Western Athletic Conference football

The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) sponsored football and crowned a champion every year from 1962 to 2012. Once considered one of the best conferences in college football, steady attrition from 1999 to 2012 forced the WAC to drop football after fifty-one years.[1]

WAC football champions
Conference Football Champions
Western Athletic Conference Logo
SportFootball
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
Number of teams8
Played1962–2012, 2021–2022
Current championStephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Abilene Christian Wildcats
Most championshipsBYU Cougars (19)
Official websiteWACSports.com Football

On January 14, 2021, the WAC announced its intention to reinstate football as a conference-sponsored sport at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, as well as the addition of five new members to the conference in all sports, including football.[2] The new members announced include: Abilene Christian University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, and Stephen F. Austin State University, all currently of the Southland Conference (SLC), along with Southern Utah University, currently of the Big Sky Conference. Original plans were for all new members to join in July 2022, but after the SLC expelled its departing members, the WAC moved the arrival of those four schools and the relaunch of football to July 2021. Southern Utah's entry remained on the 2022 schedule.[3][4] The WAC football league also included Dixie State University (renamed Utah Tech University in 2022) and Tarleton State University, both of which played as FCS independents in 2020–21 after having moved from NCAA Division II to the WAC for non-football sports in July 2020. The conference also announced that it will most likely add another football-playing institution at a later date. The conference has been speculated to move back up to the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in the future following the reestablishment of the football conference at the FCS level.[5]

On the same day, news broke that The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), a non-football playing member of the conference, had committed to create an FCS football program by 2024.[6] At the time, the program would most likely have competed as part of the newly-reinstated WAC football conference.

For its first two planned seasons in 2021 and 2022, the relaunched WAC football league was branded as the ASUN–WAC (or WAC–ASUN) Challenge, with the WAC establishing a temporary football partnership with the ASUN Conference. The ASUN eventually started its own FCS football league in 2022. Under the partnership, three FCS programs that joined the ASUN in July 2021 played alongside current WAC members.[7][8]

The ASUN–WAC partnership was renewed for the 2022 season after the start of FBS transitions by ASUN member Jacksonville State and WAC member Sam Houston rendered both ineligible for the FCS playoffs, also dropping both conferences below the 6 football members needed to qualify for an automatic berth in the FCS playoffs.[9] The WAC's playoff-eligible membership soon dropped further to 3, after Incarnate Word backed out of its planned move from the SLC to the WAC[10] and Lamar, which had announced it would leave the WAC in 2023 to return to the SLC, accelerated this move to 2022.[11]

The 2022 season proved to be the last for the WAC as a standalone football conference. On December 20, 2022, the ASUN and WAC jointly announced that they would fully merge their football conferences effective with the 2023 season under the tentative name of ASUN–WAC Football Conference. The ASUN is contributing Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and North Alabama to the new league, with the WAC contributing Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton, and Utah Tech. UTRGV, which put off the start of its football program to 2025, will join at that time. The merged conference will play a six-game schedule in 2023 before adopting a full round-robin in 2024.[12][13]

Former members

The WAC has 28 former football-playing members.

TeamFirst YearLast YearWAC TitlesCurrent Primary Conference
Air Force Falcons 1980 1998 3 Mountain West
Arizona Wildcats 1962 1977 2 Pac-12
Big 12 (2024)
Arizona State Sun Devils 1962 1977 7 Pac-12
Big 12 (2024)
Boise State Broncos 2001 2010 8 Mountain West
BYU Cougars 1962 1998 19 Big 12
Fresno State Bulldogs 1992 2011 3 Mountain West
Colorado State Rams 1967 1998 3 Mountain West
Hawaii Warriors 1979 2011 4 Mountain West
Idaho Vandals 2005 2012 0 Big Sky
Lamar Cardinals 2021 2021 0 Southland
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 2001 2012 2 C-USA
UNLV Rebels 1996 1998 0 Mountain West
Nevada Wolf Pack 2000 2011 2 Mountain West
New Mexico Lobos 1962 1998 2 Mountain West
New Mexico State Aggies 2005 2012 0 C-USA
Rice Owls 1996 2004 0 The American
San Diego State Aztecs 1978 1998 1 Mountain West
San Jose State Spartans 1996 2012 0 Mountain West
SMU Mustangs 1996 2004 0 The American
ACC (2024)
TCU Horned Frogs 1996 2000 2 Big 12
UTEP Miners 1967 2004 1 C-USA
UTSA Roadrunners 2012 2012 0 The American
Texas State Bobcats 2012 2012 0 Sun Belt
Tulsa Golden Hurricane 1996 2004 0 The American
Utah Utes 1962 1998 2 Pac-12
Big 12 (2024)
Utah State Aggies 2005 2012 1 Mountain West
Wyoming Cowboys 1962 1998 7 Mountain West
Sam Houston State 2021 2022 1 C-USA

Current members

The WAC resumed play in the 2021 fall season with 9 members. Before the reinstatement of football was officially announced, media reports indicated that the WAC might add two more schools to join the conference for football.[14] On the same day that WAC confirmed the return of football, full conference member UTRGV announced that it would start an FCS football program no later than 2024. By the end of January 2021, three more schools were brought into WAC football for the 2021 fall season only. All are incoming members of the ASUN Conference, which plans to start an FCS football league in 2022.[15] The WAC–ASUN Challenge consists of the seven teams that are eligible for the FCS playoffs. Utah Tech and Tarleton are included in alliance scheduling, but because of their ongoing transitions from NCAA Division II to Division I are ineligible for the playoffs until the 2024 season. Games against these schools do not count in alliance standings, although games against full WAC members count in the separate WAC league table.[7][8] Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State will leave the WAC for the 2023 season as they begin transitioning to the FBS level as members of Conference USA.

TeamLocationNicknameStadiumCapacityCurrent Primary ConferenceStarting Year
Abilene Christian Abilene, TX Wildcats Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium 12,000 WAC 2021
Central Arkansas Conway, AR Bears Estes Stadium 12,000 ASUN 2021
Eastern Kentucky Richmond, KY Colonels Roy Kidd Stadium 20,000 ASUN 2021
Jacksonville State Jacksonville, AL Gamecocks Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium 24,000 ASUN 2021
Stephen F. Austin Nacogdoches, TX Lumberjacks Homer Bryce Stadium 14,575 WAC 2021
Tarleton State Stephenville, TX Texans Memorial Stadium 17,000 WAC 2021
Southern Utah Cedar City, UT Thunderbirds Eccles Coliseum 8,500 WAC 2022
Utah Tech St. George, UT Trailblazers Greater Zion Stadium 10,000 WAC 2021
UTRGV Edinburg, TX Vaqueros TBD TBD WAC
(forming a new program)
2024

Conference championships

By year

A 2007 WAC game, Boise State at Hawaii
SeasonChampionConference record
1962New Mexico2–1–1
1963Arizona State3–0
1964Arizona3–1
New Mexico3–1
Utah3–1
1965BYU4–1
1966Wyoming5–0
1967Wyoming5–0
1968Wyoming6–1
1969Arizona State6–1
1970Arizona State7–0
1971Arizona State7–0
1972Arizona State5–1
1973Arizona6–1
Arizona State6–1
1974BYU6–0–1
1975Arizona State7–0
1976BYU6–1
Wyoming6–1
1977Arizona State6–1
BYU6–1
1978BYU5–1
1979BYU7–0
1980BYU6–1
1981BYU7–1
1982BYU7–1
1983BYU7–0
1984BYU8–0
1985Air Force7–1
BYU7–1
1986San Diego State7–1
1987Wyoming8–0
1988Wyoming8–0
1989BYU7–1
1990BYU7–1
1991BYU7–0–1
1992BYU6–2
Fresno State6–2
Hawaii6–2
1993BYU6–2
Fresno State6–2
Wyoming6–2
1994Colorado State7–1
1995Air Force6–2
BYU6–2
Colorado State6–2
Utah6–2
1996BYU8–0
1997Colorado State7–1
1998Air Force7–1
1999Hawaii5–2
Fresno State5–2
TCU5–2
2000TCU7–1
UTEP7–1
2001Louisiana Tech7–1
2002Boise State8–0
2003Boise State8–0
2004Boise State8–0
2005Boise State7–1
Nevada7–1
2006Boise State8–0
2007Hawaii8–0
2008Boise State8–0
2009Boise State8–0
2010Boise State7–1
Nevada7–1
Hawaii7–1
2011Louisiana Tech6–1
2012Utah State6–0
2013–2020Dropped football
2021Sam Houston State5–0
2022Stephen F. Austin3–1
Abilene Christian3–1

By team

Members of the 2008 WAC champion Boise State team, before a game against Nevada
TeamChampionships
TotalOutrightShared
BYU19136
Boise State862
Arizona State752
Wyoming752
Hawaii413
Colorado State321
Air Force312
Fresno State303
Louisiana Tech220
New Mexico220
Arizona202
Nevada202
TCU202
Utah202
Sam Houston State110
San Diego State110
UTEP101
Utah State110
Abilene Christian101
Stephen F. Austin101

Championship game

Bowl games

The first bowl game appearance by a WAC team was at the 1964 Liberty Bowl, where Utah defeated West Virginia of the Southern Conference, 32–6.[16]

The WAC had conference tie-ins with various bowl games during its history, including:

Bowl Championship Series

The WAC champion received an automatic berth in one of the five Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl games if they were the highest ranked non-automatic qualifying conference champion and either of the following:

  • Ranked in the top 12 of the BCS Rankings.
  • Ranked in the top 16 of the BCS Rankings and its ranking was higher than that of an automatic qualifying conference champion.

By qualifying under the first criterion above, Boise State landed a berth in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, and Hawaii received a bid to play in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. In 2009, the Mountain West champion TCU Horned Frogs received the automatic BCS bid by finishing higher than Boise State in the final BCS rankings. However, Boise State received a BCS at-large bid and defeated TCU in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. In three BCS bowl games, the WAC recorded two wins and one loss. In addition to those three teams that played in BCS bowls, four other WAC teams qualified for a BCS berth but were not selected to play in a BCS bowl game: TCU in 2000 and Boise State in 2004, 2008, and 2010.

Bowl WAC Opponent
TeamScore TeamScoreConference
2007 Fiesta Bowl #9 Boise State43 #7 Oklahoma42Big 12
2008 Sugar Bowl #10 Hawaii10 #4 Georgia41SEC
2010 Fiesta Bowl #6 Boise State17 #3 TCU10Mountain West

Rivalries

Notable football rivalries involving WAC teams are listed below. Records are not limited to years that the WAC was active.

TeamsRivalryYearsGamesSeries leader (W–L–T)Current win streakRef.
IdahoBoise StateGovernor's Trophy1971–201040Boise State (22–17–1)Boise State (12)[17]
New Mexico StateNew MexicoRio Grande Rivalry1894–2018109New Mexico (71–33–5)New Mexico (1)[18]
New Mexico StateUTEPThe Battle of I-101914–201896UTEP (57–37–2)New Mexico State (2)[19]
San Jose StateFresno StateValley Rivalry1921–201882Fresno State (42–37–3)Fresno State (2)[20]
Sam Houston StateStephen F. AustinBattle of the Piney Woods1923–Present95Sam Houston State (58–35–2)Sam Houston State (10)[21]
Utah StateBYUOld Wagon Wheel1922–201888BYU (48–37–3)Utah State (2)[22]
Utah StateUtahBattle of the Brothers1892–2015113Utah (79–30–4)Utah (2)[23]

Divisional alignment

Starting in 1996, the 16 conference members were divided info four pods, each with four teams. Two pods comprised the Pacific Division, and the other two pods were the Mountain Division. Pod one would always compete in Pacific, while pod four would always compete in Mountain. The other two pods were scheduled to swap divisions every two years, with the new alignment to take effect in even-numbered years. The pods and divisional alignment were discontinued after 1998.

Western Athletic Conference football is located in the United States
⇙ Hawaii
⇙ Hawaii
Fresno State
Fresno State
San Diego State
San Diego State
San Jose State
San Jose State
UNLV
UNLV
Air Force
Air Force
Colorado State
Colorado State
Wyoming
Wyoming
BYU
BYU
New Mexico
New Mexico
Utah
Utah
UTEP
UTEP
Tulsa
Tulsa
TCU
TCU
SMU
SMU
Rice
Rice
WAC member locations during the four-pod system (1996–1998)
PodTeamsDivision
199619971998
1Fresno State
Hawaii
San Diego State
San Jose State
PacificPacificPacific
2Air Force
Colorado State
UNLV
Wyoming
PacificPacificMountain
3BYU
New Mexico
Utah
UTEP
MountainMountainPacific
4Rice
SMU
TCU
Tulsa
MountainMountainMountain

References

  1. "Western Athletic Conference considers becoming a non-football league". July 3, 2012.
  2. "WAC Announces Expansion, Plans to Reinstate Football" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  3. Blum, Sam (January 14, 2021). "As WAC announces addition of 5 schools, Frisco-based Southland Conference left in no man's land". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. "WAC Announces Expedited Entrance for Four Texas Institutions" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  5. Deaver, Colin. "Reports: WAC football to return in 2022, rise to FBS later in decade". KTSM.com. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  6. Jeyarajah, Shehan. "UTRGV commits to add FCS football by 2024". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  7. "ASUN, WAC Conferences Announce Football Partnership for 2021" (Press release). ASUN Conference. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  8. "From the Commissioner's Desk: @ASUN_Football Update" (Press release). ASUN Conference. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  9. "ASUN and WAC Renew Football Alliance" (Press release). ASUN Conference. May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  10. "University of the Incarnate Word Staying in the Southland Conference" (Press release). Southland Conference. June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  11. "Lamar University Prepares for Early Move to Southland Conference" (Press release). Southland Conference. July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  12. "@ASUN_Football and WAC Release 2023 Schedule" (Press release). ASUN Conference. December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  13. "ASUN And WAC Unveil 2023 Football Schedule" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  14. Vejar, Alex (January 6, 2021). "Report: Two Utah schools in plans for return of WAC football in 2022". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  15. Jeyarajah, Shehan (January 28, 2021). "Report: Three schools to join WAC football for 2021 season only". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  16. "1964 Western Athletic Conference Year Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  17. "Winsipedia - Idaho Vandals vs. Boise State Broncos football series history". Winsipedia.
  18. "Winsipedia - New Mexico State Aggies vs. New Mexico Lobos football series history". Winsipedia.
  19. "Winsipedia - New Mexico State Aggies vs. UTEP Miners football series history". Winsipedia.
  20. "Winsipedia - San Jose State Spartans vs. Fresno State Bulldogs football series history". Winsipedia.
  21. "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NRG Stadium made permanent home of Battle of the Piney Woods".
  22. "Winsipedia - Utah State Aggies vs. BYU Cougars football series history". Winsipedia.
  23. "Winsipedia - Utah State Aggies vs. Utah Utes football series history". Winsipedia.
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