![]() Hurd mentioned “making sense of geography,” as an important part of the expansion. There isn’t anything for sure, but the six Texas fit together nicely while the other seven are close enough (once Chicago State is out that is).įrom a near-defunct conference scrapping for membership to an up-and-coming hoops conference, not too bad from the WAC resurrecting not just football - but its entire league. The league stated that the conference tourney is expected to stay in Las Vegas, but that could change based off new conference leadership and however much sway the Texas six have. It will be split into divisions with a conference schedule layout being TBD. ![]() Throw in Southern Utah - a surprise Big Sky contender this season - and two of the Southland’s best in ACU (10-2) and SFA (6-2), the WAC just became a multi-bid contender. Grand Canyon continues to build and focus on basketball as the main sport for the school, while Cal Baptist and Dixie State each have shown life despite being relatively new to the D-I world. The WAC absorbed two of the best Southland teams and that finally gives the WAC the depth needed to be a multi-bid league. The WAC did say the move isn’t just about football, which is definitely true. Here’s how the five newbies stack up per the KenPom numbers: No. It does give us an opportunity to increase our basketball strength, increase our basketball profile and as we move forward try to grow this conference even further.” “I think one of the misconceptions is that this is totally a football move. “Basketball is a very big part of this,” WAC commissioner Jeff Hurd said during the media availability. New Mexico State finally has more than a few schools worthy of competition after being the main WAC power in recent memory. The league won’t have an auto-bid to the FCS playoffs right off the bat, but it will consider adding another football school so it doesn’t have to wait for Dixie State and Tarleton State to become postseason eligible. Southern Utah will join by 2022-23 after competing one more season in the Big Sky. The league could compete as early as next year assuming the Texas schools leave the Southland as quickly as expected. The addition of the four Texas schools, along with Southern Utah out of the Big Sky, and the announcement that UT Rio Grande Valley will start football, is clearly, well, mostly about FCS football. Chicago State has enjoyed its time in the WAC and is looking forward to finding new membership,” CSU President Zaldwaynaka Scott said in a press release. With assistance and support from the conference, Chicago State is voluntarily ending its membership on June 30, 2022. For now, it seems like Chi State wants to stay Division I if possible. ![]() The Texas four are likely to join the WAC this summer while Southern Utah will join prior to the 2022-23 season.Ĭhicago State won’t be a part of the new-look WAC according to a school press release, but that isn’t a bad thing as the lowly Cougars haven’t broken the 10-win mark since winning 13 in 2013-14 - its first season in the WAC.Ĭhicago State is leaving voluntarily, according to the WAC, after the university has faced financial struggles and the school already cut the rest of the basketball season completely off recently. In 2025, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley will join the conference with its fledging football program.įormer West Virginia athletic director and NCAA executive Oliver Luck is the new conference's executive director.The league made it official Thursday: Southern Utah, Abilene Christian, Lamar, Stephen F Austin and Sam Houston State will join the conference as it resurrects football - which ended in 2012 - and strengthens its depth in hoops. The schools will play a six-game conference schedule this coming season and move to an eight-game schedule in 2024. ![]() Austin State University, Tarleton State University and Utah Tech University. Current members include Abilene Christian University, Austin Peay State University, University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, University of North Alabama, Southern Utah University, Stephen F. United Athletic Conference members span from Alabama to Utah. Starting in 2023, the UAC will have a recognized champion and automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Championship Subdivision playoffs.įCS is the second-tier of Division I below the Bowl Subdivision. The ASUN and WAC sponsor other sports but did not have enough schools competing in football to sponsor it on their own. The nine schools in the two conferences have teamed up for football-only competition the last two seasons. ![]() ATLANTA (AP) - The ASUN Conference and the Western Athletic Conference announced Monday their football partnership is now a new league known as the United Athletic Conference. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |