Sun Belt Conference facts for kids
The Sun Belt Conference is a group of college sports teams in the United States. These teams play against each other in different sports at the NCAA Division I level. The conference started in 1976. It began playing football games in 2001.
Most of the teams in the Sun Belt Conference are full members, meaning they play many of their sports in the league. There are 12 full members right now. Nine of these teams play football in the top-level Division I FBS. Two teams do not play football. Coastal Carolina, a newer member, will start playing football in the Sun Belt Conference in 2017. The teams in this conference are located across the southern United States.
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What are College Sports Conferences?
A college sports conference is like a league where different universities compete against each other. It helps organize games and championships. Teams in the same conference often play each other regularly. This creates rivalries and makes sports exciting for fans!
Who are the Sun Belt Conference Members?
The Sun Belt Conference has several universities that are full members. This means they play most of their sports within the conference.
Here are some of the full member schools:
- Appalachian State University (Mountaineers) from Boone, North Carolina
- Arkansas State University (Red Wolves) from Jonesboro, Arkansas
- Coastal Carolina University (Chanticleers) from Conway, South Carolina
- Georgia Southern University (Eagles) from Statesboro, Georgia
- Georgia State University (Panthers) from Atlanta, Georgia
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock (Trojans) from Little Rock, Arkansas
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette (Ragin' Cajuns) from Lafayette, Louisiana
- University of Louisiana at Monroe (Warhawks) from Monroe, Louisiana
- University of South Alabama (Jaguars) from Mobile, Alabama
- University of Texas at Arlington (Mavericks) from Arlington, Texas
- Texas State University (Bobcats) from San Marcos, Texas
- Troy University (Trojans) from Troy, Alabama
Some schools, like Coastal Carolina, Little Rock, and Texas–Arlington, did not play football in the Sun Belt at first. However, Coastal Carolina joined for football in 2017.
What are Associate Members?
Sometimes, a conference has "associate members." These are schools that play only a few sports, usually just one, in that conference. The Sun Belt Conference has had associate members in the past and again since 2014. For example, some schools play only football or only men's soccer in the Sun Belt.
Here are some past associate members:
- Hartwick College (Hawks) played men's soccer.
- Howard University (Bison) played men's soccer.
- University of Idaho (Vandals) played football.
- New Mexico State University (Aggies) played football.
The Sun Belt Conference announced in 2016 that the agreements for Idaho and New Mexico State to play football in the league would not be renewed after the 2017 season. This means they would no longer be associate members for football.
Images for kids
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Map of full member institutes of the Sun Belt Conference in 2016
See also
In Spanish: Sun Belt Conference para niños
