ice hockey	WCHA	NCHC	July 13, 2011	2013
Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs	Men's ice hockey	WCHA	NCHC	July 13, 2011	2013
Colorado College Tigers	Men's ice hockey	WCHA	NCHC	July 13, 2011	2013
UT Arlington Mavericks	Full membership (non-football)	Southland	WAC	July 14, 2011	2012
Northern Michigan Wildcats	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	WCHA	July 20, 2011	2013
Ferris State Bulldogs	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	WCHA	August 27, 2011	2013
Alaska Nanooks	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	WCHA	August 27, 2011	2013
Lake Superior State Lakers	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	WCHA	August 27, 2011	2013
Texas A&M Aggies	Full membership	Big 12	SEC	August 31, 2011	2012
Penn State Nittany Lions	Women's ice hockey	Club hockey program	CHA	September 6, 2011	2012
CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners	Men's and women's outdoor track & field, women's tennis	Independent	Great West	September 16, 2011	2013
Syracuse Orange	Full membership	Big East	ACC	September 18, 2011	2013
Pittsburgh Panthers	Full membership	Big East	ACC	September 18, 2011	2013
CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners	Baseball	Independent	WAC	September 19, 2011	2012
Dallas Baptist Patriots	Baseball	Independent	WAC	September 19, 2011	2012
Western Michigan Broncos	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	NCHC	September 22, 2011	2013
St. Cloud State Huskies	Men's ice hockey	WCHA	NCHC	September 22, 2011	2013
Bowling Green Falcons	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	WCHA	October 4, 2011	2013
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	Men's ice hockey	CCHA	Hockey East	October 5, 2011	2013
TCU Horned Frogs	Full membership	Mountain West/Big East	Big 12	October 10, 2011	2012
Oral Roberts Golden Eagles	Full membership (non-football)	The Summit	Southland	October 25, 2011	2012
West Virginia Mountaineers	Full membership	Big East	Big 12	October 28, 2011	2012
Missouri Tigers	Full membership	Big 12	SEC	November 6, 2011	2012
Lindenwood Lady Lions	Women's ice hockey	Independent	CHA	November 11, 2011	2012
Houston Baptist Huskies	Full membership	Great West (non-football)	Southland	November 21, 2011	2013
UCF Knights	Full membership	Conference USA	Big East	December 7, 2011	2013
Houston Cougars	Full membership	Conference USA	Big East	December 7, 2011	2013
SMU Mustangs	Full membership	Conference USA	Big East	December 7, 2011	2013
Boise State Broncos	Full membership (non-football)	Mountain West	WAC	December 7, 2011	2013
Boise State Broncos	Football	Mountain West	Big East	December 7, 2011	2013
San Diego State Aztecs	Football	Mountain West	Big East	December 7, 2011	2013
Northern Kentucky Norse	Full membership (non-football)	GLVC (Division II)	Atlantic Sun	December 8, 2011	2012
BYU Cougars	Softball	WAC	PCSC	December 12, 2011	2012
San Diego State Aztecs	Full membership (non-football)	Mountain West	Big West	December 12, 2011	2013
San Diego State Aztecs	Men's soccer	Pac-12	Big West	December 12, 2011	2015
San Diego State Aztecs	Women's water polo	MPSF	Big West	December 12, 2011	2012
Longwood Lancers	Full membership (non-football)	Independent	Big South	January 23, 2012	2012
Navy Midshipmen	Football	Independent	Big East	January 24, 2012	2015
Colorado Buffaloes	Women's lacrosse	No lacrosse program	MPSF	February 1, 2012	2013
Memphis Tigers	Full membership	Conference USA	Big East	February 8, 2012	2013
Temple Owls	Full membership (except football)	A-10	Big East	March 7, 2012	2013
Temple Owls	Football	MAC	Big East	March 7, 2012	2012
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners	Men's soccer	MPSF	Pac-12	March 19, 2012	2013
RIT Tigers	Women's ice hockey	ECAC West (D-III)	CHA	March 20, 2012	2012
Pacific Tigers	Full membership (non-football)	Big West	WCC	March 28, 2012	2013
West Virginia Mountaineers	Men's soccer	Big East	Mid-American	April 3, 2012	2012
West Virginia Mountaineers	Wrestling	Eastern Wrestling League	Big 12	April 9, 2012	2013
Georgia State Panthers	Full membership	CAA	Sun Belt	April 9, 2012	2013
Butler Bulldogs	Full membership (non-football)	Horizon League	Atlantic 10	May 2, 2012	2012
Texas State Bobcats	Full membership	WAC	Sun Belt	May 2, 2012	2013
Charlotte 49ers	Full membership	Atlantic 10	C-USA	May 4, 2012	2013
FIU Panthers	Full membership	Sun Belt	C-USA	May 4, 2012	2013
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Lady Techsters	Full membership	WAC	C-USA	May 4, 2012	2013
North Texas Mean Green	Full membership	Sun Belt	C-USA	May 4, 2012	2013
San Jose State Spartans	Full membership	WAC	Mountain West	May 4, 2012	2013
Utah State Aggies	Full membership	WAC	Mountain West	May 4, 2012	2013
UTSA Roadrunners	Full membership	WAC	C-USA	May 4, 2012	2013
VCU Rams	Full membership (non-football)	CAA	Atlantic 10	May 15, 2012	2012
Old Dominion Monarchs	Full membership	CAA	C-USA	May 17, 2012	2013
UT Arlington Mavericks	Full membership (non-football)	WAC	Sun Belt	May 24, 2012	2013
Boston University Terriers	Full membership (non-football)	America East	Patriot League	June 15, 2012	2013
UConn Huskies	Men's ice hockey	Atlantic Hockey	Hockey East	June 21, 2012	2014

Rumored and possible changes

Below is a list of schools that reportedly considered changing conferences during the 2010–12 conference realignment.

School	Current conference	Most likely new conference	Other possible conferences
Texas Longhorns	Big 12	Pac-12	Big Ten; Independent
Texas Tech Red Raiders	Big 12	Pac-12	None
Oklahoma Sooners	Big 12	Pac-12	SEC
Oklahoma State Cowboys	Big 12	Pac-12	None
Baylor Bears	Big 12	Big East	Mountain West
Iowa State Cyclones	Big 12	Big East	Mountain West
Kansas State Wildcats	Big 12	Big East	Mountain West
Kansas Jayhawks	Big 12	Big East	Pac-12
Air Force Falcons	Mountain West	Big East (football only)	MVC, WCC, or WAC for non-football
BYU Cougars	WCC (Independent in football)	Big East (football only)	Big 12
Army Black Knights	Patriot League (Independent in football)	Big East (football only)	None
East Carolina Pirates	Conference USA	Big East (all sports)	None
Villanova Wildcats	Big East (CAA in football)	Big East (all sports)	None
Richmond Spiders	Atlantic 10 (CAA in football)	Big East (non-football sports)	None
Connecticut Huskies	Big East	ACC	None
Louisville Cardinals	Big East	Big 12	ACC
Cincinnati Bearcats	Big East	Big 12	None
Rutgers Scarlet Knights	Big East	Big Ten	ACC
Maryland Terrapins	ACC	Big Ten	None
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	Big East (Independent in football)	Independent	ACC, Big East, (all sports) Big 12 (all sports)
New Mexico State Aggies	WAC	Sun Belt	Conference USA, Conference USA–Mountain West alliance
Marshall Thundering Herd	Conference USA	Big East (football only)	None
UTEP Miners	Conference USA	Mountain West	None
Utah Valley Wolverines	Great West (non-football)	WAC (non-football)	None
Sam Houston State Bearkats	Southland	WAC	None
Lamar Cardinals	Southland	WAC	None
Montana Grizzlies	Big Sky	WAC	None
Montana State Bobcats	Big Sky	WAC	None
Sacramento State Hornets	Big Sky	WAC	None
Cal Poly Mustangs	Big West (Big Sky for football)	WAC	None
UC Davis Aggies	Big West (Big Sky for football)	WAC	None
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns	Sun Belt	WAC	None
CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners	Division I Independent (non-football)	Big West (non-football)	WAC
UC San Diego Tritons	CCAA (non-football, Division II)	Big West (non-football)	None
Tennessee State Tigers	OVC	SWAC	None
Clemson Tigers	ACC	SEC	Big 12
Florida State Seminoles	ACC	Big 12	SEC
Appalachian State Mountaineers	SoCon	Conference USA	None
UIW Cardinals	LSC (Division II)	Southland	None
Abilene Christian Wildcats	LSC (Division II)	Southland	None
Jacksonville State Gamecocks	OVC	Sun Belt	WAC
Liberty Flames	Big South	Sun Belt	Conference USA
George Mason Patriots	CAA (non-football)	Atlantic 10	None
Florida Atlantic Owls	Sun Belt	Conference USA–Mountain West alliance	None
Idaho Vandals	WAC	Conference USA–Mountain West alliance	Big Sky
Stony Brook Seawolves	America East (Big South for football)	CAA	None

Membership change statistics

Full membership

Conference	Old membership total	New membership total	Net change	Members added	Members lost
America East	9	8	-1	0	1
Atlantic Coast	12	14	2	2	0
Atlantic Sun	10	10	0	1	1
Atlantic 10	14	14	0	2	2
Big East	16	18	2	6	4
Big Sky	9	11	2	2	0
Big South	11	12	1	1	0
Big Ten	11	12	1	1	0
Big 12	12	10	-2	2	2
Big West	9	10	1	2	1
Colonial Athletic Association	12	9	-3	0	3
Conference USA	12	14	2	6	4
Great West	7	4	-3	0	3
Horizon	10	9	-1	0	1
Mountain West	9	9	0	5	5
Ohio Valley	11	12	1	1	0
Pac-12 (formerly Pac-10)	10	12	2	2	0
Patriot	8	9	1	1	0
Southeastern	12	14	2	2	0
Southland	12	11	-1	2	3
Sun Belt	12	12	0	3	3
The Summit	10	9	-1	1	2
West Coast	8	10	2	2	0
Western Athletic	9	5	-4	6	10

Football

The following table is reflective of both football-only membership changes as well as full membership changes that involve football.

Conference	Subdivision	Old membership total	New membership total	Net change	Members added	Members lost
Atlantic Coast	FBS	12	14	2	2	0
Big East	FBS	8	13	5	9	4
Big Sky	FCS	9	13	4	4	0
Big Ten	FBS	11	12	1	1	0
Big 12	FBS	12	10	-2	2	4
Colonial Athletic Association	FCS	12	8	-4	0	4
Conference USA	FBS	12	14	2	6	4
Great West	FCS	5	0	-5	0	5
Mid-American	FBS	13	13	0	1	1
Missouri Valley	FCS	9	10	1	1	0
Mountain West	FBS	9	10	1	6	5
Northeast	FCS	9	10	1	1	0
Ohio Valley	FCS	11	12	1	1	0
Pac-12 (formerly Pac-10)	FBS	10	12	2	2	0
Pioneer	FCS	10	12	2	2	0
Southeastern	FBS	12	14	2	2	0
Southland	FCS	9	9	0	1	1
Sun Belt	FBS	10	10	0	2	2
Western Athletic	FBS	9	2	-7	2	9

Ice hockey

Conference	Old membership total	New membership total	Net change	Members added	Members lost
Atlantic Hockey (men only)	12	11	−1	0	1
Big Ten (men only)	0	6	6	6	0
CCHA (men only)	11	0	−11	0	11
CHA (women only)	4	6	2	3	1
ECAC Hockey (men)	12	12	0	0	0
ECAC Hockey (women)	12	12	0	0	0
Hockey East (men)	10	12	2	2	0
Hockey East (women)	8	8	0	0	0
NCHC (men only)	0	8	8	8	0
WCHA (men)	12	9	−3	5	8
WCHA (women)	8	8	0	0	0

See also

• NCAA conference realignment
• 2005 NCAA conference realignment
• 1996 NCAA conference realignment

External links

• CollegeSportsInfo.com Conference realignment news and updates
• Conference realignment historical grid