The Sun Belt Conference sponsors nine men's sports and 10 women's sports. This is a list of conference champions for each sport.
Members
All dates of membership reflect the calendar years of entry and departure. Since all past Sun Belt associate members participated only in fall sports, the year of departure is the calendar year after the final (planned) season of competition.
The Vic Bubas Cup (formerly the Sun Belt Cup) is the Sun Belt's all-sports championship trophy, named after the Sun Belt's first commissioner Vic Bubas.[1] The reigning champion as of the 2023–24 season is South Alabama. South Alabama has also won the most Bubas Cups with 16.[2]
Scoring
For sports with regular season conference competition (baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, and volleyball), cup points are awarded based on each teams' regular season finish (determined by winning percentage in conference games for all sports besides soccer. In soccer, standings are determined by points, with three points given for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss).[1]
For sports without regular season competition (cross country, golf, track and field, and tennis), points are awarded based on Sun Belt Tournament finish.[1]
The number of points for each sport is based on the number of schools in the conference which sponsor that sport. For example, the men's basketball regular season champion receives 12 points but the men's cross country champion only receives 9.[1]
For sports with both a regular season conference competition and a conference tournament, the conference tournament winner receives one additional point.[1]
For sports with divisions (baseball, basketball, football, and volleyball), points are awarded based on overall conference record regardless of divisional finish.[1]
If necessary, the tiebreaker is the number of conference titles each school won that season. If this is also tied then the teams involved are declared co-champions.
History
The early years of the competition were largely dominated by the South Florida Bulls, who won 8 of the first 10 Vic Bubas Cups. After USF left the conference following their 9th Cup win after the 1990 season, South Alabama took over as the dominant force in the conference, winning 8 of the next 10 competitions. Between 2001 and 2014, the only teams to win the Cup were Middle Tennessee (with 9) and Western Kentucky (with 5). Middle Tennessee left the conference after 2013 and Western Kentucky did the same the following year, which paved the way for South Alabama to retake control of the Cup for each of the next 4 seasons.
Trophy
The trophy itself has gone through four different designs. The first was a blue and white porcelain vase and all others have been a Waterford Crystal vase (each version becoming more elaborate than the version prior).[citation needed] The current design was introduced during the 2022–23 season.
The Sun Belt Conference has sponsored an annual baseball tournament to determine the conference winner and automatic NCAA Division I Tournament host since 1978. South Alabama has won the most championships, at 13. The Sun Belt also has imposed several seasons under divisional structure (1981-1994; 2016-2021). In 2022, the structure reverted back to standard structure (1978-1980; 1995-2015; 2022-present).
The Sun Belt Conference has sponsored an annual softball tournament to determine the conference winner and automatic bid to the NCAA Division I softball tournament since 2000. Louisiana has won the most championships, at 17.
Since 2020–21, the Sun Belt Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments, held in early March, has involved all conference members and is played entirely in Pensacola, Florida. First- and second-round games are played at Hartsell Arena on the campus of Pensacola State College and the Pensacola Bay Center, with semifinals and finals at the Bay Center.[5] Winners of the tournaments earn automatic bids to their respective NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament.
All 14 full Sun Belt members play football in the conference. Idaho and New Mexico State competed as single-sport members before being dropped from Sun Belt football after the 2017 season.
^Does not include one title in 2013 vacated due to NCAA sanctions.
^Louisiana's title was vacated due to NCAA sanctions.
^Divisional champions Coastal Carolina and Louisiana were declared conference co-champions after the scheduled Sun Belt championship game was canceled due to COVID-19.
