When the clock struck midnight on June 30, the Mustangs officially charged into Conference USA, leaving behind the Western Athletic Conference so familiar to fans of recent years.

July 1 saw SMU athletics join 11 other institutions ­– some newcomers to the conference such as Rice and Tulsa, some C-USA strongholds like Eastern Carolina and Tulane – under the revamped banner.

“We’re looking forward to it,” said senior Don-Ieremia Stansbury, a defensive end on the Mustang football team.

“The competition’s going to be a little stiffer but a little more regional.”

Each of the 12 universities now in Conference USA will field a Division 1-A football program. In all, C-USA will be home to nine men’s sports and 10 for women.

SMU President R. Gerald Turner, in an SMUMUSTANGS.com article, said, “Our goal from the beginning has been to put SMU Athletics in the very best position to allow our student-athletes and fans to experience competition at the highest level.”

Turner went on to cite an “increase in fan and alumni involvement” as one of his hopes for SMU’s future in Conference USA.

For Stansbury and his teammates, October 1 is a date to look forward to. The team will travel to Huntington, W.Va. for a contest against the Thundering Herd of new conference opponent Marshall University.

“I’m looking forward to Marshall because you always see them on ESPN and ESPN2,” he said.

“Now, we get a chance to travel east and see them ourselves.”

The women’s soccer team will kick off the C-USA schedule for SMU against longtime rival Texas Christian University on September 2. The Mustangs will host the Horned Frogs at 7 p.m.