Add those teams to two emerging mid-major powers in Grand Canyon and Cal Baptist, the WAC now has five legitimate contenders and it might make the WAC good enough to be a multi-bid conference in any given year. The additions of Stephen F Austin and emerging Abeline Christian, both schools that have had NCAA tourney appearances in the last four years, will give New Mexico State much-needed competition. The WAC has been constantly dominated by New Mexico State over the past decade. While the WAC football resurrection is the main headline, this going to have a major impact in the college basketball world as well. There are also maybe plans to move the conference to the FBS level in the future, but the WAC is focused on making the FCS work. Commissioner Jeff Hurd revealed the conference is still looking to add another school to the news conference and prefers a program that is geographically suitable for Texas. “I cannot overstate my level of excitement in making this expansion announcement,” said Hurd, “The opportunity to bring five quality institutions into the conference, to significantly strengthen the WAC’s national basketball brand and other championship sport profiles, and to bring football back under the WAC umbrella is one that made sense.”įor next year, the conference will need to apply for a waiver to get “AQ” status for the FCS playoff since Tarleton State and Dixie State are both transitioning division schools and are not eligible for the postseason. The accelerated timing is the result of the Southern Conference’s willingness to expedite the release of the four Southland schools: Lamar, Stephen F Austin, ACU, and Sam Houston State.
Having a strategical influence in Texas and the southwest was made a big emphasis by the WAC.Īs for timing, the four Texas schools will join in July 2021, while Southern Utah will join the party a year later in July of 2022. “With the four new schools, the WAC has more members in the state of Texas than any other (Division I) conference,” Hurd said. In football, the school will host a seven-team FCS conference and will be joined by WAC members Dixie State and Tarleton State, who moved up from D2 ranks last year. GCU president added, “the divisions will keep the Olympic sports alive.” This is important for athletic departments whose funding has been crippled by the Covid shutdown and testing requirements. The structure of using two divisions will help benefit the structure of the conference and help keep programs economically stable. The conference will split up into two different divisions to help limit travel. This will create a large 13 team conference that stretches Geographically from Seattle to East Texas. All five near members will also compete in all of the Olympic sports and add much-needed depth to the strong basketball side of the conference. The Western Athletic Conference held a press conference early Thursday detailing the conference additions Southern Utah, Abeline Christian, Lamar, Stephen F Austin, and Sam Houston State will all join the conference and resurrect football. After a decade hiatus, the conference announced its back in the football business. The conference was the biggest loser in conference realignment in 2012 and had to give up football entirely when schools fled to different conferences. The conference had multiple cinderella runs and hosted some all-time great mid-major teams from Chris Peterson’s Boise State run from 2007-2012, Pat Hill’s early 2000s Fresno State team, Colin Kapernick’s 2009-2010 conference championship run at Nevada, and we could never forget Colt Brennan’s 13-1 Hawaii team. The WAC was one was the top-tier conference for mid-major football for over four decades. As soon as next season, college football fans will be able to enjoy #Waction football for the first time in a decade. Houston- Football is officially back in the WAC.
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