Western Athletic Conference football

Former members

The WAC has 29 former football-playing members.

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. 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. 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. Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State left the WAC for the 2023 season as they began transitioning to the FBS level as members of Conference USA. In 2023, the ASUN–WAC Challenge became the United Athletic Conference and became a full FCS conference. Stephen F. Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley left the WAC for the Southland Conference before the 2024 season, prior to UTRGV having their first ever season of college football.

Conference championships

By year

By team

Championship game

Main article: WAC 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.

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

• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (2000–2012)
• Hawaii Bowl (2002–2011)
• Holiday Bowl (1978–1997)

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.

Rivalries

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

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.

References

References

1. (July 3, 2012). "Western Athletic Conference considers becoming a non-football league".
2. (January 14, 2021). "WAC Announces Expansion, Plans to Reinstate Football". Western Athletic Conference.
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]].
4. (January 21, 2021). "WAC Announces Expedited Entrance for Four Texas Institutions". Western Athletic Conference.
5. "Reports: WAC football to return in 2022, rise to FBS later in decade".
6. "UTRGV commits to add FCS football by 2024.".
7. (February 23, 2021). "ASUN, WAC Conferences Announce Football Partnership for 2021". ASUN Conference.
8. (February 23, 2021). "From the Commissioner's Desk: @ASUN_Football Update". ASUN Conference.
9. (May 18, 2022). "ASUN and WAC Renew Football Alliance". ASUN Conference.
10. (June 24, 2022). "University of the Incarnate Word Staying in the Southland Conference". Southland Conference.
11. (July 11, 2022). "Lamar University Prepares for Early Move to Southland Conference". Southland Conference.
12. (April 17, 2023). "ASUN-WAC Football Partnership Formally Rebrands As The United Athletic Conference". Western Athletic Conference.
13. (December 20, 2022). "@ASUN_Football and WAC Release 2023 Schedule". ASUN Conference.
14. (December 20, 2022). "ASUN And WAC Unveil 2023 Football Schedule". Western Athletic Conference.
15. Vejar, Alex. (January 6, 2021). "Report: Two Utah schools in plans for return of WAC football in 2022". The Salt Lake Tribune.
16. Jeyarajah, Shehan. (January 28, 2021). "Report: Three schools to join WAC football for 2021 season only".
17. "1964 Western Athletic Conference Year Summary".
18. "Winsipedia - Idaho Vandals vs. Boise State Broncos football series history".
19. "Winsipedia - New Mexico State Aggies vs. New Mexico Lobos football series history".
20. "Winsipedia - New Mexico State Aggies vs. UTEP Miners football series history".
21. "Winsipedia - San Jose State Spartans vs. Fresno State Bulldogs football series history".
22. "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NRG Stadium made permanent home of Battle of the Piney Woods".
23. "Winsipedia - Utah State Aggies vs. BYU Cougars football series history".
24. "Winsipedia - Utah State Aggies vs. Utah Utes football series history".