Why is Missouri State joining Conference USA in 2025? Looking at the latest developments amid Bears' transition from FCS

The conference realignment news continues to be prevalent in college athletics as the Missouri State Bears are joining Conference USA. This move was announced on Friday morning but will not officially take effect until July 1, 2025.

This will be the first time in program history that its college football program will be part of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Missouri State President Clif Smart discussed his excitement in the press release:

"This is an exciting day for Missouri State. 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."

The news means that the Missouri State Bears will remain with the Missouri Valley Conference for the 2024 season.

"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." h/t Missouri State

This is going to be interesting as it's not as much of the headlines that last year's conference realignment showcased but it's always exciting to see programs elevate to the next level of competition. With teams like the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks having success early, the Bears have a chance to make an immediate impact.

This makes sense as the Missouri State Bears are now going to see a significant increase with the addition as an FBS team as well as more money for the athletic department because more people will be interested in the football program as a result of this move.

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What is the next team to join in conference realignment?

While there is no guarantee that there will be more movement, the collapse of the Atlantic Coast Conference makes it likely that we will see some more teams change conference affiliation. Two teams that make sense would be the Clemson Tigers and the Florida State Seminoles.

While we will see a lot of intriguing moves take place beginning in the 2024 college football season with teams like the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners to the SEC and the fallout of the Pac-12 collapse taking place this season, there is likely going to be more movement. Whether it be the jump to the FBS or mixing up the Power 4, there are likely going to be more changes happening down the pipe.