Conference USA and its member institutions took part in its annual football media day on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas at Globe Life Field. The revamped league has been continually a revolving door with schools coming and going due to realignment and that is something that could continue.

The league has nine football members for the 2023 season, with four newcomers and five holdovers, and will grow to 10 when Kennesaw State joins from the ASUN and FCS for 2024.

During a press conference Tuesday, CUSA Commissioner Judy MacLeod was asked if the current alignment was sufficient or whether there could be additional movement for the conference.

“I think for stability, 10 might not be the most comfortable number,” she said.

With rumors continually making their way around the college athletic landscape of additional realignment possibilities, every conference has to always be prepared to act and do so swiftly.

“I give a ton of credit to our membership because they’ve gone about these decisions in a really thoughtful way,” said MacLeod. “There are plenty of people with their hands up saying we will come tomorrow. I think our membership has been thoughtful with how we’ll build it.”

While MacLeod wouldn’t mention specific schools that were among those that have had discussions with CUSA, current football Independents Army, UConn, and UMass, as well as several FCS candidates, are likely among the group. CUSA has a membership committee, composed of school presidents and one athletic director, that frequently meet and discuss possible realignment moves, including expanding beyond 10.

Liberty, New Mexico State, and transitioning FCS schools Jacksonville State and Sam Houston all joined the league officially on July 1. They join FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP, and Western Kentucky who remain in the league from a season ago to make up the nine members for 2023.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the group we have now going forward,” MacLeod said on Tuesday. “Since this group first met in the spring of 2022, the amount they listen to each other, the amount they put their own agendas aside to join collectively to see what we could do with our opportunities, the risks they took, has been rewarding. We can’t wait to get started with this group. It’s a hungry group.”

Many consider CUSA to be one of, if not the, weakest FBS conference in the country, but strength of conferences and teams within those leagues are cyclical. It wasn’t long ago that CUSA was looked at as a much more superior conference than that of the Sun Belt.

If this group sticks together and has some success, it could push CUSA back to that level it was once. Schools like Jacksonville State and Sam Houston have traditionally been very strong at the FCS level. If they are able to have similar success to that of other recent transitioning FCS schools like Liberty, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, and James Madison, it would provide a great boost to CUSA’s reputation.

Liberty also has tremendous potential. With the level of commitment from the university and the amount of resources the athletic department has, the Flames could help lift the entire league. Several of the other schools in CUSA could also capitalize with strategic moves and strong coaching hires.

The College Football Playoff is set to expand from four members to 12 in 2024. The expanded field will comprise of the six highest-ranked conference champions and then the next six highest-ranked teams. This will guarantee at least one Group of Five Conference champion getting an automatic bid into the CFP each year. This gives greater incentive for CUSA members to devote the resources needed to compete at a national level as it provides direct access to each of its members to college football’s highest platform.

“We’ve had great leadership from our remaining members, who really are out to prove the strength stayed with the conference,” said MacLeod. “We’ve had great enthusiasm and energy from our new members who are ready to come in and show they can compete with our conference and excel.”

So while the league concluded it’s Media Day on Tuesday prepared to begin the 2023 football season with nine members and Kennesaw State joins in a year, becoming the 10th member, it is not complacent. CUSA wants to be one of the strongest G5 conferences in the country, and it will be very strategic in seeking out possible additions to the league’s member base beyond the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

“No predictions, no specifics,” MacLeod said of future CUSA realignment and expansion. “But, we will continue to look to grow if it’s appropriate and if we find the right fits.”