The landscape of college football forever changed when Texas and Oklahoma bolted from the Big 12 to the SEC. That left holes in the Big 12 that were filled by teams from the AAC, which in turn led to vacant holes in the AAC requiring more moves, and so on down the road. There won’t be many teams in the state that go unimpacted by the revolving door of conference affiliation. Sam Houston became the latest to announce a move with the Bearkats set to join Conference USA in July of 2023. 

Sam Houston will then become the 13th FBS program in Texas and will be in the same conference as UTEP. Sam Houston joins the conference alongside Liberty, New Mexico State, and Jacksonville State. Conference USA was previously raided by the AAC (UTSA, North Texas, and Rice) and the Sun Belt. The conference change is the second in as many years for Sam Houston, which joined the WAC last year after 34 years in the Southland Conference. 

“While the landscape of college athletics has been changing rapidly, this is not a decision that was made overnight,” athletic director Bobby Williams said. “The steps we have taken over the last decade have prepared us for this move. I think it says a lot about the overall success of our athletics programs, that our name was one of the first to come up.”

Sam Houston is the reigning FCS champions after capturing the title in the spring. Located in Huntsville, Sam Houston is responsible for 72 conference titles and two national titles. The Bearkats are among 22 schools that have announced changes in confernce affiliation in 2021. Houston is leaving the AAC for the Big 12. North Texas, UTSA, and Rice are moving to the AAC from Conference USA. Even McNeese State and Incarnate Word are leaving the Southland for the WAC, in large part because Sam Houston is leaving for Conference USA. It is a game of musical chairs and Sam Houston couldn't risk missing a seat. 

“Positioning ourselves to play FBS football has been one of our priorities and we’ve made no secret about it,” Williams said. “While there is still work that must be done, we felt the time was right for all of our athletic programs. The way things are moving in college football, there is just no telling when an opportunity like this will come up again.”

Sam Houston was becoming an FCS powerhouse on the football field before the national championship. The Kats made appearances in the FCS playoffs over the last decade, including six trips to the semifinals and three championship games. The transition process, including moving up to an 85-man scholarship limit in football, will begin at the conclusion of the current season. The Bearkats will be eligibile for the C-USA title game and bowl appearances starting 2024.