Florida Atlantic declines to comment on C-USA football schedule dilemma
Conference USA released official 2022 football schedules on Tuesday, though it remains to be seen if some teams will still be in the conference come this fall.
Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Mississippi all have said they intend to play for the Sun Belt Conference in the 2022 college football season.
The three universities announced on Feb. 11 they plan to terminate their relationship with C-USA on June 30, even though the conference bylaw requires the three teams to stay through the summer of 2023.
The initial schedule tabs Florida Atlantic football to host Old Dominion on Oct. 29 and play at Marshall on Nov. 12.
An FAU spokesperson declined The Palm Beach Post's request for comment on the potential scheduling dilemma.
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Southern Miss released a statement calling the conference uncooperative in terms of the separation.
“The University has from the outset expressed its desire to work with Conference USA to achieve an amicable separation, including offering to cooperate to ensure that all remaining conference members had complete competitive schedules for those sports in which the University compete,” Southern Miss said in a statement. “Conference USA has so far refused to discuss any such arrangement with the University.
"The Conference's unwillingness to discuss the concept of separation this year creates confusion and doubt for all concerned. The remaining members of Conference USA deserve certainty about their schedules as they plan for competition next year. For their sake, the University makes public its intent.”
The C-USA released a statement indicating the conference intends to conduct the 2022-23 athletic year with the full 14 institution membership intact.
It added that the board of directors will “exhaust all necessary legal actions to ensure all members meet their contractual obligations as defined by and agreed to in the Conference USA bylaws.”
Other C-USA bylaws mandate departing teams give 14 months notice and pay two years of conference distribution.
Marshall’s Athletic Director Jeff O’Malley took to social media to respond to the news on Conference USA releasing a full schedule that included one for the Thundering Herd.
“Marshall Athletics is aware that Conference USA released its 2022 football schedule this afternoon, however, we stand by our statement from Friday,” O’Malley said on Twitter.
FAU and five other teams will be leaving for the American Athletic Conference, but haven’t expressed intentions of leaving before their expected debut in 2023.
Along with the Owls, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA will be joining them in the AAC, while Conference USA will be adding Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State and Sam Houston State.
Taggart and a new-faced coaching staff will look to improve in conference play from last season after a 3-5 record finishing 2021 with a four-game losing streak.
2022 Florida Atlantic football schedule
Conference USA release
Sept. 3 - @ Ohio
Sept. 10 - vs. Southeastern Louisiana
Sept. 17 - vs. UCF
Sept. 24 - @ Purdue
Oct. 1 - vs. UAB
Oct. 8 - @ UTEP
Oct. 15 - @ FIU
Oct. 29 - vs. Old Dominion
Nov. 5 - vs. Western Kentucky
Nov. 12 - @ Marshall
Nov. 19 - vs. Charlotte
Nov. 26 - @ MTSU
*Games in question