Which new institutions are joining the Western Athletic Conference (WAC)?
Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin are joinig the WAC on July 1, 2021. Southern Utah is joining the WAC on July 1, 2022.
Are any institutions departing the WAC?
Chicago State voluntarily exits the WAC on June 30, 2022.
How many members will the WAC have in 2022-23?
As of now, the WAC is on track to have 13 full-time members, including returning members California Baptist, Dixie State, Grand Canyon, New Mexico State, Seattle U, Tarleton State, Utah Valley and UTRGV.
How does this help the WAC?
The conference is strengthened significantly in team and individual sports. The majority of members will be located in the nation’s two fastest growing states since 2010, with six institutions in Texas and three in Utah. Recruiting areas in all sports for WAC institutions will be greatly expanded. Most importantly, both new and current members have a shared vision for the conference’s future.
Additionally, the new WAC will have members located in high-growth, warm weather areas that are either nearby or in metropolitan markets. As such it enhances university-wide exposures, increases recruiting territories for all member institutions and promotes long-term sustainability and growth.
How does expansion help UTRGV?
The additional members not only give the WAC long-term stability, but also solidify a strong footprint in Texas. This will have a significant impact on UTRGV’s ability to recruit throughout the state by putting UTRGV teams into more Texas markets during conference play following non-conference schedules that can be full of other Texas opponents.
This will also have a major impact on UTRGV’s ability to brand itself throughout the state as well, not just athletically, but as an institution.
How does WAC expansion impact the Rio Grande Valley?
There is no better way to rally a region than through Division I college athletics, which are viewed as a unifier for college campuses all across the country.
Having more Texas opponents will allow for increased fan participation when the Vaqueros play at home or on the road. Fans from UTRGV opponents are now more likely to visit as well, which can have an impact on local hotels, restaurants, and other businesses. WAC home games now have the chance to be a significant revenue driver for the Rio Grande Valley.
How many WAC members are located in Texas?
Six – Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State and UTRGV.
Does any NCAA Division I conference have more than six Texas members?
No. The next closest conferences are the Big 12 and Conference USA with four each.
Who is UTRGV’s closest opponent?
Sam Houston is 405 miles away, which is about a six hour and 16-minute drive.
The other Texas members aren’t much farther away:
Lamar is 424 miles away, which is about a six-and-a-half-hour drive.
Tarleton State is 436 miles away and about a seven-hour drive.
Abilene Christian and Stephen F. Austin are both about 480 miles away and about a seven-and-a-half-hour drive, albeit in different directions.
Will the WAC break into divisions?
The WAC will be divided into two divisions for team sports other than football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball. The Southwest Division will consist of the Texas-based institutions including Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State and UTRGV. The West Division will include California Baptist, Dixie State, Grand Canyon, New Mexico State, Seattle U, Southern Utah and Utah Valley.
How will men’s and women’s basketball be scheduled?
The format and number of conference games to be played still is to be determined by the new administrative groups. It is expected that divisional crossover games will be included in the schedules.
How will divisional play be scheduled?
It is expected that divisional play will be conducted in either a single or double round-robin format. With input from the respective head coaches of each sport, the new administrative groups ultimately will make the determination.
What will be the format and locations for conference championships?
Both will be determined once the new administrative structure is put into place. It is anticipated the conference basketball tournaments will remain in Las Vegas. It is also the expectation there will be an equal divisional geographic distribution and/or rotation of most, if not all, of the remaining championships.
How does this change the total amount of travel for UTRGV?
The average distance from UTRGV to all WAC opponents would drop by over 300 miles – from 1,355 to 1,052.
Within the Southwest Division, the average distance from UTRGV to each opponent would be just 445 miles, a decrease of 910 miles between institutions in the current WAC.
How will this improve the WAC’s ability to compete?
The restructured WAC would have changed the average national ranking for conference teams substantially in recent years. Over the previous three fully completed years, the average team ranking of the WAC’s future structure would have improved by 20 spots in men’s basketball, 45 spots in women’s basketball and 24 spots in baseball.
All five of the new schools play FCS football, as do existing members Dixie State and Tarleton State. Is UTRGV planning on starting a football team?
UTRGV continues to be committed to exploring initiatives that further the institution’s mission to engage the Rio Grande Valley and provide opportunities to enhance the experience of our students.
The addition of football to the WAC provides UTRGV with a path forward to revisit conversations regarding football.
Our intent to explore the establishment of a football program will require significant discussion with students, the entire university community and the community at large. Much work remains to be done before any new sport can be implemented. We would be required to obtain both student and UT System Board of Regents approval.
Has UTRGV conducted a feasibility study to explore the idea of starting football?
Yes. UTRGV contracted with College Sports Solutions in 2016. CSS completed its study in August 2017. Legendary University of Texas football coach Mack Brown, now the head coach at North Carolina, volunteered to chair the committee, while former NCAA Executive Vice President Oliver Luck agreed to serve as a special consultant.
With six NCAA Division I institutions now competing in the WAC, how many Division I programs in Texas sponsor football?
Twenty-one of the 24 NCAA Division I athletics programs in Texas compete in football, meaning only three Division I Texas institutions do not currently sponsor football.
FCS: Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, Lamar, Prairie View A&M, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State, and Texas Southern
FBS: Baylor, Houston, North Texas, Rice, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, UTEP, and UTSA
No Football: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, UT Arlington, UTRGV
Does WAC expansion provide an opportunity to add new sports programs?
UTRGV continues to be committed to exploring initiatives that further the institution’s mission to engage the Rio Grande Valley and provide opportunities to enhance the experience of our students.
The WAC is on track to sponsor 20 sports, including 10 men’s (baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, soccer, swimming & diving, and tennis) and 10 women’s (basketball, cross country, golf, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, and volleyball) sports in 2022-23.
UTRGV currently sponsors 16 sports, including eight men’s (baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, soccer, and tennis) and eight women’s (basketball, cross country, golf, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, soccer, tennis, and volleyball) programs.
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