WKU Athletics: MTSU Announces Intent To Remain in Conference USA; WKU’s MAC Future Uncertain

Sam Gormley
The Towel Rack
Published in
2 min readNov 10, 2021

Wednesday morning, Middle Tennessee State announced that the school will remain in Conference USA and not explore a potential move to the MAC.

WKU and MTSU were rumored to be working together for a package deal to move to the conference.

“With the addition of four new members, C-USA offers a strong footprint in the South and Southwest, providing opportunities to develop new regional rivalries, while staying connected to traditional opponents that our fans want,” MTSU President Sidney McPhee said in a release. “Building on the conference’s storied history of success, I believe our continued affiliation offers our Blue Raider community the greatest opportunity for success and should enhance our fan engagement.”

Last week, the conference announced the addition of Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, and Jacksonville State.

Rumors swirled over recent days that the Blue Raiders were struggling with the financial uncertainties of moving to a new conference.

This past weekend, when WKU and MTSU met on the gridiron, the school’s athletic directors were photographed together with Chris Massaro calling Todd Stewart a “good friend.”

That tweet has since been deleted.

The Hilltoppers now find themselves at a crossroad: Sources told college football insider Brett McMurphy that they would still accept a bid to the MAC if offered.

Now, the main question is will the MAC take just WKU? Or will they need to find another partner to allow for themselves to make the jump?

Only time will tell, but the dream of the MAC coming to reality is becoming less and less likely by the day.

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