By Ryan Crowe



FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – The college sports landscape of North Texas is changing yet again.

CBSDFW has learned the University of North Texas‘ athletic programs will be moving to Conference USA in 2013, replacing SMU, who is off to the Big East.

Sources close to the situation tell CBSDFW the Mean Green are preparing to make an announcement Friday on the Denton campus.

Meanwhile, CBSSports.com is reporting UT Arlington will be replacing North Texas in the Sun Belt Conference in 2013.

The Mavericks are already scheduled to move into the Western Athletic Conference this fall. In an email to CBSDFW, UT Arlington spokesman Gregg Elkin said the school is “not in a position at this time to make any comments.”

The moves follow TCU’s recent league changes. In 2010 the Fort Worth school said they would move to the Big East in 2012. That move was cancelled with Texas A&M’s departure from the Big 12 Conference to the SEC.

TCU will officially join the Big 12 in September, SMU will move into the Big East in 2013.

The Horned Frogs and Mustangs were both part of Conference USA and the WAC since leaving the Southwest Conference following that league’s dissolvement in 1996.

The realignments are all part of a national shift in conferences set off by league expansions and mergers over the last few years.

Conference USA is based in Las Colinas, the Big 12 is based in Irving.