The Sun Belt Conference sponsors nine men's sports and 10 women's sports. This is a list of conference champions for each sport.
All dates of membership reflect the calendar years of entry and departure. Since all past Sun Belt associate members participated only in fall sports, the year of departure is the calendar year after the final (planned) season of competition.
The Vic Bubas Cup (formerly the Sun Belt Cup) is the Sun Belt's all-sports championship trophy, named after the Sun Belt's first commissioner Vic Bubas. [1] The reigning champion as of the 2023–24 season is South Alabama. South Alabama has also won the most Bubas Cups with 16. [2]
The early years of the competition were largely dominated by the South Florida Bulls, who won 8 of the first 10 Vic Bubas Cups. After USF left the conference following their 9th Cup win after the 1990 season, South Alabama took over as the dominant force in the conference, winning 8 of the next 10 competitions. Between 2001 and 2014, the only teams to win the Cup were Middle Tennessee (with 9) and Western Kentucky (with 5). Middle Tennessee left the conference after 2013 and Western Kentucky did the same the following year, which paved the way for South Alabama to retake control of the Cup for each of the next 4 seasons.
The trophy itself has gone through four different designs. The first was a blue and white porcelain vase and all others have been a Waterford Crystal vase (each version becoming more elaborate than the version prior).[ citation needed ] The current design was introduced during the 2022–23 season.
Year | Winner |
---|---|
1976–77 | Jacksonville* |
1977–78 | South Florida* |
1978–79 | South Florida* |
1979–80 | South Florida* |
1980–81 | South Florida* |
1981–82 | South Florida* |
1982–83 | Old Dominion |
1983–84 | South Florida* |
1984–85 | South Florida* |
1985–86 | South Florida* |
1986–87 | Western Kentucky* |
1987–88 | South Alabama |
1988–89 | South Alabama |
1989–90 | South Florida* |
1990–91 | South Alabama |
1991–92 | South Alabama |
1992–93 | South Alabama |
1993–94 | South Alabama |
1994–95 | Arkansas State |
1995–96 | South Alabama |
1996–97 | South Alabama |
1997–98 | Arkansas State |
1998–99 | South Alabama |
1999–2000 | South Alabama |
2000–01 | Middle Tennessee* |
2001–02 | Western Kentucky* |
2002–03 | Western Kentucky* |
2003–04 | Middle Tennessee* |
2004–05 | Middle Tennessee* |
2005–06 | Western Kentucky* |
2006–07 | Middle Tennessee* |
2007–08 | Western Kentucky* |
2008–09 | Middle Tennessee* |
2009–10 | Middle Tennessee* |
2010–11 | Middle Tennessee* |
2011–12 | Middle Tennessee* |
2012–13 | Middle Tennessee* |
2013–14 | Western Kentucky* |
2014–15 | South Alabama |
2015–16 | South Alabama |
2016–17 | South Alabama |
2017–18 | South Alabama |
2018–19 | Texas State |
2019–20 | Arkansas State |
2020–21 | South Alabama |
2021–22 | Texas State |
2022–23 | South Alabama |
Team | Number of Bubas Cups |
---|---|
South Alabama | 16 |
South Florida* | 9 |
Middle Tennessee* | |
Western Kentucky* | 6 |
Arkansas State | 3 |
Texas State | 2 |
Jacksonville* | 1 |
Old Dominion |
*– No longer members of the Sun Belt Conference. Old Dominion left the SBC in 1991 and returned in 2022.
Sport | Regular Season Champion | Postseason Champion |
---|---|---|
Baseball | Texas State (2022) | Louisiana (2022) |
Football | Troy (2022) | – |
Men's Basketball | Southern Miss (2022–23) | Louisiana (2022–23) |
Men's Cross Country | – | Arkansas State (2022) |
Men's Golf | – | Little Rock (2022) |
Men's Soccer | Kentucky (2022) | Kentucky (2022) |
Men's Indoor Track and Field | – | Arkansas State (2023) |
Men's Outdoor Track and Field | – | South Alabama (2022) |
Men's Tennis | Georgia State (2022) | Georgia State (2022) |
Women's Basketball | James Madison, Kennesaw State, Texas State (2022–23) | James Madison (2022–23) |
Beach Volleyball | First championships in 2023 | |
Women's Cross Country | – | Kennesaw State (2022) |
Women's Golf | – | Georgia Southern (2022) |
Women's Soccer | Georgia Southern (2022) | Old Dominion (2022) |
Softball | Louisiana (2022) | Louisiana (2022) |
Women's Tennis | Georgia Southern, South Alabama, UT Arlington (2022) | South Alabama (2022) |
Women's Indoor Track and Field | – | Arkansas State (2023) |
Women's Outdoor Track and Field | – | Arkansas State (2022) |
Volleyball | James Madison (2022) | James Madison (2022) |
The Sun Belt Conference has sponsored an annual baseball tournament to determine the conference winner and automatic NCAA Division I Tournament host since 1978. South Alabama has won the most championships, at 13. The Sun Belt also has imposed several seasons under divisional structure (1981-1994; 2016-2021). In 2022, the structure reverted back to standard structure (1978-1980; 1995-2015; 2022-present).
The Sun Belt Conference has sponsored an annual softball tournament to determine the conference winner and automatic bid to the NCAA Division I softball tournament since 2000. Louisiana has won the most championships, at 17.
Season | Tournament Champion | Regular Season Champion |
---|---|---|
2000 | Louisiana–Lafayette | |
2001 | ||
2002 | ||
2003 | ||
2004 | ||
2005 | ||
2006 | ||
2007 | Florida Atlantic | |
2008 | Louisiana–Lafayette | |
2009 | Louisiana–Lafayette | |
2010 | Louisiana–Lafayette | |
2011 | Louisiana–Lafayette | |
2012 | South Alabama | Louisiana–Lafayette |
2013 | South Alabama | Western Kentucky |
2014 | Louisiana–Lafayette | |
2015 | South Alabama | Louisiana–Lafayette |
2016 | Louisiana–Lafayette | |
2017 | Louisiana–Lafayette | |
2018 | Texas State | |
2019 | Louisiana | |
2020 | None | |
2021 | Louisiana | |
2022 | Louisiana |
Since 2020–21, the Sun Belt Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments, held in early March, has involved all conference members and is played entirely in Pensacola, Florida. First- and second-round games are played at Hartsell Arena on the campus of Pensacola State College and the Pensacola Bay Center, with semifinals and finals at the Bay Center. [5] Winners of the tournaments earn automatic bids to their respective NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament.
All 14 full Sun Belt members play football in the conference. Idaho and New Mexico State competed as single-sport members before being dropped from Sun Belt football after the 2017 season.
Current Members | |||
---|---|---|---|
School | Last Sun Belt Title | Number of Sun Belt Titles | |
Troy | 2023 | 8 | |
Arkansas State | 2016 | 6 | |
Appalachian State | 2019 | 4 | |
Louisiana | 2021 | 3 [lower-alpha 1] | |
Coastal Carolina | 2020 | 1 | |
Georgia Southern | 2014 | 1 | |
UL-Monroe | 2005 | 1 | |
Georgia State | Never | 0 | |
South Alabama | Never | 0 | |
Texas State | Never | 0 | |
Former Members | |||
North Texas | 2004 | 4 | |
Middle Tennessee | 2006 | 2 | |
Florida Atlantic | 2007 | 1 | |
FIU | 2010 | 1 | |
Idaho | Never | 0 | |
New Mexico State | Never | 0 | |
Utah State | Never | 0 | |
Western Kentucky | Never | 0 |
Year | Champion(s) |
---|---|
2001 | North Texas, Middle Tennessee |
2002 | North Texas |
2003 | North Texas |
2004 | North Texas |
2005 | Arkansas State, UL Monroe, UL Lafayette |
2006 | Troy, Middle Tennessee |
2007 | FAU, Troy |
2008 | Troy |
2009 | Troy |
2010 | Troy, FIU |
2011 | Arkansas State |
2012 | Arkansas State |
2013 | Arkansas State, UL Lafayette [lower-alpha 2] |
2014 | Georgia Southern |
2015 | Arkansas State |
2016 | Appalachian State, Arkansas State |
2017 | Appalachian State, Troy |
2018 | Appalachian State |
2019 | Appalachian State |
2020 | Coastal Carolina & Louisiana [lower-alpha 3] |
2021 | Louisiana |
2022 | Troy |
2023 | Troy |
Year | Men's Champion | Women's Champion |
---|---|---|
1977 | Jacksonville | |
1978 | Jacksonville | |
1979 | South Florida | |
1980 | South Florida | |
1981 | South Florida | |
1982 | South Florida | |
1983 | South Florida | |
1984 | South Florida | |
1985 | South Florida | |
1986 | South Florida | |
1987 | South Florida | |
1988 | South Florida | |
1989 | South Florida | |
1990 | Virginia Commonwealth | South Florida |
1991 | South Alabama | |
1992 | South Alabama | UCF |
1993 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Lamar |
1994 | South Alabama | Lamar |
1995 | South Alabama | Lamar |
1996 | South Alabama | Lamar |
1997 | Louisiana-Lafayette | South Alabama |
1998 | South Alabama | UALR |
1999 | South Alabama | UALR |
2000 | UALR | Arkansas State |
2001 | UALR | New Mexico State |
2002 | South Alabama | New Mexico State |
2003 | North Texas | New Mexico State |
2004 | New Mexico State | Denver |
2005 | South Alabama | Denver |
2006 | Western Kentucky | Denver |
2007 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Denver |
2008 | Denver | Denver |
2009 | Middle Tennessee | Denver |
2010 | South Alabama | Denver |
2011 | Denver | Denver |
2012 | North Texas | Denver |
Conference USA is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas.
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The 14 member institutions of the Sun Belt are distributed across the Southern United States.
The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics. USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguars. Popular sports are baseball and men's basketball. USA sponsors 8 men's sports teams and 9 women's sports teams. The board of trustees voted to start a football program that began play in the fall of 2009.
The South Florida Bulls are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Florida. USF competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the American Athletic Conference for all sports besides sailing, a non-NCAA sanctioned sport which competes in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association within the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association. The current athletic director is Michael Kelly, who has held the job since 2018. The school colors are green and gold and the mascot is Rocky D. Bull.
The Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament has been played every year since the formation of the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 1976–77 American collegiate academic year. The winner of the tournament is guaranteed an automatic berth into the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The UT Arlington Mavericks are the athletic teams that represent the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The Mavericks currently compete in the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference in 15 varsity sports. The number rose to 15 in the fall of 2017 women's golf began their first season of competition that athletic season.
The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). ULM currently fields 15 varsity teams in 11 sports and competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are the athletic teams that represent Coastal Carolina University. They participate in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in most sports, having joined that conference as a full but non-football member on July 1, 2016. At that time, the football team began a transition from the second-level Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The team played the 2016 season as an FCS independent, joined SBC football for the 2017 season, and became full FBS members for 2018 and beyond. A Chanticleer is a proud and fierce rooster. Before joining the SBC, the Chanticleers had been members of the Big South Conference since that league's formation in 1983. Coastal fields varsity teams in 19 sports, 8 for men and 11 for women. The university regularly competed for the Sasser Cup, the Big South's trophy for the university with the best sports program among the member institutions, winning the trophy nine times, tied with rival Liberty University.
The North Florida Ospreys are the athletic teams of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. The Ospreys compete in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I. UNF became a full-fledged member of Division I in 2009; previously, the Ospreys were members of the Sunshine State Conference and Peach Belt Conference in NCAA Division II. UNF fields teams in seven men's sports and ten women's sports.
The FIU Panthers are the athletic teams representing Florida International University, an American public university located in Miami, Florida. The Panthers currently compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletics as members of Conference USA. The men's soccer and swimming & diving teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Until 2011, they were known as the FIU Golden Panthers.
The Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game is an annual college football game that determines the season champion of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The game is played between the SBC regular-season divisional champions from the East and West divisions. First contested in 2018, the game is typically played on the first Saturday of December. The current champion is the Troy Trojans.
The 2019 Sun Belt Conference women's soccer tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Sun Belt Conference held from November 6 to November 10, 2019. The seven-match tournament took place at the Foley Sports Complex in Foley, Alabama. The eight-team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The defending champions were the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans, however they were unable to defend their title after finishing ninth in regular season play and failing to qualify for the tournament. The South Alabama Jaguars won the title with a 5–1 win over Arkansas State in the final. This was the sixth Sun Belt women's soccer tournament title for the South Alabama women's soccer program and the second for head coach Richard Moodie.
The 2020 Sun Belt women's soccer tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Sun Belt Conference. The tournament was contested over four days between November 2–8 at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Alabama. The South Alabama Jaguars successfully defended their title, defeating Arkansas State in the final, 2–1, to win their seventh Sun Belt tournament championship in the last eight years.
The 2021 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 21st season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference. The season began September 2, 2021 and concluded with its championship game on December 4, 2021. It was part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Sun Belt Conference consists of 10 football members split into two divisions. The conference released its schedule on March 1, 2021.
The 2021 Sun Belt Conference women's soccer tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Sun Belt Conference held from November 1 to November 7, 2021. The ten-match tournament took place at the Foley Sports Complex in Foley, Alabama. The eleven-team single-elimination tournament consisted of four rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The defending champions were the South Alabama Jaguars. South Alabama successfully defended their title with a 1–0 championship game win over Georgia Southern in the final. This was the eighth Sun Belt women's soccer tournament title for the South Alabama women's soccer program and the fourth for head coach Richard Moodie. Eight of the last nine Sun Belt Women's Soccer Tournaments have been won by South Alabama. As tournament champions, South Alabama earned the Sun Belt's automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament.
The 2022–23 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns, led by 13th-year head coach Bob Marlin, played their home games at the Cajundome as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 26–8, 13–5 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for second place. As the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt tournament, they defeated Georgia Southern, Texas State, and South Alabama to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the East region. Then they lost to Tennessee in the first round.
The 2023 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for Sun Belt Conference during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. All tournament games were played at Pensacola Bay Center between February 28–March 6. The winner, Louisiana, received the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
The 2022 Sun Belt Conference women's soccer tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Sun Belt Conference held from October 31 to November 6, 2022. The nine-match tournament took place at the Foley Sports Complex in Foley, Alabama. The ten-team single-elimination tournament consisted of four rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The defending champions were the South Alabama Jaguars. South Alabama was unable to defend their title falling to Old Dominion in a penalty-shoot out in the Semifinals. Old Dominion would go on to win the tournament, defeating James Madison in extra time in the Final. This was the first Sun Belt women's soccer tournament title for the Old Dominion women's soccer program and the first for head coach Angie Hind. Old Dominion won the Sun Belt Tournament in their first year as part of the conference. As tournament champions, Old Dominion earned the Sun Belt's automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament.
The 2023–24 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represents the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns, led by 14th-year head coach Bob Marlin, play their home games at the Cajundome as members of the Sun Belt Conference.