Editing Sun Belt Conference (section)

==History==
[[File:Sun Belt Conference very old logo.png|thumb|left|150px|Original Sun Belt logo from 1976]]
The Sun Belt Conference was founded on August 4, 1976, with the [[University of New Orleans]], the [[University of South Alabama]], [[Georgia State University]], [[Jacksonville University]], the [[University of North Carolina at Charlotte]], and the [[University of South Florida]]. Over the next ten years the conference would add [[Western Kentucky University]], [[Old Dominion University]], the [[University of Alabama at Birmingham]], and [[Virginia Commonwealth University]]. New Orleans was forced out of the league in 1980 due to its [[Human Performance Center|small on-campus gymnasium]] that the conference did not deem suitable for conference competition (the conference rejected UNO's offer to play all conference home games at the [[Caesars Superdome|Louisiana Superdome]]). New Orleans competed as an independent before joining the newly formed [[American South Conference]] in 1987.

After the 1990–91 basketball season, all members of the Sun Belt, except Western Kentucky, South Alabama, and Jacksonville, departed for other conferences. The Sun Belt, including incoming member the [[University of Arkansas at Little Rock]], then merged with the [[American South Conference]], made up of [[Arkansas State University]], [[Louisiana Tech University]], the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the [[University of Louisiana at Lafayette]]), the [[University of Texas–Pan American]] (now merged into the [[University of Texas Rio Grande Valley]]), New Orleans (re-joined), [[Lamar University]], and the [[University of Central Florida]]. Although the American South was the larger conference, the merged league retained the Sun Belt name. In 1991, the league first began to explore the idea of sponsoring football.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1991-07-03-9107030173-story.html|title=UCF HOPES TO FIND FAME IN EXPANDED SUN BELT|last=Staff|first=Russ White of The Sentinel|website=OrlandoSentinel.com|date=3 July 1991 |language=en-US|access-date=March 1, 2020}}</ref>

Central Florida left the league following the 1991–92 academic year due to a dispute over television rights, among other reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2136&context=centralfloridafuture|title=UCF ends marriage with Sun Belt Conference|last=Meadows|first=Dave|date=May 20, 1992}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/231205544/|title=The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida on May 20, 1992 · Page 70|website=Newspapers.com|date=20 May 1992 |language=en|access-date=March 1, 2020}}</ref> Lamar, Texas–Pan American, and Jacksonville departed at the end of the 1997–98 academic year. [[Florida International University]] joined the Sun Belt in 1998, and the [[University of Denver]] was added in 1999. Louisiana Tech departed after the 2000–01 academic year.

[[File:Poydras Street, New Orleans CBD, 24 August 2021 - 10.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Sun Belt Conference headquarters are currently housed at the [[Caesars Superdome]].]]

The conference did not sponsor football until 2001, when the league added former [[Big West Conference]] members [[New Mexico State University]] and the [[University of North Texas]] and former [[Ohio Valley Conference]] member (an FBS Independent on football) [[Middle Tennessee State University]] as full members (all three of them joined a year earlier for all sports in the 2000-01 school year) and added FBS Independent [[University of Louisiana at Monroe]] and Big West member [[University of Idaho]] as football-only members. These new members gave the Sun Belt seven football playing members in their first season, as Arkansas State and Louisiana were already full members which sponsored football. Another Big West school, [[Utah State University]], was added as a football-only member in 2003, then departed in [[2005 in sports|2005]] with Idaho and New Mexico State for the [[Western Athletic Conference]] (WAC).

In 2004, [[Troy University]] became a football-only member before joining for all sports in the 2005–06 academic year. In 2005, [[Florida Atlantic University|Florida Atlantic]] became a football-only member before joining for all sports in the 2006-07 academic year. In 2006, Louisiana–Monroe joined the conference as an all-sports full member when the Warhawks left their former home, the [[Southland Conference]].

Longtime Sun Belt member [[Western Kentucky University|Western Kentucky]] joined the Sun Belt's football conference in 2009 after its board of regents voted to upgrade the school's football program to [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|FBS]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://wku.edu/news/releases06/november/football.html|publisher=[[Western Kentucky University]]|title=WKU Regents Approve Move To Division I-A Football|date=November 2, 2006|access-date=November 3, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115123929/http://wku.edu/news/releases06/november/football.html|archive-date=January 15, 2008}}</ref>

On November 11, 2009, New Orleans announced it was investigating a move from [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] to the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA's]] [[NCAA Division III|Division III]]. In order to maintain athletic scholarships, UNO instead opted for entry into [[NCAA Division II|Division II]]. On April 20, 2011, UNO officially received transition approval from the NCAA Division II Membership Committee.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/uno/index.ssf/2011/04/university_of_new_orleans_gets_1.html|work=The Times-Picayune |title=University of New Orleans gets approval from NCAA to move to Division II|date=April 20, 2011|access-date=September 6, 2011}}</ref> (UNO later decided to remain in Division I, and joined the [[Southland Conference]], which has four other members in Louisiana, in 2013.)

===Early 2010s realignment===
{{Main|2010–2013 Sun Belt Conference realignment}}
{{See also|2010–2013 Conference USA realignment|2010–2013 Western Athletic Conference realignment}}
[[File:Sun Belt Conference 2001 logo.svg|thumb|200px|The former Sun Belt Conference logo used until its rebranding in 2013]]
On April 9, 2012, Georgia State, one of the founding members of the Sun Belt Conference, announced that it would be returning to the conference as a full member in 2013. As part of the move, the [[Georgia State Panthers football|football program]] began a transition from FCS to FBS in the 2012 season; it played a full Sun Belt schedule as a "transitional" FBS member in 2013, and became a full FBS member, with bowl eligibility, in 2014.<ref name="McMurphy 2012-04-07">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/brett-mcmurphy/18373785/georgia-state-to-sun-belt-announcement-monday|title=Sun Belt adding Georgia State|first=Brett|last=McMurphy|work=College Football Insider|publisher=CBS Sports|date=April 7, 2012|access-date=April 9, 2012}}</ref> On May 2, 2012, [[Texas State University]] announced it would leave the [[Western Athletic Conference|WAC]] after just one year and join the Sun Belt in July 2013 to begin play for the 2013–14 academic year. At the press conference to announce Texas State's addition, Sun Belt Commissioner [[Karl Benson]] also hinted that more changes could be on the way for the conference.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/05/02/sun-belt-texas-state.ap/index.html?sct=cf_t2_a3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605151141/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/05/02/sun-belt-texas-state.ap/index.html?sct=cf_t2_a3|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 5, 2012|title=Texas State will leave WAC, join Sun Belt in 2013–14|date=May 2, 2012|access-date=May 2, 2012|magazine=Sports Illustrated}}</ref> On May 25, 2012, the conference announced that the [[University of Texas at Arlington]] (a non-football member) had accepted an invitation to join the conference and would become a full member by 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/dallas/story/_/id/7969941|title=University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks to join Sun Belt Conference in 2013|date=25 May 2012|publisher=ESPN|access-date=May 29, 2015}}</ref>

On May 4, 2012, FIU and North Texas announced that they would be leaving the Sun Belt for [[Conference USA]] on July 1, 2013 as part of a Conference USA expansion effort involving four other schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conferenceusa.com/genrel/050412aab.html|title=Conference USA Adds Five New Members|work=Conferenceusa.com|access-date=May 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510200529/http://www.conferenceusa.com/genrel/050412aab.html|archive-date=May 10, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> On November 29, 2012, Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee State announced that they would also leave the Sun Belt for Conference USA.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8686775/florida-atlantic-owls-middle-tennessee-state-blue-raiders-join-conference-usa|title=C-USA adds FAU, Middle Tennessee State|publisher=[[ESPN]]|date=November 29, 2012|first=Brett|last=McMurphy|access-date=May 29, 2015}}</ref> The move for Florida Atlantic and MTSU was originally scheduled to take place in 2014; however, the two schools announced on January 28, 2013 that they would leave for [[Conference USA]] a year early, departing on July 1, 2013 with FIU and North Texas. Western Kentucky also accepted an invitation to join Conference USA on April 1, 2013, and departed from the Sun Belt on July 1, 2014.<ref>[http://www.wkusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5400&ATCLID=207019336] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406145221/http://www.wkusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5400&ATCLID=207019336|date=April 6, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Sun Belt Conference logo.svg|thumb|200px|The former Sun Belt Conference logo used from 2013 to 2020]]
These moves depleted the Sun Belt and made the need to expand their membership more urgent than ever, as the Sun Belt was left with ten full members and only eight members that sponsor football (the minimum number required for a conference to sponsor football at the FBS level) for the 2013 season. [[Appalachian State University]] accepted an invitation on March 27, 2013 to join the Sun Belt effective July 1, 2014.<ref>[http://www.sunbeltsports.org/General/Article/tabid/1069/Article/19992/Appalachian-State-to-Join-Sun-Belt-Conference-in-2014.aspx] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203003628/http://www.sunbeltsports.org/General/Article/tabid/1069/Article/19992/Appalachian-State-to-Join-Sun-Belt-Conference-in-2014.aspx|date=December 3, 2013}}</ref> [[Georgia Southern University]] accepted a similar Sun Belt invitation at the same time as Appalachian State.<ref>[http://www.sunbeltsports.org/General/Article/tabid/1069//Article/19989/Title/georgia-southern-to-join-sun-belt-conference-in-2014.aspx] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203003153/http://www.sunbeltsports.org/General/Article/tabid/1069//Article/19989/Title/georgia-southern-to-join-sun-belt-conference-in-2014.aspx|date=December 3, 2013}}</ref> Appalachian State and Georgia Southern both joined for all sports from the [[Southern Conference]] on July 1, 2014. Both schools had been very successful within the Football Championship Subdivision, combining to win nine national championships since 1985. They upgraded to the Football Bowl Subdivision, and were eligible for Sun Belt conference championships in 2014, but were not postseason-eligible in football until 2015.

The Sun Belt also granted football-only invites to [[University of Idaho|Idaho]] and [[New Mexico State University|New Mexico State]] on March 28, 2013.<ref>[http://www.sunbeltsports.org/General/Article/tabid/1069//Article/19996/Title/idaho-and-new-mexico-state-to-join-sun-belt-conference-as-football-members-in-2.aspx] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703201423/http://www.sunbeltsports.org/General/Article/tabid/1069//Article/19996/Title/idaho-and-new-mexico-state-to-join-sun-belt-conference-as-football-members-in-2.aspx|date=July 3, 2013}}</ref> Idaho and New Mexico State were both former Sun Belt members (Idaho for football only, New Mexico State for all sports) from 2001 to 2005. The large number of defections from the [[Western Athletic Conference|WAC]] forced that conference to drop football after the 2012 season. Idaho and New Mexico State were the only remaining WAC members that sponsored football, and competed as FBS independents for the 2013 season before competing in the Sun Belt in 2014. Idaho is located by far the farthest away from the other Sun Belt conference members, but it was rejected by the [[Mountain West Conference]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collegefootball.ap.org/romenews-tribune/content/board-approves-idaho-football-going-independent|title=Board approves Idaho football going independent|work=College Football}}</ref> leaving it with no other choice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/mar/27/idaho-football-returning-sun-belt-2014/|title=Idaho football returning to Sun Belt in 2014 – Spokesman.com – March 27, 2013|work=Spokesman.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/06/29/3258682/rekindling-rivalries-will-help.html|title=Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell news by Idaho Statesman|work=Idaho Statesman}}</ref>

On September 1, 2015, [[Coastal Carolina University]] accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference. The university joined in all sports except for football starting July 1, 2016, with football joining in 2017.<ref name="coastal_sunbelt">{{cite press release|url=http://www.bigsouthsports.com/entries/statement-from-big-south-commissioner-kyle-b-kallander-on-coastal-carolina|title=Statement from Big South Commissioner Kyle B. Kallander on Coastal Carolina|publisher=[[Big South Conference]]|date=September 1, 2015|access-date=September 1, 2015|archive-date=September 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903235638/http://www.bigsouthsports.com/entries/statement-from-big-south-commissioner-kyle-b-kallander-on-coastal-carolina|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The conference announced on March 1, 2016, that the affiliation agreement with Idaho and New Mexico State would not be extended past the 2017 season.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Sun Belt Football to Be 10 Teams in 2018|url=http://sunbeltsports.org/news/2016/3/1/FB_0301161055.aspx|publisher=Sun Belt Conference|date=March 1, 2016|access-date=March 1, 2016}}</ref>

The conference announced that beginning in 2018, the conference (10 teams) would be divided into two divisions for football: East: [[Appalachian State Mountaineers football|Appalachian State]], [[Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football|Coastal Carolina]], [[Georgia Southern Eagles football|Georgia Southern]], [[Georgia State Panthers football|Georgia State]], and [[Troy Trojans football|Troy]]; West: [[Arkansas State Red Wolves football|Arkansas State]], [[Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football|Louisiana]], [[Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football|Louisiana–Monroe]], [[South Alabama Jaguars football|South Alabama]], and [[Texas State Bobcats football|Texas State]]. The winner of each division will meet in the [[Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game|Sun Belt Championship game]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sun-belt-announces-football-divisions-starting-in-2018-collaborative-replay-system/|title=Sun Belt announces football divisions for 2018, new collaborative replay system|work=CBS Sports|access-date=May 23, 2017|language=en}}</ref>

=== Early 2020s realignment ===
{{Main|2021–2026 NCAA conference realignment}}
{{Location map+  
| USA 
| width=600 
| caption=Sun Belt Member locations<br />[[File:Blue pog.svg|10px]] – Full member, [[File:Yellow pog.svg|10px]] – current associate member<!--, [[File:Green pog.svg|10px]] – future associate member-->
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   {{Location map~ | USA | label=[[University of South Alabama|South Alabama]] | position=bottom| mark=Blue pog.svg | link=University of South Alabama | lat= 30.6959 | long=-88.1842 }}
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 {{Location map~ | USA | label=[[Troy University|Troy]] | position=bottom | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=Troy University| lat= 31.8011 | long=-85.9573 }}

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   {{Location map~ | USA | label=[[West Virginia University|WVU]] | position=top | mark=Yellow pog.svg | link=West Virginia University | lat=39.651667 | long=-79.984167 }}
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}}

Following the July 30, 2021 announcement of the [[University of Texas at Austin]] and the [[University of Oklahoma]] both moving from the [[Big 12 Conference]] to the [[Southeastern Conference]],<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 30, 2021|title=Texas, Oklahoma regents accept SEC invitation|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31920686/texas-longhorns-oklahoma-sooners-unanimously-accept-invitation-sec|access-date=October 21, 2021|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}</ref> the world of college athletics faced the prospect of realignment once again. The Big 12 responded on September 10 by adding three schools from the [[American Athletic Conference]] (The American) and [[BYU Cougars|BYU]], an [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|FBS independent]] and otherwise a member of the non-football [[West Coast Conference]], effective in 2023.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://big12sports.com/news/2021/9/10/big-12-conference-adds-four-new-members.aspx |title=Big 12 Conference Adds Four New Members |publisher=Big 12 Conference |date=September 10, 2021 |access-date=September 10, 2021}}</ref> The American in turn responded on October 21 by adding six schools from [[Conference USA]] (C-USA), with 2023 as the most likely entry date.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 19, 2021|title=6 schools officially apply to join AAC, source says|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32432496/six-schools-officially-apply-join-american-athletic-conference|access-date=October 21, 2021|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=https://theamerican.org/news/2021/10/21/general-american-athletic-conference-announces-the-addition-of-six-universities.aspx |title=American Athletic Conference Announces the Addition of Six Universities |publisher=American Athletic Conference |date=October 21, 2021 |access-date=October 21, 2021}}</ref> Following this move, rumors began to circulate that the Sun Belt was planning to take on another three members (the [[University of Southern Mississippi]] (Southern Miss or USM), [[Marshall University]], and former Sun Belt member [[Old Dominion University]]) from C-USA, likely in response to that conference's remaining teams worried of the conference folding.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sun Belt, Conference USA considering adding teams amid AAC expansion|url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sun-belt-conference-usa-considering-adding-teams-amid-aac-expansion/|access-date=October 21, 2021|website=CBSSports.com|date=20 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref> These moves would help to establish the market areas for the Sun Belt and The American, which cover similar geographic footprints. The American would now have most of its members in metropolitan areas, while the Sun Belt would instead have its members in smaller [[college town]]s.

On October 22, [[The Action Network]] reported that Southern Miss had been accepted as a new Sun Belt member, with 2023 as the likely entry date. The report also stated that the Sun Belt would add three more members—the aforementioned Marshall and Old Dominion, plus [[James Madison University]], a member of the [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|FCS]] [[Colonial Athletic Association]] (CAA).<ref name=Action1022>{{cite news|url=https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/southern-miss-joins-sun-belt-other-conference-usa-schools-expected-to-join-soon |title=Sources: Southern Miss Joins Sun Belt; Marshall, Old Dominion, JMU Will Join in Coming Days |first=Brett |last=McMurphy |website=The Action Network |date=October 22, 2021 |access-date=October 22, 2021}}</ref> Southern Miss<ref name=USM23>{{cite press release|url=https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2021/10/26/football-southern-miss-joins-sun-belt-conference.aspx |title=Southern Miss Joins Sun Belt Conference |publisher=Sun Belt Conference |date=October 26, 2021 |access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> and Old Dominion<ref name=ODU23>{{cite press release|url=https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2021/10/27/general-old-dominion-joins-sun-belt-conference.aspx |title=Old Dominion Joins Sun Belt Conference |publisher=Sun Belt Conference |date=October 27, 2021 |access-date=October 27, 2021}}</ref> were respectively announced as incoming members on October 26 and 27. At the time, both were to join no later than 2023. On October 29, the day after Marshall named its next president,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32480819/southern-miss-officially-joins-sun-belt-enter-league-no-later-july-2023 |title=Southern Miss officially joins Sun Belt, will enter league no later than July 2023 |first=Adam |last=Rittenberg |website=ESPN.com |date=October 26, 2021 |access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> both the Sun Belt and Marshall issued tweets announcing that school's entry; a formal announcement followed the next day<ref name=MU23>{{cite press release|url=https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2021/10/30/general-marshall-joins-sun-belt-conference.aspx |title=Marshall Joins Sun Belt Conference |publisher=Sun Belt Conference |date=October 30, 2021 |access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref> and an introductory press conference was held on November 1.<ref name=Traylor>{{cite news|url=https://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/sun-belt-confirms-mens-soccer-being-reinstated/article_e08dea8c-b0bd-51cd-9810-0a1365bdc1e5.html |title=Sun Belt confirms men's soccer being reinstated |first=Grant |last=Traylor |newspaper=The Herald-Dispatch |location=Huntington, WV |date=November 1, 2021 |access-date=November 2, 2021}}</ref> As for James Madison, its board met on October 29 to discuss a potential Sun Belt invitation, but its timeline was also affected by a Virginia state law that requires [[Virginia General Assembly|legislative]] approval for a four-year public school to move upward in athletic classification, including FCS to FBS. The legislative committee that must review the move did not meet until November 5, after the [[2021 Virginia gubernatorial election|state's gubernatorial election]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dnronline.com/sports/college/va-s-gubernatorial-election-impacts-jmu-sun-belt-timeline/article_cea1d319-f46b-5a6d-881a-5b9f88c6b39e.html |title=Va.'s Gubernatorial Election Impacts JMU-Sun Belt Timeline |first=Greg |last=Madia |newspaper=Daily News-Record |location=Harrisonburg, VA |date=October 28, 2021 |access-date=October 28, 2021}}</ref> The committee unanimously approved JMU's move from FCS to FBS, and the Sun Belt move was officially announced on November 6.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/11/04/james-madison-sun-belt-caa/|title=James Madison's move to Sun Belt would trigger messy divorce from CAA|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=November 5, 2021|date=November 4, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2021/11/5/general-james-madison-joins-sun-belt-conference.aspx |title=James Madison Joins Sun Belt Conference |publisher=Sun Belt Conference |date=November 6, 2021 |access-date=November 6, 2021}}</ref> The original Action Network report also stated that the two full non-football SBC members, Little Rock and UT Arlington, would no longer be members of the conference after the 2022–23 school year.<ref name=Action1022/>

Initial plans were for James Madison to compete as a de facto Sun Belt affiliate in sports other than football and men's soccer during the 2022–23 season.<ref name=SunBelt>{{cite news |last=Mettler |first=Shane |title=Dukes Get Approval For Move To FBS, Join Sun Belt |url=https://www.dnronline.com/sports/college/dukes-get-approval-for-move-to-fbs-join-sun-belt/article_79109591-eb2f-5b26-8817-a158b82b02ce.html |access-date=November 20, 2021 |work=Daily News-Record |date=November 5, 2021 |quote=Sources said JMU's other sports would begin competition in the Sun Belt during the 2022-23 school year and it is expected the Dukes will be eligible for conference championships in their debut seasons.}}</ref> However, those plans would eventually change, with JMU and the SBC jointly announcing on February 2, 2022 that JMU would become a full SBC member, including football, in 2022–23.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://jmusports.com/news/2022/2/2/administration-james-madison-to-compete-in-sun-belt-conference-in-2022-2023.aspx |title=James Madison to Compete in Sun Belt Conference in 2022-2023 |publisher=James Madison Dukes |date=February 2, 2022 |accessdate=February 3, 2022}}</ref>

By the end of January 2022, both non-football members would announce their departures for other conferences, effective that July. On December 8, 2021, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted to accept an invitation for Little Rock to join the [[Ohio Valley Conference]],<ref>{{cite press release|title=Little Rock Receives Board Approval To Join Ohio Valley Conference|url=https://lrtrojans.com/news/2021/12/8/little-rock-announces-thursday-press-conference-regarding-future-of-trojan-athletics.aspx|access-date=2021-12-08|publisher=Little Rock Trojans|language=en}}</ref> and UT Arlington, which had been a [[Western Athletic Conference]] member in the [[2010–2013 Western Athletic Conference realignment|2012–13 school year]], announced its return to that conference on January 21, 2022.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://wacsports.com/general/2021-22/releases/20220120nrv7nj |title=University of Texas at Arlington Accepts Invitation to Join WAC |publisher=Western Athletic Conference |date=January 21, 2022 |accessdate=January 22, 2022}}</ref>

Shortly thereafter, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss announced that they planned to leave C-USA for the Sun Belt in July 2022. They claimed to have notified C-USA of their plans in December 2021, apparently seeking to negotiate a 2022 exit. C-USA had indicated in late January 2022 that it expected the three schools to remain in that league through the 2022–23 school year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/33269116/sun-belt-bound-marshall-old-dominion-southern-miss-announce-plans-depart-conference-usa-june |title=Sun Belt-bound Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss announce plans to depart Conference USA in June |first=Adam |last=Rittenberg |website=ESPN.com |date=February 11, 2022 |accessdate=February 11, 2022}}</ref> Marshall escalated the situation by filing suit against C-USA in its [[Cabell County, West Virginia|local]] court in an attempt to force a 2022 move.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/33354627/marshall-sues-conference-usa-push-departure-sun-belt |title=Marshall sues Conference USA to push up departure for Sun Belt |first=Heather |last=Dinich |website=ESPN.com |date=February 23, 2022 |accessdate=February 23, 2022}}</ref> On March 29, Conference USA agreed to let Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss move to the Sun Belt starting July 1, 2022.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/33626016/move-marshall-old-dominion-southern-miss-conference-usa-sun-belt-now-complete |title=Move of Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss from Conference USA to Sun Belt now complete |first=Pete |last=Thamel |author-link=Pete Thamel |website=ESPN.com |date=March 29, 2022 |accessdate=March 29, 2022}}</ref>

On April 6, with the entrance of three new men's soccer-sponsoring schools in James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion, the Sun Belt announced that men's soccer would be reinstated as a sponsored sport. The three aforementioned programs joined current Sun Belt members Coastal Carolina (previously affiliates with Conference USA) as well as Georgia State and Georgia Southern (previously affiliates with the [[Mid-American Conference]]). Additionally, it was announced that [[Kentucky Wildcats men's soccer|Kentucky]], [[South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer|South Carolina]], and [[West Virginia Mountaineers men's soccer|West Virginia]] would join as men's soccer affiliate members beginning in fall 2022, giving the conference an inaugural soccer membership of 9.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2022/4/6/sun-belt-conference-announces-return-of-mens-soccer-this-fall.aspx |title=Sun Belt Conference Announces Return of Men's Soccer This Fall |publisher=Sun Belt Conference |date=April 6, 2022 |accessdate=April 6, 2022}}</ref> Kentucky and South Carolina were previously also affiliated with C-USA, while West Virginia was affiliated with the MAC. The SBC later announced it would add [[UCF Knights men's soccer|UCF]] as a men's soccer affiliate when that school joined the [[Big 12 Conference]] in 2023.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2022/6/21/ucf-mens-soccer-to-join-sun-belt-conference-in-fall-2023.aspx |title=UCF Men's Soccer to Join Sun Belt Conference in Fall 2023 |publisher=Sun Belt Conference |date=June 21, 2022 |access-date=June 22, 2022}}</ref>  In men's soccer, the conference is not a "mid-major" conference, but a "power" conference due to the quasi-alliance of the Big 12 and SEC schools, plus the presence of [[Marshall Thundering Herd men's soccer|Marshall]], which has played in two national championship games in the 2020s, winning one.

On June 6, the SBC presidents & chancellors approved adding two new women's sports, beach volleyball and swimming & diving, no later than the 2023–24 school year. They also announced that the conference would explore adding another women's sport, field hockey, at an undetermined future date.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2022/6/9/general-sun-belt-presidents-chancellors-conclude-spring-meeting.aspx|title=Sun Belt Presidents/Chancellors add two sports, look into adding third |publisher=Sun Belt Conference |date=June 9, 2022 |accessdate=June 9, 2022}}</ref>

On January 18, 2023, the SBC officially announced that its beach volleyball league would launch that spring, with the four full members sponsoring the sport joined by [[Charleston Cougars|Charleston]], [[Mercer Bears|Mercer]], [[UNC Wilmington Seahawks|UNC Wilmington]], and [[Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks|Stephen F. Austin]] as affiliate members.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2023/1/17/general-sun-belt-conference-adds-beach-volleyball-for-2023.aspx|title=Sun Belt Conference Adds Beach Volleyball For 2023 |publisher=Sun Belt Conference |date=January 18, 2023 |accessdate=January 19, 2023}}</ref>

On August 17, 2023, the SBC officially announced the return of women's swimming and diving as a sponsored sport.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2023/8/17/sun-belt-conference-announces-return-of-womens-swimming-and-diving-for-2023-24.aspx|title=Sun Belt Conference Announces Return of Women's Swimming and Diving For 2023-24 |publisher=Sun Belt Conference |date=August 17, 2023 |accessdate=August 17, 2023}}</ref> However, the SBC would only sponsor the sport for two seasons before dropping it after the 2024–25 season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://swimswam.com/liberty-james-madison-and-marshall-womens-swim-dive-will-join-the-aac-in-2025-2026/|title=Liberty, James Madison, and Marshall Women's Swim & Dive Will Join the AAC in 2025-2026|last=Keith|first=Braden|publisher=swimswam.com|date=December 13, 2024|access-date=December 18, 2024}}</ref>