WAC set to announce FCS conference
The Western Athletic Conference, which hasn't sponsored the sport since 2012, will have a rebirth on the FCS level, as part of an Jan. 14 announcement planned at NRG Stadium in Houston, according to Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday.
The report said the new football conference will start in 2022 and include current WAC members Dixie State and Tarleton as well as Southern Utah moving over from the Big Sky Conference and Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin joining from the Southland Conference.
Several other FCS or Division II programs could be added in the coming months, and the long-term goal of the league is to elevate football back to the FBS, where current WAC member New Mexico State plays as an independent, the report added.
https://www.inforum.com/bison-media-zone...conference
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I fail to see how it's gonna elevate to FBS, most of these schools are absolutely not FBS ready, and they would smother each other if they al tried to move up. Texas can only handle so many G5 schools
(01-07-2021 09:33 AM)TDenverFan Wrote: [ -> ]I fail to see how it's gonna elevate to FBS, most of these schools are absolutely not FBS ready, and they would smother each other if they al tried to move up. Texas can only handle so many G5 schools
I bet current Sunbelt & CUSA schools Texas State, UTEP, and UTSA join the WAC and you know darn well JMU will slide right into that CUSA vacancy.
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Just an aside, the atrophying of these minor conferences is crazy. Not all that long ago, the WAC had Boise State, Nevada, BYU, UNLV, Rice, Hawaii. Now it's Cal Baptist, Dixie State, Tarleton State, Texas-Rio Grande, Grand Canyon University. Didn't even know any of those schools were D1, aside from Grand Canyon getting some recent press.
(01-07-2021 11:00 AM)Tribe2011 Wrote: [ -> ]Just an aside, the atrophying of these minor conferences is crazy. Not all that long ago, the WAC had Boise State, Nevada, BYU, UNLV, Rice, Hawaii. Now it's Cal Baptist, Dixie State, Tarleton State, Texas-Rio Grande, Grand Canyon University. Didn't even know any of those schools were D1, aside from Grand Canyon getting some recent press.
Most of those schools were D2 call-ups as the WAC was losing programs left and right.
UTRGV has bounced around D1 for a while, but up until ~5 years back they were UT-Pan American.
Prior to the WAC they were in the Great West Conference, which basically just wound up being all of the remaining independent schools forming a cross country mish-mash of a conference, spanning from Utah to New Jersey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_West_Conference
With some schools cutting football--and other sports--I find it hard to believe these schools can sustain. It must be their last ditch attempt or something. I can see going for a regional conference but FBS?
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(01-07-2021 11:41 AM)Tribal Wrote: [ -> ]With some schools cutting football--and other sports--I find it hard to believe these schools can sustain. It must be their last ditch attempt or something. I can see going for a regional conference but FBS?
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What's odd to me is the Southland was a regional conference. The WAC is mostly southwestern/Texas schools, but still has Seattle and Chicago State in it
(01-07-2021 11:00 AM)Tribe2011 Wrote: [ -> ]Just an aside, the atrophying of these minor conferences is crazy. Not all that long ago, the WAC had Boise State, Nevada, BYU, UNLV, Rice, Hawaii. Now it's Cal Baptist, Dixie State, Tarleton State, Texas-Rio Grande, Grand Canyon University. Didn't even know any of those schools were D1, aside from Grand Canyon getting some recent press.
I didn't know any of the new schools existed.
(01-07-2021 06:08 PM)WMInTheBurg Wrote: [ -> ]I didn't know any of the new schools existed.
Well, not now, of course, but once they're firmly in the G5 they'll all be household names, just like Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, and Louisiana-Monroe.
(01-14-2021 09:53 PM)Tribal Wrote: [ -> ]Clear intent is to form a Texas-centric FCS conference and any school will do. Raise your hand if you've heard of UT-Rio Grande Valley.
https://footballscoop.com/news/new-fcs-p...g-in-2024/
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The schools making the move think they're hitting a home run. At a time when so many existing conference affiliations are problematic (recall Big East and A10 whining about non rev sport travel costs), it's hard to criticize schools with the courage and vision to try something different. Chicago State will fall by the way. Suspect Seattle will also. Then the geography really makes sense. What a concept.
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2021/1/1...ew-schools
The ASun conference will also be starting football in Fall 2021.
https://twitter.com/ASUNSports/status/13...7598111746
Jacksonville State, Central Arkansas, Kennesaw State, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, and 1 or 2 members to be announced.
I guess with the WAC and ASun there will be 2 fewer at large spots available in the playoffs
(01-07-2021 11:31 AM)TDenverFan Wrote: [ -> ] (01-07-2021 11:00 AM)Tribe2011 Wrote: [ -> ]Just an aside, the atrophying of these minor conferences is crazy. Not all that long ago, the WAC had Boise State, Nevada, BYU, UNLV, Rice, Hawaii. Now it's Cal Baptist, Dixie State, Tarleton State, Texas-Rio Grande, Grand Canyon University. Didn't even know any of those schools were D1, aside from Grand Canyon getting some recent press.
Most of those schools were D2 call-ups as the WAC was losing programs left and right.
UTRGV has bounced around D1 for a while, but up until ~5 years back they were UT-Pan American.
Prior to the WAC they were in the Great West Conference, which basically just wound up being all of the remaining independent schools forming a cross country mish-mash of a conference, spanning from Utah to New Jersey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_West_Conference
My friend broadcasts for UTRGV. The WAC is spread out from Chicago State in the northeast to UTRGV in the southeast to Cal Baptist and Grand Canyon in the southwest to Seattle in the northwest. Dixie State and Tarleton State are new to D1 this season, and Cal Baptist I think is in their third or fourth D1 season. The McAllen-Brownsville-Harlingen market is significant. UTRGV is in Edinburg. Most people in the area are Hispanic, and one of the professors has a sign on her door informing students of their rights if ICE investigates them.
(02-01-2021 12:17 PM)EvanJ Wrote: [ -> ] (01-07-2021 11:31 AM)TDenverFan Wrote: [ -> ] (01-07-2021 11:00 AM)Tribe2011 Wrote: [ -> ]Just an aside, the atrophying of these minor conferences is crazy. Not all that long ago, the WAC had Boise State, Nevada, BYU, UNLV, Rice, Hawaii. Now it's Cal Baptist, Dixie State, Tarleton State, Texas-Rio Grande, Grand Canyon University. Didn't even know any of those schools were D1, aside from Grand Canyon getting some recent press.
Most of those schools were D2 call-ups as the WAC was losing programs left and right.
UTRGV has bounced around D1 for a while, but up until ~5 years back they were UT-Pan American.
Prior to the WAC they were in the Great West Conference, which basically just wound up being all of the remaining independent schools forming a cross country mish-mash of a conference, spanning from Utah to New Jersey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_West_Conference
My friend broadcasts for UTRGV. The WAC is spread out from Chicago State in the northeast to UTRGV in the southeast to Cal Baptist and Grand Canyon in the southwest to Seattle in the northwest. Dixie State and Tarleton State are new to D1 this season, and Cal Baptist I think is in their third or fourth D1 season. The McAllen-Brownsville-Harlingen market is significant. UTRGV is in Edinburg. Most people in the area are Hispanic, and one of the professors has a sign on her door informing students of their rights if ICE investigates them.
The WAC is ditching Chicago State, so outside of Seattle it'll actually be decently compact for a western conference.
I did see UTRGV was studying adding football, it will be interesting to see how that goes, if they choose to do so. It's a large region of Texas without another D1 program.
For the football deprived the JMU/Morehead State game will be televised this weekend. Would not expect a stiff test here for the Dukes.
(02-18-2021 10:57 AM)TribeNomad Wrote: [ -> ]For the football deprived the JMU/Morehead State game will be televised this weekend. Would not expect a stiff test here for the Dukes.
Would've been nice to have scheduled Howard prior to conference play.
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(02-18-2021 11:30 AM)Tribal Wrote: [ -> ] (02-18-2021 10:57 AM)TribeNomad Wrote: [ -> ]For the football deprived the JMU/Morehead State game will be televised this weekend. Would not expect a stiff test here for the Dukes.
Would've been nice to have scheduled Howard prior to conference play.
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For sure. Interesting read about Crist and his choices, seem to hinge a bit on the Spring Season.
MEAC cancels spring football season because of COVID-19 concerns — The Undefeated
https://t.co/QCOo3ffLy7
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(02-18-2021 01:27 PM)TribeNomad Wrote: [ -> ] (02-18-2021 11:30 AM)Tribal Wrote: [ -> ] (02-18-2021 10:57 AM)TribeNomad Wrote: [ -> ]For the football deprived the JMU/Morehead State game will be televised this weekend. Would not expect a stiff test here for the Dukes.
Would've been nice to have scheduled Howard prior to conference play.
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For sure. Interesting read about Crist and his choices, seem to hinge a bit on the Spring Season.
JMU’s first 2 games will be on NBCSports Washington on cable. Not sure about the CAA games yet only on FLO i’m thinking right now.