8/30/2023 0 Comments Does wac conference have footballInstead, the Bearkats will be in Conference USA starting in July of 2023.Īnother kick in the WAC’s stomach came from the New Mexico State Aggies, a mid-major basketball power each year with the ability to make noise in the NCAA tournament. Sam Houston, which had entered the WAC as the defending FCS national champion, announced last November it would move up to FBS level, but not with the WAC. There were occasional rumors for months about the “Texas Four” joining the WAC, but up until that January 2021 announcement, know one really knew anything for certain.īut just as quickly as the new-look league took shape, it began to fall apart. Related: Lamar expedites return to Southland Conferenceįormer Lamar athletic director Marco Born, alongside former school president Ken Evans, got the deal done with the WAC in the dark. Before the Cardinals restart their time in the Southland this fall, let’s take a look back at how Lamar’s tenure in the WAC took a turn for the worst. Meanwhile, Lamar’s athletic results made matters even worse as the department had an ugly year in football and basketball.įor a multitude of reasons, Lamar has now returned to the Southland Conference – and quicker than expected at that. One by one, pieces of the WAC’s promises began to break. There was even talk of WAC football one day soon stepping up to the FBS level as a league.Īll that was well and good, until the collegiate athletic landscape began to crumble. They praised the potential of WAC basketball, citing the possibility of putting two WAC teams into the NCAA tournament on an annual basis. Austin and Abilene Christian.ĭuring a press conference inside NRG Park in Houston, WAC leaders gloated about the lofty goals of their league. One of them was Lamar, which entered the new-look WAC alongside Sam Houston, Stephen F. The conference will add The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in the fall of 2025 when it begins sponsorship of football.In January of 2021, four Texas schools announced they would be leaving the Southland Conference. Austin State University, Tarleton State University and Utah Tech University. The United Athletic Conference enters its third overall year as a football partnership and first functioning as a single-sport NCAA conference with nine participating institutions: Abilene Christian University, Austin Peay State University, University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, University of North Alabama, Southern Utah University, Stephen F. The team with the best conference record (and who owns any applicable tiebreakers in the case of matching league records) will be declared the United Athletic Conference champion and FCS playoffs AQ.Ī full conference rollout including official marks, an official website and more information will be released in the coming months. The 2024 schedule will feature a full eight-game single round robin. The 2023 United Athletic Conference schedule will be limited to six conference games among its nine members. Also included in the leadership is Executive Director Oliver Luck, WAC Commissioner Brian Thornton and outgoing ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart, with incoming ASUN Commissioner Jeff Baconofficially joining upon Gumbart's retirement at the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year. James Hurley from Tarleton State University and Dr. David McFaddin from Eastern Kentucky University. 5, the governance structure of the United Athletic Conference features co-chairs of the Council of Presidents, Dr. The conference will officially add The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in the fall of 2025 when it begins sponsorship of football.Īs previously announced on Jan. The newly christened United Athletic Conference currently has nine participating institutions: Abilene Christian University, Austin Peay State University, University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, University of North Alabama, Southern Utah University, Stephen F. The group will recognize its own league champion and at-large FCS playoffs automatic qualifier under a singular conference banner beginning with the 2023 football season. The ASUN Conference and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) football partnership is now officially known as the United Athletic Conference, as announced jointly on Monday by the football-sponsoring members of both conferences.Įntering its third year as a formal football partnership but first as a single entity, the United Athletic Conference now fully operates like a single-sport conference with an independent budget, policies and governing documents.
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