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DALLAS -- North Texas will leave the Sun Belt to join Conference USA, a source close to the program said Thursday.
The source also said that Louisiana Tech and Florida International will be joining the Mean Green in Conference USA, along with UT-San Antonio, whose move was approved by the University of Texas System regents Thursday morning.
The source said that Old Dominion and Charlotte also could be added to the revamped CUSA membership.
North Texas has been in the Sun Belt since 2001. The football team, which opened 30,850-seat Apogee Stadium prior to last season, went 5-7 under coach Dan McCarney in 2011.
Since last season, UNT has hired former Marquette associate head coach Tony Benford to coach the men's basketball team and Mike Peterson, formerly of Wake Forest, to coach the women's program.
North Texas won four football conference titles and two men's basketball titles during its stay in the Sun Belt.
UNT has scheduled a Friday news conference to address the future of the athletic program.
Conference USA is losing Houston, SMU, Memphis and Central Florida. The remaining schools are Texas-El Paso, Tulane, Alabama-Birmingham, East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Miss and Tulsa.
Charlotte also has scheduled a Friday news conference, the subject of which is not officially known. The 49ers were in CUSA from 1995 to 2005 but had to leave because they didn't have a football team. They joined the Atlantic 10 and will spend next year there before making the switch.
Charlotte begins playing football in 2013 as an FCS independent and will remain at that level for two years. Providing it can meet NCAA attendance standards, it will be allowed to move up to an FBS school in 2015-16.
The source also said that Louisiana Tech and Florida International will be joining the Mean Green in Conference USA, along with UT-San Antonio, whose move was approved by the University of Texas System regents Thursday morning.
The source said that Old Dominion and Charlotte also could be added to the revamped CUSA membership.
North Texas has been in the Sun Belt since 2001. The football team, which opened 30,850-seat Apogee Stadium prior to last season, went 5-7 under coach Dan McCarney in 2011.
Since last season, UNT has hired former Marquette associate head coach Tony Benford to coach the men's basketball team and Mike Peterson, formerly of Wake Forest, to coach the women's program.
North Texas won four football conference titles and two men's basketball titles during its stay in the Sun Belt.
UNT has scheduled a Friday news conference to address the future of the athletic program.
Conference USA is losing Houston, SMU, Memphis and Central Florida. The remaining schools are Texas-El Paso, Tulane, Alabama-Birmingham, East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Miss and Tulsa.
Charlotte also has scheduled a Friday news conference, the subject of which is not officially known. The 49ers were in CUSA from 1995 to 2005 but had to leave because they didn't have a football team. They joined the Atlantic 10 and will spend next year there before making the switch.
Charlotte begins playing football in 2013 as an FCS independent and will remain at that level for two years. Providing it can meet NCAA attendance standards, it will be allowed to move up to an FBS school in 2015-16.