Stephen F. Austin is set to return to the Southland Conference as a full-time member beginning July 1st, 2024, departing the WAC and the United Athletic Conference (the joint league for ASUN and WAC football).
“We are in a dynamic, new era of college athletics,” said Michael McBroom, SFA Director of Athletics. “We need stability, but also bold and strategic thinking to ensure a bright future for SFA. The SLC is a conference on the rise, with visionary leadership and a strategic plan that aligns with our own goals for our athletics program and the university. This affiliation puts in an incredibly competitive and historic athletic community, aligns us with regional peers in Texas and Louisiana and allows us a greater opportunity to engage with our alumni, fans and prospective students across the entire region. This was an easy decision for us in that the SLC offered us an opportunity to boldly move forward with confidence and excitement.”
It marks another win for the Southland after being gutted by the ASUN-WAC. And it marks another tough blow to the newer FCS league that became a major disrupter of FCS conference membership, putting some on the brink of total collapse.
The initial membership of the ASUN and the WAC was a good group of FCS teams with a bold vision, including a hope to move its entire league to the FBS, a pathway that proved to be difficult.
The timing of the league formation ended up being unfortunate. Texas and Oklahoma’s move to the SEC led to more FBS-to-FBS movement, which led to FCS-to-FBS movement, which led to FCS-to-FCS movement.
To recap:
- The ASUN and the WAC formed two new FCS football-playing conferences in January 2021.
- The ASUN took Kennesaw State and North Alabama from Big South football, Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky from the OVC, and Central Arkansas from the Southland.
- The WAC took Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Abilene Christian, and Lamar from the Southland, Southern Utah from the Big Sky, and Tarleton State and Utah Tech (then Dixie State) from D2.
- The two conferences formed a one-year joint league in the 2021 fall season called the AQ7. It was expected to be a one-year partnership before they split and had their own playoff auto-bids in 2022.
- The football alliance was extended to 2022 and named the ASUN-WAC after Sam Houston and Jacksonville State accepted invites to the FBS.
- Lamar returned to the Southland in the summer of 2022 after one year in the WAC.
- In November 2021, UIW announced it would leave the Southland to join the WAC, effective July 1, 2022. On June 24, 2022, just a week before joining, UIW informed the WAC that it would not proceed with becoming a member and would remain in the Southland Conference.
- McNeese was also being courted to the WAC from the Southland but decided to remain in the Southland.
- In October 2022, Kennesaw announced it’d be leaving for the FBS.
- In April 2023, the ASUN-WAC rebranded to the United Athletic Conference, continuing its partnership as a joint football league due to low membership on both sides.
- In September 2023, West Georgia announced it was joining the ASUN and the UAC in 2024, making it 10 UAC members: Austin Peay, UCA, EKU, UNA, ACU, SUU, SFA, Tarleton, Utah Tech, and West Georgia.
- In March 2024, UTRGV announced it was leaving the WAC for the Southland. UTRGV (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) is starting an FCS program with its debut season coming in 2025.
- SFA is set to rejoin the Southland this summer, leaving the UAC with nine members and the WAC with four football-playing members.
The Southland will grow to nine football members this fall as SFA joins Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Texas A&M-Commerce.
It’ll grow to 10 football teams in 2025 with the addition of UTRGV. Five of those members were once in the WAC or close to joining the WAC (SFA, UTRGV, UIW, Lamar, McNeese).
“It is a privilege to welcome a proven winner both athletically and academically in Stephen F. Austin to the Southland Conference,” Southland Conference Commissioner Chris Grant exclaimed. “As we continue to see a trending evolution in college athletics, we are proud to continue our upward momentum and build upon our rich geographic footprint with an institution that shares like-minded priorities that put the student-athlete first. Historically and currently in its leadership, SFA has shown a commitment to success in its athletic department that strengthens our league and enhances the competitive spirit within our conference.”
The UAC moves to nine members: ASUN — Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, West Georgia; WAC — Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Tarleton State, Utah Tech.
Some wonder if Abilene Christian will be close behind SFA in returning to the Southland. Tarleton, also located in Texas, may want to as well. That would leave the two Utah football teams in the WAC in a tough spot, especially when non-football members Seattle University and Grand Canyon University are also leaving the WAC.
Does SUU and Utah Tech look to land elsewhere if ACU and Tarleton follow SFA to the Southland? Could the UAC morph into ASUN football if the ASUN absorbs the teams left behind? Or can the WAC and the UAC rebound by convincing FCS or D2 teams to refill the ranks?
Add in CAA membership unrest as Richmond football departs for the Patriot League, the Summit League at least weighing the idea of sponsoring football, and the Pac-2 potentially rebuilding if OSU/WSU can’t get into a Power 4 conference … and it appears more dominos of FCS realignment are coming.
