Missouri State Bears Leaving Missouri Valley Conference, will Join Conference USA in 2025

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This fall, Missouri State football will compete in its 34th season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.. it will also be its last.

n an announcement Friday, Missouri State University announced it will become a full-league member of Conference USA beginning in July of 2025.

The move will allow the Bears football program to make the jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level for the first time in school history.

Missouri State will also compete in CUSA in a handful of other sports, including:

  • Men’s Basketball
  • Women’s Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Softball
  • Volleyball
  • Men’s Golf
  • Women’s Golf
  • Women’s Tennis
  • Women’s Soccer
  • Beach Volleyball
  • Women’s Track and Field
  • Women’s Cross Country
  • Missouri State said it will release more information in the coming months regarding men’s soccer and swimming and diving, which are not part of CUSA’s sports sponsorship profile.

Information on men’s soccer, as well as swimming and diving, will be released at a later time as those sports are not included within Conference USA.

The invitation from CUSA was approved unanimously by the Board of Governors Thursday, making the move official.