Conference USA to add up to six teams

While Conference USA is set to lose four schools to the Big East Conference in the upcoming year, they have begun to explore replacements.

C-USA is poised to add as many as six schools in 2013, CBSSports.com reported Tuesday afternoon.

Louisiana Tech, Florida International, North Texas, Texas San Antonio, Charlotte and Old Dominion are all scheduled to join, pushing the total amount of schools in the conference to 14. By maintaining at least 12 football teams, the annual conference championship game can continue to be held.

Memphis, Houston, Central Florida and SMU are all scheduled to leave for the Big East following this fiscal year.

Charlotte and Old Dominion are currently not Football Bowl Subdivision football programs. Charlotte will add a football program in the 2013 season, while Old Dominion is currently playing in the Football Championship Series. They will require a two year transition period to move up to the FBS level.

By adding Old Dominion, FIU, Charlotte, Louisiana Tech and Texas San Antonio, this will move the conference to 11 baseball schools - two more baseball programs than are currently in the conference currently.

In February, it was announced that C-USA and the Mountain West Conference were planning to merge into one conference, but because of legal conditions that is likely no longer an option.

The additions to C-USA will come from four conferences: North Texas and FIU from the Sun Belt, Louisiana Tech and Texas San Antonio from the Western Athletic Conference, Charlotte from the Atlantic 10, and Old Dominion from the Colonial Athletic Association.

Southern Miss is expected to be in the Eastern division on the conference with East Carolina, FIU, Marshall, UAB, Charlotte and Old Dominion.

The Western division is expected to consist of Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Texas San Antonio, Tulsa, Tulane and UTEP.

It is believed that an official announcement could occur as early as Friday morning, sources said.