![Fred Smith and the Green Wave will shoot for the C-USA Football Championship game in 2005. [File photo by Jerry Ward]](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Ftulanegreenwave.com%2Fimages%2F2004%2F8%2F19%2F10399.jpeg&height=300&type=webp)
Conference USA To Introduce Football Championship Game in 2005
Aug 19, 2004 | Football
Aug. 19, 2004
IRVING, Texas - Conference USA Athletic Directors voted unanimously today to recommend to the C-USA Board of Directors the staging of the league's inaugural Football Championship Game in 2005. The game will feature champions from the East and West Divisions of C-USA. East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, UAB and UCF will compete in the East Division and Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, and UTEP will contend in the West. The team with the highest Conference winning percentage will serve as the host site for the title game. "We are very excited to provide an additional showcase for some of the top football programs in our Conference," said Richard Giannini, Director of Athletics at Southern Miss and Chair of the C-USA Football Scheduling/Bowl Relations Subcommittee. "We also feel there are a number of advantages to the schools and the host community," Giannini added. "This format is not only the best method to determine our champion, but will provide excellent media exposure for the schools and the community, including the economic impact a game like this creates." C-USA becomes one of only five Division I-A Conferences that host a football championship game. The Big 12, SEC and Mid-American conferences currently host football championships, and the Atlantic Coast Conference will add a Championship Game in 2005 as well. Conference USA is celebrating its 10th anniversary this season. The league's membership will change in 2005 with the addition of six schools: Marshall, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, UCF and UTEP. Conference USA, a NCAA Division I-A Conference based in Irving, Texas, will have a 12-school membership in 2005 sponsoring championships in 19 sports.
