Conference USA   University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Birmingham, Alabama 1969 Public 17,600 1995 University of Central Florida (UCF) Orlando, Florida 1963 Public 48,497 2005 East Carolina University (ECU) Greenville, North Carolina 1907 Public 25,990 1997 (football) 2001 (all other sports) University of Houston Houston, Texas 1927 Public 35,180 1995 ** Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia 1837 Public 16,400 2005 University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee 1912 Public 20,668 1995 Rice University Houston, Texas 1891 Private/Non-sectarian 4,835 2005 Southern Methodist University (SMU) University Park, Texas (Dallas) 1911 Private/Methodist 10,901 2005 The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Hattiesburg, Mississippi 1910 Public 15,050 1995 University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) El Paso, Texas 1914 Public 20,154 2005 Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana 1834 Private/Non-sectarian 13,214 1995 University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma 1894 Private/Presbyterian 4,174 2005