Missouri State is joining Conference USA effective July 1, 2025, becoming the league’s 12th member.The Bears currently are part of the Missouri Valley Conference.”This is an exciting day for Missouri State,” Missouri State president Clif Smart said. “The opportunities associated with membership in an FBS conference allows us to continue to expand as a university and raise our reputation to the next level. We have valued our membership in the Missouri Valley Conference — a premier conference in the NCAA — and look forward to a final year in the league before we transition to CUSA.”Missouri State will compete in sports that include football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball, and beach volleyball.”We are so excited for the opportunities that CUSA membership will bring to our university, our student-athletes, our coaches and our fans,” athletic director Kyle Moats said. “This move represents a transition to a national brand and a platform that will help raise the profile of Missouri State University and the city of Springfield. The steps we have taken over the past 15 years to invest in a successful broad-based athletics program have prepared us for this long-awaited moment.”